Chapter 417: Late Night Gathering
After brief carriage ride through the streets of Misty City, Eris, Toby, and Mabel returned to the Manor, and the first thing the ’responsible’ big sister did was send her adopted little siblings back to the residence so they could get ready for bed.
The reason Eris sent Toby and Mabel back home, instead of simply going with them, was because a man she recognized as one of her Master’s personal assistants approached her the moment they arrived, bowed politely, and said, "Young Lady Eris, the Marquess requests your presence in her office."
Having delivered the message, the man lifted his head, maintaining his stoic, professional attitude the entire time, then turned and left.
Of all the people in the Manor Eris had gotten to know recently, this man was definitely the strictest when it came to things like etiquette and decorum, so she wasn’t surprised by his rather terse attitude.
What she was surprised by was the order she had just been given.
What could be so urgent that her Master wanted her to report to her office immediately, despite it being the middle of the night?
Maybe Master is mad at me for sneaking out? Eris thought to herself with a bit of worry, but she quickly dismissed this idea. If anything, given what she knew about Celestina, and from the ’stories’ she had heard from her new friends around the Manor, Eris imagined that instead of scolding her, her great grandmother would encourage her keep trying to sneak out to have fun in the city.
If she wasn’t in trouble, though, then why the urgent need to see her?
After spending a few more seconds pondering, Eris quickly gave up. She would learn what her Master wanted in a few minutes anyways, so there really was no need for pointless speculation.
In any case, Eris also wanted to tell her Master about what had happened at the orphanage today, so she was actually quite thankful for this late-night summons.
Eris had been planning on informing Celestina about the suspected child-trafficking problem first thing in the morning, not because she didn’t think it was an urgent issue, but because she knew her Master was normally cultivating at this hour and didn’t want to disturb her.
The fact that Celestina was in her office, probably doing the paperwork she despised so much, came as a surprise to Eris, but not an unpleasant one; after all, the sooner she could help her friends in the orphanage, the better!
With that thought in mind, Eris turned on her heels and headed straight towards the main administrative building where all Balfour Family affairs in Misty City and the surrounding region were handled.
It was now early March of the 877th year of the New Era, or 877 NE, which meant Eris had been living in Misty City for a little over 3 months. Despite that much time having passed, though, in the dim light of night, it was still quite easy for her to get lost if she was going somewhere she wasn’t familiar with.
Fortunately, Celestina’s office was one of the places Eris most frequently visited, so she had no problem navigating the various paths to the building, then through the hallways to arrive at the correct set of doors.
Before she could even lift her hand to knock, Eris heard a familiar voice call her from inside, "Enter."
Never one to waste time on pointless formalities, Eris forwent the usual step of properly announcing herself and simply pulled open one of the giant double-doors open and stepped inside.
"Master, I have something important I need... to tell... you?" Eris immediately started to speak, only to find her voice trailing off as she took in the sight before her.
Celestina’s office was a massive room filled with books, papers, scrolls, desks, sofas, tables, and all manner of amenities. The décor was surprising simple for the workplace of a Marquess, but there were still a few tasteful pieces placed here and there, reflecting its owner’s appreciation for practicality, but not completely ignoring her femininity.
However, that wasn’t what caught Eris’ attention.
With this being her office, Eris wasn’t surprised to see her Master there, sitting calmly behind the biggest wooden desk in the room. What Eris hadn’t anticipated was there also being more than 30 other people inside, all of them sitting or standing around quietly, obviously waiting for some kind of meeting to begin.
Other than her Junior Sister Christina and her Big Nephew Timothy, there were several others Eris immediately recognized like Allina, Marcus, Samuel, her maternal grandfather and grandmother, and Mayor Faller.
There were also a lot of others who Eris recognized as high-ranking members of the Balfour March or juniors who were important leaders of their generation.
Some faces were completely unknown to Eris, but from the way they carried themselves, she could tell that they weren’t minor characters.
Even with so many people gathered together, the office wasn’t the least bit cramped, illustrating just how enormous it was, and with everyone being someone famous or important, it would be easy for individuals to simply get lost in the crowd, but in this small sea of faces, there was one woman other than Celestina who clearly stood out.
This woman also happened to have an 80% or higher resemblance to the Marquess. She had the same fiery red hair that was typical of a Balfour, but instead of the normal gentle waves most women in the family sported, hers appeared silky smooth and straight. Coupled with her sharp amber eyes, tall stature, and shapely figure, even in the opinion of another woman like Eris, she was a stunning beauty.
Dressed in a crisp, neatly put together outfit and with her hair tied up in a simple tidy ponytail, this woman looked every bit like a calm, competent noble lady used to dealing with power and politics, which was actually a fairly good description of who she was.
Eris had never met this woman before, but she had heard a great deal about her from basically everyone she met, so the moment she laid eyes on her, she understood her identity.
Her Master’s oldest living child, heir to the Balfour Family, and its current Great Elder, Pauline Balfour.