Chapter 39

The ride to the Intrieri estate was silent, but not uncomfortably so. And it didn't take long to get there either. When they reached the grounds, the place was massive, similar in size to the Illusen one, but vastly different. She didn't know how much were decorations for the event but it was all lit up with thriving, colourful blooms everywhere, even climbing the building. Woven through that were fairy lights, really making those flowers pop. There was a steady stream of carriages letting people off. After getting a look at a few of the ladies, she could see why Mika considered Sun's dress to be understated. Even compared to the men, her brother and grandfather looked more austere and forbidding than most.

They were the family of cold and death; it made sense. And while she knew her grandfather to be a warm, kind man, he wore the same stoic expression as her brother once they exited the carriage. There was a frigid aura around them that seemed to make people want to keep their distance as they entered, and Sun was relieved for it, dwarfed between them as she was. She wasn't blind to the looks she was getting as people realised who she was. But she kept her head high and back straight, adopting the same icy facade as her relatives. It was a bit difficult to keep her face blank, though; they had stepped into a wonderland. Again, delicate lights and beautiful flowers were the running theme, but it had been so artfully put together, a magical blend of whimsy and romance.

The ballroom was a wonder; the blooming vines from the hallway spread out over the walls and across the domed ceiling, still interlaced with the lights. Around the room towering columns stood, beautifully carved scenes of dryads lounging in their trees. The farthest wall was completely open to the moonlit gardens beyond.

Despite the abundance of flowers in the room, the scent was pleasant rather than overpowering. The faint strains of classical music played by a string quartet hidden in an alcove nearby could be heard just beneath the chattering of voices from all those present. And there were many present.

Sun had never been so glad she didn't have a birthday; she would hate for her family to force a spectacle like this. The surroundings were beautiful, but the sheer amount of people...

The centre of the floor was clearly for dancing; tables lined the edges of the room, and servants were carrying trays of food and drink, offering them to the guests.

"Come, we must give our well wishes to Lady Intrieri," Kalys told her.

Sure enough, there was a rather large group surrounding a brightly dressed and very pretty girl. She would have been able to sell her virginity for a shit tonne in a brothel. She didn't have the raw sensuality that Lady Vay de Lis had; she had a purity about her. Sun would expect to find her in a flowery glade holding lambs and singing with birds.

"That's her, isn't it?" Sun asked. She could see the resemblance to Nathaniel Intrieri.

"It is."

The girl saw them approach, her eyes lighting up when she saw Sun, and she politely excused herself from the group she had been talking to. The girl stepped right up to them, pulling off a flawless curtsy.

"My Lords," she greeted. "Thank you for coming, and it is a pleasure to see you again."

"The pleasure is ours," Kalys returned; going from his tone, it was more out of courtesy than any real pleasure on his part.

"Lady Intrieri, my sister, Lady Sun Illusen," he introduced. "Sun, Lady Emily Intrieri."

Sun curtseyed in return, inwardly cringing at the action. She had never liked this. 

"I have so looked forward to meeting you," Intrieri said eagerly. 

"Give it time," she replied. It was out of her mouth before she thought to stop it. Kalys probably wouldn't be happy about it. 

The other girl giggled—giggled—at Sun's sarcasm. Was the attempt at friendliness just to try and lure her into a trap? 

"I have guests to greet, but I'll find you later; we can talk," Intrieri said.

Sun didn't respond, but it was obvious Sun had heard her. Intrieri gave them a little wave before greeting other arriving guests.

"Should I be concerned?" 

"About what?" Jinn asked.

"That the talk is some kind of trap?" It was hard not to see these kinds of events as a pit of vipers given the things she'd heard. Information and scandalous gossip seemed to be the key to destroying some of these people, and Sun was worried she might let something slip. Though what? She had no idea. It was amazing what could be used against someone, and she was still unaccustomed to these games. She also didn't feel on top of her game from this morning, much as she was trying to suppress it.

"I have the feeling Lady Intrieri will be doing most of the talking," her brother muttered, uncharacteristically snide. At least for him. Only those that spent plenty of time with him would have recognised it as such.

