Chapter 15: Banquet of Tranquility

"My name is Claire, Claire Ann, and you are?"

"My name is Ril, it's a pleasure to meet you Claire" he answered while he took the hands she offered and shake it, after a while, they talked about many things they know, they even talked about some jokes and they made so many laughs while talking to each other. They were talking for so many hours and the only person who stopped them was Jiro.

Jiro actually went out looking for Ril because he wanted to inform him that they were invited yule banquet on the 7th day, then suddenly he saw him talking to the girl that 'annoyed' him and approached them both and said "Ril...why are you with..." he raised one his eyebrows and looked at Claire " 'this girl'? did you did you make friends with her or something?"

Ril sighed when he heard the question "Actually Yes, she's actually a nice person" he answered while looking at Jiro "This girl? Nice? I don't think so" While hearing these words, Claire looked at him with a disgusted face "Ugh, here comes the guy who ruined my day yesterday and also ruining it today" she turned back and made a final glance at him "Listen here big guy, Life is short you know?...so stop ruining my beautiful day" she said while smiling and also annoyed. She turned her back again and flipped her hair while she started going back to the mansion, and it left Jiro with a disgusted face.

"Now what did you come here for?" Ril asked while looking at jiro "I wanted to inform you, in the 7th day of this month, there will be a banquet held in the grand hall, and we are gonna be invited"

"Woah...a banquet, it'll be my first time attending it" Ril said in an awe

"Well actually, on this banquet, I'm-"

Ril cut off Jiro's words and excitingly said "Welp, gotta go and prepare for my clothes on the banquet, hehe" then he turned back and ran back to the mansion

Jiro stayed at that place, he sighed and said to himself "Why do my words always get cut off?..."

On the day of the Banquet

All of them were getting ready to go to the grand hall for the banquet, and Zeal requested to Ril, Chijin, and Jiro, that they'll go first because Gabriel and him are still persuading Lilian to join the banquet.

Even Claire stayed behind for Lilian. So, the three of them went ahead to the grand hall and a beautiful entrance welcomed them, the whole room glittered in silver and gold with all the ornaments decorated in the hall, a big chandelier at the center of the hall, and it has so many lanterns that are ready to float. Ril and Jiro was astonished by what they saw except, the people's gaze, it's as if they're talking behind their back and they can sense it but they did not mind it and proceeded to take a seat on the table they're assigned to.

After a while, Jiro went out for a walk, he says he wants to explore the whole area outside and left Jiro and Chijin at the table. While walking outside, Jiro saw a big old tower beside the hall, because of his curiosity, he went up and saw there was a beautiful piano and there was also violin beside it. Jiro went nearer to it and played some keys and he heard a girl's voice "Woah...Do you know how to play a piano?" Jiro looked back and saw it was Claire, she was wearing a beautiful teal gown while having a mermaid waves hairstyle with some ornaments on her hair.

"Why are you here?" Jiro asked in a confused tone "I followed you so...OH! A Violin?" She was going to explain but the violin distracted her and she went to get it and played a little song that Jiro also know. While she was playing, Jiro played along with her song and Claire was surprised that Jiro knows how to play this song, she stopped playing the violin and asked "How... did you know this melody?" She asked looking so serious and Jiro Replied "I knew this song since I was a child, I even have two music sheets of this in the past, but I lost it years ago...well, at the very least, I had another copy"

"I see...then...can we play this song together?" Jiro's eyes widened with the words she said and and he nods with it while hiding a small smile. They started playing the song and as they were playing it, the whole song was heard through the Grand Hall. Before they played it, there was some situations that happened earlier. There was girl in a black and green gown who went in through the entrance, it was Lilian, she looked sophisticated and elegant with the clothes she's wearing along with the braided bun hairstyle on her hair.

While she was walking through the entrance, the people who were looking at her made her feel uneasy, She could hear people gossip about her

'she doesn't deserve to be the heir'

'She is weak'

'she even have a cold personality'

'she doesn't have an emotion'

'Why did she even became the heir when her older brother deserve it better',

every words she heard made her very troubled, her face was full of anxiety and she was afraid. Ril noticed it, even the gossips they can hear it. Now he felt bad for Lilian, he wanted to cheer her up and then suddenly, a beautiful melody started playing in the grand hall, it was Jiro and Claire playing it, then a thought came to Ril's mind, he went nearer to Lilian and took her hand. Lilian eyes widened was surprised by his actions, then he proceeded to run at the center of the floor while holding her hands and danced along with the song, he put his right arm on her waist and took Lilian's right arm using his left arm, both of them started dancing, Lilian's eyes sparkled while looking at Ril as they danced, all her worries wore off when they danced. She swayed her hands along with the whirl of her dress, and for once, Lilian made a sweet smile, implying that she was happy, it made the people who gossipped her speechless, the beautiful melody Jiro and Claire played was gracefully danced by Ril and Lilian.