Jade Leywin POV
The big day was finally here, I was getting ready with some help from 2 maids, it was decided we would wear elven formal attire instead of human's hence the need for help
After helping me with the robe they did my hair combing my bangs to the side, after they finished I took a look at the mirror
I was wearing a midnight blue robe with golden embroidery, and a dark green belt which matched with the boots that ended a little below my knees
"Aww, don't you look cute" I heard a voice coming from the door
Urgh, that hurt I know I'm like 9 but still being called 'cute' hurts, I just hope my growth spurt comes quicky
"Thank you, you look very good too Mrs. Aya" I said turning around
It was true, she had her hair up showing her nape, mascara was applied to her eyes making them look bigger and the red lipstick on her lips enhanced her natural beauty, she was wearing a jet-black dress with the shoulder straps joined together at the back of her neck they came down forming an ample cleavage, the dress went down to her ankles, tightly hugging her body showing off her figure, with a deep side cut that ended just 10 centimeters below her waist this coupled with the high heels she was wearing, she was bound to make quite a few heads turning towards her
(Something like this but jet-black)
"Oh my, you know I might just eat you with how cute you are" she said with a very suggestive tone while throwing a wink
"Mom, please don't openly flirt with someone who's the same age as your daughter" Mai said deadpanned while entering the room behind Aya
"Oh, is someone jealous perhaps?" Aya remarked
"Wha... No!"
"Hello Mai, you look good too" I told Mai
She was wearing an emerald green dress that ended below her knees and white sandals, her jet-black silky hair were tied up in a bun and she wore some light makeup which highlighted her white smooth skin giving just a bit of pink on her cheeks and some lipgloss on her lips, she had a pair of drop earrings with 2 dangling aquamarines which paired with her eyes
(A.N. appearance wise she is based on Mai Sakurajima from Rascal does not dream)
"Okay, enough jokes it's time to go" suddenly turning serious Aya announced and she exited my room
I followed and we headed towards the grand hall that would host the party, and I have to say the hall was massive and lavishly decorated with big chandeliers made of gold and crystal and columns of jade supporting the vaulted ceiling, on one side was a big elevated stage were the band chosen for tonight was making the last preparations, there were 4 tables in the center of the hall one for the Helsteas and the Twin horns, two for the elven invitees and one for the families of the new couple which was of course the biggest one
At the head of said table were 2 highly decorated seats which were the ones reserved for Art and Tess, beside Art's seat were the ones for dad and mom with Ellie and me right after, and of course beside Tessia's seat were the ones for the elven royal family king Alduin, queen Merial, elder Virion and elder Rinia; Aya and Alea will also seat at this table Aya on our side and Alea on the Eralith's side this was both for security reasons as they would be the very last line of defense in case something catastrophic happens and because the Eraliths considered them as family
Since Art and Tessia wanted a small event only a handful of people were invited: the Helteas, the Twin horns, elder Rinia, elder Camus, director Goodsky and a couple of noble houses who were particularly close to the royal family given the numbers I wouldn't call it a 'small' event but I guess for royal standards this is pretty small.
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"And now allow me to present the new royal couple!" king Alduin announced
At this most of the light artifacts were turned off and a limelight was pointed to the entrance of the hall, once the musicians started playing the double doors opened, Art and Tessia walked in while holding hands
Art was wearing the same type of robe I was but his was olive green and more heavily adorned, he was also wearing a white and gold mantle draped over his shoulders
Tessia was wearing a white and light green elven dress with a white and gold shawl over her shoulders and a tiara on her head
While Art was keeping a straight face doing his best to look composed and dignified, Tessia was the very personification of happiness right now, almost literally glowing with a smile going from one ear to the other
They sat down at the seats reserved to them at the main table after a round of applause from everyone
"I thank all of you for joining us in this joyous occasion, my daughter has found someone she wants to share her life with and and she is reciprocated, I know many in this kingdom are against this relationship saying it goes against all traditions that's not true, remember we elves always refused arranged or political marriages it has always been our unshakable belief that everyone had the right to be with the one they loved and this is precisely what my daughter Tessia did, she followed her heart" king Alduin gave a short speech
After the king's speech a servant holding a long rectangular box walked in, stopped beside Art and handed him the box
Art took it and turned around to face Tessia
"Tessia Eralith, when I met you that day in the forest I had been separated from my family and I just lost someone equally important to me due to my own powerlessness, due to this during my training I was hellbent on getting stronger as fast as I could cutting out everything I felt unnecessary, but you reminded me of why I was trying so hard, your bright smile brought me back from that darkness and I don't think I'll ever thank you enough for that; I can't promise you I'll make you happy because no one knows what the future holds what I can promise you is that I will always do everything in my power to try and make you the happiest person in the world"
As he finished his speech he opened the box to reveal a bracelet made of white gold with diamonds, the bracelet was a thin band of white gold with a vine-like structure wrapping around the band and little flowers blossoming from it with diamonds placed at the center of each flower, the vine curved leaving a circular hole on the side, where the family crest would be placed once they get married
Art slid the bracelet on Tessia's left wrist as she had an even happier expression on her face
After this the party actually started and the food was served while the band started playing
As everyone finished eating Art got up and asked Tessia for a dance and of course she accepted
"Hey Jade why don't you ask someone for a dance too?" mom told me with a smirk while pointing Mai
Uh-oh I don't like where this is going, in the last few weeks we spent quite a lot of time together since there wasn't anyone else close to our age and none of us wanted to be the third wheel and butt in on the lovebirds me and Mai ended up hanging out together since Lilia spent a lot of time shopping with Tabitha and mom
"No thanks, I'm fine" I replied trying to avoid the subject
"Come on I know you said you didn't mind but today is your birthday too" mom insisted
Knowing this was a lost battle I gave up, standing up I turned towards Mai who was seated beside me and with a formal bow I asked her
"Would give me the honor of a dance Mai?"
