I was actually impressed with the guest list. Alex and Donna were the first to arrive and they both hugged me and whispered their eternal thanks. Alex's father and Donna's parents were there as well and also thanked me for what I did. Their cousins couldn't make it and they went to the dining room.

Next were Helena's mother Mona and Helena's sister Selena. Both were dressed to show off and it was impressive the amount of cleavage I could see. Neither of them brought dates, which was fine by me. I did my best to not comment about them being invited and Helena gave my cheek a quick kiss as she whispered that she was rubbing their faces in my circle of friends.

I smiled and nodded, then greeted Lady Bassinger and her daughter, Becca with a kiss on the cheek for the mother and a kiss on the hand for the daughter. They gave their regrets that the king had requested a fountain of his own and the rest of the family were busy working on it.

Carson, our bank accounts manager, arrived next and Helena greeted him with a hug and his wife with a kiss on the cheek. I shook his hand and asked in a whisper if it was okay to compliment his wife.

“Of course. She loves attention.” Carson whispered back and then I looked at his wife. She was a gorgeous blonde with hair so wavy that it looked fake. I cast Sense Magic and her hair glowed, as did her dress. I dismissed the spell and smiled at her as I took her hand.

“It's so lovely to meet the intelligent woman that keeps Carson working do diligently on keeping our money safe and growing.” I said and she blushed a little as I kissed her knuckles. “I never imagined that your brains would be outstripped by your beauty.”

“Oh, my.” She blushed deeply and locked eyes with me for a moment, then moved on.

Helena gave me a crooked smile.

“Yes, I asked for her husband's permission first.” I whispered to her and she chuckled.

Ferdinand, his wife, and his two daughters were next. They were the two young women that had been in the shop that day I bought the new suit for Greta's mother. Helena kissed his cheek and his wife's cheek and shook the two young women's hands.

“You're not wearing the new suit.” Ferdinand commented as he shook my hand.

“I told Lady Marks I bought it specifically for her.” I said and he nodded. He knew I would insult her if I wore it for anyone else. I greeted the wife with a cheek kiss and she was dressed as impeccably as her husband. I kissed the hands of the two young women and they both giggled as if they were younger than they actually were.

“They're just happy a lord bothered to kiss their hands and didn't just shake them and moved on.” Hope whispered from beside me.

“I'll remember that.” I whispered back.

Next to arrive were Lady Marks and her granddaughter, Jinelle. I only took their hands and kissed the knuckles, ensuring that neither of them got the wrong idea or assumed I was trying to proposition them or gave them an opening to try and push for something more.

Lady Marks looked amused at my antics. “Where are my daughters? They said they would meet us here.”

“Mother.” Greta said as she came down the stairs. She looked great in a fancy dress that offset her skin color well. Her sister was right behind her and wore a white dress that was similar to healer's robes, except it was more form fitting. I didn't doubt for a second that she had various potions tucked about her person for emergencies.

“You look wonderful, mother.” Linette said and gave her mother a hug, then hugged her daughter. “I see a bit of cleavage, Jinelle.”

“Mother!” Jinelle gasped and blushed a little.

Linette laughed. “I'm just teasing. Perhaps you'll meet a nice man tonight.”

“M-mother!” Jinelle exclaimed and took her grandmother's hand and pulled her towards the dining room. Linette laughed and followed.

“This looks like it's shaping up to be a big affair.” Greta commented and gave Helena a brief hug.

“The biggest.” Helena said and I took Greta's hand to kiss the back of it and gave her a touch of magic.

“You look good enough to brew your own beauty potion.” I said and Greta laughed.

“We did that already, you joker.” Greta said and shook Hope's hand next, then the butler's and Administrator Lannin's before she went to the dining room.

The Montgomery Family were next and the old man commented to Helena that if she tired of me, to let him know. He had a granddaughter that I could marry instead. Helena laughed, because she knew the girl was only six. I shook his hand and he winked at me as he passed.

Black was next and he lightly kissed Helena's knuckles before taking my hand and shaking it. “The army loves the new enchantment.” He said to me as a greeting.

“How many swords did you get out of the vial I gave you?”

“Sixteen.” Black said with a chuckle. “The old man was really stingy with it and barely laced the carvings.”

I nodded and pulled a vial out of my bandoleer. “You'll probably get about fifty more out of this.”

Before Black could say thank you for it, the old man appeared and plucked it right out of his hand and disappeared again. “Hey!”

“I'll send over something nice as thanks.” The old man's voice said from the dining room.

“It's not going to be my daughter!” Black said and quickly shook the other three people's hands in the receiving line and ran after him.

“He's been insufferable since you visited.” Heather said and I lightly brushed my lips over her knuckles as I took her offered hand. “Or obsessed. It's hard to tell.” She laughed softly and moved on.

The next person to arrive was someone I hadn't expected and I saluted her as soon as she stepped through the door.

“At ease.” Anna Carter said and returned my salute. She was my former XO and CO at the basic training base and she looked so much like the Hag that it made me nervous. At the moment, her hair was pulled back away from her face and tied up in a weaving fancy braid. She also wore a very revealing dress that hugged her curves all over without actually showing much skin at all.

“It's so nice of you to come.” Helena said with a huge smile and gave her a brief hug.

“I accepted the ex-private's bribe, so I felt obligated to.” Anna joked and Helena laughed.

“I told her that you could charge a blade and I wanted to give you something as proof.” I said and took her hand. I glanced at her face and she chuckled.

“Go ahead and let me feel it.” Anna said and I placed a kiss on the back of her hand and pulsed my magic through it. Her whole body shivered and then she laughed. “How in the world can you do that with me being barely magic sensitive?”

