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You weren't particularly sure how, but by the time you arrived back to your fortress, your dress was already there and hanging up graciously in your closet, its orange and red jewels glistening in the reflection of the fire that surrounded it. Now that it was complete, it looked stunning. Its black silk was luxurious and the seams were more than perfect. The lace was patterned to perfection with the stitching of the gems being invisible. It was bound to make you the centrepiece of the ball tonight.

Though, it wasn't your first outfit of the night. By tradition, the ball was separated into two sections: the feast and then the actual party. For the feast, you were to wear a simple, formal outfit that regarded your high status whilst simultaneously showing your rank in the army. For the actual party were you allowed to wear your ballgown. It was a strange tradition but one that's been happening for centuries now so you would have to adhere to it, nonetheless.

You had spent hours in your room with your closes maid, Adelia, attempting to make yourself look presentable for the feast. An outfit had been previously picked out for you, consisting of a black blouse, deep red corset and black trousers with golden accents jewelled around them along with plenty of gold jewellery to match it. Your hair had been carefully styled to stay out of your face yet managed to frame it flawlessly making you look rather ravishing. You certainly looked like royalty, which just so happened to be the plan. You had been somewhat shocked when you saw the knee-high, heeled boots that had been tailored to match the outfit. You were even more shocked when you saw the cane you were meant to walk around with, the handle comprising of a glowstone orb that would most likely be covered by the heavily decorated leather gloves you were to wear.

The outfit was certainly...over the top. But the whole point of the feast was to show off and celebrate and the power and confidence you held when you wore the clothing certainly made you feel like you were showing off. You were more than sure that you would either lose the cane or just end up holding it at its shaft rather than the handle but you didn't care. You felt sovereign.

Once you were ready, you thanked Adelia for her endless help and told her to relax until the end of the feast, then you would need her help once again. After all, she more than deserved it. And with that, you left your room and marched through the fortress hallways with a smirk on your face as your heels and cane clicked against the flooring, the servants around the place staying out your way whilst simultaneously eyeing you down, shocked at how well you cleaned up. That raised your ego even further.

The feast was to be held in one of the many grand halls of the fortress, this one being one of the grander ones with its ornate decorations and colour coordination radiating the energy of festivity and escapade. The fan-vaulted ceiling made the room grand and eccentric whilst the stained glass windows gave it a calming, friendly feeling. The room was heavenly yet hadn't been used in years. This was, by far, one of the biggest rooms in the fortress, coming in second behind the grand ballroom which would be used further on in the night for the proper celebration.

Unfortunately, weapons were not to be allowed for the events due to the alcohol that was to be served, causing you to feel slightly vulnerable but you were sure that if something were to happen, you would certainly be fine. You had learnt how to turn anything into a weapon if the moment was dire enough. Besides, there were guards to be positioned all over the room.

Once you reached the imperial doors to the room, you took a deep breath before the doormen pushed the heavy doors open, revealing the outstanding room to you. At the end of the room stood the head table where you, your father and all other generals and highest nobility would be seated. You hadn't been in charge of the seating arrangements so you only hoped you hadn't been forced to sit next to anyone strange like the previous time. Running across the room were four long dining tables with a soft, red silk tablecloth on them.

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