"Oh, so you do know proper etiquette" she said surprised
"Of course I know proper etiquette I just don't bother using it most of the time" I told her deadpanned
"More like all the time, this is the first time I hear you speak formally" Mai retorted
"Do you want to dance or not?" losing my patience I dropped the formal speech
"Actually no, but I don't think I really have a choice right now so okay" she said glancing towards Aya who was giving her a knowing smile
She got up too and took my hand, together we walked towards the dance floor joining Art and Tessia, and several other adults and started dancing
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The party was over and we were all relaxing in the living room
"Okay time for the gifts!" Vincent declared as he took out 2 boxes, he handed out one to Art and the other one to me
The one Art received had the same rings he received in the novel but there were 2 rings with gems this time
"The ring without the gem is for Art the other 2 are for Alice and princess Tessia, if Arthur's mana level goes below a certain threshold the gems on the other rings will glow" Vincent explained
"We thought with this you wouldn't be constantly worried" Tabitha told mom
I opened my box and found a pair of earrings, they were crosshaped and were made of a blue stone similar to sapphire
(Something like this but made of sapphire)
"Those earrings have the ability to boost the speed you draw in mana so you can cast your spells quicker" Tabitha explained
Conjuring 2 very thin needles I shot them through my earlobes and put on the earrings to try them, I tried conjuring a small flame and I could feel I drawed in mana faster than before roughly 30% faster
"So how are we going to beat that guys?" Adam asked looking at the Twin horns
"Since both of them are already freakishly strong we thought about something else to give them" Adam continued as he took out 3 scrolls and something resembling a keychain
"The first 2 scrolls are communication scrolls they will work once, just imbue mana in it and record your message after Alice received the message she will be able to answer once before both scrolls turn into ash; as for the other scroll it's a map of Dicathen and it will show the location of the marker once mana is imbued, this one can be used as many times as you want" Adam explained the gifts as he handed one of the communication scrolls to Art and the marker to me
"Okay I guess it's our turn now" king Alduin said and took out a box and handed it to us
Opening the box we found 2 rings inside
"These are dimensional rings, each has space equivalent to this room, we thought it was something that could help you in your adventures" queen Merial explained
"Thank you mother, father" Art thanked them
"Thank you Merial, Alduin" I also thanked them it was still a little unsettling calling them by their names but they insisted on us doing so
"I have a gift for the new couple" elder Rinia said as she took out 2 small boxes from her dimensional ring and handed them to Art and Tessia
They opened them and took out 2 orbs, they were white like marble and roughly the size of a fist, wait could they be...
"These orbs are enchanted so they can show you anyone you think of for a few minutes, although they will only work 3 times" elder Rinia explained
Yep they're an inferior version of the stalker orb
"Thanks grandma!" Tessia shouted hugging elder Rinia
"Thank you elder Rinia" Art thanked her
"Okay I guess we are the last ones" dad said as he took out 2 boxes
Opening mine I found a glove with a flat large crystal attached on the backhand, the crystal was transparent
"They're both made out of the skin of a mana beast your father hunted, Art yours has 3 healing crystals which hold a single use minor healing spell, crush the crystal when you need it; Jade your glove has a mana storage gem so if you ever run low on mana you can use it as an emergency source" mom explained
After this we choose to go to bed early since tomorrow we would finally become adventurers