The hero is now gone, but I’m still here, now what? (Undergoing editing)

“Do you believe me when I say that I genuinely hate this?” I commented with a frown and Zath, who had a strip of gold fabric stuck between her lips and was busy with trying to get my dress to stick to my body, just looked at me before shrugging in reply. I stared at her reflection on the mirror, “You know you can just put that bow on the top of the cabinet? It’s literally meant for that,”

I gestured with my eyes to the flat surface of said cabinet; filled with tiny racks for bows and ties of varying colors, and for the time being, most of them are unfurled and are nothing more than strips of fabric, just with the fancy title of ‘bow’ and ‘tie’ and with ‘unfurled’ at the start- okay, I’m being sarcastic, but it’s for a good reason! This entire preparation is irritating and I won't get used to this no matter how many times I repeat it.

“Come on Zath, at least reply?” I said with a pout and my maid grunted, “that’s not a reply,” another grunt and this time, her hands found my hips and twisted them lightly, which she had a hard time doing because of my strength, I rolled my eyes and moved my hips in the direction she was moving it to.

“This is annoying, you’re annoying,” I eventually said.

I felt something tie itself around my waist and looked down to see a gold-colored fabric now circling the lower part of my stomach- just above the hips - and emphasizing my curves, which is… yeah… I already have problems with guys as is?

I didn’t dare voice it out or wear pants in the gathering again because I just knew that dear old dad would get mad at me but the thought of rebellion is definitely tempting.

“Okay, tell me why you chose the color gold, your mouth is now free right?” I asked and turned to my maid, who had a smirk on her face, “what?”

“Nothing, mistress,” she said as she tightened the fabric, making me jump, before tying it into a bow, “there! You look as good as ever, Neo, any man or woman would be proud of being your partner for the night,”

“I’m not interested,” I rolled my eyes, “but sure, it’s the thought that counts anyways- and goddess knows that nothing, not even my strength, stops those bastards from having thoughts of trying to court me,”

“That’s a good thing, is it not?” Zath commented as she walked away and grabbed another mirror, which she placed behind me, “how does it look?”

I stared at the reflection of the mirror on the mirror- mirrorception! - in front of me, there, at my back, a golden, one foot long bow could be seen, it covered most of my lower back and had two tails going downward.

“Amazing,” I complimented, “but I know you don’t do things half assed so I think words don’t really mean anything anymore right?”

Zath’s reflection nodded, “I can always use a reward,”

Okay, fine, I did imply that, didn't I? “What do you want?”

“... a new dress would be nice,” a dress? First make-up all those months ago, then her own skin and feminine supplies, and now a dress? I looked back and stared at Zath incredulously, “are you… planning on attracting someone, Zath?” I giggled when she gave me a dry stare, might as well push it, I smirked, "flaunting our feathers like some sort of cockatrice, now, are we?”

Zath's face turned serious before going solemn, “I wish I could marry them,” she grabbed the mirror on my back and turned away from me before walking back to where she got it, “I don’t think their parents would approve though, despite being a high born myself.” I scoffed, what family out there wouldn’t want her? They’d miss out!

“Come on Zath, you have my support! No family would go against my word, as… little as it is valued-” I winced, “- but! I assure you that you don’t really need it since any family out there would die to have you in their ranks, you’re great! Seriously, no one can top your house-wifing skills,” she giggled, “no really!”

“Yes, yes, my house-wifing skills,” another giggle, “but, I don’t think I can bear the thought of being with them-” she started to say, “I’m… too weak, while they’re strong, a Pledge Bearer, and an amazing person to boot, the people of Everlast love them even when the citizens don’t really show it due to it being taboo and well, they’re also very helpful, both to the Kingdom itself as well as the people living within it.”

I faced her with a frown, is she talking about…

“Compare that to me, a simple, albeit high-ranking maid and you can immediately tell the difference, it’s like the sky and the earth, or a bird and a worm, one soars while the other is stuck crawling on the ground,” Zath faced me with a serious expression, “but I don’t think I care about any of that, mistress-”

“I’m pretty sure Inferno is in your league Zath.” I said nonchalantly and my maid stuttered before she blinked, then she gave me a dry stare.

“Inferno?” She asked and I nodded.

“Yeah! He’s great but you’re better,” I shrugged, “and the whole people don’t like him thing is because Eruptia is a military house, so praises of words aren’t what they appreciate, they like action, not words.

