Life of Change

The silence lasted for several minutes, which at least gave me a chance to take a closer look at the place.

We were near the foot of the stairs. In front of us, there were 8 long tables with pastel light blue tablecloths and white embroidery. Each of them had different types of plates filled with appetizers, sweets, and cakes. Several glasses filled with wines and juices of different fruits, and separated at some distance from each other, a kind of candelabra made of silver. Although these did not have candles as I expected, but a carved stones similar to quartz from which emanated a warm white light.

Several maids and butlers went around the place carrying trays with the same appetizers and drinks offering them to the guests who preferred to stand or engage in conversation among themselves; which were mostly composed of children between 5 to 10 years of age from various echelons of the nobility. It was easy to tell because they were all wearing high-quality clothing and flashy pieces of jewelry. No matter what world you were in, displays of opulence were intrinsic to the nobility.

The guests were forming groups according to their allied families. Pretty obvious, as some groups gave suspicious or openly antagonistic looks to other groups. Fortunately, the atmosphere was not tense enough for there to be negative encounters between them. Either because they were aware that it was silly to fight here or because the party itself had quelled any bad thoughts they might have had. It calmed my mind to think that, at least today, we would not experience any conflict. It's not as if I've ever experienced it before, though.

My thoughts were interrupted by my father's voice, one that sounded somewhat concerned.

"I've been hesitating to ask you something."

"Ask me?" Makila replied. Dad nodded with some nervousness present on his face.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Iri lately, haven't you?"

"...Yes. As usual. is something wrong?" Makila's words came out with some suspicion. She seemed curious about the tone my father was using, but also careful.

Dad closed his eyes and was silent for a moment. He seemed to hesitate whether or not he should continue to speak. I worried that he might be jealous of Makila. He might say something bad to her, and that scared me a little, but apparently, my fears were unfounded.

After a while, he sighed and decided to speak.

"Does she know that the Routschs were invited?" That simple question made the expression on Makila's face sour. She looked as if she had chewed on an insect, a particularly bitter and disgusting one.

Makila took a moment to calm her expression before looking at my father and replying, her tone drooping.

"Not that I know of. Neither did I. Who thought to invite them?"

"..."

"It wasn't you, was it?" asked Makila with an accusatory tone.

"No." Replied my father flatly, implying that even he abhorred the idea.

"Then?"

Dad sighed and folded his arms before replying resignedly. "Zenya. I didn't find out about this until it was too late. The girl wanted them to attend."

Makila looked saddened by that response. My sister was not on the list of culprits she had considered. I was just confused, imagining who these Routsch could be that they were talking about to provoke this kind of reaction.

The atmosphere between the two became tense. They spent a while discussing how to let Mom know about these people, but before they could agree...

"Well, everything seems to be in order for now. There have been no incidents and the kids seem to be having fun despite the tensions between families."

Mom came back to us suddenly. Her expression showed that she was somewhat tired, but there was a cheerful freshness about her, something that immediately made my father and Makila uncomfortable.

Mom ignored that and went straight to me, taking me by Makila's arms. She called one of the servants who was carrying a tray with sweets, taking one and offering it to me immediately. Of course, I didn't hesitate for a second to devour it. Usually, she didn’t let me eat them for some strange reason, but I wasn't going to miss this strange opportunity.

"H-honey" My father spoke. His voice sounded guilty like a child confessing to a prank.

Mom noticed that tone, which made her frown immediately. She looked up at Makila, who slowly looked away.

"What's the matter with you two? What did you do?"

"N-nothing. Why do you think we did anything?"

"My husband, your tone convinces no one." A look from my mother, somewhat threatening, by the way, urged my father to continue. Even in this world wives are still unbeatable. I feared for my future... wait… I am the wife. Fear me cute girls in the world.

Makila spoke up, feeling resigned. "Lana the... Routsch has been invited."

Contrary to both of their expectations, Mom took it quite well. Not only did she not look surprised by the news, she even rolled her eyes as if these people attending were the most normal thing in the world.

