Once we entered the palace's great hall, everyone's eyes focused on us. On me, specifically. That was not completely unexpected; my presence alone was enough to make other nobles furrow their brows. But on that day, I have given them another reason to badmouth me. My election of clothing was a bit... controversial. I was wearing a black dress with a dark veil. The attendants that had come with me, Sophie, Carmila, and Iridia, were dressed in similar fashion.
Dressing in black to a celebration was normally in bad taste, and I could already see some murmuring and gossiping among the multitude. But it would have been worse if I had worn anything else, even if they didn't realize it. It hasn't been a year yet since my husband died, so I was expected to still be mourning him. It didn't really mattered on my day to day, or even in casual reunions, but to ignore such tradition while attending a formal celebration such as that would have been a dishonor not only for me, and my husband's memory, but to the host as well. Erzi herself probably wouldn't care, but others might use it against her.
—But still... everyone is going to be so focused on the color of the dress that nobody is going to notice how beautiful it is —Sophie said, once she had helped me choose my attire.
—What if we try to turn that negative attention into positive? —Carmila said, after thinking it for a moment.
—What do you mean? —I asked.
—Well, we can put something they can't get mad to right in the spotlight —she answered, pointing to Violett, who was sleeping in my arms—, and kids aren't expected to wear black after a family member dies.
—Oh! —both Sophie and I exclaimed, slightly clapping our hands at Carmila's brilliant plan.
So we dressed my baby with a gorgeous white dress, with a few emeralds here and there. I was carrying her as we crossed the great hall, right where everyone could see her. I felt a little bad for using her as a distraction, but I also kind of wanted to show of how cute my baby was. I... think I was even smiling.
That strategy apparently worked, as I could only hear a few murmurs belittling me, among the rest of the crowd. We reached the other side of the hall, where the queen and the king were welcoming the guest on a slightly elevated platform. Erzi was sitting, as she was still a bit weak, and Gaius was at her side. But to my surprise, Erzi was holding baby Julius on her arms.
—I recognize your soul, Rosanne Dragonroot —she said, welcoming me in a very formal and a bit archaic way. Her smile was still as warm as ever.
—I am humbled to be on your presence, your Majesty —I replied in similar manner, bowing my head a bit more than usual. It was a bit hard to keep my balance while carrying Violet, but I managed it somehow.
My attendants had taken a knee to pay respect to the royal family, but as soon as I raised my head, they approached them with the presents we had brought. I... might have brought too many. It was not unusual to bring present to this sort of celebrations, and it was almost expected when the host was from a higher standing, not to even mention from the royal family. But those gifts tended to be jewelry, accessories, paintings, etc.
I had brought some of those as well, but most of the bulk was comprised of baby clothes, diapers, and a few feeding bottles. I also had written a few notes and recommendations to help in the child's raising, but those were hidden below the clothes. In hindsight, it was a tacky gift to give to the royal family, but I got a bit too excited when I noticed the part of the invitation that asked me to be Julius' godmother. And now I could understood the glare Carmila had thrown at me when we were buying everything. But Erzi looked happy, and almost forgot her role as a queen to give me a hug.
—I would also like to present a few gifts for the rest of the family —I said, as I presented to them a sheathed rapier—. This sword's blade has been covered in my blood, and I present it as a symbol of my loyalty towards your Majesties.
Mother had done the same thing before, and so had some of the previous leaders of my family. It was said that a blade covered by the blood of a dragon would never break or rust, but I'm sure it was just a legend. I still did coat it with my blood... with some begrudgingly help of the doctor.
—While it can be used to protect oneself, that sword is mostly decorative, as I hope for a future that is a peaceful one and there is never a need to unsheathe it —I said, in the most elegant and magnanimous tone I could muster.
Then I took a step further towards the queen, and murmured a secret message for her:
—I also reserved a crate of wine, so that you can enjoy it together once Prince Julius becomes an adult. Maybe we could invite the old chief of guards for a drink.