 So everyone else just stays silent but don’t worry, you have plenty of action already,”

“I… guess.” Zath looked disappointed and I couldn’t blame her, marrying Inferno does sound like a pipe dream but she doesn’t need to worry since I’m planning on supporting her until she achieves her goal.

“You’d be a great couple!” I gave her a thumbs up.

“Yayyyyy~” she replied with a weak, discouraged tone but it’s a good start!

I turned away from Zath to give her some time to think and stared at my own dress, ornate and immaculate, fitting for a princess, I suppose.
Design wise, the chest was pure white with sides of royal purple that went to my side and took over my ribs, it went around to my back and down to my midsection before stopping on the golden ribbon above my waist, and then the royal purple continued to eventually take over the dress below.

I twirled and watched in fascination as the light of my dressing room got reflected off of my gown, refracting from the hundreds of tiny silver ornaments within the hollow dress and creating a cascading light-show that got clearer and more unified the more it went down until eventually, everything below my my knees is nothing but the shine of pure, white light.

I stopped moving and the light show disappeared, “it’s really a piece of work,” I said in amazement, “Castella does good work, doesn’t she?”

“She does, yes,” Zath nodded, “do you wish for me to give your brother’s fiancee the compliment?”

“Yes.” I said with a squeal, “and tell her that I want to have tea with her at the back of the castle, tell her to bring her friends, too.”

“Of course, mistress.” Zath smiled, “now, time for your accessories, it is vital that we get those done as quickly as possible since we already spent so much time on your dress.”

“It was worth it though, right?” I asked and Zath nodded in agreement before walking off to the cabinet and pulling one of the many drawers to reveal an assortment of necklaces, earrings, and bracelets made from holy silver- most of them tipped, interlaid or embedded with Neophyte Jades of varying sizes.

“Which one do you want, Neo?” Zath asked and I gave it some thought before giving her my answer.

“Those tear-shaped ones look nice,”

The skies of Everlast didn’t have clouds, and that’s mostly because the city is floating above them but- from this height, I was able to spot a few white tufts on the horizon. I never really wondered how the hell the City of Everlast managed to float like this but I guess that’s par for the course when magic is involved.

Everlast, the floating city, and, contrary to its namesake, is also titled The City of Change.

That title wasn’t all bluff either because my ancestors were genuine innovators who changed how everyone uses Light-based technology forever, and through their genius and innovation, they made the Kingdom into what it is today- a floating bastion that acts as the last defensive line of humanity against the horde of Demons that come every 50 years.

No matter how many times I do it, staring outside the window is never boring for me, after all, the magitech within the city is the most advanced of its kind all across the world and you can never find a piece of technology outside of Everlast that can top the stuff that could be found here- from the simple street canals with self cleaning properties that use artificial slimes to the advanced flying carriages that utilizes a Griffon’s natural Light to fly and keep itself uplift- everything here is the best of the best.

The City of Change indeed.

And I'm fortunate enough to be a princess of this city, someone who can have access to anything but the most restricted technology here, a privilege given to those with money, and authority- and that privilege is why I’m riding one of the most advanced flying carriages in the city, full of luxuries, comfort, and everything in between- this thing is a Private Jet in every definition of the word.

But even with all the luxuries that’s inside of the carriage- all the soft pillows, nice seats, open space, tables full of food, and the like - it still didn’t feel like it was worth it to be inside of this damn thing. Mostly because-

“Ohoho~~ Yes, I heard that she even goes around the dark alleyways of the lower city and spreads her legs to anyone that passes!”

- the people I was riding with are… let’s say, noisy- for the lack of an insulting term to call them.

I didn’t know why they liked to gossip, well, I guess a small part of me does since I know that there isn’t anything here that can possibly entertain them every day other than gossip (except for training, learning, debating, and everything else).

The thing that the girl said just now wasn’t even directed at me either, no, they usually just call me a disgrace and then be done with it. Instead, the girl that they’re mocking is one of House Whirlia’s members, I think she’s a girl that goes by Denir, which I don’t know anything about other than her name.

“Hey, your disgraceful sister is staring at you,” I looked away from Pearl’s gaggle of girls and focused back on the window.

“Traitor.” That was one of the many names that was used to call me back in the day, I was angry about it at first but I’ve learned to accept it over time, it’s not like they’re wrong, I did betray humanity as a whole by being selfish.

Still hurts to hear though.

