Me, My Spirit, And I [Book 1 Complete]

The day that Lusha would officially become a part of noble society in Gloddus had arrived. There would be a brief ceremony where they would be officially recognized as a [Titled Noble] in front of the other [Titled Nobles] and nobleborn of the Witch Queen's court, followed by a formal ball. It was less than a week since Lusha had gone to pick up Shinobin, and there was some lingering fatigue from straining their Essence and Skills so thoroughly, but that hadn't stopped Lusha from making a quick trip back to Westlin to visit their favorite tailor.

John had never much cared about clothing, and even if he had, men on Earth had a very limited selection of formal wear to choose from. Luca, and by extension Lusha, were rather fond of their eclectic wardrobe and had something special commissioned on short notice.

Light, silver-blue spider silk formed the base of the outfit; the cloth was embossed with silver filigree and abstract designs that hinted at organic forms. Tiny diamonds and bright blue sapphires had been sown into the fabric to make it shimmer and sparkle under the light. The outfit had three primary pieces: a fanciful, but comfortable shirt, a matching pair of form fitting pants, and finally a dress-like overcoat with broad padded shoulders, a cinched waist, and a flaring skirt that was completely open in front. The overcoat/dress's long sleeves flared at the ends and the collar popped upward to frame their face.

Their hair, while still the copper brown of their normal disguise, was pulled up in such a way as to show off their pointed ears. Silver, diamond, and blue sapphire decorations were added to their hair to match their outfit. When they looked at themselves in the mirror they were pleased at the fanciful mix of gender ambiguous style their tailor had managed to achieve.

Westlin circled Lusha and eyed them from head to toe. "If your goal is to turn heads and leave an impression, you will definitely do it in this getup. I barely recognize my friend beneath all the fancy." There was genuine appreciation in Westlin's tone even if his words were somewhat mocking.

"Did you know that Earth had similar coming of age traditions? This is essentially my quinceanera and those are not complete without extravagant clothing. Do you think it looks good on me?" Lusha said as they gave a little twirl and laughed at the absurdity of it all.

"You always look good to me" Westlin said with a flirty smirk. "I am confident you can only look bad if you use Shapeshifting to twist your features."

"I could do that, you know?" Lusha mused while looking in the mirror. Their smooth and youthful face grew gray and blotchy, their skin wrinkled and saggy, and their eyes a muddy green brown. "What do you think?"

Westlin looked both impressed and horrified. "Stop it!" he shouted while stepping back from the hag-like the visage Lusha had adopted.

Lusha bent double while returning to their previous look. "You should see your face right now!"

"And no one should ever see that face again! I think I will have nightmares!" Westlin responded in an overdramatic voice while pointing at Lusha accusingly.

Still laughing, Lusha nodded. "True, that was not pleasant even for me. Now let's get you dressed."

Lusha had provided Westlin with a complementary outfit, but with straighter, angular lines and far fewer embellishments. The material was the same, but Westlin's overcoat was more tightly fitted without the flaring and decorative jewels. It was still a fancy and formal suit with a matching color scheme, but it was specifically designed to show off Westlin's muscular build and height. It was a fully masculine version of what Lusha wore and lacked some of the skirt and other feminine features.

"You do know that with matching outfits people will assume we are a couple right?" Westlin said as they tugged on their coat and adjusted various parts of his suit.

"One can hope. Half the reason for these types of balls is to introduce people to potential marriage partners. I am using you as a shield to fend off any such ideas." Lusha said while adjusting the collar of Westlin's suit.

Westlin was blushing slightly, but didn't comment on it. "If it is a shield you need, then a shield I shall be."

Lusha smiled at their best friend and nodded firmly. "That just about does it. I hope the ceremonies don't take too long. I really wish I could just make an appearance and leave, but I have to remain all night thanks to being the grandchild of the Witch Queen." Lusha sighed while admiring their outfits in the floor to ceiling mirror in their rooms.

The height difference between them made Lusha look younger than Westlin despite being practically the same age, but the difference in builds between a Half-Giant and a Half-Elf were somewhat extreme. If not for his baby face, Westlin would look like he was in his late teens rather than having just turned 13 this year. Lusha looked far younger than they wanted to.

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Outside their quarters, a functionary waited to escort them to the opening ceremonies. They met Shinobin along the way. She wore a beautiful green velvet outfit embossed with gold and nature themes.

"You two look wonderful!" Shinobin gushed as she fussed over both teens.

"Mom, please stop. My outfit is just how I want it. No need to adjust it!" Lusha's begging fell on deaf ears.

"I can't believe it is already time for this. I remember my own debutante ball. I drank too much and made out with more than one person before my mother pulled me away." Shinobin reminisced fondly.

