A Journey Unwanted

[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: Heart Kingdom]

[Pulchritudo]

The invitations were accepted with little more than a respectful bow.

Neither of the Heart Kingdom soldiers so much as questioned them.

One briefly studied the elegant lettering stamped across the thick white invitation before stepping aside without a word. The great iron gates slowly parted, revealing a broad stone path that cut through meticulously maintained gardens.

The silence between the three girls lingered as they walked.

Every hedge had been sculpted perfectly, and white marble statues depicted rather powerful-looking people wielding blades or other weapons. There were also some beasts who stood between flowerbeds that somehow bloomed despite the harsh world beyond the estate walls. Crystal fountains fed streams that came through the gardens before disappearing beneath bridges.

Nothing had been left unfinished; money had made every inch of the estate.

The mansion itself only grew larger the closer they approached.

Its countless windows were pristine, while banners embroidered with Duke Bluebeard’s crest hung proudly from towering stone pillars. An elegant shield with two sabres behind it.

Servants hurried through the courtyard carrying crates of what were no doubt imported goods; there were casks of expensive wine, silver trays stacked with glasses, and elaborate flower arrangements. Stablehands led away noble horses while coachmen exchanged greetings with one another as yet another luxurious carriage rolled to a stop.

Even outside, the banquet had already begun.

The three eventually reached the enormous entrance doors.

Massive slabs of dark oak, reinforced with steel and engraved with gold, stood open. Two servants welcomed arriving guests with smiles before directing them inside.

The moment Gretel crossed the threshold...

She instinctively slowed.

"..."

Her silver eyes swept across the room.

"This..." Even she struggled to find the words; the entrance hall alone could have housed an entire village gathering.

Towering pillars disappeared towards an impossibly high ceiling painted with murals depicting what could only have been victories of the Heart Kingdom. Massive crystal chandeliers hung overhead, thousands of tiny candles burning behind glass.

Long red carpets stretched in several directions towards adjoining halls as music drifted through the air. A string quartet performed from an elevated balcony overlooking the banquet floor, their melody cutting naturally into the murmur of conversation.

Rows upon rows of tables filled the enormous chamber, each one overflowing with food.

Freshly roasted meats and whole fish rested atop beds of citrus and fragrant greens. Towering cakes with neat decorations stood besides pastries dusted with fine white powder. Bowls overflowed with berries Gretel had never seen before, while enormous crystal dishes held fruits imported from places far away.

There were stranger dishes too.

Shellfish, unlike anything Gretel recognised, glowing mushrooms preserved beneath glass. Thin slices of vividly blue meat arranged like works of art. She gathered it was the goods transported via the teleportation devices in the city.

Even drinks occupied entire tables; rows of decanters contained wines ranging from deep red to gold. Some seemed almost luminous beneath the chandelier light.

Servants continuously refilled empty glasses before anyone even needed to ask.

Everything felt painfully excessive.

Paimon slowly turned in place.

"Whoa..." Her voice came out as barely more than a whisper. "There..." She looked towards another table. "...there’s so much, and I’ve never even seen half of these foods before." Her blue eyes continued darting around the room. "I don’t even know what some of this is."

Gretel gave a small, weary smile.

"I don’t either," she quietly admitted. "And somehow I don’t think this is everything." She noticed servants disappearing through another set of double doors before returning carrying fresh trays. "There are more halls." She followed their movements. "I imagine this is only one section of the banquet."

Paimon’s eyes widened.

"Only one?" She looked back over the enormous hall again. "I thought this was the banquet."

Gretel shook her head slightly. "Not with an estate this size. There are likely separate halls for private meetings, dancing, performances and dining." She exhaled quietly. "This place wasn’t built for one gathering."

Paimon stared silently.

"I suddenly feel even more underdressed." She laughed weakly.

Before Gretel could answer, the atmosphere shifted. It was not because the music stopped or because anyone made an announcement. Rather, people simply began looking in one direction. Heads slowly turned, and conversations faltered; even servants carrying trays found themselves stealing glances.

