Chapter 91
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Altair was taken to a slightly smaller room than before. The room was filled with children and adolescents in various little groups amongst themselves. Due to the slightly different music as before, their chatter could be heard all around the room but none of the specifics of whatever they were talking about could be heard. No one was playing as they would have in Altair's old world. She felt very alien in this place as she saw children acting like adults instead of playing as she was used to. She wondered if the noble children of her world were like this as well.
The only adults in the room were the servants and guards of the Lothan family. The servants walked around with trays of snacks and juice and passed them out to children who called for them. The guards stared ahead at their positions as if they were statues, never casting so much as a glance at anyone nearby.
Altair considered their positions and actions carefully. In her opinion there shouldn't be a need to have servants doing this kind of thing. They could have just piled the food and drinks on tables and let the children take care of themselves. Plus there was no need to have so many guards standing around the room. The house was already surrounded with guards so there wasn't a real need for them to be in this room as well.
She paid close attention to them as she was tugged along into the room by Celestine. Her arrival did not go unnoticed to the noble kids in the room. In fact, it was more like a beacon of light to them.
Celestine had left alone earlier which was already unusual. She was normally almost always with her brother or her fiancé at these events if she wasn't with the other girls. It was rare to see her alone. Now she came back with a innocent and cute looking girl, hand in hand, that none of them had seen before. The gossip had started immediately as they attempted to find out if anyone among them knew who Altair was.
It was important for nobles to know who everyone was at these events. You couldn't offend a higher rank noble or it could lead to disaster on your house. It was also important to be cautious of the lower rank noble vipers who would try and latch onto any weakness you had to tear at your house or so they could take your rank or take over your house entirely. So this unknown newcomer to the party was a mystery box to everyone in the room. They could only speculate on her identity because most nobles were trained to be cautious towards an unknown person at noble events.
Among the nobles in the room were Joshua and his group. They had seen Altair come into the room as well and Joshua could barely hide the frown on his face. He was expecting Altair to stick with his mother through the entire party. Now it was almost guaranteed that all of the families would know who his new sister was before the night was over.
He wasn't bothered by that because he was hoping that Altair would mess up. He was bothered by the fact that since Altair was now in the same room as him he suddenly had the responsibility to keep an eye out for her. He really didn't feel like following the proper rules about it right now.
Altair was pulled to Hadrian, who was drinking alone while watching them approach. Hadrian had seen them come in and was waiting for them here ever since Celestine left to go find Altair. That had been almost an hour ago.
The time it took couldn't be helped since they had no idea when Altair was supposed to show up. During the entire time, Hadrian relaxed while he watched the groups mingle about. His own group wasn't here today because they were getting some extra training in. Hadrian had set that training up himself because he didn't want them to meet Altair yet. That group of kids was too excitable and he didn't want strange rumors to start spreading because of their mouths.
Celestine curtsied to Hadrian when they arrived and said, "I have returned with our friend, Brother." She didn't know who was listening in right now but suspected that someone was paying attention so she avoided any specifics until they were in a secluded room or area. Celestine didn't want to ruin the surprise.
Hadrian nodded in appreciation towards Celestine while maintaining a neutral expression. He then turned to Altair and found his heart thumping once loudly in his chest. He couldn't tell very well at a distance and avoided staring because of his noble training but now that he could see her up close he was finding it difficult to control himself. He still managed to produce a respectful bow to Altair while saying, "It is good to see you again, my friend."
Altair returned a curtsy to him once her hand was freed and while replying, "The feeling is mutual, Hadrian." She didn't mean a word of it nor did she want to call him a friend. She suspected he would be as inflexible and stuck to the noble ways as his sister.
Altair did not know that her appearance to adolescent boys around her was hard to take. She was the picture of innocence and purity with her appearance and clothing. It stirred up a beast in boys who knew the details on intimate relations with the fairer sex. It caused them to want to smash the innocence and defile the girl before them. Hadrian was no exception to this, especially with how his Inborn Ability worked. He was struggling with himself despite knowing that Altair was far from the innocent girl she looked like.
