"Yes… I like it. We'll look great."
Trader was standing in front of two mirrors. One of them was the enchanted one that reflected Lucienne's visage instead.
The symbiote was wearing a knee-length black dress with blue accents and frills on the sleeves. The noble was dressed in a similar piece, but with golden accents. They deliberately coordinated their outfits. The dragonkin was also adorned with golden jewelry, including the anti-scrying bracelet Karrel made for her. She was never seen without it, and it was as much due to security concerns as because it had sentimental value.
Trader didn't wear any such accessories. If it was socially acceptable, she wouldn't wear any clothing to begin with, so additional items like these weren't even considered. Instead, she grew a few clusters of scales on her skin to appear more like other nobles.
The ball was starting in two hours, so Trader and Lucille agreed to meet there and ended the mirror's connection. Now, the healer could sense the sympathic bond the looking glass was imbued with. She was still far away from replicating such a feat, however.
"Break a leg." Karrel said as she left.
"I don't have bones." The woman reminded.
He sighed. "It's a-"
"I know, I was joking. Thank you, and don't worry. I won't be getting under Luci's skirt. Unless she asks, of course." She winked, and left.
----------------------------------------
The city hall was already busy, despite the fact the event wouldn't technically start for another half an hour.
"Announcing young lady Lucienne Tiamarr, first generation, of House Tiamarr!"
Everyone in the room turned their heads to look at the heiress.
"It is lovely to see you all. Mother will arrive a little late, but she encourages you all to enjoy the refreshments in the meanwhile." Luci proclaimed. "It is also my pleasure to introduce my friend from abroad, who has decided to stay permanently. I'm sure a few have had the joy of meeting her already."
The announcer took her cue and cleared his throat.
"Announcing miss Trader Fleshforger, third generation, and her retinue!"
The symbiote walked in with a fake smile on her face. Next to her walked Cynthia, who was clad in a simple blue dress. While it was nice, it looked downright plain when compared to the lavish outfits some of the nobles wore.
Trader bowed, though not deeply. She was showing respect, not subservience.
"Greetings. I've not been here long in this country, but I've been met with nothing but hospitality."
[Aside from being arrested that one time.] she thought.
Her entrance had garnered a bigger reaction than Lucienne's did. The whole room was filled with chatting and gossip.
Before the healer could rejoin the heiress, a tall woman approached. Her face was framed with dark green scales. The noble was wearing a form-fitting outfit made from some elastic, clinging material. Its color was the exact same hue as her scales, making her look at first glance like she was wearing nothing at all.
[She gets it.] The blue woman approved in her mind.
"Miss Fleshforger, it is wonderful to see you once again!" The woman beamed.
[《Again》?] Trader wondered.
[This is Lady Claire Pendant. She was there when you delivered the Carapace.] The Archivist, more recently nicknamed Archie, supplied. It could freely browse her memories while she was keeping most of her brain power concerned with not making any social fumbles.
[Thanks!]
"Lady Pendant! It has been some time. How have you been?" Trader mirrored Claire's, likely also faked, excitement.
"Why, it is actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Tell me, is it common in your culture to associate oneself with thieves?"
[Oh boy.]
Outwardly, Trader frowned. "I'm not sure I follow. Is this a figure of speech? I still have trouble grasping some of the peculiarities of the language."
"Personally, I think you sound like a native speaker. No, I meant that quite literally. Your attendant here," Claire waved a hand at Cynthia, "has stolen a dear heirloom of mine."
Thinking quickly, the symbiote took out the dagger from a pocket of her dress.
"Oh, you mean this old thing? Cynthia was indebted to me before I hired her, and she's paid a portion of her debt with this dagger. I've had some custom work done on it, but the original enchantment is still there. If I knew it was yours, I would have returned it immediately. Here."
She handed the weapon to the noble woman, who slowed down for only a fraction of a second.
"Yes, thank you so much! You know, my father gave it to me to commemorate my awakening. I was really worried that I had lost it forever."
"Of course. If there's ever an issue, don't hesitate to contact me. Just please, do so personally. The last time you sent your subordinate, she was… difficult to work with."
Claire shot Trader a glance full of venom, but it quickly faded as she nodded.
"Yes, lowborn servants can be inefficient, to say the least. Speaking of, I'm curious, what will be her punishment? Again, I find your… cultural differences fascinating."
The blue woman giggled politely. "Oh, there is no need to punish dear Cynthia here. Nor would there be any use. What happened was because of fae influence, through no fault of her own. I'm sure you are aware of the difficulties her species has to deal with regarding the full moon. Especially since your child has similar leanings."
