Chapter 104 – Archduke

The crowd in the ballroom was very 'colorous'. Apparently not all the monsters could fully transform into humans as well as Tessa, Cil and Bri and some of them stood out as a black spot on the white canvas. Noah saw a few hairy beings with fur reminding him of wolves, some giant figures topping over a crowd with a height a few heads above everyone else. He also saw people with tails, claws, monster horns or jaws full of razor sharp teeth being the only thing to discern them from normal humans. However what he also noticed is that all these monsters had a person looking no different from a human accompanying them. There was a kind of similarity to those 'humans' with the half-assedly transformed ones even though there was not supposed to be any similarity among monsters and humans. At least if they were human. Some of these people's characteristics however tipped him that they were not. Something about them was…artificial. Too ideal to be natural in some cases. Unnatural. That was the common trait that Noah understood as them being non humans.

After a few moments of deathly silence broken only by the barely perceivable silent music in the background, a low mutter in the crowd began. What Noah quickly analyzed the ones muttering were mostly younglings from the different monster families. While seniors did not utter a word, watching them in silence thoughtfully.

From what Noah managed to overhear from the closest to him people in the crowd the questions they most often muttered were: 'Human? True mate? True mate to all three arachnas? How is that possible?'. However not one of them received any answer as the seniors refused to share their thoughts.

Lonely clapping broke an uncomfortable atmosphere making people turn their heads and start to move.

As the people in the room stepped aside opening a path to a woman dressed in a gorgeous black dress accentuating her mesmerizing figure, that walked in their direction swaying her hips with such sensuality to its move that it could hypnotize people with a weak mind with just a glance at her.

"Everyone, let's applaud in congratulating my beloved nieces in finally breaking through their stage and becoming full fledged adults that can bring wealth and prosperity to our Kingdom." Loudly said Cassandra as she walked toward them. After her speech everyone in the room gradually started to applaud as well with the sound of clapping starting to intensify into thunderclap as some of the beings in the crowd had palms the size of Noah's head making what seemed to him explosions instead of claps.

Cassandra came over to them with a brilliant smile on her lips, however when Noah carefully looked into her eyes there was not a speck of happiness touching them, making her smile seem fake.

"Look at you, Bri!" Said Cassandra hugging Brianna for a moment and then distancing to look her over once again. "What a beauty you are now." She added making Brianna smile shyly with a bit of embarrassment and then embraced her once again for a bit longer. While her head was over Brianna's shoulder her eyes slipped to Noah and he could feel a freezing cold sipping into his body from her eyes. Then she moved to embrace Priscilla congratulating her as well while this time staring at Theresa.

However Theresa did not even glance in her friend's direction as she kept her look to the distance through the path of people that was opened when Cassandra walked through the room, studying the people that were seated at the far end of the room.

"Hello Theresa." Said Cassandra breaking her embrace with Priscilla and making her friend finally take notice of her. "I see you solved the issue just like you promised." She added with a same brilliant smile while her words actually sounded like a vicious outburst.

"I did solve it. Do you see any issues still unsolved?" Answered coldly Theresa while hugging Cassandra with a slight smile as fake as her friends.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow at these words sensing something that she did not quite understand being said. Then she looked around to look at all the three women in turns once more and then looked at two sisters once more seeing wonderful happy smiles of girls happy to see her. She stalled for a moment and then her eyes started to get round with surprise.

She could not feel it. The hatred, the tension between them that should have lingered hidden deep in the corners of their eyes. There was not a speck of it in any of the three women.

"How…" She started to speak but then closed her mouth and studyed Noah for a second time, feeling the three mate bite marks in him as clear as day.

"You could have fucking told me that an Archduke would be attending as well!" Hissed at her Theresa with whisper, making Cassandra jump a bit from the vicious tone in her friend's voice.

They exchanged the freezing cold gazes for a moment and Cassandra turned her eyes away first as if giving up.