“He's been practising.” Helena said and I let Anna's hand go. “He's also been using his magic every day.”

“I hope that's not what caused the damage.” Anna asked and lightly touched the back of my right hand.

“No, it was a marsh panther.” I said and she shook her head.

“I don't want to know.” Anna said and shook Hope's hand before moving on.

Right behind her was my training officer Nancy Travis. “Before you ask, the answer is yes. I'm still sticking with her wherever she goes.”

I chuckled as I took her hand and gave her a knowing glance.

“I won't feel a thing because I'm a complete null, magic-wise.” Nancy said and I kissed the back of her hand without doing anything else. “You didn't even try? Now I'm disappointed.” She joked and moved on.

My eyes widened when a very well dressed Gillis appeared and gave Helena a hug.

“Thank you for inviting me.” Gillis said and her guard stepped around us and waited for her.

“I wouldn't think of not asking you to come over, not after promising to bring you here to admire the place.” Helena said and Gillis smiled happily.

“David, it's been a while.” Gillis said and I took her hand.

“I, Lord Drake, greet you, Princess Jacqueline Emilia Gillis-Rivers, to my humble home.” I said and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. I held it for several seconds, then I stood up straight and saw her completely blank face.

She hadn't expected me to be completely formal with my greeting when she had been so casual.

I smiled slightly and then shook her hand several times. “Hi, Gillis. Long time, no see.”

Gillis glanced at Helena with raised eyebrows.

“I didn't expect that, either.” Helena admitted with a soft laugh. “Is there any chance Sandra can come?”

“Unfortunately, no. She's tied up in the Eastern Empire running the new territories.” Gillis said and then looked back at me. “We never thought they would make her the permanent Baroness after she claimed the land.”

“It was a significant tribute.” I said and she had to nod. It definitely got everyone's attention.

“I couldn't get her to come, or even her deputy.” Gillis said and then she smiled crookedly. “However, I did stop by a certain place last week and let someone else know where I was going today. Of course, word carried farther than I intended and I have to do something important right now.”

We watched as Gillis turned to the doorway and did a perfect curtsy, then she held it without moving.

“I am pleased to announce her majesty Queen Samantha Grace Rivers and her youngest daughter, Princess Rose Samantha Rivers.” Gillis said and stayed where she was until the queen came into the room. We all bowed with respect and she waved her hand to stop us.

“You know we're not here on official business.” The queen said and motioned for Gillis to stop.

“I know you deserve respect for dropping everything to come here.” Gillis said and stood up straight. “It's going to be the social upheaval of the year.”

The queen laughed demurely and turned to Helena. “I apologize for just showing up.”

“There's no need for an apology, your majesty.” Helena said and took her hand to bend over it. “My home is always open to you and your family. David is an openly declared friend of your family and I would never tell you that you can't drop in whenever you feel like it.”

The queen laughed softly again and reached a hand back to her daughter. “Rose.”

“Yes, mother.” Rose said and she stepped into the room wearing a similar dress to her mother's, only it was less refined and had more frills and an extra ribbon or two, as if whoever dressed her made sure that she intentionally looked younger than she actually was.

Helena greeted her as I took the queen's hand.

“Your highness.” I said and bent over her hand to kiss the back of it. “You look absolutely ravishing.”

The queen laughed softly and took her hand back. “You might actually mean that if you said it to my daughter.”

I raised my eyebrows to her. “I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, unless I am making a joke, which I would never do when it concerns a woman's beauty.”

“It's true.” Helena said and handed me Rose's hand. “He has no reason to lie.”

“Of course he doesn't.” The queen said and waited for her daughter.

“Lord Drake.” Rose said to me and her face was flushed a little red.

_______________

You have a choice to make. It could be critical, depending on the choice you make.

A) Tell the truth. B) Lie and look good. C) Compliment her. D) Stay silent. E) Choose two.

I'll choose two. A and C.

_______________

“Princess Rose Rivers, you need a better stylist or someone that will dress you for you and not for your mother.” I said and several gasps came from those around us. “You're much too pretty to dress so young. You should stop hiding behind your mother's expectations and let your beauty shine as much as your bright eyes.”

Rose's mouth made that little 'o' of surprise as I bent over and kissed the back of her hand and sent a huge pulse of magic through it and up her arm. “Ohh.” She started to moan and then caught herself. “Stop, Lord Drake.”

I did and let her hand go. “Thank you for coming to my humble home. Supper will be served soon. If you will proceed to the dining room, you and your mother will have the seats directly on my left at the table.”

Rose blinked her eyes at me for a moment, then she smiled. “I accept your gracious invitation.”

I bowed my head and she went to her mother, who had a shocked look on her face. Rose took her hand and led her into the dining room to take their seats.

“David, what the hell was that?” Gillis asked.

“Proof.” I said and looked out the front door. Someone else was coming and I smiled as Gary Stromboli showed up. “Chief, it's nice of you to come all this way.”

“I wouldn't miss this for the world.” Gary said and hugged Helena, shook my hand and clapped me on the shoulder, and then shook Hope's, the butler's, and Lannin's hands before going into the dining room.

Vanessa and her parents came in next and we all greeted them normally, except I kissed Vanessa on the lips instead of the cheek. She blushed a little and led her parents into the dining room.

“I think that was everyone that responded to the invitation.” Hope said and Lannin checked the list.

“Yes, that's everyone.” Lannin said.

I turned to Helena and gave her a kiss. “Are you ready for this?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” Helena said with a smile.

“Let's have some fun and show your mother all of the people that she could be associating with if your father wasn't such a pain in the ass for us.”

Helena laughed softly and kissed me. “That does sound like fun.”

I escorted her into the packed dining room and we smiled warmly at the large crowd of people waiting for us.