"Master, how do I look?" Lux asked as he showed Gaap the ceremonial dress, which was given to him by Saintess Cleo, to be worn for tonight's festivities.
"You look good," Gaap replied with a smile. "Maybe the King is worried that we might wear something unexpected to the Birthday Celebration of his daughter, so he chose our clothes for us in advance."
Just like Lux, the Halfling was wearing the ceremonial dress that was worn by the Agarthian High-Ranking Nobles for special occasions.
While the two were making small talk, a knock sounded from the door, and not long after, Cleo's voice reached their ears.
"Are the two of you ready?" Cleo asked. "The carriage has arrived."
Lux and Gaap glanced at each other and nodded their heads at the same time.
"We're ready to go," Lux replied as he and his Master went to leave the room together.
They had already made plans before going to the birthday celebration, and that was to get acquainted with a few of the important people of Agartha.
Keelan, the Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild in the Stronghold of Norria, stressed the importance of forming strong connections with people.
"There will be times when these connections can be used to your advantage, so meet as many people as you can and befriend them," Keelan had said back then. "The more important their position, the more you should strive to get acquainted with them!"
Lux was very familiar with the saying 'it's not what you know, but who you know that matters.'
Having friends in high places would definitely make things easier if they ever needed to ask for their help. Granted, these favors would not come free, but the ability to negotiate with these individuals was the important part.
After climbing into the carriage, they took a route that was not open to commoners.
When they arrived at their destination, the Half-Elf saw a long line of carriages, waiting for their owners to disembark.
Fortunately, their carriage bore the seal of the Royal Family, so they did not need to line up. They were immediately taken to a special gate where the special guests of the Royal Family entered.
Naturally, this caught the attention of the High-Ranking Nobles, who immediately recognized Lux and Gaap from a distance.
After their amazing battle in the Gladiator's Coliseum, the pair had earned a bit of fame and influence. However, not everyone was happy with the results.
Some of the High-Ranking Nobles didn't like the fact that Highlanders were allowed to roam free in their lands, but since their King had already given his decree, they had no choice but to endure Lux's and Gaap's presence.
"Seriously, what is His Majesty thinking?" An Earl of Agartha clicked his tongue in annoyance. "He should have just silently eliminated them after the tournament."
"Dear, be careful of what you say," his wife replied. "The King has eyes and ears everywhere. Even if our carriage has a soundproofing artifact inside it, you shouldn't say such things."
The Earl once again clicked his tongue in annoyance but didn't disagree with his wife's words.
There were other nobles in Agartha that shared the Earl's dislike for the Highlanders, and all of them wished that there was something they could do about it.
Meanwhile, in the Princess' bedroom, Princess Shayna was looking at the full-body mirror with a calm expression on her face.
She was wearing a very beautiful dress that highlighted her budding beauty.
Today, she would turn thirteen years old, which was considered an ominous number by some.
However, ever since she had been cursed by bad luck, the Princess no longer thought of the number thirteen as a bad number.
In fact, she welcomed it because it reminded her of her sister, Aurora, who was currently suffering in the Pantheon of Exile.
"Your Highness, the King calls for you in the Study Room," Princess Shayna's handmaiden said in a respectful tone.
"Understood," Princess Shayna replied and started walking toward the door at a steady pace.
Her personal maids and guards followed behind her, making sure that nothing would happen to the star of today's celebration.
When Princess Shayna arrived at her Father's Study Room, she was surprised to see that aside from the King, there was no one else inside the room.
Usually, the King would have one or two people with him, even when talking in private, so the young princess felt that something was amiss.
"You look beautiful today, Shayna," King Septimius said with a smile. "Time sure does fly. Back then, you were but a small baby, and now, you are at the cusp of becoming a beautiful lady."
Princess Shayna smiled as she made a curtsy to her father before walking towards him.
"Father, you wish to speak to me?" Princess Shayna asked. "Is this about the Highlanders?"
King Septimius nodded. "You are very sharp, my daughter. Since you already know why I called for you, let me ask you a question. What do you think of that young man, Lux?"
Princess Shayna didn't answer right away. Instead, she looked at her father with a steady gaze before making her opinion known.
"Father, do you wish to hear the answer you want to hear, or do you wish to hear the truth?" Princess Shayna asked.
"The truth," King Septimius replied.
"I think that Sir Lux is a good person," Princess Shayna replied in a firm tone. "Since he came here to see my sister, I'm sure that he will follow through with his goal. My only worry is that you will do something in the background, and prevent him from reaching his destination."
"Oh? And what makes you say that?" King Septimius asked in a curious tone.
"It is because you don't want my sister to take a single step outside the Pantheon of Exile," Princess Shayna replied. "Although you don't want to admit it, you blame her for 'that' incident, right?"
"Still young, but very clever." King Septimius nodded his head in satisfaction. "I am looking forward to seeing how much you will grow in a few years' time. Tonight is your night, so I don't want to ruin your mood.
"I will also allow you to speak with the Highlanders, but choose your words wisely. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them during the party, right?"
Princess Shayna gave a brief nod to answer the King's question.
Seeing that his daughter understood what he wanted to say, he made a gesture for her to come closer.
"Happy Birthday, Shayna," King Septimius said before giving his daughter a hug. "I will not ask you to forget Aurora, but do me a favor. Do not mention her name or talk about her at tonight's party. Did I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Father," Princess Shayna replied. "I will do as you say."
"Good. You may now go to the waiting room. I will call you soon."
"Understood."
Princess Shayna gave her father another respectful bow before leaving the room.
"Hah… it seems that she is in her rebellious phase," King Septimius muttered a minute after his daughter left the room.
The King of Agartha loved all of his children, including Aurora. However, the love he had for her diminished after the incident many years ago, which caused one of his wives to die due to Aurora's curse.
Since then, the King had treated Aurora coldly and even made sure that she was sent to the deepest place in the Pantheon of Exile to spend her days in solitude.
But now, there were two people who intended to take her out of that place.
Truth be told, King Septimius had mixed emotions about this matter. A part of him didn't want to see Aurora being freed from her prison.
And the other part of him wanted to allow the Half-Elf to take his daughter to the Surface World, where she would be allowed to spread her bad luck, causing countless suffering.
That way, those above ground would also understand the pain that he felt after losing someone very important to him due to Aurora's curse.
"Perhaps this is one of the whims of Fate," King Septimius said softly as he closed his eyes. "I just wonder if I should let it run its course."
The King of Agartha sighed before leaving the Study Room in order to start the celebration.
Today was his daughter's birthday party, and at the very least, he didn't want it to be ruined due to the Misfortune's Beloved, whom he hadn't seen for several years.
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