Erzi tried so hard to not burst into a laugh. She was quite the heavy drinker when she had the chance, and the night she out drank the chief of guards had become a secret joke between us. I caught a glance of the king's glare, and took a step back. We did another salute, and turned away, trying to incorporate into the crowd, but it was obvious everyone was trying to keep their distance from us. That is, until I heard a familiar voice.
—Rosanne!! There you are! —A woman dressed in a very scandalous red dress came running towards me, towing her husband behind her— I thought once you married you'll stop being such a wallflower!
—Ah, I guess I haven't changed at all, hahaha...
She was Victoria, and her husband was Christopher. They were not my friends, more like acquaintances. Christopher's father ran some business for my mother, and I knew Christopher himself since I was a teenager. We met in a few socialite parties and he presented me to her then fiancée, and since then we have had this sort of casual association. Christopher was quite serious and polite, unlike her more ongoing and extrovert wife. They did get along, in their own particular way, and they had two daughters of four and six years old already. Christopher and Victoria had more or less my same age...
—I'm very sorry for what happened to Arthur —Christopher solemnly said.
—T-thanks, thank you very much.
Christopher had been the one who introduced me to my late husband, they were business partners. Even now, he was taking care of the companies that they had started together, and giving us Arthur's shares of the profit. He took the chance to give me a summary of their business, and seemed quite pleased with having someone who could understand his lingo. As a former office lady, it would be embarrassing not being able to keep up with him.
Our discussion was more than boring for Victoria, who instead of trying to participate or even listen to it, started playing with Violett, making silly faces and weird noises. She was from a lower tier of nobility than most of the guest in the party, and she had a more hands on approach of raising her kids. Her style was... quite unusual.
—Can you believe? I found the two little gremlins in the middle of the night eating the cake I had been saving! They made me ran all around the house until they got into their room and locked the door. Of course, everyone woke up by the noise, and they were looking me weird, so I had to go to sleep. Ah... But I can't stay mad at them, I bought them another cake the next weekend, and we ate it together. I made their slices a bit thinner though —she said with a devilish grin.
I laughed out of compromise, and she keep talking and talking, but my mind was distracted. If I was just Rosanne Dragonroot, that encounter would have meant nothing, just something to make the party a bit more tolerable. But since I had my memories from my previous life, I knew the future of this couple. They were the ones who would adopt the heroine, five or six years from now. Shortly after that, Christopher would die suddenly.
Many rumors started to spread about how the girl had caused his death, others about her being his illegitimate daughter. Some went as far as to say she was actually Victoria's daughter from a lover, and Christopher had been murdered when he found out. Victoria and her daughters took their frustration towards the heroine, and bullied her. They would make her work alongside the maids, and yell at her for every mistake. When she turned into a young adult, they sent her to the Academy because they wanted to get rid of her and fulfill the last promise Victoria had made to her husband.
I couldn't allow that to happen, I had already helped Gaiuss escape his bad ending, if there was something I could do, anything, to prevent it, I had to—
—Madame Dragonroot, may I have a moment of your time? —A stern voice said, taking me back from my thoughts.
I turned my head towards the man who had approached us, none other than the King himself. For his expression I could see he would not take a "no" for an answer. I followed him out of the grand hall, and went to a smaller room that was relatively closer. My attendants waited outside, with Sophie carrying Violett.
—I would like to ask you "what are your intentions?" —the king said—, but they are too obvious for anyone paying attention.
—What might your Highness mean? —I said, trying to keep my smile and a relaxed expression.
—Drop the act. Erzebeth is the most intelligent woman that I know, but she is weak to you. She can't see that you are manipulating her.
—Oh? —I could barely keep my composure, I was shaking. What was he talking about?
—After years and years of barely keeping contact, you start to become more proactive in trying to restart your friendship, just when it so happens that you had a daughter and she is pregnant. Do I really have to spell it out?
—Hmm. So what your majesty is implying is that I'm trying to manipulate my dear old friend to arrange a marriage between our kids? That's... entirely correct.