"Lady Leria Verhen and Lord Aran Verhen. Lady Solus Verhen." The Royal Valet announced them in their order of entrance." "He called me a Lady in front of the whole Court!" Leria squealed a bit too loud. "Does that make me a princess?" "It sure makes me embarrassed." Aran replied as he needed sheer willpower to not make his legs become jelly like they seemed adamant to. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞 "That's great. Even my daughter is a Lady whereas I'm just your husband. I may not be worthy of the Verhen name, but I'm still a Proudhammer. Too bad that nobody seems to care." Senton snarled from the corner of his mouth close to Rena. "After all, why bother with the humble son of a blacksmith with no magical power?" "Hush, dear. I'm sorry for the treatment you received." She whispered back. "You deserve better, but right now there's nothing we can do." The Verhens couples reached the base of the dais where the Royals sat, giving them a deep bow before moving to the right side of the room. Empty chairs had been engraved with their names and their friends were already there, waiting for them. Marchioness Distar, Professor Marth, Professor Vastor, General Vorgh, General Berion, Baron Wyalon from Jambel, and the entire Ernas Household. Everyone had come with their respective spouse or betrothed which left Friya alone. "Are they your young ones, Supreme Magus Verhen?" King Meron asked with a warm smile to break the ice and reassure the scared children. "Yes, My Liege." Lith gave him a deep bow, instantly followed by the kids. "They carry the full power and talent of my blood. I hope that in time, they'll earn their place in the White Griffon." "It's an honor, Your Majesty." Aran fell on his right knee too fast, hurting himself in the process. He bit his cheek to ignore the pain and conjured a life-sized hologram of the King. It was in black and white but accurate in every aspect. "Wonderful. You managed to notice so many details in so little time, young Mage. The Kingdom praises you." Having called a kid with the title of Mage was a huge honor and so was the compliment following it. "Thank you for your sacrifice and for saving the Kingdom, My Queen." Leria kneeled as well, conjuring a hologram of Sylpha wearing the Saefel Set that was way better looking than the original. "Magnificent." The Queen could see from the glowing eyes full of admiration of the young girl that it wasn't an attempt to flatter her. Leria's spell was simply showing how the Queen appeared in the young girl's eyes. "You make us proud of the last name we bestowed upon your family, young Mage. The Crown praises you." Sylpha's gloating tone and the meaningful variation on the customary closing phrase made even Meron knit his eyebrows in surprise. Those few words spoke volumes of the horrors that waited for anyone who'd dare to compare the kids' performances and point out the lack of accuracy of Sylpha's hologram compared to the King's. Sylpha had praised Leria personally, hence every critique of her Light Mastery would be a direct offense to the Queen. The same Queen who had slain Thrud and was caressing the pommel of the Saefel Sword. "You can stand and join your peers." Meron said, yet the kids kept kneeling. "I can't." Aran said with a whimper, his legs having given out from the emotion. Lith gave the Royals one more bow before stepping between Aran and Leria and taking their hands. He helped them to stand up and walk to the side while the Royals chuckled. "Well done, little imp." Orion ruffled Aran's hair. "Yeah, right." He grumbled, his eyes veiled with tears. "I looked like an idiot." "Not quite." Jirni pointed at the faces of many nobles who seemed to suffer from constipation for days. "Very few kids get introduced to the Royals at your age. Even less can showcase the talent you demonstrated and almost none have ever received your same praise." "Really?" Leria was still trembling from head to toe. The adrenaline rush from the Court, meeting the Royals, and being commended needed both her parents to keep her still. "Really." Lith said. "I didn't meet the Royals until I was thirteen and graduated from the White Griffon." Once the Royal Valet slammed his golden staff on the ground, signaling that no more guests were expected, the doors of the Banquet Hall closed and the corridors leading from the balconies to the ground floor opened. The Gala's purpose was to celebrate the end of the War of the Griffons. It was a joyous event where nobles from all over the Kingdom, even Thrud's former regions, had been invited to mingle and forge bonds of friendship. Now that the security measures were in place and no one could get in or out, the chairs disappeared the moment a guest stood up. In their place, long rectangular tables appeared lined up against the walls that the valets quickly set. The staff entered from side passages, filling the tables with all kinds of foods and drinks while setting vases filled with sweet-smelling exotic flowers behind every column. "The evening will proceed as follows." Meron's voice boomed throughout the room with no need for spells in order to showcase his vigor and returning health. "First, we will eat and drink to our heart's content to rejoice for the peace. Once our bellies are full and our mood is high, we'll proceed to award the heroes of the War of the Griffons. Then, we'll move on to the dancefloor. "Tonight, I only have one order for you. Have a good time." The King clapped his hands, giving everyone permission to move around and cuing the non-necessary staff to leave. "Congratulations, Raaz and Elina. Congratulations, Senton and Rena. You must be proud of your children." Baron Wyalon shook their hands, quickly followed by the rest of their friends. "Thanks. It's nice for someone to remember I exist." Senton whined. "Don't ruin Leria's debut in the Royal Court." Rena nudged him. "Your grievances can wait until we get back home." "I'm sorry. It's just that being considered just your plus one is painful." Senton whispered with a forced smile on his face. "I would have preferred not to come to the Gala, but I couldn't miss our baby girl's debut nor let any of these nobles hit on you." "Thank you, my king." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek that greatly improved his mood. "This is really cruel of you, Friya." Solus moved to her side, right next to Orion where no one dared to venture. "How could you leave Nalrond home?" Receiving so much attention was nice. Being short, however, allowed anyone to have a good look down her neckline and it wasn't nice at all. "The kicked ass teaches best." Friya snarled. "I'm single and I'm going to enjoy this night as such. Care to join me, Lady Verhen? You seem to be missing a date as well." "Gladly, Lady Ernas." Solus chuckled and took Friya's arm, making many young bachelors groan in disappointment. "Too bad you have covered your streaks. We might have given a lot of people a stroke." Friya said.