The Rise of the Exiled Villainess

Chapter 4: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…

After an hour's worth of hovering around in this magical floating carriage, we finally arrived in the City of Altair’s gates. Our carriage’s invisibility was deactivated and the guards were surprised to the point that they thought they were under attack. Good thing the coachman showed his papers and the invitations, otherwise these men would’ve summoned the entire army for nothing…

Altair is actually a very busy city due to its economy and military culture. Amidst being the most aggressive in terms of politics and manpower, they are very peace-loving and the noble leaders are actually vouched by the citizens. Compared to the book of course, this sight is really fun and exciting.

I popped my head outside the carriage windows, looking at the evening life of the busy streets like a puppy. Momma and Daddy is staring at me with full concentration while I’m busy pointing stuff with my fingers.

“Momma, look, look?!” I pointed my finger in the direction of a weird-looking library.

“Do they sell magic books there?” I asked.

Momma leaned closer to me as she carefully assessed the exterior of the shop.

“They appear to sell magic books but why buy those if I could just get a few in the Capital city.”

“How long would that take?”

Momma began to think before giving me a concrete reply, “Probably a month.”

Whut? So it usually takes a month to have books delivered? But we were able to reach Altair city which by the way is at least fifty to sixty kilometers away from the borders of Umbra.

“But Momma, we managed to get here within an hour. How come books take longer?”

“Ohhh, I see what you mean.” Momma laughed for a bit due to my innocence. Deep inside I’m kinda annoyed…

Then Momma added, “The books will be reprinted and magically sealed to prevent other people from getting even a glimpse of it except the person who ordered the book. Such a spell takes at least a day to process but in order to increase its potency, it takes several weeks before it is used.”

These things are getting more interesting hehehe… So I can order a bunch of books then have it sealed. I guess the spell is similar to the one they placed on my diary, which makes it entirely break-proof.

The sightseeing session lasted for thirty more minutes before we reached the duke’s castle (the coachman had to go slow because of the pedestrians). Damn, I thought I was in a virtual reality film! The castle is actually big and there’s a lot of lights floating around to guide the guests. The security is also tight since there are a lot of soldiers everywhere. Even the garden is pretty much protected from head to toe. The carriage stopped in front of the red carpet, with a bunch of servants waiting outside to usher us..

I was so excited to drop off primarily because my butt hurts… Me. momma and daddy got off the carriage, and they both held my hands from side to side as we went up the stairs of the castle. Our gifts were carefully carried along with us, with all of the heads turning to see who or what family is walking on the red carpet. Considering how we prepared for this event, you homies better take a good look at the Bathory family’s pride! 

We can hear the sound of the orchestra playing some music to lighten up the mood. Momma used her magic to create glowing butterflies out of her mana to accompany us. The rest of the other nobles that were walking along probably think that we’re some sort of fairies due to the surreal glow that we currently have and our beauty of course.

Upon reaching the reception proper (The venue is actually a few more rooms inside the castle), the butterflies immediately dissipated and we got inside the ballroom where the party is currently happening. One of the servants took our invitation and went to the small podium that he has near the doors. The servant amplified his voice and spoke…

“Introducing, the Lord of Umbra, Sir Salvatore Kiel Bathory and his lovely wife and daughter!”

For a brief moment, we thought time stopped. Walking towards the middle of the ballroom, all we could hear would be our very own footsteps as silence dominated the ballroom. A tall middle-aged man wearing a classical golden-colored coat with an intricately stitched red cardigan approached us. Just by looking at this golden-haired, blue-eyed man, his presence screams of authority. Compared to Daddy, he has more wrinkles but his body appears to be well-toned for his age.

My father extended his hand to the gentleman “Greetings Duke Castillo, it’s been a while since I’ve attended.” Castillo… Why does that name ring a bell?

The man shook my father’s hands and gently tapped his left shoulder, “the honor is all mine Salvatore. No need to be so formal, HAHAHAHA!”

I suddenly remembered something…

Castillo… Hol’up! This is Castillo Belmont?! If he’s here… Where’s that little tyke? One of the main leads is supposed to be here if this ball was held here in the castle. Rue Arceo Belmont, the one and only heir of the Belmont line of knights. Very little knowledge was established in the book about him but in the game, he is a deadly and intelligent man that was very annoyed with Ekaterina.

Daddy looked at me as if he is worried. He then asked Castillo, “Is there a separate party for the children? I don’t want my daughter to hear some of the things we will discuss.”

Duke Castillo pointed his hand in a gentle manner, “There’s a room just straight ahead. I’ve prepared various sweets and beverages for the young children.”

After receiving the directions, Momma held my hand and accompanied me towards the room. While walking, a lot of men had their eyes stuck on us due to Momma’s unworldly beauty. Of course, father’s deadly gaze is enough to keep their distance away.

Entering the room, I can see a lot of children sitting comfortably on their seats while eating biscuits and drinking iced juice. Most of them are probably minor nobilities in the Altair dukedom. Everything is as lively as the main event in the ballroom. I gently walked in the room towards an empty seat at the farthest table. The children are looking at me when out of nowhere a small girl carrying a teddy bear approached me. She has brown hair and her eyes have the same color as a kiwi fruit. Looking at her closely, she reminds me of a baby squirrel.

The girl tugged my dress while looking at me with sparkling eyes, “Good evewnin miss! Awe ywou a faiwy?”

OH MY f*****g GOSH SHE IS SO CUTE! I-I dunno what to say… I know my siblings are also cute but being faced with someone else that’s cute is totally unexpected.

“I’m not apparently. But I could be your fairy.” I replied to her as she began to jump for joy. She pulled me towards her table where several children were already seated. 

(To Be Continued)