"I hope I won't disappoint you by not repeating your own adventures. I had enough drinking and making out for a lifetime when my father's people came to town." Lusha told their mother.

"I seriously doubt it was enough for a lifetime." Shinobin's smile was indulgent and the glance she gave Westlin made it clear that she didn't think Lusha's days of making out were over. While Lusha didn't notice, Westlin did, which caused his cheeks to redden noticably.

Shinobin kept the conversation light and kept mentioning incidents from her own time while the three of them made their way to an anteroom.

The functionary turned to Lusha. "Remember, enter when you hear your name. Take a knee before the throne and wait for the Queen to recognize you."

Lusha knew what they had to do. The ceremony was not complex, but it was the functionaries job to ensure that things went just so. "Yes, thank you. I remember."

With that, it was just a matter of waiting.

"Lucanarius Intarius Aseralis, please come forth!" A loud, possibly magically augmented, voice boomed from the combination throne room and ball room.

Lusha squeezed their mother and Westlin's hands that they had been unconsciously holding. They squared their shoulders, smoothed their facial features and marched through the double doors that opened before them.

The room was a massive, cavernous affair whose far stained glass windows looked out from the highest tower of the Dark Crown. The black marble was polished to an impossible shine, and mage lights that were scattered across the room created the impression of a night sky. A clear path led directly from the doors down a series of steps then straight to the Witch Queen's tiered dais.

Lusha looked neither left nor right as they walked between the gathered nobility of Gloddus. They kept their eyes locked on the Witch Queen in her dark resplendent robes and obsidian crown. The hall was unusually silent. There was no music or fanfare. The lighting gave everything a mysterious air, and Lusha's heart raced as they neared the throne.

To Lusha's surprise, Witch Queen Kiera Aseralis stood from her obsidian throne and held her arms out wide, her eyes locked on Lusha's. She began stepping down the stairs of her dais and met Lusha at the base. When they were mere feet apart, she placed her hands on Lusha's shoulders and turned them to face the crowd of expectant nobles.

"Before you stands my grandchild. Blood of my blood. Lucanarius Intarius Aseralis, child of my daughter Shinobin Aseralis and Theo Drykus of the Kopara Alfaran!" The clear and unambiguous announcement of Lusha's mixed heritage caused a ripple of whispers to go through the crowd, but these were quickly stilled with a single look from the Witch Queen. "Today is a momentous day! As blood of my blood Lucanarius Intarius Aseralis has been recognized under the light of the Divine and the auspices of the System as being worthy of their blood! Show your respects to the latest [Nascent Noble] of Gloddus, hence forth to be known as Princess of Gloddus, third in line for the throne of Gloddus, after my daughter [Crown Princess] Beatras Aseralis and her daughter Princess Penopoly Aseralis!"

The crowd of nobiles, dignitaries, functionaries, and even the guards all showed their respects in different ways according to their station. Some bowed deeply, others curtsied, some saluted with their fist to their chest, while some rare individuals went down on one knee. To say the sight was somewhat overwhelming for Lusha would be an understatement. They stood there frozen, with their grandmother's hands on their shoulders, staring at the genuflecting crowd.

After waiting several long moments, Witch Queen Kiera Aseralis spoke again. "Princess Lucanarius Intarius Asraelis is far more than they seem. Already, they have served the Queendom diligently by ferrying troops north to a newly emerged Dungeon via their personal skyship, the SCSS Shadow Beast!" There was cheering and applause, especially around a beautiful woman who had her two children, which Lusha noticed happened to belong to Lord Cedrus.

"For their service, I hereby bestow upon them the [Noble Title] [Baron] of Northwood County. Their Barony will include the area surrounding the newly emerged Dungeon, to be administered by Count Credus of Northwood until [Baron] Lucanarious Intarius Aseraelis has completed their studies at the Eastern Imperial Academy in keeping with tradition and our treaties with the Eastern Imperium!"

There was more applause at this, but it took all of Lusha's willpower not to Phase out of Physical Reality as the burden of the Witch Queen's announcement resonated through their mind.

"Now, let us rejoice and celebrate the rise of Princess Lucanarius Intarius Aseraelis of Gloddus [Baron] of Northwood County, and owner of the Shadow Company of Westlin!"

The Queen's final announcement caused more of a stir than anything she had said before. Everyone had heard of the Shadow Company, of the fantastic metals, and mysterious tools. Learning that the owner of that fabled Company was one of their own caused a level of noise to fill the hall that was unmatched.

Lusha could only stand there with a wooden expression on their face. Their grandmother had outed them in numerous ways. The time of hiding who and what they were appeared to be coming to a true end. While they still had secrets, many of them had just been put on full display of the nobility of Gloddus.

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