Sonnenschein

Wellington Academy ₊*

@Kautalya I edited it! Thank you o3o

Wellington Academy ₊*

X

Wellington Academy ₊*

Is this still open?

|- тнe ғood ĸιngdoмѕ: Episode One: The Masquerade -| (reboot)

<sub>1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31

early morning | morning | afternoon | evening | night

snow | blizzard | rain | thunderstorm | sunny | mist | cloudy | hail | fog

Interaction @Roseate ; open</sub>



【 _{Do you look only through rose tinted glasses? I crushed mine so that I could see the truth.} 】

<sub>‗‗‗‗‗‗

Sen had truly been surprised when he had been invited to the large party that the princess had been planning. From all of his experiences in meeting with her, she seemed to carry a disdain for the social events, but he wasn't one to question her decisions. It was a party for her birthday, after all. Though, he was a simple lower ranked noble that had only come into his position in the last couple of years after the death of his mentor, so the fact that she was acknowledging even him was surprising.

He was all too used to parties and formal events from the younger teen years of his life before his injury. He was just thankful this time that he wasn't the entertainment, and could just enjoy himself this time. He did, however, have something he'd like to ask Caslan if the two had the opportunity to talk during the event. He knew that the man worked as a royal guard, but he did hope that he would be allowed at least some time to himself.

It had been mostly quiet the last few days- his only visitor being Caslan. These visits were to be expected at this point as he'd come to not only desire them, but expect that the man would be in to see him at some point throughout the week. A smile creeped up and pulled the corners of his lips into a cheeky smile as he pulled himself from the daydream he'd lapsed into. The boy closed the book and placed it onto the nearest stack of books that sat near his bed before standing up to move toward the vanity. His living space was the exact opposite of the neat and orderly library only a few rooms away.

Gentle fingers pulled the lid off of a small box that contained a hairpin that he'd never gotten to use. It had come from one of the many “suitors” that he'd had as a courtesan. It was made of a fine jade and painted using vibrant colors that matched the ones of the kimono that he'd chosen to wear for the party. It was made from a heavy violet silk material with golden butterflies embroidering the sleeves. Traditionally, he would have worn the obi tied in front as this too was a gift for a courtesan, but for this occasion he would have it tied in the back. Chocolate colored strands of hair were tied back loosely with a ribbon and the hairpin was put into place. He admired himself in the mirror- knowing that he looked nice, beautiful even. He wouldn't say he was vain, but rather that he could admit that he was beautiful if he were asked.

‗‗‗‗‗‗

The boy slipped a golden mask over the slender bridge of his nose as he made his way toward the doors to the palace. He could hear the murmurs of people conversating and the swell of the orchestra playing music in full force as he inched his way toward those checking invitations at the door. When it was his turn, he made his way towards the tall man with his gaited limp from a previous injury that'd never healed properly. Sen placed the invitation in Caslan's hand and turned his face up to him with a soft smile.

“If you're ever released from door duty, you should come and have a good time. It is a party after all~” He reached a hand up to gently place his hand against the side of the man's face before he moved along. There was no sense in harassing him while he was working; he only wanted to give Caslan a hard time.

Already, there were people from other kingdoms there- taking in the refreshments of Hua'mu. Several people who he thought he recognized, but couldn't quite put his finger on their identities. That was half the fun of a masquerade though, right? He smiled and moved over to lean against a railing that lead to the outside gardens. It was still close enough to the throng of people where he could watch and hear conversations as well as the performing orchestra while still being out of the way. The boy was out of his comfort zone with so many people, but it did still excite him to be there. Though, he would have been just as happy at home with his cat and a book.</sub>

|- тнe ғood ĸιngdoмѕ: Episode One: The Masquerade -| (reboot)

<sub>1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31

early morning | morning | afternoon | evening | night

snow | blizzard | rain | thunderstorm | sunny | mist | cloudy | hail | fog

Interaction @Emma ; @Otterpop ; open</sub>



【 _{I can finally see
it's not just a dream
when you set it all free, all free ❤} 】

‗‗‗‗‗‗

<sub>Chartreuse colored locks fell into the face of a petite woman who jolted upright in her bed. She clutched plush, wrinkled bed-sheets against her body that was clad in an equally as wrinkled nightgown. The straps on one of her shoulders fell down her arms that prickled with goosebumps from the sudden change in temperature. Calloused digits reached up to brush the mess of green locks from her face as she panted softly. Cold sweat covered her entire body, and she wiped the sweat from her forehead away with the back of her hand as she pulled her the mess of tangles back into a loose ponytail. The night terrors that had plagued her the last few months were seemingly only getting worse as time went on. The repressed trauma of her childhood still haunted her- something that she had yet to even tell Willa about. Seeing as Hanne had told Willa about nearly everything that went on in her life, it was extremely hard to keep this from her for very long, and it was only causing her a lot of internal stress by keeping this from her. Though, she did so for a good reason. Willa was unlikely to tell people her secrets- especially one so big, but if anyone else was listening in to their conversation, there was a possibility that she might lose more than her status that she didn't quite care about; her life, on the other hand, was another matter entirely.