"How was I to know it?" She said with an apologetic tone in her whisper as the five of them started to walk in the direction of the people that were seated in the furthest side of the room calmly watching them from across the ballroom.

"Sending an invitation to him is a token of good will. He never fucking attended any of the monster gatherings before. I don't have a clue why he is here now!" Said Cassandra looking at her friend noticing how tightly she squeezed her mate's arm, as if afraid to lose him. "How was I fucking supposed to know he would come until he fucking crossed the barrier unannounced scaring me shitless when he came?"

Theresa looked into her friend's eyes and not finding any falsehood in them, nodded slightly.

As they walked through the room toward the guest of honor, the Archduke, the ruler of the Northern Region of the kingdom, one of four most powerful people of the kingdom after the King himself, the lord and superior to everyone within this room and the one that everyone monster or not, looked at with trepidation, Noah suddenly noticed another interesting thing. Sliding his eyes to the side of the Archduke he saw at another seat of honor nearby three familiar faces with shy smiles on their lips. Dahlia, Zinnia and Aster sat there in magnificent dresses instead of the maid uniforms he was used to seeing them in.

"Yes. This evening is full of surprises." Said Cassandra noticing how the two sisters' faces brightened with smiles from seeing the three Dryads attending the ball in their name. "Who would have thought that even spiritual beings would 'lower' themselves to attend a 'disgusting' monster gala evening." She whispered with strange accentuation in her words, making Noah realize that Monster families and Spiritual beings families have a bit of a feud between them and don't usually attend each other's festivity.

"Don't offend them." Whispered Tessa.

"What am I, an idiot?" Scowled at her Cassandra. "Once the word of the first ever in our Kingdom's history representative of the labyrinth ruler attending monster ball actually participated in my ball spreads out, I will be the most sought after person in the whole kingdom." Whispered enthusiastically Cassandra. "And that is after the ruckus of Archduke attending my ball calms down."

They came in front of the Archduke's table where a silver haired old man with emotionless face sat watching them with calm yet hard gaze in his eyes that made Noah want to bend the knee from the weight he felt pressing on him when the old man's stare turned to him.

He was dressed in a richly adorned parade uniform and from a single look Noah had no doubt that it was made of the same material as his own suit. Made of the finest arachna woven threads it was not only among the sturdiest clothes in the world, it was also the best enchantable with magic clothes that was possible to make. And it was enchanted to the best. Just standing near his table Noah felt the power hidden in the enchantments so well as if they emitted heat that immediately made his throat go dry and want to gulp. Noah resisted that feeling and held himself in hands with all the strength of will he had.

The hands of the archduke had rings on every finger with only a few of them not in the same style as all others and the bracelets on his wrists. But it is those out of style rings that were the most threatening, as they must have been unique magical treasures crafted by the best masters, that whoever made the other rings for the archduke was unable to replicate or replace with something as potent.

However, even that was not the most interesting thing about the archduke's appearance. What Noah and Ugy both found most interesting were the golden framed glasses that he wore. They absolutely accentuated his noble appearance and combined with his silver goatee created an overall appearance of a stylish gentleman, of a kind that became more handsome as he aged. But there was no way that a man wielding strength that could rival or even better both Theresa and Cassandra had a bad eye sight needing glasses. Which immediately sent their thoughts whirling. What did the glasses help to see? For some reason taking notice of those glasses Ugly Bastard system immediately felt the strongest need to hide and go into silence mode.

"Your excellency, I am honored to meet you again after so long." Said Tessa making an elegant curtsy. "Allow me to introduce you to my and my daughters true mate, young heir to the count McDaniels family, Noah McDaniels." She continued after a curtsy and Noah bowed with all elegance that was beaten into him on the courtesy lessons he received from early childhood. It is exactly for occasions like that that all these lessons were taught to him and making a mistake would put a blemish on his family that would stay in history as it may very well be the highest rank noble that any one of his family has ever been in front of.