"I know. Zenya asked my permission to invite them."

"She did?" replied Makila surprised by her words. Dad on the other hand looked somewhat relieved, but equally surprised by the unexpected response.

"Yes. A few days ago, she approached me and said she wanted her grandparents to attend. She was quite aware that I didn't get along with them, but she still wanted to see them. She told me they were still part of the family and she wanted us all together to celebrate."

We were all speechless at that. Zenya is the kind of girl who can't stand to see conflict in the family. There have been times when I have seen her be sad when our brother Losward is mentioned, and the bad relationship he has with the rest of the family.

She has been thinking a lot about everyone's well-being, especially about improving the relationship between us. Something amazing for a girl her age. Truly admirable.

Mom easily dismissed both of their concerns. She even pointed out that the Routschs had already arrived, indicating to both of us the exact location.

We all turned to one side of the room, more specifically a few feet from the entrance. An elderly couple was talking quietly with a couple of adults, possibly the parents or guardians of some of the children attending the party.

The woman looked stately and uncompromising, the embodiment of how you would imagine an elderly noblewoman to look. Her attire reflected her position in the nobility quite well, a dark gown of rich velvet adorned with intricate lace, creating a striking contrast with her silver hair. Her corseted bodice and high collar highlighted the image of severity she radiated. Her sharp gaze seemed to see beyond pretense and politeness, similar to a bird of prey analyzing which prey it should hunt.

She noticed our gaze and immediately took her leave of the person she was talking to, heading straight for us.

Every movement she made as she approached was measured and decisive. She exuded an air of authority that inspired respect. Her demeanor was marked by a haughty attitude, a reminder of the aristocracy she so proudly seemed to boast of with her calm expression, utterly self-assured, as if she owned everything her feet stepped on.

Even though my mother said she was fine with them having been invited, I could feel her tense up the instant the older woman, presumably my grandmother, met her gaze.

Before long, they were both right in front of us.

"For once I can see that you made an effort to do something... on par with the Baelian house." The woman said with obvious sarcasm as she watched us with arrogance overflowing in her tone. Her face, with some rather deep wrinkles, accentuated the seriousness of her gaze and the haughty attitude of her words. Her eyes, red like my mother's, moved swiftly between us as if she was judging every inch, looking for something to criticize us for.

"..." Mother did not answer. Neither she nor my father; certainly not Makila. The three of them watched her in silence, clearly used to her ways, but not happy about it. They looked annoyed by it. I could hear the grinding of teeth which, I was almost certain, came from Makila. Which surprised me, since she was, among my parents, the most composed.

"Not even a greeting." Replied Makila after a long silence from both parties. There was annoyance and disappointment in her voice, but she maintained a certain level of politeness in her tone. "I remind you, madam, that you are a baroness, while we are members of a ducal house. That being said, respect and etiquette befitting our social statuses are expected of you."

"Hum, I'm still the mother of this child and the duke's mother-in-law. That means I don't have to follow that... attitude you speak of, you dirty slave. You should learn from my Areden. He was the very picture of how a Makila should behave. Irlana, you should teach your... pet, how to behave." Those words provoked a reaction in all of us. I heard a deep growl from my father and the gnashing of Makila's teeth. My mother tightened her grip, though not enough to hurt me, fortunately.

"Baroness Genieve Routsch, I can put up with a lot from you, including disrespect in not being able to follow the proper etiquette of not greeting someone of higher rank properly. But I will never allow you to talk that way about MY Makila." My mother's voice, which was normally quite cheerful and energetic, had completely changed to a deep and venomous one.

"I advise you if you are going to maintain that attitude at my daughter's birthday, please refrain from speaking to me or any member of my family. Unless of course, you wish to embarrass yourself by being thrown out of our house in front of all the guests."

Genieve's response was silence. She held my mother's hostile gaze with her own for a while before deciding that continuing was not worth it. She seemed to realize that my mother was quite serious. Reluctantly, she gave a proper bow before giving her formal greetings.

