"Ria Razenheir!" The bellboy announced.
A buzzing hall filled with youthful energy.
Merchants, squires, junior officers, and apprentice sorcerers all convened in one place.
Tables were laid with rare delicacies from lands afar.
A band sat at the end of the dance floor.
The crowd paid little heed to Ria's arrival.
She quietly blended into the crowd.
Her fine dress did not stand out amongst the many others.
"Stella Teldar!" The bellboy announced.
The room responded.
"Look, it's Stella.
"Stella Teldar… the next star of the Teldar house…"
"All eyes will be on her…"
Ria watched quietly as a lady of one of the upper houses stepped into the ball.
She had kept an eye on them just like all the other middle-tier houses, but she never tried to court them.
She continued to the dance floor.
Two rows of chairs on either end of the dance floor.
The young men sat on one side, and the young ladies on the other.
The musicians finished their last bow.
The dancers exchanged laughter before going for the refreshments.
Ria took her seat amongst the ladies' row.
She watched the young men take their places.
The one sitting opposite her, she knew his name and station.
Their backgrounds were close enough to tie the knot.
He didn't look half bad either.
She looked just to the left of him to avoid meeting his eyes.
He looked back in her direction.
Ria felt a tingle of motivation.
It was not her first ball.
She had lost some enthusiasm from the first attempts.
And something else was bothering her this time.
Dong! The musicians rang a gong.
The audience behind them cheered as the young men got up to make their bid.
Ria stood up.
The young man walked towards her.
She turns her head at an angle to act aloof.
But her heart beats as the young man approaches.
Cheers and jeers in the background as the lines closed up.
Ria steals a glance at him as he approaches.
"My lady, you are the most beautiful flower I have laid eyes on tonight."
He spoke.
Ria felt good.
But then she turned and realized that he was fighting for another girl.
Ria could do little but sulk.
When the dancing started, she quietly sneaked away to the refreshments table.
Her small size meant that she didn't have to worry about anyone noticing her lack of luck.
She cupped a wine glass with both hands and drank.
The bitter warmth slid down her throat.
A roast pig.
She normally would find it too overwhelming to eat.
But for some reason, it made her feel hungry.
She cut a slice and ate.
It wasn't too bad.
The bittersweet sauce and soft broiled meat made it easier to eat than she thought.
She downed another glass of wine.
The waiter filled her glass.
After a word of thanks, she drank.
It made her feel better.
She went for another slice.
Just as she reached for the knife, another girl beat her to it.
She was humongous for a normal sized person.
The opposite of Ria.
A round blob versus a stick.
She cut off the whole leg with her hands and bit into it without cutting.
She noticed Ria and offered her the cutting knife.
"No thanks, I'm good."
Ria shuffles away and picks up another glass of wine.
The girl cut another slice before she finished the leg.
She clearly had a very different set of priorities.
With nothing else to do, Ria listened to the ambient sounds as she sipped the wine.
Her acute hearing was one of her few talents.
"The grain yield of Herdial is way below the forecast … they just haven't published it yet … buy them now before it's too late … "
"The northern front is somewhat holding … I have a good mind to buy up the land before this gets out … "
"Are you mad? Orc-infested land is worthless…"
"House Vultorian can't stay on the northern front much longer … the RazenHeirs seemed to have thoughts of pulling out as well…. We must come up with an excuse before they do … "
She observes and listens.
It is what she does at balls since she never gets to dance.
She notices a pair of furry ears.
"Ah, so she's here."
She walks towards the ears.
"Can we touch the ears again?"
"Bring me some nom, noms meow…"
"Of course."
A beastkin flanked by a pair of young men.
Her furry paws.
The young men reached for her ears and carassed it.
"Nom, Noms."
He brought her a plate of tiny fish.
He popped it into her mouth and continued touching her ears.
Her furry tail thrashed around behind her.
"Hey, watch it!"
It brushes against a dress.
The lady angrily stomps off.
"Meow is sorry."
"Don't bother about her; let's just continue."
The beastkin purrs.
"Hey! Ria! Over here!"
Camilla Windranger.
As beastkins, they have an incredible sense of smell and hearing, making them exceptional scouts.
The beastkin waves her paws in the air.
"Camilla, it's good to see you."
The beastkin jumps all over her, sniffing her and checking if her body parts were alright.
"Ria's ok! When Meow heard that Ria got attacked by those hooded men, Meow got so worried."
"Yes, that was quite the experience. Did you get attacked as well?"
"Eh? Nope. We caught them when they tried to sneak in. They smelled funny."
"I see. It's good that you are safe."
The young men reached for her ears.
"Stop it."
Her ears flicked their hands away.
"Can we just continue. We are not too keen on your friend here."
"Yes, she's just too flat for us, I'm afraid."
"Hey! Whatcha talking about?"
The beastkin jumped and hissed at them.
Her claws bared.
The young men backed away.
"So! Ria, what have ya been up to? Wait, don't tell me, lemme guess."
The beastkin sniffs Ria again.
