Chapter 757: Nobles as usual
It didn’t take long.
The moment she stepped beyond the threshold of the Banquet Hall’s central floor, the tide of conversation shifted subtly—like water bending around a new stone.
Eyes turned. Not all. But enough.
The ones that mattered.
She could feel the familiar stares of young noblewomen, draped in hand-embroidered lace and the heavier silks reserved for ceremonies that meant something. A half-dozen of them gathered in a loose crescent near one of the mana-crystal fountains, where the light pooled across their gowns like liquid opal.
Lady Fiorenza was among them, wearing sea-glass blue and that same sharp-lipped smile that never quite touched her eyes. Lady Ameline, too—newly betrothed to a minor duke’s second son, her posture already stiffer than necessary. And of course, Fiorenza’s shadow—delicate, sweet-voiced Celestra, who said little but watched everything.
Their conversation fluttered briefly when they saw her.
Then one of them—Celestra, likely pushed by Fiorenza’s glance—offered a small wave.
Valeria approached with neither urgency nor reluctance, her pace steady, her expression poised.
"Lady Olarion," Fiorenza greeted, her voice lacquered smooth. "We were just wondering when you’d arrive. We feared the banquet would begin without one of its more recently favored stars."
Valeria caught the nuance immediately.