The World Dragon's Heir

Chapter 480: Garden Party Witches?

Dominic found Alexis not long after he left the house. She was standing on the Manor wall, showing Dave a more comfortable ready stance, using his shield as a crutch to keep himself upright with minimal effort, while also protecting his body.

It looked effective, from what Domiinic could tell, but with the Princess in a party gown, the scene was odd enough that it had attracted quite a bit of attention.

That was entertainment of its own, he decided.

They were the hosts, charged with keeping the mood of the party on th right tone, and the events flowing smoothly. There was no actual rule that said they couldn’t do it by doing an inspection of the Manor Guards in full formal regalia.

Probably.

"Lord Dominic, what a wonderful event you have put on.

We just arrived from the Capital, trying to get ahead of the crowd." A young woman greeted him as he entered the garden.

"The crowd, you say?"

The girl nodded eagerly, her carefully prepared curls bouncing.

"The Natural Sons’ Regiment is just finishing their award ceremony now, getting military merits, and some say even proper titles. I was at the Academy with a few other seniors who didn’t have class, and we convinced a visiting alumni to open us a portal here so we could join in on the fun.

I was actually at the Capital debutante ball last week, so this is not my first, but I do hope you won’t hold that against me."

Dominic shook his head. "Many of our guests have been on tour, looking for suitable husbands. Have you and your friends found rooms yet?"

The girl nodded. "Princess Eleanor wrote us a recommendation letter to borrow her rooms here, so that’s where we will be staying. The maids already showed us the way."

Princess Eleanor had her own rooms? That was news to Dominic. The youngest Princess was not generally allowed to travel the world at will. Though, they were both school aged, so there was a good chance that they were friends, only a year or two apart.

Most likely what she meant was the villa reserved for the Cygnia Royals, who were currently not in attendance, as they had duties either on the front lines or in the Capital.

"I am sorry, I seem to have missed your name."

The girl smiled. "I skipped the introduction, I’m afraid. Everyone knows who you are, so it almost feels like you should know us too, right?

My name is is Alora, senior class of the Cygnia Royal Academy, and apprenticing under the Royal Advisor Morgana, with hopes of taking on the position, should I not marry out of the Capital."

"You seem quite sane for a Techno Witch. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Alora bounced happily. "That’s what Lady Morgana says as well. Technically, she say annoyingly cheerful, but I am top of my class, and my mother was also a Royal Techno Witch before she retired."

Now it made sense why she was using Royal suites. As the apprentice to a Royal Advisor, her current job title was enough to get her into the good rooms, even if she was still in school and making her social debut.

She must be incredibly skilled, Morgana was not an easy person to impress.

Though, he had never heard the witch mention an apprentice.

Not that anyone would lie about it. That woman terrified half the Nobility, and the fear of someone bringing up your lie in a casual conversation with her was enough of a threat to never do it.

"So, you managed to gather the senior girls of the Academy? Or just a few close friends?" Dominic asked, trying to grasp how many of them might be in the Manor.

"Just the ones who are friends with the Princess. Six of us in total, sharing the two bed suite. But we also brought a personal maid, only one between the six of us, which I see the reason for now.

Oh, and the Princess sent a few more people to help Miss Beth in the kitchens for the event."

"She will appreciate that. Working with all new event staff has been a stressful experience for the entire team."

Alora’s excited bobbing had many of the young Noblemen watching, and Dominic finally realized that the motion was not an oddity of a Techno Witch. He had noticed the bouncing of her curls, as they were close together.

However, those further across the garden were more interested in the bouncing of her dress.

Sneaky. This girl was going places.

"We were assigned all new maids this year at the Academy. We couldn’t bring our existing ones from home for this semester unless they were vetted by the Palace, and the first few weeks were pure torture.

The boys have it so much easier, they just grease their fingers and run it through their hair and call themselves ready.

It takes two hours to get my hair just right, and that’s on a good hair day. If I’ve been doing too much magic, it gets all crazy and frizzy."

One of the braver young men came over with a smile on his face.

"Duke Dominic, good afternoon. Thank you for having us.

Miss Alora, isn’t it? My name is Geoff, eldest son of Baron Lyr, near Lympsbury.

I heard you mention that you are apprenticing under Advisor Morgana, and I was hoping that I might ask you a few questions about Witchcraft. After you have finished your meeting with the Duke, of course."

Geoff was not a small man. Not by any measure. Like many Barons who had been sent to Stansia Province after the initial phase of the war, he was clearly a career soldier, close to a hundred and ninety centimetres tall, and nearly as scarred as he was muscled.

However, he still had a friendly and youthful face, with only one visible wound, a scar that turned his mouth up in a perpetual smile.

Alora considered him in silence for a moment, but Geoff only took the opportunity to pose, trying to put his best side forward.

"Yes, you look interesting enough to talk to. Lord Dominic, thank you again for having us. I do look forward to seeing you soon."

Dominic nodded as she simply turned and walked away. Perhaps he had been hasty to have called her ’sane’. Techno Witches were always a little off.

She might make a military Baron a good wife, though.