“I bet she’s getting fucked by the Demon Lord in her dreams,”

And that was a mistake for her to say-

Everyone at the carriage, including me, glared at the bitch for her audacity to say the name of humanity’s enemy so casually. And to save face, Pearl slapped her hard enough to make her look the other way, “if you don’t know what to say, just keep your mouth shut, Capscaria.”

“Sorry.”

Well at least my sister knows how to discipline her gaggle, I gotta give her that at least.

Awkward silence was the only thing that was inside the carriage after that, no one dared to talk, but they did shoot me and the girl glares that barely affected me, and only because that they’re glares were related to my biggest mistake.
Occasionally, some of us would eat the pastries on the tables and the only thing that saved our ears from hearing all the crunching noises in this uncomfortable silence is the etiquette training that all of us had during our early childhood.

In the end, the carriage couldn’t have arrived to the Phoenix Butterfly Garden sooner.

The moment that it did, us young, socialite noble girls filed out like there was no tomorrow, we practically rushed out- fancily, and in line, of course, because how else would young ladies do it? - of the carriage before heading to the Garden post haste.

I was the one who got out last, just behind Capscaria herself, who looked like she was about to cry and who I knew would drink herself to death tonight. There's also a high chance that she's gonna cheat with her fiancee and wake up with another guy tomorrow morning but honestly? I didn't really care since it was her fault that every other girl turned her into an outcast to begin with.

So with that in mind, I walked forward and… stared at Capscaria's sullen form.

I bit my tongue- don’t do it- don’t do it- oh fuck it-

I sighed, “look,” I met her eyes but she quickly averted them, “I know how hard it can be to get treated like this but it's not the end of the world when it happens,” I soothed, "we're about to socialize aren't we? Try to find a new circle, or just enjoy yourself, talk to a bunch of businessmen and ask if you can buy a share, do whatever."

I turned away from her, “just… don't ruin yourself and your future alright? Because that'll only make the rumors and your outcast status worse.”

I've seen what happens to girls as weak as her being treated like this, and… well, let's just say that the flying carriage we just got out of would give her a good height to jump from to make it painless.

“... thanks, Neophyte. And- you're right.” Just this once, I will turn around and smile at her. Even when she's a bitch.

"I was only doing the right thing, enjoy the night, Capscaria,” I can't just stand by and let some girl ruin her life when I could've prevented it. And if she doesn't take my word to heart and drinks till she blacked out either way then that's not really my fault, is it?

I moved away from the airstrip and into the building proper.

As always, whenever things like this happen and the Phoenix Butterfly Garden gets rented out, the organizers would work day and night to turn their massive ballroom and everything else into something that the visiting royals and nobles would be proud to go to and as always, they didn't disappoint- Everything looked amazing and immaculately detailed, and not even the banners hanging on the walls were spared.

I stared at the banners as I walked through the hall that led to the ballroom, they were all based off of the visiting houses and each one was specially colored and had their own little family crest marking them: Whirlia's banner was blue, dark like the deep ocean and had a beautifully drawn lake at the center, Tornaria's’ were white, pale like the wind, and had an all encompassing tornado at the center.

The rest were of similar designs, Nimbusegia's was a dark grey and had a black storm cloud wreathed and outlined by lightning at the center, and Eruptia's were bright red with a volcano dripping with lava for a crest.

Then there's also all the smaller families that either have the same specializations as the big ones or just have large swathes of land but didn't have anything related to Pledge Bearers- most of them weren't really important but one did catch my eye, and it was the banner of the Venomites, a family that has a rather… unique usage of Light, one that specializes in poison.

I got to the ballroom eventually and it was exactly what I expected it to be; a room full of the rich, food that caters to them, and their children eating and talking. All in that order.

And looking around, I still couldn't move on from the fact that the in-game art didn't do this place justice- I mean, really, who asked the people building this place to make beautiful art using the four pillars that supported the dome-shaped roof of the ballroom?

Even the chandelier up above looked gorgeous, and that's not to mention the circular fighter’s-ring at the center of the room, one that will soon be occupied by duelists to give us rich people a show.

That or- “Hello there, Disgrace.” - a fucking cliche happens to me and I'm forced to slap the bastard with my elbow-length white gloves and ask him for a challenge to save face, “you should be thankful that I'm even willing to marry someone like you-”

As if rehearsed, I took off my gloves and slapped the bastard in the cheek, another social gathering, another attempt to (rudely) court me, another fight.

“I take offense to that,” I said with a smug, derisive tone. It was genuine this time, too. No need for theatrics.