"Genieve Routsch greets Duke Baelian, the Duchess, and her Makila."

The baroness had a 180° change in her attitude, now showing due respect in her greeting and eliminating the haughty expression she had worn so far. Mother nodded calmly in response to the greeting, followed by Makila and my father. A few words were exchanged before Genieve quietly withdrew. She did so alone, though.

The man who accompanied her, her husband, and my grandfather, had a refined and distinguished figure. He was dressed in a well-made black suit and a maroon vest. His silver hair, matching Genieve's, was impeccably combed and his neatly trimmed beard added an air of sophistication to his appearance.

Unlike his wife's stern presence, my grandfather exuded an aura of refined gentleness. His posture was impeccable and he moved with an air of grace. He gave the impression of being more submissive, often seeming to yield to his wife's imposing presence. But his apparent gentle nature was marked by kindness, his warm smile, which had soured a bit due to Baroness Genieve's attitude, showed that he was quite the opposite of his wife.

Placing his right hand on his chest, a slight bow to the front, and a sincere smile, he paid his respects and saluted—a completely different attitude from his wife's initial one.

"Edwar Routsch greets the leaders of the Baelian house. It is a real pleasure to see you again, Duke, Duchess, Makila Fiana. Please excuse my wife. Since Areden left us, she has been... very irritable. I realize that is no excuse, but I hope you can understand."

"I know, father. Makila Areden was the one who kept Mother's attitude in check. Since he left us, it's been a loss for everyone, in more ways than one."

"Thank you for understanding. Oh, by the way, is this little...?"

"Yes. Come on Orinthya, say hello to your grandfather."

Feeling a little self-conscious at the sudden attention, I raised and waved my hand toward the smiling old man. He responded by reaching out with his hand and taking mine gently, stroking it with his thumb. The gesture made me feel relieved, as he decided not to press or extend his attention to me too much. Beyond being just a greeting out of obligation, it felt as if he was aware of my shyness, and was trying to keep his attitude somewhat distant to avoid making me nervous, something for which I was heartily grateful.

After that, he proceeded to greet Makila, with whom he apologized again, this time for the insulting words that Genieve addressed to her earlier. Makila thanked him for his words with a somewhat sad expression. My father chatted with him before attempting to drag him over to one of the tables that had some of the flashier bottles of, what I assumed were, the more refined wines. Grandpa Edward said a quick goodbye as he was "escorted"; definitely not against his will, by my smiling father.

"Are you okay?" my mother asked in a concerned voice. She didn't answer right away, but instead clung to Mom's arm, resting her head on her shoulder.

"It's been decades since that, but... I think it still affects me. And that it's precisely her who reminds me of it, makes it even more painful."

"My Love, it's about time you put all that behind you. You've been my Makila for over 30 years, we've overcome many things together and made thousands of wonderful memories. Why are you still carrying that weight?"

Makila sighed sadly but didn't answer, just held on tighter. I felt bad for her. I didn't know what things she was carrying, and although I could understand a little from the conversation they were having, I lacked information. It was painful to be able to understand, but not know anything.

I didn't want the atmosphere between the two of them to remain so heavy, so I moved my arms intending to reach for Makila, and made some noises hoping Mom would understand me and deliver me into her arms. Luckily, it didn't take her long to do so and I was welcomed into her warm embrace. I immediately did the best thing I could do, play with her and try to improve her mood.

It took a while, but my babbling and playful movements managed to make her laugh, bringing joy back into her expression. That was the face I liked to see in Makila. That smile she always gives me every time I see her.

I felt grateful that I was able to do something for her. Most of the time is painful not to be able to do anything for these people who had given me so much love.

Even mom seemed relieved that Makila had her smile back and her negative attitude was fading away.

Shortly after, several people began to approach us, namely the older children and adults who had attended, whether or not they were guardians of the young guests. They presented their greetings, thanked us for the invitation, and engaged in small talk, which was mostly polite, or business conversation.

