Chapter 7: The Invitation

A WEEK FLEW by like the morning breeze. There was far more for Alice to do as Charlie's assistant than she had first expected but it wasn't anything too difficult or out of the ordinary. She mainly bustled around arranging simple paperwork or helping out with bringing in tea and snacks when it was time for a break. Other than that, Alice felt more like she was being hired to be Charlie's friend than his personal assistant.

She learned on the same day that she arrived that the age gap between her and Charlie wasn't too big. He was fifteen, the standard age for males to debut into high society in Gladiolum culture. Alice herself was sixteen-years-old, leaving a year in between them.

Although she worked closely with Miles in the last week, she hadn't been able to squeeze more than twenty words out of him. Their conversations only held the bare essentials, never including casual chit chat. As such, little was known about that mysterious knight other than the fact that he had been working for the Ragans since he was a young boy.

Even that piece of information was provided by Wyatt and not Miles himself.

Life with the Ragans soon became a routine she got used to. Even though it was for a mere week, she already grew into the system, rising early and heading to bed equally early. The one thing she couldn't get used to was the extravagant dresses she was squeezed into every morning. It took her three whole days to convince the maids that she didn't need anything too fancy such as frills and ribbons. A standard dress for peasants was more than enough. The excessive accessories were soon removed and Alice received slightly more plain dresses that were toned down in both volume and needless extravagance. Just the way she liked it.

On a clear and sunny afternoon, Alice sat in the courtyard, watching as Miles and Charlie trained their sword skills. They trained with real steel instead of a wooden sword. Thus, Miles had advised her to stay back from the training area and to stand further back if she was keen on watching.

Drenched in sweat after two hours of practice, Charlie came tottering over, his gloved hand rubbing at his forehead, the sword discarded on the grass a distance away.

"You've improved," Alice remarked, handing Charlie a towel for him to wipe his perspiration away. "Your actions seemed much choppier a day ago but the motions are much smoother now."

"Well, I have to." Charlie was a face full of smiles, flashing his pearly white teeth as he spoke. "After that incident, I can see why it's important to learn a few essential fighting skills. I couldn't even protect myself and only survived by the skin of my teeth through your aid." He clenched his fist, smile drooping. "I have to get stronger."

"It's no pressure, Charlie," she assured affectionately. They had both dropped the needless titles, referring to each other with their respective first names. "You have more than enough time. Besides, with Miles as your teacher, I'm sure you'll improve by leaps and bounds. Before you know it, you'll be a master swordsman yourself."

"That is only if he keeps up the hard work," a new voice swiftly cut into the conversation.

Charlie, who had seen the man before even hearing the words, immediately scowled. He wrinkled his nose, folding his arms across his chest with a pout.

"What do you mean by that, brother? I'm as hardworking as they come," he argued. "And aren't you the one disturbing my practice now?"

"Wyatt," Alice greeted. "Did you need something?"

"Any reason is just an excuse to see your lovely face, Alice," Wyatt replied charmingly.

Alice learned through their interactions that Wyatt had selective hearing. He preferred to ignore Charlie whenever the latter whined and instead turn his attention to literally anyone else. More often than not, since Charlie and Alice stuck together like glue, Alice became the scapegoat.

"There you go with those baseless words again," she chuckled, shaking off the comment. It bounced off of her harmlessly. She never let the flirting get to her especially since she knew it was just in Wyatt's personality to be naturally charming to all he conversed with.

Acting as though he was accused of a serious crime, Wyatt's eyes were opened wide. "Never!"

A snort sounded from behind, one that originated from Miles who was walking over, both his and Charlie's swords in hand. "You'll probably cease breathing the day you stop flirting," he retorted.

"That hurt, Miles."

Though seemingly cold and detached, Alice soon realized that Miles interacted with Wyatt a little differently than others. The two were close friends, often sparring with each other to hone their skills. Other than that, they also shared some of their breaks together and their conversations, though common on the topic of Charlie, also held more content than Alice might've thought.

There was no such thing as 'lord' or 'master' or 'sir' with each other. They acted like equals, a true rarity in Gladiolum, as far as Alice could tell. Then again, all she had ever learned of the country were information Wyatt and Charlie fed her. She had gone through some of the books in the home's private library but the information in those books seemed more like propaganda than anything.

More disappointingly, there was also nothing about a way home. Alice was starting to think she should perhaps give up on holding on to that last strand of hope of returning home. It seemed like an impossible task so far.

"So what is it you're really here for?" Handing Charlie his sword back, Miles sheathed his. His eyes never left Wyatt, calmly waiting for his reply. "Is it about the letter you received this morning?"

"Sharp as always, Miles." Pulling an envelope out of his coat, Wyatt handed it to Alice. "An invitation was sent to the house this morning. It's a ball held in celebration of the second prince's nineteenth birthday. I thought that perhaps you would like to come as well, Alice. After all, it can't possibly be fun being cooped up in the mansion all day. It would also be one of Charlie's first high society parties. He will need his only friend there with him, I'm sure."

"Hey!" Charlie huffed with indignation. "I have more than one friend!"

"Oh, is that so?" Wyatt's smile deepened. "And who might the lovely gentleman or lady be?"

Charlie's face paled by a few shades, his lips thinning as he thought hard for an answer. In the end, he could only cast his head down in defeat. Not a single name came to his rescue.

"As I thought!" Wyatt chirped.

For all his gentlemanly behavior, Alice thought Wyatt acted most like a brat around his younger brother. It was rather amusing to watch.

Charlie gritted his teeth, his lower left eyelid twitching. His face was practically red in color, words and curses no doubt preparing to part with his lips. However, Alice never gave him a chance to speak.

Instead, she swiftly injected herself into the conversation. "Are you sure it is alright for me to tag along? After all, I'm not part of Gladiolum's noble social circle. It might be inappropriate."

"Nonsense. If I were to say you are a distant relative, who are the others to judge? It's not like they've got our entire family tree memorized." Wyatt waved the matter away nonchalantly, dismissing the thought immediately. "If that's your only concern then rest assured. It's good to go out and experience a party every once in a while. It's been a week since you've arrived. The ball will also be the perfect opportunity to snoop around and see if any of the other nobility have heard of such a case like yours in their respective territories."

Although Alice might've hardened her heart and prepared herself for the possibility of never going back home, the thought of actually finding a way back sparked hope in her heart once more. The organ hammered loudly against her chest, the blood practically roaring as she resisted the urge to grasp Wyatt's hands and shake them in thanks.

"In that case, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you again, Wyatt." Alice grinned sheepishly. "You've helped me so much."

"It's nothing. You saved Charlie's life and that is a debt our family owes you. Just one thing." Wyatt's ruby eyes sparkled under the golden sunlight. It showed shades of purple within the blood irises, mixing like graceful swirls of wine. "Just promise me you'll save me a dance."

"Sure!" She promised.

The fact that the last time she waltzed when she was thirteen completely flew over her head. She hadn't practiced in years and it was only because of a school performance had she learned the dance in the first place.

She wasn't even good at it, merely decent.

Nevertheless, it was a ball. She had never been to one, for one thing, and for another, she wasn't even sure if there were balls back at home for her to attend even if she wanted to go.

There were many things in Gladiolum that couldn't be found in her small hometown of Riverside Creek. It would be too much of a waste if she simply stayed behind closed doors during her entire stay here. Now that the chance to experience something new was presented to her on a silver platter, who was she to say no?

After all, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She couldn't waste the chance.