Adults weren't affected by the natural charm to that extent. They were past the point where their hormones were rampaging inside their bodies so they only saw her as an adorable little girl that was hard to say no to. Although some of them would struggle at the sight of her due to their own perversions.
"Hey Brother," Celestine said while acting like the perfect sister, "there's something I need to tell you in private. Do you know where we can go?" She had a piece of information that her brother was likely to be shocked by. If she told him in private then she could enjoy his natural response but if she said it here then it would likely be muted.
Hadrian had no idea what new information she had but knew of a more secluded nook that was not taken right now. He nodded towards his sister then motioned for her to follow as he turned away and started walking to a hallway that was connected to the room with no doors.
Celestine followed while tugging Altair along behind her. They walked down into a hallway and Hadrian led them through it. On the sides there were several semi-circular rooms cut out of the walls that had had cushioned seats and drapes for doors. They were designed that way because they weren't meant for absolute privacy. In the past, when there were actual doors, there were illicit acts between the sexes that would take place in there occasionally and the families would get upset when pregnancy happened. Even rarer were assaults but they still happened. As a result the doors were removed for this type of party and drapes were hung up instead.
Hadrian moved into a nook at the side after some distance was taken. The side room didn't have anyone inside it and was lined with a couch that went all around its edges. In the center was a low table that had nothing on it. Hadrian took a seat next to the entrance as Altair was dragged in. Celestine sat on the opposite side of Hadrian after pulling Altair into the room.
Altair glanced at both of the Ladrian siblings and noted their relaxed posture. They were sitting very casually even though this was a formal event. Altair considered doing the same but discarded the idea because one slip up could cause her to fail this test. She wanted more free time so she moved to the back of the room and sat with near perfect posture with her hands resting on her legs.
This drew a strange look from both Hadrian and Celestine.
Hadrian turned to Celestine after he pulled the drapes and asked, "So what news do you have?"
Celestine's gentle expression turned into a mischievous grin before she said, "Aria is barely nine years old."
This caused Hadrian's mind to quake the same as Celestine's. However his eyes opened wide in shock as he gave Altair a skeptical look. Seeing Altair sitting demurely at the back of the room, despite knowing how she really was, caused Hadrian's abdomen to start to heat up. He quickly turned back to Celestine and asked, "You're joking right? Sure she looks like a child right now but that's because of her clothing. There's no way she's that young with her attitude and skill." He had just assumed that Altair was short for her age, probably due to being an orphan and not having access to gene stimulants. This information was beyond his expectation.
Celestine's grin broadened, "It's true! Sarah told me herself." She looked towards Altair, "Isn't that right, Aria?"
Altair expressionlessly confirmed what she claimed, "That is what she said." She would only confirm that much since that is what happened. Until she talked with Renald and found out what if anything changed that was as far as she was going to go.
Hadrian wasn't convinced with just that but Celestine was bothered by how Altair was acting. Even in a private across the mansion she was acting as a noble should. This would threaten her plan if it kept up.
Celestine gave Altair an annoyed look and asked, "Why are you still talking and acting like that? We're in private so there's no need to be so formal."
Celestine closed her eyes and tonelessly stated, "This is a formal event."
Celestine felt annoyed at that response. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms while saying, "Your mother is on the other side of the mansion. She'll never know. You don't have to act like this while we're here."
Altair shook her head without opening her eyes. She then said in a self-mocking tone, "This is a formal event so I will be formal. Nothing will change this."
Hadrian struggled to keep a straight face but everyone in the room could hear him giggling. This fueled Celestine's annoyance as she angrily said, "You weren't like this when we formally visited you! Why are you like this now?!"
Altair opened her eyes and gave her a flat look, "That wasn't a formal event."
Celestine felt like her head was about to explode. She clenched her fists and spoke through clenched teeth, "If we weren't here I would challenge you again." Her plan was ruined before she could finish it. She didn't anticipate that Altair herself would be the one to end it. This took Celestine completely by surprise and made this entire party almost a complete waste of time. However, she did find out that Altair was younger than she thought so being her friend when she was probably going to shock the Empire was going to have to be good enough for her.
Altair blinked towards her then closed her eyes in response. This only further ignited the fire in Celestine.
