A Vow under the Moonlight

Chapter 3: Art of Bloodless War

Cassandra quietly motioned her children at the side as Victoria and her cronies came uninvited. Vivian considerately called a servant to escort the children to the drawing room, where most children stayed. With how often Victoria targets their mother, it is not wise for them to be here and witness how ugly things could be.

Damian looked at his mother in worry as he was nudged gently to the side. Denise looked at the Baroness without her usual smile before meeting her mother's eyes. Young they might be, they knew how antagonistic the woman was towards their family of three.

"Follow the servant home," Cassandra said as she patted her children and instructed the servant to lead them to the western wing instead of the drawing room. "Stay there until I return."

Damian and Denise wanted to protest, but they could sense their mother was serious. There is a subtle fluctuation in air as mana is disturbed. It made them feel unsafe, and they wanted to take their mother away to keep things calm. But rarely does their mother allow any disobedience on things that she considers to matter.

Left with no choice, the children could only hold the servant's hand and then leave after getting one last look from their mother.

"Why have the children away, Cassandra?" Victoria asked as one of her cronies whispered something to her ears."Scared they'll hear something?"

"Children do not have a reason to be dragged around Victoria." Cassandra's voice was a tad colder than it usually was. "They have no business here; they just came for food and to see a few friends. Since the objective of being here is done, they could leave and be left alone."

"Excuses," Victoria said, looking at her dress. "For someone like you, you do wear quite a modest dress."

"Well, unlike some people, our Cassandra looks good with anything she wears," Kathrine said, hiding her face with her fan. "Not busy greeting your guests, Baroness? Seeing you have the time to join us here in our little corner."

This made Victoria grimace for a moment before masking it with an artificial smile. "If some people could have taken the role of the host, there wouldn't be a need for me to throw this party. Northerners still lack tact after all these years."

Vivian took the backhanded compliment offensively. Her face darkened for a moment before replying.

"It's not that 'we northerners' lack the tact, my dear baroness." Her words were gentle, like a mother gently rebuking her child. "It's just that unlike some, like 'you from the capital,' we have other important matters to attend to. Didn't the ten years of living here teach you how busy we normally are? If you still have not noticed it, would you like me to invite you for tea with Madam Cynthia? I'm sure my aunt will be thrilled to give you a few pieces of advice."

One of Victoria's cronies seemed to choke at Vivian's words. Now Cassandra knew who suggested the dismissal to curry favor with the baroness. She will have to address this person later, but for now she will have to entertain Victoria to leave her and her children alone.

Victoria flushed at the mention of the madam. To hide her blunder, she opened her fan and closed her fan in a fluster. Her cronies tried to save her by saying a few words, but Kathrine, who was quiet for a time now, stepped in and didn't give them a chance to speak.

"Are you feeling ill, my dear baroness?" Kathrine said with fake concern. "I can get a doctor to see you. Our northern doctors are so excellent in talent that our people lived longer than most."

Vivian opened her fan at the words her friend uttered. It had spread that her aunt, Madam Cynthia, had been dismissed due to her age. While in other parts of the kingdom it could be a legitimate act of concern to retire a senior from duties, in the north it was hardly a good enough reason.

They are battle-ridden people. They lived in the harshest conditions and survived the long winters and wars like art. Each of them, as soon as they could wield a sword, knew how to fight. They fight until their last breath on the battlefield; if they aren't in a war, they live long to teach their young the ways of the north. Teach them how to survive their harsh land and pass on their lives to the new generation.

For those who lived long enough and had chosen to teach, they are the noblest of all. Especially for Madam Cynthia, who once served as a Dame and a lady-in-waiting of the late queen dowager. For at least a century no one has had the same prestige as the madam among the northern folks.

"There is no need for it, Lady Fairfax," Victoria said to Kathrine. "I'm as healthy as I could be. Though I hear that you've been ill for some time, I have an excellent tonic that you can try. It works great, especially when trying to conceive."

Kathrine smiled too brightly at the baroness' words. Cassandra winced at the carelessness Victoria was spouting. As reclusive as she was with social functions, she heard things as to why Kathrine has been ill. Nothing to do with actual illness; rather, it has to do with the baroness' action that her betrothed ended up enlisting for the next border campaign.

This enlistment postponed the planned wedding for at least 2 years, if nothing happened on the expedition. Victoria telling Kathrine about her being sick is one way to drive Kathrine insane. After all this wedding was long awaited, and it got interrupted for something so minor.

"Oh my, Victoria, there is no need for such a thing." Vivian was quick to intervene before Katherine could physically or verbally attack the baroness. "You see, my dear friend just recovered from that episode. She's more than fine now, as you can see her attending your ball. Though she's a little trigger-happy from recovery, it's best not to raise the topic, or you'll know how healthy she is. You know the House of Fairfax style."

"I agree with Lady Phyllis, Victoria." Cassandra was enjoying herself as her friends were more or less threatening the baroness if she continued to irritate them. "Kathrine here is a little bored and is wanting to stretch her body a little. Since you are a little worried about her health, how about a spar between the two of you? That would prove her health more than anything."

