Ezra wore a deep blue vest over a white shirt, and a badge was pinned on his vest below the left collar in the shape of a fox that curled into itself in a pose that created a circle. He had long, wide cuffs similar to what Percia preferred, with minimal ornaments and no men's jewellery, like what the Glorian noblemen preferred.
Ezra looked at himself in the mirror. He had a handsome face with a solid jawline, dark blue eyes and long red hair. His thick locks came down to his shoulders, and his red hair was tied in a ponytail. Redheads were not common in Perch; his mother was from the Southern Domain, and it concerned Ezra that his different hair might draw attention.
'Hopefully, the stench of incompetence coming from me will ward them off. It always did until now.'
'It's hard to be a standout handsome young Prime,' Ezra mused as he dusted off his shoulders. He could dress well enough himself even without the maids. He always wondered why some couldn't, how hard could it be to put your own coat on, and put your feet in the shoes? Are they afraid they'll lose their toes?
I understand women needing a whole battalion of maids to dress them up, considering how many laces, hooks and other attachments went into those tent-like dresses. Regardless...
Ezra Frost, the Lord Prime of House Frost. Ruler of the Province–Vania. He was ready to make his first debut in front of the whole Perchian Glorian nobility.
After applying some perfume Percia had brought for him that smelled like petrichor in the middle of summer, a bizarre but undeniably pleasant fragrance, he wondered where he got it, and how he could pack the smell of petrichor in a bottle. After sniffing himself in satisfaction, Ezra pocketed it. It's best to keep the things Percia got for him close at hand; you never know when you might need them. Ezra opened his door to his room.
Percia was waiting for him outside, looking beautiful in a white dress that opened into a skirt below her knees, and black pants. There was a silver necklace on her neck which was under a high translucent collar. Her dress was a mix of simple and yet frilly, if frilly was even a word, Ezra wasn't sure, regardless, it felt right to think of it that way, and it felt even better to look at her in it.
"You look great, my lord." Percia nodded in approval as he stepped out of the room.
Ezra cocked his eyebrows, "Really? Honestly, I feel like a butler putting on airs."
"What's wrong with being a butler?" Percia asked, cocking her eyebrows in return.
"They have to serve and watch people drink and eat, and not be able to eat and drink themselves. It's torture honestly, I was once dared by my friends to serve drinks in the bar back home, and they drank all night denying me even a drop of it, I voed ever since to never lose a bet, it's terribly inconvenient when you have bastard friends like mine." fury started to rise from remembering those memories but Ezra smothered it.
Percia just shook her head and gestured towards the banquet hall.
Fallrein was bustling with activity, the maids and servants running around in a rush. Well, this was the birthday celebration of the Warden's heir. Ezra civilisation him despite both of them being the same age and currently holding about the same position.
Warden's heir supposedly held the same amount of authority as the Primes. Ruling over the Warden's home province on his behalf. While the Warden himself was the overlord of all seven Provinces.
Similarly, the Velarkian Empire was divided into five Wards, commonly referred to as domains by the Wardens and Primes, who really didn't like the term " Wards as it seemed such a humbling name, reminding them that they, in truth, served the Emperor. Each of the five do,mmyions was ruled by a Warden.
In a rough geographical position, the five Dominions were in the North, South, East, West and the north-east: Perch. And at the centre was the Heartland, where the Emperor himself resided.
Well, there were more factions at play with questionable allegiance on the subcontinent. Then there were the city-states outside the Empire who still maintained their freedom, but the Emperor had promised decades ago to bring them into civilisation. There were also tribes like Krimzons and Ulov in the Perch, throughout the Empire's domains.
Ezra walked in his polished black shoes. He noticed it was the one that his father once wore; it was his special set. Ezra turned to Percia and pointed to his shoes, "Did you take these from Father's closet?"
Percia nodded, "Yes, my lord, it was one of the gifts your late mother had given to the Lord Prime. It's a Southern design. Made from some kind of alligator leather that resides in the Ice lakes of the southern highlands."
"Fancy eh?" He mused.
"Exotic, my lord, you should say exotic if someone asks. It's more…" She trailed off as Ezra just waved his hand.
"Yes yes, I know exotic sounds more fancy, but fancy doesn't sound fancy, yes?" Ezra thought he caught a hint of a smile in Percia's eyes, but then again probably not.
'She's probably just amused by my street thug ways, like how a peacock is amused when it sees a three-legged dog dance.'
The humming noises and music reached Ezra's ears, and he suddenly felt tense. It was at this moment that he realised that he knew nothing about what to do in a former Glorian function. He stopped and turned to Percia, who almost bumped into him.
"My Lord?"