"Purrr... your muscles have gotten stronger Meow thinks. Have ya been working out? "
"Yes, you could say that."
Camilia squeezes Ria's arms with the padding of her paw.
"I can feel that. Meow thought your arms wouldn't grow. What you do, ya? Wait, lemme guess. Crawling. Meow. Crawling makes your hands and legs strong."
"Well… thats…"
"Aha! Meow thinks Meow got that right."
Camilia got down on all fours and crawled around her.
It was a more natural position for her than standing upright.
"Camilia, we're at the ball."
"Oh right. Meow's sorry."
She sniffs Ria's face.
"Eh? Meow thinks your face smells of feet. Like really, really strong feet smell."
Ria blushed.
"Where- did you get that from?"
"Eh? Nope, Meow's nose must be acting funny from all da food."
"Uh... " A dead voice.
"Hey, look! Zark is here too!"
A boy in a white tux and black bow tie.
Zark Rotbenmore, a house specializing in magic dealing with dead people.
Coroners, morticians, and corpse carvers.
These were the kind of jobs they take.
And they look half dead themselves, so much so that the town guard took them to the church of Silora for a checkup on multiple occasions.
"Hello Zark, I'm glad to see that you're safe too."
"Yep! Zombie lady told me all about it. The hooded men just tried to sneak in and steal some of their powder and crystals. She caught some of them, but the hooded men made off with some of da powder."
"Uh….." The dead voice of the
"Meow! The three of us are together again. Onwards to da academy!"
"Indeed, I look forward to it."
"Now! Meow thinks we need to eat up."
The beastkin scurries over to the table and grabs a plate of dumplings.
"There!"
"Mmm!"
She stuffs one into Ria's mouth.
"Uh…"
She stuffs another into Zark's mouth.
"Nom. Nom. Nom. "
She munches down herself.
"Tsk. Tsk. What a noisy bunch." A young woman approached them.
Her arms folded, her expression contained a hint of contempt.
"Ria RazenHeir, looks like your circus of freaks is still expanding. Heard your house had taken in a giant and trained her to be a knight."
"Greetings, Veronica PureVain. It is true; we have been training a giantess knight. It's been years since we took her in. Are you only hearing about it now? "
"Really? Is it RazenHeir's last ditch effort to get onto the rankings?"
"It's nothing of that sort. I am the last scion of my house who might qualify. I don't believe you see me as serious competition. As for the giant knight, she protects the estate by slaying the monsters around it. That's all there is to it."
"You are too dull, Verty! Cheer up a little!" Camilla rushed to hug her.
"Argh! Don't hug me, you animal!! "
She pressed her palm against Camilla's face, holding the boisterous beastkin at bay.
"Purr! Don't be like that, Verty!"
"Don't call me that! My name is Veronica. We are not that close!"
Veronica takes a deep breath.
"Anyway, it looks like you decided to attend the academy after all, Ria Razenheir."
"Yes. I look forward to the semester."
"Well, good luck then. Hope you have more of it than your siblings."
"Good luck to you too."
Veronica coldly turned her back and walked off.
"Nom* Nom* mmm these dumplings are good stuff. Hey Zark, eat some! You need all da strength for the academy."
Camilla starts stuffing herself with dumplings.
Her positive energy was completely unfettered as she began stuffing herself.
"Nom* Nom* Hey Ria! What's her problem?"
"Well, it appears my siblings scored an upset against them in one of the arena rounds against her house. It didn't make a difference for us, but that round ended up costing them dearly in the final rankings."
"Nom* Nom* what a way to step on their toes."
The music stopped.
They ate as the next round of dances took their seats.
Curiously, some of the seats on the men's side were empty.
"Hey! Ria, Meow wants to dance, wanna join me?"
"Umm… Camilla, I'd like to but-"
Camilla took a closer look at Ria.
"Ahh, Meow sees."
The beastkin stuffed another dumpling into Ria's mouth.
"Eat. Your breasts will grow bigger so you can have cubs. But Meow thinks you need time to grow."
The beastkin digs around the table as Ria chews.
Zark stands there like a zombie.
"There!"
"Camilia? What is this?"
Before Ria could react, Camilia stuffs the batch of tissues into Ria's cleavage.
It did make them appear thicker.
"There! That'll fix it."
"I don't think that'll"
"Come along."
The beastkin drags her to the waiting chairs.
"Hey? Where did the boys go?"
The row of seats opposite them was mostly empty.
…
The trio went outside and witnessed an incredible spectacle.
Young men crowding around Hikari's feet.
Their guardian knights turned their backs, not wanting any part of it.
Many of them were on their knees.
"Oh! Mommy Hikari! Please take me in. I'll be a good boy!"
"Please take me in as your puppy; I'll lick your feet clean!"
"I'll do anything for you! "
"Name your price. I'll pay my whole year's allowance to suck on your tits!"
Ria buried her head in her palms as she heard the lewd phrases she should never be allowed to hear.
A fistfight broke out as the men fought for the giantess's attention.
The girls watched with the utmost disgust.
Hikari stood still like a statue.
Her expression unchanged.