"As well as my daughters. Priscilla." Continued Theresa making a small pause for her daughter to make an elegant curtsy. "And Brianna." She said, followed by an elegant curtsy from her youngest daughter as well.

"It has been a while, madam Threadweaver. I am pleased to finally make an acquaintance with your talented daughters that I've been hearing about a lot in all these years." Answered a silver haired man curtly measuring Theresa and her daughters with his intense gaze before it again returned to Noah.

"It is quite a surprise to also make an acquaintance today with someone from another region today. Quite a strange choice of a mate you have made if I may say so. No intention to disrespect you count, it is just unexpected for me."

Noah bowed slightly.

"But what a truly interesting evening this is as not only one but two parties from the Western region suddenly visit our Northern region and attend the same occasion." Said archduke quickly glanced in the direction of Dryad sisters. "Not that it is unpleasant of course. On the contrary, having guests of the other regions is very flattering to me personally as the Lord Ruler of this region. Especially when the visitors are such a marvelous beautiful sight to behold." He said, smiling at the Dryads. "However I can't help but marvel at such an abrupt popularity of our cold, unwelcoming region."

Both Noah and Tessa sensed that there was a hidden question in his words, yet none of them knew what would be the right thing to answer, as archduke did not quite ask any question, simply pointing out a fact, that both Noah and Dryads are possibly acquaintances. What was the point he tried to make stating it, however, was unclear.

"I wonder what's the story behind your meeting that brought such a unique love story such as yours." Archduke said after a pause.

"We met by accident." Answered Tessa, however as she saw the archduke gazing mostly at Noah, she felt that it was his answer that the old man wanted to hear the most.

"An accident? That only makes this story even more interesting to hear."

"It is indeed a wonderful story, your excellency, however it would take more time to retell than this occasion may allow. It is however as my love has pointed out an accident. A lucky accident on my behalf as Duchess Threadweaver saved me from the death as I was attacked in the wilds in the middle of my travel. She saved my life but stole my heart. Although I am not complaining about that at all." Answered Noah and Tessa smiled at him with a brilliant smile while squeezing his hand.

"Marvelous. I just must hear it some day with all the details." Said the archduke carefully watching them. "Well then, enough for an introduction. Today's event is for these young beautiful ladies that have just stepped into the world of adulthood and not for this old man that came here just to bask in the festive atmosphere of the youths. Please Madam Vespertine continue with your event. However if it is not overly exhausting on you madam Threadweaver, would you like to stay for a chit chat with this old man to reminiscent in some old memories as it was quite for some time that we have not met. Let the young once go have a party on their own for a short time." Said the archduke.

Theresa did not like this at all. There was no memory to reminiscent of, as she had not interacted with the man even before she lost her status as the region ruler and still participated in the social matters of the kingdom. This old man clearly pointed the four of them out of the crowd. Or at least her and Noah. What was his game? She lacked information to analyze it and for the first time in a long time regretted that she did not participate in social matters, as she clearly lacked the needed information about the duke she could have had at the moment if she was not a hermit for such a long time. The problem though was that he wanted to have a talk with her alone and this would separate her from Noah, which she wanted to avoid at all costs, yet she could not reject this old man.

"I do not mind your excellency to have a chat with my mate, however I beg you to allow me to come for her at the beginning of the dancing as I promised her my first dance in today's event. I promise to return her to your table to continue your chat after that." Said Noah.

"Who am I to make a man break his promise for a dance with his beloved. Please come freely for her as the dancing starts." Said archduke nodding at him.

As Tessa released his hand, Priscilla came forward and took her place at his side with Brianna taking his other side.

"Have fun." Said Tessa nodding at her daughters as they pulled Noah away from Archduke's table toward the Dryads that smiled at them brightly when they rushed in their direction.

Noah looked at the happy smiles of the girls at his side and understood their feelings. Although their mother provided them with everything they needed, she could not provide them with friends. And that is exactly what they saw in the Dryads as Noah understood. Although they served their household as maids, for these two girls they were the closest to what they could call as friends.