[Ha, I saw a vein twitch there!]
"I insist, justice needs to be served."
"As much as the prospect of crusading into the Twilight Forest to slay a single fae spirit appeals to the part of me that enjoys adventure novels, I have a tightly packed schedule and have no time for plane-hopping. I have a business to run, and research to do. But trust me, I sympathize. If I was able to, I would have vanquished the thing the day I met my dear elvish friend."
Claire's hands tightened into fists.
"If you don't exact justice, I will be forced to demand satisfaction. My father's honor demands it. Lash her!"
By now there were about two dozen nobles openly listening to their exchange. Some of them never stopped looking at Trader ever since she walked in.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"What you demand is revenge, not justice. And poorly aimed revenge, at that. Cynthia had no control of her body on the night of full moon, so she cannot be held responsible for what happened."
"She told you what happened, didn't she? And you'd trust a lowborn's words over your equal?"
Trader thought of Cynthia as more of an equal than any noble gathered here, but of course she couldn't say that out loud.
"Cynthia has proven herself to be a reliable, brilliant woman. This is only the second time I meet you, Lady Pendant. Trust grows with time. It is not freely given merely because of one's station." Now Trader was also letting a bit of anger slip into her voice.
"Enough! I, Claire Pendant, full dragon of the first generation after baron Terragon Pendant, challenge you to a duel!" The woman declared.
Trader had read up on duel etiquette in the days leading up to the ball. She could reject the challenge, but considering this was her debut on the political scene, that would be like shooting herself in the foot, ripping out the arrow, and shooting herself again.
Since the whole idea of dueling stemmed from personal power giving one entitlement to do anything they wanted, you couldn't appoint a champion to fight in your stead. Not that Trader had anyone stronger than herself she could delegate to. Maybe Isa, but with her hands-off policy she would never agree to that.
So Trader had to fight a full-fledged dragon, one on one.
"What are your demands?" She asked Claire, following the traditional protocol.
"Should I win, I demand you declare a blood feud on the lowborn fae-toy you adore so much. What are your demands?"
Declaring a blood feud meant you made it your goal, and indeed, your duty, to kill every last one of someone's bloodline. Declaring a blood feud required the emperor's approval, unless the bloodline in question was lowborn. Then the prospective killer just had to get the go-ahead from a duke or duchess of where the family lived. This demand essentially boiled downed to "kill that bitch" while making sure everything was legal.
Trader couldn't refuse the demand outright, but she could make a demand that was so outrageous as to not be worth the risk. If Pendant considered losing as an option, that is.
"This would have never happened if Cynthia could afford a sleep elixir. For the safety of everyone, both elf and otherwise: should I win, I, Trader Fleshforger, demand your house fund sleeping aid for every elf in the duchy for every full moon, for as long as you live. Do you accept?"
The dragonkin smirked. "You know how to pull on heartstrings, I'll give you that. But I'm not scared of a whelp like you. I accept!"
"Your vows have been heard." Someone said.
Everyone looked where the statement had come from. It was Duchess Tiamarr herself. Her arrival went unnoticed due to the commotion Trader and Pendant had caused.
With her declaration, the symbiote's fate was sealed. As someone second in station to only the emperor himself, Tiamarr had the authority to oversee the duel and enforce its outcome.
"However," Tiamarr continued, "I propose the duel be postponed until after the ball. I don't want this joyous occasion ruined by blood sports. However entertaining some of you may find duels to be, I assure you, they are nothing compared to the cuisine my cooks have prepared tonight."
A couple of nobles chuckled at her joke, which prompted half the ball room to join in the laughter. Whether it was funny or not, no one wanted to offend the duchess.
Claire Pendant gave the symbiote a parting look of disdain and turned around. The crowd scattered, and Trader made her way to Lucienne.
"This is a mess." The healer groaned.
"Indeed. Uncharacteristic, too. Pendant is one of the least confrontational people in the court. I've never seen her so worked up." Luci said.
"Cynthia has dirt on her."
"How dirty are we talking?"
Trader leaned in to whisper. "Blasphemy."
Luci nodded.
"Hm. I see you are shaking things up more than I thought, however unintentionally."
"Lucienne." Lady Tiamarr approached.
"Mother." The young lady nodded in greeting.
"And you" the duchess turned to the symbiote, "are miss Trader Fleshforger. I've heard many things about you. I couldn't find out, however, your age. How old are you?"