The cause walked calmly ahead of Gretel and Paimon, Ella; she neither slowed nor acknowledged a single stare.

Her black dress oddly stood out against the sea of colourful gowns surrounding her, while her porcelain complexion and unnaturally vivid red eyes immediately drew attention.

She looked as though she belonged inside an expensive portrait.

"...Who is she?" A nobleman’s quiet voice drifted across the room.

"I’ve never seen someone like her before." Another guest lowered his wine.

"Good heavens..."

"Is she from another kingdom?"

"No..." A woman studying Ella from behind a fan shook her head. "I would’ve remembered a face like that."

"She’s..." Another woman hesitated. "...astonishing."

"I almost mistook her for royalty." Another quietly murmured,

"I thought she was royalty."

Ella continued walking without the slightest change in expression; she neither acknowledged nor encouraged the attention. It simply didn’t matter to her.

Paimon awkwardly shrank her shoulders as he laughed nervously. "I think everyone’s looking..."

Gretel smiled wryly.

"They are, mostly looking at Ella. Though..." She noticed several lingering glances settle upon herself and Paimon too. "...we’re getting our fair share as well."

Paimon instinctively reached up and adjusted her hood.

"I don’t like people staring." She tried smiling. "It makes me feel like I’ve done something wrong."

"You haven’t," Gretel answered softly. "It’s simply because we stand out."

"Really?" Paimon blinked.

Gretel nodded.

"You." She gestured subtly. "Your hood and your armor. And mainly because Ella is so pretty, honestly I’m a bit jealous."

Paimon couldn’t help giggling. "I don’t think you need to be jealous, Gretel; you’re plenty beautiful too."

"You’re too sweet." Gretel’s smile widened slightly. "But I don’t think there’s another person in this room capable of attracting attention as effortlessly as she does."

Ahead of them Ella finally spoke, without turning around.

"If you’re done gawking keep walking. We’re here to find a vault, not admire some fancy curtains or shit." Her voice remained flat.

Paimon hurried after her.

"S-sorry." She glanced around one final time. "They’re really nice curtains though."

Ella sighed. "They’re curtains."

Gretel couldn’t help the quiet chuckle that escaped her.

"But aren’t you at least a little nervous with everyone staring at you like that, Ella?" Paimon finally gave voice to the thought that had been lingering in her mind ever since they attracted attention.

As they continued walking between clusters of finely dressed nobles, merchants, and dignitaries, she could still feel eyes following them. It was not just occasional glances born from curiosity, but prolonged looks that lingered a little too long.

Most of those looks settled on Ella.

More guests openly paused their conversations to watch her pass.

Others attempted to be subtle, lowering glasses just enough to steal another glance before pretending to resume speaking. Some settling on Gretel and herself as well.

Paimon instinctively drew her hood a little closer around herself.

She had never enjoyed being the center of attention.

Seeing someone receive this much of it felt almost overwhelming by proxy.

Ella barely acknowledged the question.

Her red eyes remained forward as she continued walking, seemingly unconcerned by the dozens of gazes fixed upon her.

"Why," she asked flatly, "would I be nervous because a bunch of plebeians decided to stare at me?"

She finally glanced sideways toward Paimon.

It was obvious from the look alone that she had no interest in hearing an actual answer.

"If anything..." Her expression soured ever so slightly. "...I find it disgusting."

Paimon blinked.

"Disgusting?" She looked around again, noticing another pair of nobles whispering behind embroidered fans. "I don’t know... they’re definitely staring." She smiled awkwardly. "I just figured maybe it’d make you uncomfortable."

Ella let out a quiet scoff.

"They can look all they want; they’re still strangers. And strangers have nothing worthwhile to say." Her attention shifted away again before the conversation could linger there.

Gretel, meanwhile, had also been observing the crowd.

Unlike Paimon, she wasn’t bothered by the attention itself; she was bothered by the kind of attention.

