fire flower; leopold vermillion x oc [Black Clover]

Chapter 26: Candidate

"I knew it was gonna be prissy noble stuff, but seriously?!" I can't stop gawking at the extremely frilly dress. The extremely frilly dress around my body. It's a toned-down red color, ankle-length, made out of thick fabric. And of course, it has frills – around the neckline, the shoulder holes, and all around the bottom part of the dress. "There's even frills inside!" I yelp as I turn to face Leopold. I can feel them against my legs, itching my skin.

Leopold laughs out loud as I glare down at the dress. "Don't forget; you have to wear this too." He holds up a red shrug with a lacy flower on the lapel. I make a groaning noise before slipping back into the dressing room and putting it on. Then I step out again, glowering at Leopold.

He smirks and puts his hand over his mouth to contain his chuckling. "Oh, shut up!" I spin and stomp out the door and into the hall. We're in the Vermillion Mansion's east wing, where all the outfits are stacked, and where all the servants sleep.

"Hey wait!" Leopold runs out after me, stopping by my side. "You ready?" We stare down the hall, surrounded by beige walls and lines of portraits. The floor is made of polished wood, and big, wide windows let in dizzyingly bright light from the left side.

"Ugh, just thinking about what I have to do makes me wanna vomit," I groan, facepalming.

"Don't worry about it. Just keep your back straight, your hands in your lap when you don't need them, and smile when you can." Leopold pats my back, smiling at me.

"All right," I say. I take a deep breath, steeling myself. "Let's do this."

We make our way towards the center of the house, my flats tapping against the smooth floor. We reach a grand oak door, intricately carved with swirling designs. A servant stands by the side and bows her head before pulling open the door. I clench and unclench my fists, take another deep breath, and prepare myself to face Leopold's family.

I am greeted with the sight of a large dining table, stretching form one end of the room to the other. Seated at the head of the table is Fuegoleon Vermillion, and Leopold's other relatives flank the sides. Leopold steps in first, walking all the way up and taking the empty seat by his brother on the right side. I recognize Mimosa and Kirsch Vermillion seated just across Leopold on the left, but the rest are blurs of red and gold hair.

"Please, sit." Fuegoleon gestures towards the seat across from him, on the other end of the table, right in front of me.

I keep my face still, prim, proper, as I do as he says. I can feel everyone's eyes on me as I fold my hands in my lap and keep my posture straight. So far, so good. No one says a word as a silent servant tiptoes in and quickly lays out glasses of water and utensils in front of everyone. They bow before leaving, closing the door without a peep. It's so quiet it's eerie.

Fuegoleon lifts his glass and takes a sip. "It's a shame Mereoleona couldn't join us today."

Wow. Mereoleona Vermillion. I've heard the stories of the eldest Vermillion child, who was said to be stronger and better than either of her brothers. But she left ages ago, tired of Clover's politics.

"Has anyone heard from her at all?" Leopold speaks up, unnaturally mellow compared to what he's usually like.

"No. She's completely vanished, but I'm sure she's fine," Kirsch responds, staring straight at Leopold. Even as I turn to face him, he never looks my way. It's like he's trying to avoid even glancing at me. A prissy noble.

"The Magic Emperor probably keeps in touch with her though. Or at least he has ways to communicate with her," Mimosa joins in, except she offers a smile in my direction before turning back to Leopold.

"And now to the matter at hand," Fuegoleon's booming voice cuts through the conversation. "Leopold, would you like to introduce the candidate?"

Candidate? I mentally cringe at the word. What do these people think this is? Some sort of twisted game?

"Of course." He stands up and motions for me to do the same. Briefly, our eyes meet, and a flash of encouragement flickers across his face before he addresses the table. "This is Mari Ebonelle. Member of the Crimson Lions Squad, and a first class Intermediate Magic Knight."

"Only an Intermediate," one of Leopold's relatives scoffs, leaning on their hand and giving me a bored stare.

I struggle to keep my cool and not snap at him, and from the corner of my eye, I can see that Leopold is trying as well.

"Enough. Continue, brother." Fuegoleon to the rescue.

"She was born in Ahria, and joined only four and a half months ago." I can hear the smirk in his voice, and I allow myself one as well as the whole table erupts into whispers. The speed at which I've moved up is quite impressive I guess, and I'm pleased to see the relative from earlier pouting and sitting up straighter.

Leopold clears his mouth, silencing the room. "She is here to prove her worth and become my fiancée." Once again, the room becomes a chatterbox.

"No way! A commoner, marrying into a royal line?!"

"She's just a sewer rat! What is she even doing here!"

"I thought she was at least from a wealthy merchant family, but straight from the Forsaken Realm?"

I dip my head a bit to hide the red blooming across my cheeks. I hate this. In the distance, I catch Leopold's sharp whisper, "Brother, put a stop to this!" But it's drowned out by the insults and mockery that slowly start to surround the room.

I catch a few faces that keep silent, perhaps in solidarity. Mimosa is one of them, along with three others. They all frown in subtle disapproval, but none of them dare to meet my eye, and they are largely outnumbered by the rest of the Vermillion family.

I raise my head through all my flustering, nervously meeting the gaze of Fuegoleon. He is silent as well, but a clear message is written across his face: make your mark. The red on my cheeks creeps away, and I stand up straighter.

"Dark Magic: Murky Grip." My voice turns low and dangerously soft as I outstretch my hands.

Thousands of black tendrils explode from each side. Screams soon follow, and I weave my hands, making each tendril latch onto and clamp over the mouths of the chattering nobles. Mimosa, Leopold, Fuegoleon, and the three others are spared, though they all stare in shock and wonder.

Kirsch manages a muffled protest, struggling furiously against my magic, but without his grimoire, he can't do much. Good thing I brought mine. Tucked it into sash that I'm wearing underneath this dress.

They all eventually quiet down, and I make their heads turn towards me. "I'm here to prove myself because I know what I have to do in this society of nobles, but that doesn't mean I won't stand by and let myself be insulted. Take your chatter somewhere else if you have something to say about me." I stare each one of them hard in the eye before setting my hands down. The tendrils seep back into nothingness as I end the spell. I take a seat, hiding a smile as the bewildered nobles follow suit. There are a few dirty glares, but most of them have a surprised and shocked look on their face. Up at the head of the table, Leopold and Fuegoleon both dip their heads in approval.

The door opens, and many servants rush in, carrying silver platters stacked with smoking dishes.

"Just on time," Fuegoleon says. "It looks like lunch is here."

If what I just did didn't make them consider me as worthy, then I'll have to gain their permission through the meal. This is when the test truly begins.