"I am six decades old, your grace." She replied, bowing her head. Now it signalled reverence.
"Then I should rather call you young miss Fleshforger."
"Please, your grace, I am a friend of Lucienne's. You may call me young miss Trader."
"Very well, young miss. You don't waste time, do you? Your first ball, and you swore for a duel before the first dance." Tiamarr observed. There was an ambiguity in her tone; Trader couldn't tell if the woman was asking or accusing.
"I do need to resolve this misunderstanding. I bear no I'll will to lady Pendant, but I can't just torture my confidant whenever anyone else demands it. That's no way to garner loyalty, and a loyal friend is worth more than all the gold in the world." Trader explained her reasoning.
"You have the entire ball to resolve this… misunderstanding, as you called it. I must say, your actions have been perplexing to me. From what I gathered, you have gotten quite close with Karrel Damorny. Shortly afterwards, he officially broke his engagement with my daughter. And now, you claim to be her friend?"
Trader was genuinely puzzled for a minute.
"Oh! I understand. Many seem to make the mistake of assuming Karrel left Lucienne in favour of me. I assure you, he is merely a friend. I just helped him understand that it would be improper for someone as important as your daughter to marry anyone who has not achieved draconic awakening. Besides, your daughter is only two decades older than me! There's no need to make such commitments so early in her life."
Internally, Trader gritted her teeth. Her statement was a mixture of truth, half-truth, and technically-the-truth. Lucienne warned her that Tiamarr has honed her lie detecting skills through literal centuries, so to deceive her, the healer had to partially believe her own words too.
The duchess nodded sagely. "Please understand, I bear no I'll will towards the man. I must simply think of the future of my family, you understand. Frankly, if Luci didn't insist he was 《the one,》I would have no issue with letting them have their little fun."
"Personally, I know I'm much too young for such commitments. Marriage? Gods forbid, children?! I'll start thinking about such thing when I start my third century, at least." Trader thought she was risking it when she relaxed her tone a bit, but the duchess laughed earnestly.
"Exactly. I was four hundred and twenty when I had dear Lucienne."
"That reminds me," Trader took a sip from a cup she didn't even notice picking up from the nearby table, "I've heard many things about you, your grace, but nothing of Lucienne's father."
"That's because there is no father."
Trader tilted her head.
"You see, I knew I had to find a perfect mate to have my child with. To give her the best genes, so her awakening went as smoothly as possible. But I found every other duke… lacking. Of course, his Excellency already has an heir and so has sworn celibacy, so I realised that the only remaining option was… myself. It took great effort, especially given how resistant to influence the true draconic physique is, but I cultivated my own…" Tiamarr cleared her throat. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable with the details."
"Oh, not at all! Besides, I have a pretty good idea." Trader assured. Then she added in a stage whisper. "I, myself, am hermaphroditic."
The duchess's eyes went wide. "Is it true, then? The rumour that you are… of the void?"
[Interesting way to phrase that…]
"While some call my species one of the 《forsaken》 ones, that didn't make me what I am. I'm a shapeshifter, you see. Every facet of my body is the way it is because I have decided it should be so. That includes the… downstairs, if you excuse my colloquialism."
"Incredible." Tiamarr shook her head lightly.
"I find it more impressive what you achieved without such a gift. You dragons display such magical prowess, it's truly an inspiration."
"Oh, stop with the flattery." She waved her hand dismissively. "Hard work, young miss, hard work! Nothing more and nothing less. With enough effort you can achieve anything. It was a delight to meet you, young miss Trader, but I must go now. I have many more guests to entertain tonight, not to speak of tomorrow. I hope you have fun here, despite the welcome lady Pendant gave you."
They both lower their heads; like two equals acknowledging one another. Then, Tiamarr walked up to another circle of nobles.
"You're really bad at this, huh." Lucienne said.
"What?"
"You realize the things you admitted to, right?"
Trader zoned out, going through the conversation again in her head, Archie making sure she didn't miss anything.
"...okay, you have a point. However!" She raised her finger. "I haven't broken character, and I think she honestly thinks more of me after that. Yes, your mom has pretty thick walls, but everybody who grew up having a body has tells. She likes me, at least in the way an aunt likes her dumb little niece."
Luci sighed. "Very well then, little niece. Did you actually intend on getting Pendant to cancel the duel?"
"I have an idea. But it kind of requires showing my hand a little."
Lucienne frowned. "You mean…"
"I believe the term is 《mutually assured destruction.》"