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Altair was taken to a slightly smaller room than before. The room was filled with children and adolescents in various little groups amongst themselves. Due to the slightly different music as before, their chatter could be heard all around the room but none of the specifics of whatever they were talking about could be heard. No one was playing as they would have in Altair's old world. She felt very alien in this place as she saw children acting like adults instead of playing as she was used to. She wondered if the noble children of her world were like this as well.
The only adults in the room were the servants and guards of the Lothan family. The servants walked around with trays of snacks and juice and passed them out to children who called for them. The guards stared ahead at their positions as if they were statues, never casting so much as a glance at anyone nearby.
Altair considered their positions and actions carefully. In her opinion there shouldn't be a need to have servants doing this kind of thing. They could have just piled the food and drinks on tables and let the children take care of themselves. Plus there was no need to have so many guards standing around the room. The house was already surrounded with guards so there wasn't a real need for them to be in this room as well.
She paid close attention to them as she was tugged along into the room by Celestine. Her arrival did not go unnoticed to the noble kids in the room. In fact, it was more like a beacon of light to them.
Celestine had left alone earlier which was already unusual. She was normally almost always with her brother or her fiancé at these events if she wasn't with the other girls. It was rare to see her alone. Now she came back with a innocent and cute looking girl, hand in hand, that none of them had seen before. The gossip had started immediately as they attempted to find out if anyone among them knew who Altair was.
It was important for nobles to know who everyone was at these events. You couldn't offend a higher rank noble or it could lead to disaster on your house. It was also important to be cautious of the lower rank noble vipers who would try and latch onto any weakness you had to tear at your house or so they could take your rank or take over your house entirely. So this unknown newcomer to the party was a mystery box to everyone in the room. They could only speculate on her identity because most nobles were trained to be cautious towards an unknown person at noble events.
Among the nobles in the room were Joshua and his group. They had seen Altair come into the room as well and Joshua could barely hide the frown on his face. He was expecting Altair to stick with his mother through the entire party. Now it was almost guaranteed that all of the families would know who his new sister was before the night was over.
He wasn't bothered by that because he was hoping that Altair would mess up. He was bothered by the fact that since Altair was now in the same room as him he suddenly had the responsibility to keep an eye out for her. He really didn't feel like following the proper rules about it right now.
Altair was pulled to Hadrian, who was drinking alone while watching them approach. Hadrian had seen them come in and was waiting for them here ever since Celestine left to go find Altair. That had been almost an hour ago.
The time it took couldn't be helped since they had no idea when Altair was supposed to show up. During the entire time, Hadrian relaxed while he watched the groups mingle about. His own group wasn't here today because they were getting some extra training in. Hadrian had set that training up himself because he didn't want them to meet Altair yet. That group of kids was too excitable and he didn't want strange rumors to start spreading because of their mouths.
Celestine curtsied to Hadrian when they arrived and said, "I have returned with our friend, Brother." She didn't know who was listening in right now but suspected that someone was paying attention so she avoided any specifics until they were in a secluded room or area. Celestine didn't want to ruin the surprise.
Hadrian nodded in appreciation towards Celestine while maintaining a neutral expression. He then turned to Altair and found his heart thumping once loudly in his chest. He couldn't tell very well at a distance and avoided staring because of his noble training but now that he could see her up close he was finding it difficult to control himself. He still managed to produce a respectful bow to Altair while saying, "It is good to see you again, my friend."
Altair returned a curtsy to him once her hand was freed and while replying, "The feeling is mutual, Hadrian." She didn't mean a word of it nor did she want to call him a friend. She suspected he would be as inflexible and stuck to the noble ways as his sister.
Altair did not know that her appearance to adolescent boys around her was hard to take. She was the picture of innocence and purity with her appearance and clothing. It stirred up a beast in boys who knew the details on intimate relations with the fairer sex. It caused them to want to smash the innocence and defile the girl before them. Hadrian was no exception to this, especially with how his Inborn Ability worked. He was struggling with himself despite knowing that Altair was far from the innocent girl she looked like.