Grey eyes looked at the sleeping form of her lady-in-waiting. On nights when the princess didn't want to be alone, she asked Willa to sleep in her room, and made up a bed for her on the comfortable window sofa nearby. That bed was likely more comfortable than the one that she was given to sleep in in the maid's quarters. Her unwillingness to sleep alone seemed to be more often than not these days. Hanne knew that it was selfish to keep her from her own living space, but being left alone with her thoughts terrified her more than she would ever be willing to admit. There were a great many things that Hanne had kept from Willa, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before the girl began to ask the questions that she'd skirted around answering for so long. For now though, she would only say it was a bad dream and leave it at that.

She pushed the sheets from her lithe frame and moved to sit at her desk- turning on the dim light so that she could see the handwritten notes for the contraption that she had been tinkering with for the past month. “ If only I could perfect this. It would make our lives much easier...” She muttered to herself- trailing off from the unfinished thought. She wanted to create some sort of device that would provide public transportation across all seven of the allied kingdoms. It would be a way that would be less expensive than horses for the common people- not to mention easier on the horses that were used. It would also bridge the gap that would have required a boat to get to the mainland for Graengarder. “ I won't have time to mess with the schematics tonight, but when we get home, I think this should work.” After making a note in the margin of the book, she scratched her nose with the eraser. Maybe if this crazy scheme of hers worked, she could finally gain the respect that her older siblings got from their father, but she truly doubted it.

‗‗‗‗‗‗

Later that afternoon, Hanne had dressed herself for the masquerade party that she and her siblings had been invited to attend. She'd always dressed and bathed herself- giving Willa the same excuse that she wanted her privacy and that she didn't need a babysitter to help her do everything. From what she knew, her family and the Cha Clan were close friends and allies, and had been ever since the end of the last Hundred Year War. She wasn't the best versed in history- despite all of the tutors that had taught all of the Guo siblings. She was more the type to want to get her hands dirty. A little oil and grease never really bothered her all that much- likely to the chagrin of Willa who always scolded her for not acting quite like what the people expected of their princess.

Before they'd left, Hanne had tested out one of her more notorious inventions that she'd yet to test on her siblings before. It had worked like a charm, and left both Cyrus and Alois stunned with her childish behavior. She loved the looks on their faces when they realized they'd been shot with a water balloon cannon. The accuracy of the cannon could have been improved just a tad, but for this purpose, it had been perfect. Their clothes had been ruined and soaked thoroughly to the point where both of them had to hurry to change into a different set of clothes before they were able to be free from the palace walls. While they hadn't known it was Hanne and Willa who had done it as neither of them had been punished for it, she had a feeling that they knew it was her because very few people had such disdain for the golden children of the Guo Dynasty. She felt as though she was one of the few that disliked the two as everyone looked up to them both.

The trip to the Hua'mu Palace was only a few hours, but for the honeydew girl, it felt like ages. She and Willa shared a carriage between themselves while Alois and Cyrus were allowed the other to themselves. It was an inkling of privacy that she felt as though she never got with eyes and ears all over the place. Even now, she hesitated to say anything to her companion. A soft smile pulled at the corners of her lips in an effort to reassure her. “ Willa, I wanted to talk to you about the nightmares,” Hanne drew the curtains to the carriage windows. “They've been really bad lately, and I feel terrible for being so selfish asking you to spend so much time with me. Being alone with my thoughts is terrifying, and you're really the only one I can trust. You're the only one who treats me like a person, and not just a nuisance that my family thinks that I am. I just want you to know that I really appreciate your being there for me, and when we have more time, I want to talk more in length about the 'bad dreams'.”

The carriage jerked to a halt and almost sent her flying right into the lap of Willa. She regained her composure and brushed chartreuse, pressed curls out of her face as she smoothed the skirt of her dress over her legs. The porter opened the door to the carriage and helped them both down. Hanne had witnessed the fog of Hua'mu before, and it still made her feel a bit uneasy as Estrye very rarely ever had this type of weather. It seemed almost ominous in a way. She adjusted the lace mask over her face and gave the eldest princess of Hua'mu a courteous bow. The last time that she was here, Hanne had learned some of their mannerisms after spending a good amount of time in the library in the palace as she searched for books and information on potential new inventions or materials that would help her with her goal to create public transportation.