Curiously few of them asked about me, even though they gave me curious looks, and the few that did, looked as if they wanted to say something, but hesitated whether to do so or not. Maybe for any other person in this world, it would have been something normal, but I found that attitude strange. I decided to put that thought aside, after all, I couldn't do anything to get answers, and worrying about it didn't make much sense either.

Just as the last of them finished his conversation with my mother, the music that kept the atmosphere solemn stopped, being replaced by the voice of the butler who had announced our entrance at the beginning of the party.

"Dear guests, your attention please. It is time to kick off the main event of the evening."

Everyone's attention was directed to a beautifully adorned chair that had been placed in the center of the room. At some point, Dad had approached the spot along with Zenya, who took a seat in the extravagant chair.

"Once again, we thank you all for being present." Began my father speaking to everyone in the room. He must have had some magical device, as his voice carried loudly and evenly throughout the place.

It was at this moment that I realized that, indeed, his voice could be heard throughout the room as if he had used some kind of microphone-like device that amplified his voice. I hadn't noticed it when Zenya gave her speech, but she may have also used it, as well as the butler. These are details that I have noticed that seem unimportant and that I don't give them importance until much later, perhaps because I was used to those kinds of things in my previous world. Things that I consider normal and common sense, but that certainly should not be in another world, but that strangely also exist. What a strange thought on my part.

Anyways. He looked from one side of the room to the other, smiled, and continued with his words. "Today we celebrate the first stage in my daughter's life, her first social event. As a father, I am filled with a pride that is hard to describe. And now that she is standing at the doorstep of her future, I want to express my exhilaration as I witness her first steps into this world, and eager to see how she forges each milestone in her life. How she begins to place each piece of the person she will become as an adult. This memory will remain in my mind until the end of time. As it was with my older children, as it will be with my youngest daughter, and as it will be with my children's children."

I was impressed. That intimidating-looking man, who exuded strength from every pore of his stone-colored skin, with his menacing look and warrior's attitude, was standing there, expressing his heart's content to a bunch of strangers. His words let out a palpable pride in his daughter and a great happiness at witnessing her growing up. Something I would never expect from a man who seemed to want to escape his office to wave his sword in the courtyard. A man who, according to the stories he told me, would fight an entire army while grinning from ear to ear enjoying the joy of bloodshed. That kind of man, he was acting like...well, like a real father.

"So, I invite you all to join me in this tradition as we present my daughter with our heartfelt gifts, tokens of our unwavering support for the journey in life that awaits her from now on. Let us celebrate her aspirations and dreams. Let's make this event a moment to remember for a lifetime."

With those last words, Dad gave a smile to Zenya, my sister who was trying her best not to shed a single tear, barely being able to manage it.

"Thank you, Duke." The host butler regained everyone's attention. "Let's start with the handover. Let the first representative pass!"

A boy of a horned race, no less than 10 years old, walked slowly towards Zenya. He gave a bow and introduced himself as Odrias Jaloir, son of Count Donsel Jaloir, and offered his congratulations on her birthday. He then beckoned to a man dressed as a servant, who approached with a medium-sized jewelry box in his hands, which he handed directly to my sister. The latter opened it, revealing a very beautiful pendant, which she carefully removed from the jewelry box.

"A Wish from Amanesha."

A what?

Mom had been left speechless by the gift. The pendant, as I said, wore a strange shape to me, though it was surely something very familiar in this world if she recognized it so easily. It appeared to be made of silver, with a large blue gem in the center and several smaller ones surrounding it.

"Cheeky brat," Muttered Makila with annoyance. I, of course, had absolutely no idea what was going on. Was it some kind of offense to give away something like that? Or was it for some other reason?

"He must have done it without the count being aware. To think he would be foolish enough to proclaim her his betrothed at this party."

His betrothed? I'm going to kill that idiot! Who does he think he is to propose to my sister? You're a million years away from even being worthy of being allowed to breathe the same air that surrounds her!