Adults weren't affected by the natural charm to that extent. They were past the point where their hormones were rampaging inside their bodies so they only saw her as an adorable little girl that was hard to say no to. Although some of them would struggle at the sight of her due to their own perversions.
"Hey Brother," Celestine said while acting like the perfect sister, "there's something I need to tell you in private. Do you know where we can go?" She had a piece of information that her brother was likely to be shocked by. If she told him in private then she could enjoy his natural response but if she said it here then it would likely be muted.
Hadrian had no idea what new information she had but knew of a more secluded nook that was not taken right now. He nodded towards his sister then motioned for her to follow as he turned away and started walking to a hallway that was connected to the room with no doors.
Celestine followed while tugging Altair along behind her. They walked down into a hallway and Hadrian led them through it. On the sides there were several semi-circular rooms cut out of the walls that had had cushioned seats and drapes for doors. They were designed that way because they weren't meant for absolute privacy. In the past, when there were actual doors, there were illicit acts between the sexes that would take place in there occasionally and the families would get upset when pregnancy happened. Even rarer were assaults but they still happened. As a result the doors were removed for this type of party and drapes were hung up instead.
Hadrian moved into a nook at the side after some distance was taken. The side room didn't have anyone inside it and was lined with a couch that went all around its edges. In the center was a low table that had nothing on it. Hadrian took a seat next to the entrance as Altair was dragged in. Celestine sat on the opposite side of Hadrian after pulling Altair into the room.
Altair glanced at both of the Ladrian siblings and noted their relaxed posture. They were sitting very casually even though this was a formal event. Altair considered doing the same but discarded the idea because one slip up could cause her to fail this test. She wanted more free time so she moved to the back of the room and sat with near perfect posture with her hands resting on her legs.
This drew a strange look from both Hadrian and Celestine.
Hadrian turned to Celestine after he pulled the drapes and asked, "So what news do you have?"
Celestine's gentle expression turned into a mischievous grin before she said, "Aria is barely nine years old."
This caused Hadrian's mind to quake the same as Celestine's. However his eyes opened wide in shock as he gave Altair a skeptical look. Seeing Altair sitting demurely at the back of the room, despite knowing how she really was, caused Hadrian's abdomen to start to heat up. He quickly turned back to Celestine and asked, "You're joking right? Sure she looks like a child right now but that's because of her clothing. There's no way she's that young with her attitude and skill." He had just assumed that Altair was short for her age, probably due to being an orphan and not having access to gene stimulants. This information was beyond his expectation.
Celestine's grin broadened, "It's true! Sarah told me herself." She looked towards Altair, "Isn't that right, Aria?"
Altair expressionlessly confirmed what she claimed, "That is what she said." She would only confirm that much since that is what happened. Until she talked with Renald and found out what if anything changed that was as far as she was going to go.
Hadrian wasn't convinced with just that but Celestine was bothered by how Altair was acting. Even in a private across the mansion she was acting as a noble should. This would threaten her plan if it kept up.
Celestine gave Altair an annoyed look and asked, "Why are you still talking and acting like that? We're in private so there's no need to be so formal."
Celestine closed her eyes and tonelessly stated, "This is a formal event."
Celestine felt annoyed at that response. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms while saying, "Your mother is on the other side of the mansion. She'll never know. You don't have to act like this while we're here."
Altair shook her head without opening her eyes. She then said in a self-mocking tone, "This is a formal event so I will be formal. Nothing will change this."
Hadrian struggled to keep a straight face but everyone in the room could hear him giggling. This fueled Celestine's annoyance as she angrily said, "You weren't like this when we formally visited you! Why are you like this now?!"
Altair opened her eyes and gave her a flat look, "That wasn't a formal event."
Celestine felt like her head was about to explode. She clenched her fists and spoke through clenched teeth, "If we weren't here I would challenge you again." Her plan was ruined before she could finish it. She didn't anticipate that Altair herself would be the one to end it. This took Celestine completely by surprise and made this entire party almost a complete waste of time. However, she did find out that Altair was younger than she thought so being her friend when she was probably going to shock the Empire was going to have to be good enough for her.
