“The Winner is the Ivory King!” Rounds of applause followed as Hildegard walked up to the giant, ready to hear his wish.
No one was surprised that he won, least of all me. The whole room seemed to hold its breath, eyes flickering from Rika to the Ivory King and back again, as if we were all caught in some silent game, waiting for the next move. The weight of expectation pressed down on us, and I wondered what wish he would dare to make.
I had a premonition, and I think Rika felt it too, as she loosened her grip on my hand and clutched her fan even tighter until it shivered.
Once the applause ebbed out, Hildegard asked,
“What is your wish, young man? What do you desire?”
“I’m sorry, but what I wish for you couldn’t give me.”
The room filled with a restless hush, whispers swelling until the Ivory King’s words were nearly lost. Hildegard’s face remained unchanged, a calm smile that suggested she had watched moments like this unravel a hundred times before.
“The only one who could grant my wish is Lady Rika from House Camael.”
Every gaze snapped back to Rika as she rose, the air thick with anticipation. For a fleeting moment, hope flickered across the Ivory King’s face, only to be snuffed out as Rika turned away without sparing him a glance. She moved toward the exit, her steps quick and determined. Somewhere to my left, her mother’s voice broke the silence.
“Rika, wait!”
She didn’t wait, and her steps grew so hurried she nearly broke into a run. I saw her stumble for a heartbeat before she caught herself and slipped through the door. When it closed behind her, the silence was sharp and fragile, as if the whole room were holding its breath.
The sharp click of the lock shattered the hush, jolting everyone back to themselves. I gathered my skirt and hurried after her, weaving through the sea of curious faces. But I wasn’t alone—someone else had already slipped past. It was the Ivory King, leaving the door yawning open behind him.
I only meant to catch up and comfort Rika, but now it seemed I might have to shield her from the Ivory King as well. I was still second to reach the hallway, and as I slipped through the door, I quickly closed it behind me and threw up a mana shield, hoping it would buy us a little peace.
Away from the weight of so many watching eyes, I hurried through the empty halls, my footsteps echoing ahead of me as I tried in vain to catch up with the much faster Ivory King. By the time I reached the front courtyard, the storm had already broken.
“Lady Rika, I’m sorry I…”
“What are you sorry for!”
Of course, it was a rhetorical question. Rika was already halfway into her carriage by the time he caught up, his long strides making it look effortless, while she stood breathless and flushed, anger burning bright on her face.
“You got everything you want; you got to say your stupid poem, and you got to embarrass me in front of everyone!”
“That’s not what I wanted, I…”
But Rika wasn’t listening. I had never seen her this furious before; her anger was so raw it seemed to drown out everything else.
“I already told you at the Welcome Party, didn’t I? You! Stupid! Titan! Idiot!”
With each word she hurled at him, the Ivory King seemed to shrink, his strength draining away until he looked like a shadow of himself.
“But I…”
“But what?! Do you think dragging this out in public will change my answer? Don’t you ever! Ever! Try to see me again, you hear me!”
He tried to speak again, but Rika had already turned her back on him and climbed into the carriage. The driver kept his eyes fixed on the reins, as if the sight of the heartbroken Ivory King were too much to bear. Even with Rika’s mother still missing, he got the hint and wasted no time, urging the horses forward and away from the scene.
The carriage rolled away, leaving the estate and all its memories behind. I lingered, not quite ready to return, and the Ivory King stood in silence before climbing into his own carriage. Tears streaked down his face, and he made no effort to hide them. In that moment, he was no longer the legendary warrior everyone whispered about, but just a boy, lost and hurting. I doubted either of them even noticed I was there, caught as they were in their own storm.
When his carriage finally vanished from sight, I knew I couldn’t avoid going back any longer. I braced myself for the barrage of questions and the awkward stares, but when I slipped back inside and let the mana shield drop, there was only a sea of curious glances and Anna’s wicked grin. Somehow, it all went smoother than I feared. Maybe they could read the story in my face, or maybe no one was surprised that neither Rika nor the Ivory King returned.
Hildegard’s face was clouded with guilt as she apologized again and again to Rika’s mother, who seemed to have aged before my eyes. The rest of the tea party drifted by in a heavy silence, and I found myself wondering if I would ever attend a gathering untouched by drama.
In the end, Hildegard quietly offered her own carriage to Rika’s mother, once it became clear that Rika had left her behind.
I thought that would be the end of it, but as soon as we were alone on the ride home, the questions came at me from every side. Somehow, I managed to keep the truth of what happened in the Lunae courtyard to myself, even as curiosity pressed in on all sides.
But… I did tell Janus once we were alone…
He’d spent the day at a branch of the Dwarven Banking Clans with the Mayor of Aldmoor, Baron Moorenberg, trying to secure a loan for a new wall and courting potential investors. It sounded dreadfully dull, and he was more than happy for the distraction.
“That doesn’t really surprise me. Rika always hated it when people called her a “Giant Spawn”. It also didn’t help that she had an early growth spurt and was taller than all the other girls her age. So now being courted by the Ivory King of all people must bring back all these memories.”
“It’s such a shame, though; she doesn’t even give him a chance and only sees him for his height.”
“Quite ironic, isn’t it?”
“I just hope she is alright.”
“She will be. Rika is tougher than you think.”
Unlike Janus, I wasn’t quite so sure; I had never seen her so upset.
We talked a little longer, letting the conversation drift until sleep called us away. Tomorrow, we’d leave the house again—this time for a Hunt.