"Well, quite a few of them aren’t exactly admiring you politely." Her silver eyes swept across another gathering of wealthy guests as she frowned slightly. "A lot of those looks are bordering on lecherous."

Her gaze lingered briefly on one particularly bold noble whose eyes had scarcely left Ella since they entered.

"It’s actually kind of funny." She hesitated for only a moment before smiling somewhat.

Ella looked at her as Gretel’s smile widened just a fraction.

"I don’t really understand it." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "I think you’re far more cute than sexy."

There was the briefest pause.

"Gretel." Ella’s voice remained perfectly the same. "If you were anyone else..." She stared directly at her. "...I’d kick you."

Paimon looked between the two in confusion; she couldn’t tell whether they were arguing or simply talking the way they normally did.

Gretel, unsurprisingly, showed no signs of intimidation whatsoever.

Instead, she folded one arm beneath the other, genuinely considering Ella’s statement.

"Oh?" A thoughtful hum escaped her. "So..." She smiled again. "...does that mean I’m important enough that you don’t actually want to resort to violence?" She sounded almost pleased by the conclusion.

Ella’s eyelid twitched, and the raven-haired girl slowly exhaled through her nose.

"Here I was..." She muttered dryly. "...thinking you’d finally grown out of this teasing phase of yours."

"I had." Gretel answered innocently. "Though you simply make it too easy."

Ella gave her a long, unimpressed stare before deciding the conversation wasn’t worth continuing.

Instead, she veered toward one of the banquet tables lining the enormous hall, and she came to a stop. Immediately before them stretched an entire display dedicated solely to desserts.

Excessive ones.

Tiered trays overflowed with delicate pastries decorated in edible gold. Cakes sculpted into miniature castles stood beside glass bowls filled with jewel-colored candies. Chocolate sculptures rose from silver platters, while elegant tarts, layered creams, and sugar flowers filled every remaining inch of the table.

Even the arrangement itself resembled artwork more than food.

Ella’s red gaze slowly wandered across the display.

Outwardly she appeared completely indifferent. Inwardly her attention had settled upon a very specific plate. Small chocolate cones that were perfectly arranged, finished with curls of dark chocolate.

She stared at them for perhaps a second longer than anything else on the table.

Then casually looked away.

As though she hadn’t been interested at all.

"Let’s split up." She folded her arms again. "We’ll cover more ground that way." Her tone shifted back toward business. "We’re here for that Duke bastard." She briefly glanced around the enormous hall. "And judging from how ridiculously excessive this place is..." A scoff followed. "...he seems exactly like the sort of idiot who’d make everyone wait just so he can walk in dramatically."

Paimon couldn’t exactly disagree; everything surrounding them seemed designed to make an impression.

Gretel nodded thoughtfully. "That does sound surprisingly believable." Then another thought crossed her mind. Her silver eyes drifted back toward the dessert table, more specifically toward Ella.

"You’re absolutely certain..." she asked carefully. "...that splitting up has absolutely nothing to do with wanting uninterrupted access to all these sweets?"

Ella looked at her, very slowly.

"Hm?"

Gretel gestured toward the extravagant dessert display.

"I mean, there are enough pastries here to feed a village. You did happen to stop directly beside them. And..." Her smile became increasingly amused. "...you’ve been looking at those cones for a suspiciously long time."

Beside them, Paimon finally noticed the desserts properly, and her face immediately brightened.

"Ooh, there really are a lot of sweets here." She leaned slightly closer to admire them. "They’re so pretty, I almost wouldn’t want to eat them."

Ella clicked her tongue.

"Of course that’s not why," she answered with complete confidence. "I don’t eat sweets."

The statement came so matter-of-factly it almost sounded rehearsed; her arms remained folded, and her expression never changed.

She looked entirely sincere.

Gretel simply stared at her.

"...Uh-huh."

The response carried every ounce of disbelief she could muster.

She wasn’t convinced, not even remotely.

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