"There is no need for that." Victoria visibly paled at the suggestion. "Taking a sword is a barbaric way to prove a point at this day and age. While everyone knows of the Fairfax being good at their swords, we ladies are better off without them and enjoy peace in our homes."

To this remark, Kathrine snorted without care for manners now. She always knew how mindless this woman was since she arrived ten years ago. Most of the northern nobles had hoped she would leave behind the mindset of a capital noble, but all this time she had proved time and time again how she never tried to integrate into their way of living.

"If you think so, I would ask you to forgive us and leave you be." Kathrine closed her fan and signaled to her personal servant that she was leaving. She gave a look to her friends, who took her cue and gave a polite farewell to the baroness.

They didn't wait for the woman to dismiss them and left as soon as their farewells were done. Seeing as the other has no intent to respect them, they see no reason to not treat her the same. At this time, they are too disturbed to not care about the delegates whom this ball is prepared for.

With her enhanced senses, Cassandra could hear murmurs. More from the representatives, who were more or less sympathetic of the three. She caught something from the delegates as well, but it hardly matters to her, and she didn't mind it.Her focus now is her friend whose night turned bad.

They followed Kathrine, who was the first to leave. They followed her to the garden, away from the crowd, as the woman was trying so hard to keep her calm. Her steps were filled with so much that Cassandra felt if she had magic in her veins, the mana would have already reacted and possibly burned Victoria out of pure hatred.

"I'm sorry for lashing out like that," Kathrine said as she found herself calmer. "I naively thought I could enjoy myself at this ball despite the fact that the woman who was running it was the reason for my misery."

"Don't worry about it." Vivian took her hand in comfort. "Victoria was asking for it. You've done well enough not to draw a sword and make a spectacle for the capital delegates to talk about."

"Still, it's inappropriate," Kathrine chided herself. "I should not have brought myself down to her level."

"Well, considering Victoria, it is appropriate to get down to her level before she starts to understand," Cassandra said with wisdom in her tone. "She's the type to not learn until her own tricks are reflected back to her."

"If this will teach her a lesson, which I doubt it will, I'm more than glad to let her face disgrace out of her own making." Kathrine smiled at Cassandra's words. "If you lived under her roof and were constantly belittled by that woman, how were you able to keep your sanity?"

"She can say all sorts of words about me, but she cannot really do anything drastic. My cousin will not hear of it, nor will I just stay still to be hit." Cassandra lets out a smile that suggests she can do more damage to her enemies if she puts her mind to it.

"If you don't mind, just for my pettiness to be satisfied, can you make that woman suffer a little? Just enough for her not to prowl around social events and encounter me at some point," Kathrine said with an edge in her tone. "I don't want a repeat of this episode, my friend. Nor do I want it to escalate to a duel that I'm more than itching to throw at the woman. It is within my right to defend my honor, but striking her, who has no ability to defend herself, is not an honorable thing to do."

"Consider it done," Cassandra easily promised. It was due anyway, and she did have something to do with her cousin; she could raise a few things with the baron to keep a rein over his wayward wife. "However, what are your plans now that you publicly declared you are uninvited from this ball?"

"Don't worry about it." Kathrine merely smiled as she playfully tapped her fan at Cassandra's shoulder. "My father is an insightful man; he may have accounted for the scandal brewing and prepared for the worst. How did you think Vivian had the appetite to attend that woman's ball without someone behind the scenes urging her? Remember, it was not just the madam whom she slighted among us."

Cassandra blinked at the knowledge before agreeing with Kathrine's words. Vivian is more for tea parties and occasional small gatherings of friends enjoying flowers, literature, and even martial arts in the safety of her mansion. She only attends necessary social functions that she is required to attend or by invitation of her aunt Cynthia.

"Well, I guess you two are in good hands for the evening?" Cassandra said as she saw a knight coming in their direction. "Your escort is coming over. See you at the next tea?"

The two women smiled and gave her a hug before they said their goodbyes. Vivian told her that she is not allowed to decline her next invitation for tea, as she was the one who opened up the topic. Katherine smiled mischievously as she mentioned a piece of gossip that had better be discussed at their next tea party.

For the most part, Cassandra is relieved that the two are fine enough to joke around. She watched their figures get inside a carriage. She made sure they took off safely as she watched the carriage disappear to the horizon before she turned her attention to a presence she had been feeling since earlier.

She did her best to ignore it. But it was lingering on her since she stepped into the ballroom. Her children's and Victoria's presence diluted her attention to it, but now alone she could feel them observing her like prey. As someone whose bloodline was often at the top of the food chain, the feeling was not pleasant in the least.

"If you are trying to attack me or humiliate me, you better show up now before I make you," Cassandra said as she tensed her body. One little indication of harm, she is more

She was more than willing to blow a devastating blow to whoever had been following them since earlier.