"Percia what do I do? I mean how do I greet and what should I look out for? What if someone challenges me to a duel, do I just maim them? Or what if I am asked for a dance?" His words were breathy and kind of panicked, maids and lesser nobles walked past him giving him an odd look.
"M-my Lord? Have you never been to a ball?" Percia asked, her eyes wide in surprise.
"W-well I was invited to many of them on many occasions, but father never allowed it, he said I'll fumble and just make a fool of myself. Honestly speaking, he was quite mortified by the idea."
"B-but don't you have formal etiquette lessons?"
"W-well I any more a few things, things like don't drink too much, or pick food with your hands, and never initiate in a conversation with those who are Socially below you or something like that" He listed off on the top of his head, "But I don't know any of these people Percia, they're all strangers, how do I know who to talk to and what to talk about! Hell, I became a Prime just a month ago."
Percia just sighed, "What you know is enough, my lord, and if you're confused, you can ask your lady partner, she is a kind, easy-going, and cheerful woman from what I've seen and heard about her. And no, there will be no challenges of duel thrown at you, My lord, you're a prime, Primes are above such challenges." Percia assured him.
"A-alright-alright, anything I need to look out for though, anything that is supposed to provoke me, you know since I'm young and all, your father talked about Glorian hazing or something like that. I'd like to avoid that if possible, we've had enough neighbourhood problems already, I don't want to cause any more."
Percia stared at him for a moment with an odd grave expression and nodded, "Yes my lord you should look out for–"
"Lord Ezra Frost."
Both Ezra and Percia turned to find a young woman dressed in a red gown. She had a gentle oval face, and she was as tall as Ezra with a slim figure. Her flaxen hair was tied in a bun made of dozens of braids. Her emerald eyes shone with a cheerful light that would make everyone around her smile.
"Lady Riana Sandra." Percia greeted with a bow. Ezra's eyes went wide in recognition when he remembered that she was the daughter of Prime Daren, one of the two most powerful primes of The Perch.
The young woman bowed slightly to Ezra with a charming smile, while Ezra looked at her with his eyes wide open. He felt others' eyes on him and Riana, their whispering humming like bees in his ears.
"I'm afraid Eana couldn't make it, so allow me to be your partner to today's ball lord Prime.."
Ezra was stunned for a minute as he kept looking at her like a clueless fool. "...of course if you allow it."
Percia nudged him in the side discreetly snapping Ezra back into attention. And he smiled politely towards the young lady.
"O-of course–of course. I hope Lady Eana is in good health." Ezra said, walking up to her, he offered her his hands, and she hesitated, with a somewhat reluctant look in her eyes, but she smiled and locked her arms with him, gently pulling him with her towards the entrance to the function hall.
"This is your first time in Hallhaven my lord, isn't it?" Riana asked with a smile.
"Y-yes, I've always wanted to visit this… beautiful city." Ezra wasn't really being convincing when he said beautiful to describe the city. And Riana chuckled as she nodded in understanding.
They stepped into the big banquet hall, Glorian men and women dressed in elegant dresses and suits, flowing gowns, glittering medals on the coats of men, but medals from which war? Ezra had no idea. And painted puffy faces like bread from which bakery he knew even less. Jewels and gold, glasses and crystals glittering in candlelight. The ball was a sight to behold indeed.
The places smelled of alcohol and perfumes and of something Ezra couldn't put a finger on… Is this what people call the stench of money?
Ezra figured it must be, these people carried a level of confidence and poise he could barely imitate. He felt so small and intimidated that he wanted to shrink in like a turtle. But no… he was one of them. No, he was better than them, or so he told himself. He was a Prime after all. One of the nine most powerful men in the whole domain.
"Is this your first time at a ball too, my Lord?" Riana asked, looking up at him, her eyes glittering with amusement, which made Ezra want to slap himself for being so transparent.
He tried to be nonchalant again, he hoped he would get good at it with time, considering how much he had to pretend to be nonchalant in front of Percia. "No, I've been to a few in the past. Just not something as grand as this one of course."
Riana nodded as if in understanding, "Yes, even I got a little overwhelmed when I first attended a ball at Fallrein. It's an event you can never get accustomed to."
"Have you now?" He asked, intrigued, and only then did Ezra realise something. He was so stressed a few moments ago that it had slipped his mind, and one moment after another had slipped by.
'Why did she, of all people, try to take the place of Lady Eana? After all, she is the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the Domain. Is she her friend? But no, they're not even from the same Province as far as I know. Is she, oh gods, is she interested in me? Oh, hell, that can't be it. That's obviously not the case, this is the first time we've even met, she must be blind if she has–'
But then he saw the charming and cheerful way in which she talked to him; it looked like she had a genuine interest in him.