“ Happy birthday, Minagi-Chi~” She offered the greeting before taking Willa's hand and pulling the girl into the throng of people. It was Alois and Cyrus' job to stay and be formal with the Cha's. As grateful and excited as she was to be invited, she really was in no mood to stay and talk further. In her haste, the tall woman hadn't been watching where she was going, and bumped into a small red-head who stood nearly ten inches shorter than her that stood near a table.</sub>

|- тнe ғood ĸιngdoмѕ: Episode One: The Masquerade -| (reboot)

<sub>1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31

early morning | morning | afternoon | evening | night

snow | blizzard | rain | thunderstorm | sunny | mist | cloudy | hail | fog

Interaction open</sub>



【 _{The only way two people can keep a secret is if both of them are dead.} 】

<sub>‗‗‗‗‗‗

The past few months leading up to the masquerade had been unusually cold in Hua'mu. It seemed to match the frigid mood that the eldest daughter of the Cha clan had been feeling as of late. She'd grown bored of the constant requests of suitors that had lined up outside of their door to court her. Their antics especially bored her as a great many of them sought after a submissive wife whose money they could live off of. Minagi only wished to share her wealth and empire with someone that she thought was deserving of such a title. She remembered the conversation with her father about her coming of age and being already becoming a spinster. He quite often mentioned how if she didn't quiet her ambition that no man would ever desire her, but it had never stopped the line of men before, and so she doubted he was right. Though, as he had no male heirs to inherit his name and throne, she wanted to prove to him that she could be better.

Truth be told, the girl hated parties; she hated everything that went along with it. The planning, the conversating, and especially inviting people into her personal space. The only person that the princess ever wanted in her personal space was Yunru, and even then, he had earned his spot. He had proven to her that he deserved to be there at her side as he had never questioned her or gone against her requests- no matter how asinine they may be. Though she knew that if she didn't do something to prove to the other kingdoms that Hua'mu was willing to open their borders and join the rest of the world in technological advancements then her kingdom would never flourish. That was why, the last six years of her life that she had dedicated to planning this out wouldn't be in vain. This party was a necessary evil that only she and Yunru knew all the details of.

She loved her kingdom and its people- probably far more than she'd ever love any living person. Her ambition to bring her people from their sheltered existences to watch them flourish had always been her first and only true love. That, and of course, her younger sisters whom she loved greatly- each one more than the last, and Asami more so than any of the others. She loved her so much that she'd gone to extreme lengths to keep Asami from going through what she had gone through at her age. Their father pushed them all far too hard to marry, and that was something she couldn't abide. She wanted Asami to live a comfortable life and not have to worry about politics. For someone like Asami who had been through so much trauma, the last thing the girl needed was men swarming her with invitations. As the tall girl moved throughout the foyer to make sure everything was in order for their guests, she noticed such a letter and swiped it up from the table- tucking the calling card into her robes. She would dispose of it later, but for now, she had many other things to worry about- like putting her plans into action.

‗‗‗‗‗‗

Minagi had endured the primping and preening by her maids in order to get her ready for the night of her party. Platinum colored hair was tied in a loose braid over one of her shoulders. She wore a green and silver furisode made of heavy silks. The mask that rested across the bridge of her nose tickled her face from the white plumage of feathers that surrounded it. Honey colored eyes looked out amongst the guests that had arrived early. It had been nearly a hundred years since Hua'mu's borders were open to the public other than their political allies, and it made her heart swell with joy that royals and nobles from other nations were attending her party. Not only that, but potentially she could make friendly with their rivals in an attempt to bring Hua'mu out of their sheltered existence.

Even if she could not tell who the people were directly from a glance, it was easy enough to tell what kingdom people were from a glance. Their clothing and mannerisms gave them away. Those from An'elle were versed in manners, but lacked the honorifics that her people used. She had never met someone from Ilepia before, but it had been rumored that the new oracle was to host a meeting with her sometime over the course of the event, and she was intrigued to meet someone from a nation that had been rumored to be wiped out. Those from Graengarder- namely the men who felt entitled to be barbarians were watched with suspicion. Though, she was mostly interested in meeting with those from up and coming clans and colonies as she felt a kinship to those who had a love for their people. People from Starch and Estrye were greeted warmly as they were Hua'mu's biggest allies at this time, and she found their presence here somewhat relaxing to her overactive mind. Minagi spent a good amount of time simply just watching people interact with each other before she had gone out and interacted. Yunru was uncharacteristically late, but she knew that he would find his way to her whenever he was ready.

She caught up to Asami and rested a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Would you like to come with me? I've heard the Guo family is arriving soon, and I'd like to be the first to give them a proper greeting before they get swarmed by the sharks.” A small laugh left her lips and she took a gentle hold of the girl's wrist to lead her toward the foyer where they could meet up with their friends. “Yunru will catch up with us whenever he's ready if it worries you that he's not already here. He's taking care of some things for us right now, and will be here when everyone's arrived. Guess I'll have to protect us now~”</sub>

|- ѕтαя∂υѕт -| [FxF]

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Ethereal [open]

I'm almost done!

Ethereal [open]

Yes. Im sorry I've been working a lot. Should have something up tonight.

|- тнe ғood ĸιngdoмѕ: Episode One: The Masquerade -| (reboot)

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