They wandered through the throng of people, Kalys and Jinn greeting those they knew and introducing her. Some of them she remembered from midwinter, and she also recognised a few family members from the estate as well.

At one point the Intrieri family stood up on the stairs, where the father thanked everyone for coming and for their thoughtful gifts, then delivered a long-winded speech about his beautiful daughter and what a blessing she was to their family. Sun missed most of it, lost in her own thoughts. All of a sudden they were clearing the floor for dancing, Emily dancing with her father first before other couples stepped out onto the floor. 

Sun remained between her grandfather and brother, taking shelter in their icy demeanours that seemed to deter most people from even coming near them. A few brave women did attempt to ask Kalys to dance, one of whom was Lady Vay deLis. Kalys politely declined, even using Sun and her broken arm as an excuse. The last time he'd done it, she had cast him a questioning look.

"Do you not know how to dance?" She had whispered, wondering if that was why he was refusing every woman who approached him, not that she minded it.

Every time some ridiculously beautiful woman had tried to entice him into a dance, Sun had felt a little sick in her stomach and worried he might say yes.

His eyes narrowed on her before he offered his hand in silent invitation.

"I don't know how to dance," she reminded him.

She might remember the basics but didn't want to put that to the test in front of a room full of people who would be judging her.

"Just follow my lead," he told her.

There was something in his eyes, the barest hint of challenge and amusement. Not wanting to cower from it, she took his hand. With her arm in its sling, she couldn't put her hand on his shoulder like she was supposed to, but she could hold his hand with the other, and he held her securely at the waist. He led her with a confident grace, and between that and what little she remembered, it wasn't hard to keep herself from looking a fool.

He spun her expertly about the floor, his face implaccable but his eyes fixed on hers, a barely perceptible self-satisfied smirk on his lips.

"All right, you can dance," she conceded. 

"Never doubt me."

"I'll try not to in the future," she replied with a small smile of her own. There was a bit of pride that he'd turned down every other woman but made an exception for her. If she thought about it, he seemed to make a lot of exceptions for her.

They continued to dance, his hand sending not unpleasant shivers across her skin that she had to suppress. The few times he had touched her skin to skin, it had had the same effect. She didn't want him to stop touching her. She liked the way her hand felt in his and the way he was looking at her. It was almost like the rest of the room melted away.

"Kalys?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"What is it?"

"Thank you for this morning. And for staying with me during the night."

"Next time, just ask," he reminded her, voice just as soft. "I'll not say no for something so important to you."

She nodded, squeezing his hand tightly for a moment, a thrill going through her when he squeezed it back.

The song ended, and he stepped back, leading her off the floor and back to their grandfather. He was chatting with Lady Intrieri and her brother. 

"Lady Illusen," Nathaniel greeted her with a warm smile and took the hand Kalys had just let go of, pressing a kiss to the back of it. "So lovely to see you again."

She politely inclined her head and offered a small smile. 

"My sister tells me you've already met."

"We have," Emily intervened, linking her arm with Suns. "Come, we must speak. Ladies only."

"And what must we speak about, Lady Intrieri?" She asked as the other girl led her away, towards the gardens.

"Emily, please. I've heard so much about you. I have so many questions."

"Why?"

"Because you're new and your story is interesting," she said it like it should have been obvious. 

As they made their way out, Emily took a couple of glasses from a passing server and offered one to Sun. 

Suns experience with alcohol was minimal. A couple of years ago, Zen had managed to procure some whisky, and they had proceeded to get rip-roaring drunk. They had been in so much trouble after that—property damage, the disturbance, and the violation of the rules—not to mention the hangovers the next day had been agony. It hadn't even tasted very nice. And the experience had left her a little wary of alcohol.

"It really isn't," she replied.

Sun was not about to start sharing any details of her life that weren't already out there. 

They stepped outside; there weren't as many people out here, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Fewer witnesses. 

"I don't think you realise how scandalous what your brother did actually is. He's scared a lot of people."

"Scared how?" She asked, a little disbelieving of that statement.

