Chapter 139: Arriving at the Party
Jonas kept his face looking forward as he drank in all the details he could from his surroundings through his peripheral vision. At the moment, there wasn't much to see, although, when they got to the entrance, Jonas learned that he was expected to stay outside of the Duke's manor. Elmo and Kim were allowed in because Kim was Elin's bodyguard while Elmo was her mage. Jonas, however, was her simple 'servant' so while he was allowed to accompany her there, he couldn't go in himself.
Not that he minded. It would give him an excuse to talk to others and to learn what he could. If it came down to it, he'd even be able to find a way to enter the manor, just not through the front door in order to either help out if something happened or to get more information about something.
As Elin, Kim, and Elmo entered the building, Jonas glanced around and saw the two servants of Guy's move the carriage away to a fair distance from the manor, but still close by and started to chat with the servants of other lords who'd already shown up. He could also see that there were several other guests who had yet to arrive. At least given how the guards by the gate were slowly allowing in carriages through the gate.
A number of them looked like they were rather self-important, though Jonas couldn't really tell if who they were actually warranted such displays. To him, it looked more like politicians and how they made themselves look good while ignring all the things that they knew they were doing but didn't want people to actually know they were doing.
The evening was still rather young, with the sun still high enough in the sky that it would be a couple hours before it set. Which meant that Jonas had a couple hours to kill, given that he knew he couldn't sneak into the manor until the sun was down at least. It would be too easy for the guards to see and call out an alarm.
Besides, he knew there were others whom he could talk to at his point. Such as the other servants and maybe some of the guards. Besides, he knew that servants often knew more than their employers were aware of. Especially when the employer was so used to the servants that they became like furniture to them.
However, he also didn't ask the wrong thing to the wrong person, or as it with the wrong person in hearing range. Otherwise he might find himself in hot water before he was even aware he was in danger.
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Elin felt her eyes widen as she stepped into the room where all the guests were being escorted. She couldn't remember seeing a room this large in her father's house at all. Not even the training hall for the soldiers was this large.
The ceiling was at least two stories high, with elaborate murals along the ceiling. The curtains almost looked like liquid gold along the windows that covered an entire side of the room. The spread of the room looked like it was as big as the room where they fought the troll in the dungeon. Then there were the other guests, each with clothing that felt like it was made as a piece of art. Much like her own dress that she'd essentially been given.
"Introducing Lady Elin Davies of Meadowvale, her magician Elmo Garcia, and her bodyguard Kim O'Hare!" the announcement rang out as she stepped into the room.