Altair blinked towards her then closed her eyes in response. This only further ignited the fire in Celestine.
Altair was taken to a slightly smaller room than before. The room was filled with children and adolescents in various little groups amongst themselves. Due to the slightly different music as before, their chatter could be heard all around the room but none of the specifics of whatever they were talking about could be heard. No one was playing as they would have in Altair's old world. She felt very alien in this place as she saw children acting like adults instead of playing as she was used to. She wondered if the noble children of her world were like this as well.The only adults in the room were the servants and guards of the Lothan family. The servants walked around with trays of snacks and juice and passed them out to children who called for them. The guards stared ahead at their positions as if they were statues, never casting so much as a glance at anyone nearby.Altair considered their positions and actions carefully. In her opinion there shouldn't be a need to have servants doing this kind of thing. They could have just piled the food and drinks on tables and let the children take care of themselves. Plus there was no need to have so many guards standing around the room. The house was already surrounded with guards so there wasn't a real need for them to be in this room as well.She paid close attention to them as she was tugged along into the room by Celestine. Her arrival did not go unnoticed to the noble kids in the room. In fact, it was more like a beacon of light to them.Celestine had left alone earlier which was already unusual. She was normally almost always with her brother or her fianc at these events if she wasn't with the other girls. It was rare to see her alone. Now she came back with a innocent and cute looking girl, hand in hand, that none of them had seen before. The gossip had started immediately as they attempted to find out if anyone among them knew who Altair was.It was important for nobles to know who everyone was at these events. You couldn't offend a higher rank noble or it could lead to disaster on your house. It was also important to be cautious of the lower rank noble vipers who would try and latch onto any weakness you had to tear at your house or so they could take your rank or take over your house entirely. So this unknown newcomer to the party was a mystery box to everyone in the room. They could only speculate on her identity because most nobles were trained to be cautious towards an unknown person at noble events.Among the nobles in the room were Joshua and his group. They had seen Altair come into the room as well and Joshua could barely hide the frown on his face. He was expecting Altair to stick with his mother through the entire party. Now it was almost guaranteed that all of the families would know who his new sister was before the night was over.He wasn't bothered by that because he was hoping that Altair would mess up. He was bothered by the fact that since Altair was now in the same room as him he suddenly had the responsibility to keep an eye out for her. He really didn't feel like following the proper rules about it right now.Altair was pulled to Hadrian, who was drinking alone while watching them approach. Hadrian had seen them come in and was waiting for them here ever since Celestine left to go find Altair. That had been almost an hour ago.The time it took couldn't be helped since they had no idea when Altair was supposed to show up. During the entire time, Hadrian relaxed while he watched the groups mingle about. His own group wasn't here today because they were getting some extra training in. Hadrian had set that training up himself because he didn't want them to meet Altair yet. That group of kids was too excitable and he didn't want strange rumors to start spreading because of their mouths.Celestine curtsied to Hadrian when they arrived and said, "I have returned with our friend, Brother." She didn't know who was listening in right now but suspected that someone was paying attention so she avoided any specifics until they were in a secluded room or area. Celestine didn't want to ruin the surprise.Hadrian nodded in appreciation towards Celestine while maintaining a neutral expression. He then turned to Altair and found his heart thumping once loudly in his chest. He couldn't tell very well at a distance and avoided staring because of his noble training but now that he could see her up close he was finding it difficult to control himself. He still managed to produce a respectful bow to Altair while saying, "It is good to see you again, my friend."Altair returned a curtsy to him once her hand was freed and while replying, "The feeling is mutual, Hadrian." She didn't mean a word of it nor did she want to call him a friend. She suspected he would be as inflexible and stuck to the noble ways as his sister.Altair did not know that her appearance to adolescent boys around her was hard to take. She was the picture of innocence and purity with her appearance and clothing. It stirred up a beast in boys who knew the details on intimate relations with the fairer sex. It caused them to want to smash the innocence and defile the girl before them. Hadrian was no exception to this, especially with how his Inborn Ability worked. He was struggling with himself despite knowing that Altair was far