"You're not the first baseborn child to be born to nobility; you won't be the last. But in the Great Four, we don't keep them around. Some lesser houses do, though it's never acknowledged. But you were taken in, formally acknowledged, and added to the succession. There are many people out there worried others might follow suit with their bastards, cutting out their true-born children."

"I don't think this will catch on," Sun muttered, taking a tentative sip of her drink and finding it quite pleasant. Sweet, but not sickly so.

"Who's to say? It's put the fear in them regardless."

"Something you need to be worried about?" Sun asked, a little more snide than she'd intended.

Emily let out a tinkling laugh with genuine mirth. "No, no bastards in the main branch of our family. Though I suppose I may need to worry when I marry. I certainly wouldn't want my children being denied their titles and inheritance."

"How common is adultery in noble marriages?" 

"I couldn't say for sure. My father loved my mother and never strayed. But my uncle has a gaggle of bastards by several different women; I don't know what happened to them," she replied simply before looking a little surprised with herself, quickly glancing about to make sure no one was in earshot. "Sorry, ladies aren't supposed to speak of such things."

"Why?"

"It's unseemly. So it's true then? That you didn't grow up with the Illusens? Even a bastard would know these kinds of social norms."

"No, I didn't grow up with them. Are people saying I did?"

"It's one of the rumours. Was it the slums then? A whore in one of the brothels?"

"The slums, yes. A whore, no." Those didn't seem like terrible things to clear up.

"How did you hurt your arm?"

Bloody hells she was full of questions. "I was injured on a mission."

Her eyes widened, and she looked like she could barely contain herself. "So it's true? You are a Revenant!?"

"Revenant candidate," she corrected. "It was my evaluation mission."

"Women in the Great Four don't often have careers, and if they do, it's never something so dangerous. Oh, you must tell me all about your adventures."

"The women really are just broodmares?" Sun asked.

She hadn't had a proper noblewoman to ask and clear up any misconceptions she might have about their place in the world. Mika had told her some things, and there were stories she had heard, and then there were things she had pieced together herself. So there were bound to be inaccuracies.

"Not exactly. Yes, once we marry, our duty is to provide an heir. But that's not all we are. Surely you've taken up some of the duties of Lady Illusen."

Sun nodded. It was hardly fulfilling work, but it did help lighten her brother's load. She could appreciate that now; she hadn't given a damn when she'd first started. Mostly because she had still been blinded by her anger and irritation towards her brother.

"Depending on your husband, you might also get involved with the family's business, charity work, or maybe even start your own business."

That was a little more hopeful, though starting a business wasn't something she was very interested in. But the 'depending on your husband' part rubbed her the wrong way. A woman needed his permission to do any of that? She still had her backup plan to just run should things not go the way she wanted.

"But we certainly don't become Revenants. What was your mission?"

"I'm not allowed to talk about it."

"That's so exciting!" She breathed out. "I used to imagine going on grand adventures, exploring the world, learning to sword fight. They were childish fantasies; my mother set me straight as I grew."

Sun didn't know what to say to that. It sounded like Emily was settling for a life she was trying to convince herself was acceptable.

Conversation fizzled out after that, Emily seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Sun almost felt sorry for her. 

When Sun and Emily returned to their brothers after quite a lengthy conversation, Sun didn't mind her so much. As their conversation had progressed, Emily didn't seem to be a conniving snake trying to dig up dirt. She was actually kind of sweet, with a naiveté Sun didn't think was manufactured. And she'd grown up around some of the best liars and manipulators. Not her family—but the people they associated with most days. Whores, thieves, and conmen. Her opinion on nobility was just that they were a different breed of the same. Granted, her brother, grandfather, and now Emily were teaching her not to paint them all with the same brush.

"Apologies for monopolising your sister's time," Emily said when they rejoined the group. 

Kalys merely nodded, like he was actually owed the apology. Emily had to move on, mingling with her other guests lest she appear rude. But she had promised she would call on Sun tomorrow morning so they could continue to get to know each other. This was news to Sun; Emily had mentioned nothing of meeting up tomorrow.

But all right then.