Civilization Chronicles: Rise of the Divine Creator

The days in Misty City were long in early June, with the sun remaining high in the sky well into the evening; however, with a light breeze constantly blowing in over the mighty Lorren River, the temperatures never got too unbearable.

As the 6 o’clock afternoon bell tolled from one of the highest towers in the Balfour Family Manor, its time kept accurate by a rather interesting Spirit Tool specifically designed for that purpose, chimes began ringing out all across the city, and Princess Christina Rockwell’s 16th birthday party officially began.

Already, massive crowds had gathered in the manor’s central garden square, a space so large that it could easily hold over 3,000 people at once.

Rows upon rows of tables draped in white cloth were set up for all the guests, and a small army of maids and servants were lined up nearby, just waiting for the order to be given.

Candles, torches, and all manner of Spirit Lamps were also on standby to provide illumination for the evening when the sky inevitably turned dim, a silent promise that the festivities would not be ending anytime soon.

It was an extravagant affair, with representatives from literally every noble house in the Rockwell Kingdom assembled in the square to celebrate the Royal Family’s youngest child officially becoming an adult.

As for whether there would be more royal children in the future... well, no one was thinking about that right now.

Besides, while having a reason to host a banquet was nice, the nobles and wealthy had never needed excuses to do so.

In addition to the upper-class aristocrats and big-time business owners, there was actually quite a diverse array of guests in the manor square tonight, from old grizzled blacksmiths like Braxton, to young orphan children like Becky, and anyone else you could think of in between.

Everyone had been mulling about for the past hour or so, most simply mingling with their own social circles, but a few brave individuals had also been branching out, taking this opportunity to introduce themselves and build up connections.

It just went to show that even at a young girl’s birthday party, politics and business never rested for some.

However, the moment the grand doors to the Manor’s main hall opened and Marquess Balfour, the host for the evening, appeared at the top of the white stone stairs leading to the garden, the entire square went silent.

Whether they were longtime friends or total strangers who had never met her before, all those who laid eyes on Celestina tonight froze in shock before gasping in awe.

(Illustration in Chapter Comments)

For the vast majority, they were simply stunned by her beauty and felt like swooning at the mere sight of her, men and women alike.

Many of the men were instantly smitten, and some of the bolder ones, or perhaps more foolish ones, even began drooling, imagining what it would be like to spend the evening together with such a woman.

Whether they were imagining being able to accompany Celestina as her partner at this banquet, or dreaming about something a bit more intimate after the evening concluded and nighttime arrived, only each individual would know, and they certainly weren’t going to share those inner thoughts out loud.

These men may have become drunk on the Marquess’ beauty and had their hearts stolen by her, but they still retained enough sense not to do anything which might result in her really reaching into their chests and pulling their hearts out.

As for the women...

Let’s just say that there was no shortage of envious gazes locked onto Celestina, or more accurately, her bold, daring, and radically new outfit.

Of course, like any other time when someone breaks with established norms, there were those who subtly scoffed, sneered, and even whispered hushed insults about how inappropriate, unbecoming, or crass such behaviour was, but even among the staunch traditionalists of the Rockwell Kingdom, there were few who truly believed the words they were speaking.

Put simply, regarding Celestina Balfour’s new look, the men wanted her, and the woman wanted to be her.

All of them, however, knew that that was impossible, so they swiftly began adjusting their goals.

The men couldn’t have Celestina, she was too much for any one of them to handle, however, many of them had wives or lovers. Imagining their intimate partners donning a similar dress... well, it certainly was something worth considering.

As for those of the male gender who didn’t have partners already, they imagined that if they were to gift such a dress to a woman they were interested in, that interest might just be reciprocated.

The only ones among the men present who failed to get excited at all were those who weren’t interested in women in the first place. They may have been able to appreciate and admire Celestina’s new look, but it didn’t set off any ’sparks’ inside of them, so to say.

That wasn’t an issue on the women’s side, however, as even if they didn’t have a partner or partners of their own, male or female, that didn’t stop them from wanting such a dress solely for themselves.

In this way, the love-struck and envious gazes of the crowd quickly shifted to a strong, desirous light, and the only thing holding any of them back from storming up to Celestina and asking her for the name of her tailor, was the knowledge that if they tried, she wouldn’t hesitate to punch their face in.

She may look like a delicate, exotic flower right now, but it was always the most beautiful flowers that had the sharpest thorns.

As for Celestina, she could see the effect she was having on everyone, and while she hid it very well, the inner vanity which she normally ignored or suppressed was currently squealing with delight. She may not have cared what people thought of her, or if she looked pretty for the masses, but being so universally admired and envied still stroked her ego and made her feel a bit giddy inside.

Clapping her hands to gather everyone’s attention, not that she needed to as all eyes in the square were currently glued to her, Celestina proceeded to say a few words, "Welcome, everyone. You all know I’m not one for long speeches, so without further ado, I present the star of tonight’s event, the Rockwell Kingdom’s 12th Princess and my Third True Disciple, Christina Rockwell."