from the innocent girl she looked like.Adults weren't affected by the natural charm to that extent. They were past the point where their hormones were rampaging inside their bodies so they only saw her as an adorable little girl that was hard to say no to. Although some of them would struggle at the sight of her due to their own perversions."Hey Brother," Celestine said while acting like the perfect sister, "there's something I need to tell you in private. Do you know where we can go?" She had a piece of information that her brother was likely to be shocked by. If she told him in private then she could enjoy his natural response but if she said it here then it would likely be muted.Hadrian had no idea what new information she had but knew of a more secluded nook that was not taken right now. He nodded towards his sister then motioned for her to follow as he turned away and started walking to a hallway that was connected to the room with no doors.Celestine followed while tugging Altair along behind her. They walked down into a hallway and Hadrian led them through it. On the sides there were several semi-circular rooms cut out of the walls that had had cushioned seats and drapes for doors. They were designed that way because they weren't meant for absolute privacy. In the past, when there were actual doors, there were illicit acts between the sexes that would take place in there occasionally and the families would get upset when pregnancy happened. Even rarer were assaults but they still happened. As a result the doors were removed for this type of party and drapes were hung up instead.Hadrian moved into a nook at the side after some distance was taken. The side room didn't have anyone inside it and was lined with a couch that went all around its edges. In the center was a low table that had nothing on it. Hadrian took a seat next to the entrance as Altair was dragged in. Celestine sat on the opposite side of Hadrian after pulling Altair into the room.Altair glanced at both of the Ladrian siblings and noted their relaxed posture. They were sitting very casually even though this was a formal event. Altair considered doing the same but discarded the idea because one slip up could cause her to fail this test. She wanted more free time so she moved to the back of the room and sat with near perfect posture with her hands resting on her legs.This drew a strange look from both Hadrian and Celestine.Hadrian turned to Celestine after he pulled the drapes and asked, "So what news do you have?"Celestine's gentle expression turned into a mischievous grin before she said, "Aria is barely nine years old."This caused Hadrian's mind to quake the same as Celestine's. However his eyes opened wide in shock as he gave Altair a skeptical look. Seeing Altair sitting demurely at the back of the room, despite knowing how she really was, caused Hadrian's abdomen to start to heat up. He quickly turned back to Celestine and asked, "You're joking right? Sure she looks like a child right now but that's because of her clothing. There's no way she's that young with her attitude and skill." He had just assumed that Altair was short for her age, probably due to being an orphan and not having access to gene stimulants. This information was beyond his expectation.Celestine's grin broadened, "It's true! Sarah told me herself." She looked towards Altair, "Isn't that right, Aria?"Altair expressionlessly confirmed what she claimed, "That is what she said." She would only confirm that much since that is what happened. Until she talked with Renald and found out what if anything changed that was as far as she was going to go.Hadrian wasn't convinced with just that but Celestine was bothered by how Altair was acting. Even in a private across the mansion she was acting as a noble should. This would threaten her plan if it kept up.Celestine gave Altair an annoyed look and asked, "Why are you still talking and acting like that? We're in private so there's no need to be so formal."Celestine closed her eyes and tonelessly stated, "This is a formal event."Celestine felt annoyed at that response. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms while saying, "Your mother is on the other side of the mansion. She'll never know. You don't have to act like this while we're here."Altair shook her head without opening her eyes. She then said in a self-mocking tone, "This is a formal event so I will be formal. Nothing will change this."Hadrian struggled to keep a straight face but everyone in the room could hear him giggling. This fueled Celestine's annoyance as she angrily said, "You weren't like this when we formally visited you! Why are you like this now?!"Altair opened her eyes and gave her a flat look, "That wasn't a formal event."Celestine felt like her head was about to explode. She clenched her fists and spoke through clenched teeth, "If we weren't here I would challenge you again." Her plan was ruined before she could finish it. She didn't anticipate that Altair herself would be the one to end it. This took Celestine completely by surprise and made this entire party almost a complete waste of time. However, she did find out that Altair was younger than she thought so being her friend when she was probably going to shock the Empire was going to have to be good enough for her.Altair blinked towards her then closed her eyes in response. This only further ignited the fire in Celestine.
