Ha, as if talking with NPCs would lead me anywhere. I desperately want to go incognito in this world or if that wasn't possible, at least to rest and sleep in my chambers.
The event is breathtaking. It is romantic and it is also the fifth major event this week. And my feet hurts.
Optional plot Scenario: Masked Waltz of the Unbound.
Ha-Optional. It was optional.
And yet, here she was trussed up in silk and laced into a corset like a decorative roast because the system glitch refuses to let her skip even the most irrelevant social fluff. The palace NPC's were adamant that she should attend.
Earlier that evening, the queen stood in her chamber, making sure she was properly readied for the event.
"Can't I just pretend to be sick and stay in bed, Mother?"
The only reply she got was a sharp glare from the queen.
Revisiting that memory, she sighed for the second time in less than two minutes.
"My lady?" came a startled voice from a nearby attendant. He was her guard for tonight, or rather an agent, carefully placed by the queen, fully aware of her notoriously rebellious daughter and anticipating her inevitable schemes.
I am not a child who needs to be guarded, Eli thought, slightly sulking. But she also knew that the arrangement was meant to keep her in check; she was, after all, celebrated for slipping away.
If she wants to escape early, she'll have to be clever, told Eli to herself.
She forced a smile. "Nothing. Just… admiring the view." she replied, all the while evaluating through her options.
Looking at her surroundings, she nudged a tray just so vaguely that it spilled a drink onto the dress of a lady nearby.
"Oh! Pray forgive me!" she exclaimed, offering a hurried, earnest bow before quickly moving toward the lady to assess the damage.
"Truly, my apologies," she said as she took the lady's hand with gentle care.
"Oh, think nothing of it, my lady. It was but an accident...such things are bound to happen." the kind lady replied, brushing at her dress.
"No, no,... even if it was but an accident, I must take responsibility," Eli insisted firmly. "I insist, my lady, my attendant shall escort you to the powder room at once."
Hearing that the guard who was standing ideally beside her snapped his head toward her, her words fully caught his attention.
As Eli crafted a flimsy scenario for her escape, the attendant's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he then said "But, Your Ladyship?"
"What are you waiting for? Make haste. Do not keep the fair lady waiting," Elinessa said brightly, glancing at the flustered lady.
The guard hesitated, the queen had made it very clear to him about not to lose the princess.
"It would be impossible to reunite again among so many nobles, both home and foreign, if you wandered, my lady." he added with a tense look.
"I'll be right here!" she promised, meeting his gaze. "Why would I wander?" she also raised her eyebrows, acting shocked and hurt for extra efforts.
Reluctantly, the attendant nodded signaling his compliance, and began escorting the lady away.
As their forms disappeared into the crowd, Eli allowed herself a quiet exhale. The moment they were out of her sight, she slipped silently from her spot, melting into the throng of guests, and the lantern-lit shadows.
***
After moving to the most crowded area and making sure she wouldn't be found, Eli eased herself down at a quiet table, letting the crowd swirl around her.
Talking to anyone? Na....Not happening. I wasn't here to network; I will sip my drink, and count the minutes until I could vanish back into my chambers.
Of course. I hope things work out properly. thought Eli, because nothing screams "trouble" to her, more than a hundred masked strangers twirling under enchanted lanterns, pretending they're not just here for political marriages and thinly veiled family alliances.
When she was sipping her drink and commenting to herself on the dresses and the ongoing affairs of the attendees, a man walking by heard her murmur nearby, and with a curious smile he took the empty seat beside her clearly thinking he had found himself some pleasant company. Even with the mask, Eli looked absolutely lovely.
"What is it you speak of, my lady? Would you allow this man to share in your thoughts...and perhaps your company for the night?"
Eli tilted her head to look at him, feigning surprise. "Speak of? Do you not hear that, gentleman? No? Ah… then it must just be my voices again."
He chuckled awkwardly, unsure whether she was joking or deranged, and rose soon after. As he disappeared into the crowd, Eli's smiled faintly behind her mask. There was no need to consider her image, no one could possibly know that she was their princess.
She didn't even register it at first, but the music, the laughter, the shimmer of candlelight all slowly drifted around her like echoes from another world and she actually fell asleep; sitting upright, eyes open for nearly ten minutes. The exhaustion was that deep, and perhaps she had acquired a new skill from her father.
Finally, she woke with a start, the blur of laughter and lantern-light snapped back into her focus. She wasn't sure if anyone had noticed but she tugged at the waist of her dress, layers of deep silver-white silk threaded with silver ivy patterns; trying to ease her growing discomfort. The fabric was gorgeous, yes, but it had started to bother her. Also, she adjusted her feathered mask as its edges started to tick her cheekbones. The corset wasn't exactly breathable, but she ignored it. Because tonight? Tonight, nobody knew who she was. And maybe, just for tonight, she didn't have to know anyone either.
If the story insisted on parading her through another event, she might as well cause some gentle chaos while she was at it. The celebration had fully settled into its rhythm and the music drifted from a glowing quartet in a gazebo, in the middle of the lake adorned with lilies.
To make the endless parade of events even remotely interesting, she'd added a few modern games to this, something to keep the attendees busy and, more importantly, to keep herself from dying of boredom. That was her one condition for attending this grand spectacle.
Meanwhile, laughter and cheers rose from different corners of the garden; the entire ball felt more like a fair than a formal gathering. Nobles were shouting encouragements, daring one another like schoolchildren instead of diplomats.
And across the green, her favorite corner had already drawn a crowd. The Dare Box. It was a sleek black-and-gold chest with a blinking crystal set at its center. Guests reached in, drew a card, and read their fate aloud. If you complete the challenge? You earned applause and mild glory. Refuse or fail? You drank, and sometimes endure far worse, depending on how creative the maids were.
Elinessa was watching from her seat. It was the best entertainment she could make for herself in here without any modern tech.
And it was glorious. One poor man was currently trying to convince a stranger to let him wear her heels for an entirety of ten minutes. Someone in a fox mask had failed his dare and was now glowing faintly pink after a dramatic splash of ink to the face.
Eli grinned under her mask.
Suddenly, her view got blocked. A translucent window with a message interface shimmered in front of her face, glowing softly with it's light.
"W-what? Is the system restoring...can I finally complete this story and proceed to epilogue?" she muttered, blinking at the sudden intrusion.
The interface had returned since early morning today, but reflected no message. It was not as independent or interactive as before the glitch, but… something positive is a progress.
The text came into focus: Eli squinted her eyes and started reading the message:
Player Role: Active Participation Required. Dare Box Access Unlocked.
Eli froze the quite smile fell clean off her face.
"...No. Absolutely not." her tone left no questions that she was unwilling to the hilt. Instinctively, she raised her hand and touched the faint, glowing cut mark on the interface.
At the same time, a voice, soft and amused, as if noticing the princess's refusal to do the task, whispered from somewhere, which no one else could hear:
"Zzzkkkk....Come on now, player...zzkkk… where's the fun in hiding? zzk..Let's give this chapter a little spark."
As soon as the words resonated, a new interface flared to life in front of Elinessa:
Player Role: Active Participation Required. Dare Box Access Unlocked. Penalty Applied: Take a swim in the pond.
Eli blinked, confused, staring back at the text, her jaw tickled.
"Are you kidding me?" she muttered under her breath, glancing toward the lake.
The water shimmered innocently in the moonlight, but the more she thought about it, the more it felt dreading to plunge herself into the lake, fully dressed in corset and with layers and layers of silk and in front of everyone, all that made her stomach twist.