“Even Tya is upset and she doesn't even understand what's going on. But you'll see, if you think you can get away with this, you're sorely mistaken." Crossing her arms and giving the walking corpse a murderous glare, she vowed to make him pay for the brazenness of his actions. Even my father was visibly upset. I couldn't see where Sarka was, but I was sure she must have the same reaction as all of us. That child had declared his death without even realizing it.

With an uncomfortable expression, Zenya accepted the gift gratefully. The future corpse gave another bow and walked away with a satisfied smile on his face. Possibly he thought his bullshit plan had worked, but poor guy, he had only dug his own grave. Even the other guests viewed him with pity, others with utter disappointment, and many others viewed him with disgust.

Leaving this case of social suicide, the next person stepped forward. A girl, perhaps a year older than Zenya, gave a very elegant bow and introduced herself as Anora Moriel, second daughter of Baron Hakon Moriel. She carried in her arms a small white bottle, beautifully adorned, and painted with a rather striking floral design.

"This is one of our star poduts..." there was instant silence the moment the adorable girl bit her tongue as she spoke. The poor thing could only blush profusely, but before long she recovered and continued. "It's a potion that helps improve the circulation of mana in the body, helping mages expand their mana pool. But it can only be used in early childhood." The girl then approached my sister and carefully handed her the bottle. Zenya admired it with sparkling eyes. It seemed that she wanted to use it right then and there.

"My family hopes that this small gift will help you reach great heights in the future" With those words and a final bow, she walked away after receiving gratitude from Zenya.

Thus, many of the guests passed by; among whom were my grandparents, which I will omit since I don't even want to mention that woman.

Dozens of different things were handed out, from jewelry, ornamental weapons, incredibly beautiful dresses, rag or wooden dolls; made so skillfully that no one would believe they were handmade, and even more potions with incredible effects. When it seemed that there was no one else left to deliver their presents, Sarka, who had been missing until now, emerged from the crowd, bringing behind her a servant girl carrying what looked like a tall object covered by a cloth.

"My lovely little sister" Sarka greeted with joy on her face. For some reason, she looked a bit tousled and her dress was a bit... disheveled, but I decided not to make a big deal out of it. My attention was on the thing the maid was bringing.

"I remember a while ago you had told me that you’ve seen a very beautiful bird perch on your bedroom window." Zenya immediately stood up wide-eyed, surprised, and expectant. Sarka let out an amused laugh, then motioned to the maid, who pulled back the cloth revealing a cage with an incredibly beautiful bird inside.

The bird was very similar to a Quetzal with its characteristic long tail. It was slightly larger than the bird in my memories and its feathers were a brilliant shade of sapphire blue, with a pure white breast. Its magenta eyes were surrounded by small red feathers. Its beak and legs were a dull black.

Sarka opened the cage, letting out the beautiful bird, which immediately flew in a great circle around the room, marveling at all who saw it. After a couple more circles, it slowly descended in Sarka's direction, where it landed gracefully on her arm.

"This little fellow is a blue Kistero. It's the same species as the one you saw that day. It took me a while to find one that was trained as they are quite rare. They are not meant to be kept in cages; they are trained to be loyal to their owners.

As long as you treat it with affection, it will never fly away, and it will even sing its beautiful songs as thanks for your care." Sarka walked over to Zenya and, carefully helped her position herself so that the bird was now resting on her arm. My sister was fascinated by the beautiful bird, who seemed to forget everything else, something Sarka had to remind her of as she laughed.

"Th-thank you, sister. This is truly a gift that is beyond what I imagined." With some discomfort, given that she had a bird on her arm, Zenya gave an affectionate hug to our sister, who was grinning from ear to ear knowing that she had given her what was, perhaps, the best gift of the night. Something I noticed, because she immediately smirked at us, definitely directed at Mom and Makila. She then gave the same smile to Dad, who didn't respond and kept an unperturbed expression.

My whole family would be competing to see who would give Zenya the best gift. But I felt sorry for them. From the moment this day arrived, they had already lost, because I would be the one to win my sister's heart on this day.