Father was often busy nowadays, but he made as much time for me as he could. He frequently took me to the privacy of our manor a block away from the royal castle, and we would talk. 

“See, Valentina? These are our ancestors.”

We stood in our library, a giant chamber filled with shelves of books. On one wall, above the shelves, hung a long row of portraits with names and dates inscribed underneath on plaques, going back to the founding of the kingdom. 

I stared in awe. They were past heads of House Avington, and I could see the slight but unmistakable resemblance between each of them and myself. I had never paid much attention to them before Father pointed them out, and I swelled with pride. 

“Father, is that you, the first on the right?”

“Yes, my angel. And your portrait will hang there, too, when you take over for me.”

I looked up at him. Succession was a topic we discussed a lot, but this felt almost conclusive. There was a reason Father was showing me this today. 

“It’ll be an honour I’ll definitely live up to.”

“I know you will. And I’ve already spoken to Damian, he’s fine with anything you choose. My angel, are you ready to decide?”

A thrill ran through me. As the eldest, Damian’s consent made it feel even more real. And as for me, I was more certain and eager than anyone could possibly know.

“Yes, Father, I’ve carefully thought over everything we’ve talked about. I want to officially be the heir of House Avington.”

Father smiled and patted my head. He had brushed off my initial enthusiasm from the hunting trip and made sure I was well aware of all the facts and responsibilities before making the final decision, assuring me that he would support whatever I wanted. However, I could tell he was pleased with my choice. 

“Then, we’ll make the announcement. We’ll host a dinner party, and show them the future Grand Duchess Avington!”

He picked me up and spun me around, both of us laughing. The rest of the day, Father told me stories about his father and grandfather, and I listened with intense interest. I loved spending time with him, something I couldn’t have imagined with my dad from my past life, but I wasn’t going to think about that. 

When we got back to the castle, we told Mother about the dinner party. Her eyes widened, glinting with excitement. 

“Why, we must begin preparing right away! A matter this important can’t wait until next year, and if we don’t act fast, things'll get too busy for Blessing Day. Oh, leave it all to me, my darlings, I’ll make it the best event this season.”

My mother was truly a genius socialite. I didn’t see her for three days, and on the morning of the fourth, she showed up to my room with servants carrying stacks of dresses.

“Invitations were sent out as soon as you told me, and the dinner shall be tonight. It’s been far too rushed, but I wouldn’t want Blessing Day to take the spotlight off of our house. Now, darling, let’s see you in those dresses.”

We spent the whole day preparing, and by early evening, I was every bit the graceful and dignified successor of a grand duchy. 

“My angel, you look beautiful!”

Father admired my outfit as Mother gazed with satisfaction. I wore a dark blue dress with thoughtfully picked jewellery that emphasized my elegance and eloquence, with delicately applied makeup to bring out a refined sophistication. 

In other words, I was stunning, as usual. Artworks needed an audience, and I quickly found myself in our sitting room, greeting the nobles that were gradually starting to arrive. 

“Ah, this must be Lady Valentina. Good evening, young lady.”

“How do you do, Lady Valentina?”

“Lady Valentina, it’s a pleasure to meet you. His Grace speaks most highly of you.”

“Good day, Lady Valentina. I hope you are well?”

“Lady Valentina, I believe you know my daughter. She tells me you are very dear to her.”

I was a bit startled at first, because these weren’t Mother’s idle friends nor the children that I was used to. Everyone that was invited here today was a reigning noble or an important figure, of high status, all pillars of our kingdom. There wasn’t an exceeding number of people, to keep the prestige. 

Some were allies to our house, some were not. Whatever the case, there was a huge amount of influence gathered in the room, so much that even the air was rigid. 

“His Majesty, King Henry Stoneshire, the Sun of Orilon, has arrived!”

We all turned, because regardless of how much authority anyone had, it wasn’t more than the king. The gentlemen bowed, and the ladies curtsied, including me. 

“Please rise. No need for formalities here, we are all friends.”

My heart sped up as I looked into the face of the man that was hopefully my future father-in-law and the most powerful man in the kingdom. He was about the same age as my father, with black hair and golden eyes, like his son, and a kind countenance. However, I knew it was just a mask, for anyone that wanted to survive in court had to wear one. 

Mother had told me beforehand that the king had been invited and would attend, but I hadn’t had enough time to mentally prepare myself. Still, it exhilarated me to meet him at last. It was a glimpse into everything I wanted. 

“Good evening, Lady Valentina. Nice to meet you.”

“Good evening, Your Majesty. You flatter me.”

Polite, courteous, intelligent. I hoped I appeared to be the perfect daughter-in-law and future queen. Silently, I yelled, please let me marry your son!

I didn’t know if Father had asked him about the betrothal yet, but I needed to be on my best behaviour either way. For all I knew, this was like an interview. Even besides the king, all these nobles needed to be impressed by me, but of course, my existence naturally did that. 

Once the greetings were finished, Father spoke. 

“Shall we go to dinner?”

We moved to the dining room, where the evening genuinely began. The king, as the one with the highest status, sat at the head of the table. Father and Mother sat on either side of him, and I sat next to Mother. 

Father waved a hand, and the servants began serving the first course of an eight course meal, the menu of which had been delicately designed by Mother. The first dish was a delightful opener, setting the dinner to a great start. 

“Thank you for inviting us today, Zacharias.”

“You are most welcome, Your Majesty.”

This was the first time I heard someone other than Mother call Father by his first name. A pretense of intimacy, in an attempt to lower our guard. 

Now that everyone was gathered together, the room sizzled with the unspoken tension of having too much power in one place to be contained and to coexist peacefully. Without interference, it could boil into something unpleasant. 

“How was hunting this year, Your Grace?”

“It was excellent. In fact, we found another forest near my estate…”

Thankfully, with the interludes from the other guests, the strain lessened a little. After all, some present today, like the merchants, wanted nothing to do with politics. Even so, the different factions formed intimidating sides that barely kept the conversation civil. 

Appetizers came next, followed by soup. About when the third course was coming to an end, I was completely comfortable, joining in discussions. 

Slowly, I matched faces to families, crests, titles, and children. Most of them I had heard of and I knew some of their children, but we had never met personally before. As anticipated, I gained the approval of all of them. 

“Lady Valentina, Delilah tells me that you’ve started taking more courses.”

Duchess Finley, Delilah’s mother and one of the few familiar faces, sat beside me. She was a poised woman, with the same sophistication as her daughter. 

“Yes, Your Grace. I’ve become interested in academics, for I find the knowledge I acquire deeply intriguing.”

“Oh, what subjects?”

“Math, sciences, finance, history, geography, literature, religion, politics, the arts, and a few other ones as well. Some of my tutors have limited availability, so I’ve taken it upon myself to study with books. I’m planning to take the exam for First Class credentials next year.”

Using my experiences from my past life wasn’t technically cheating, because I did work for them, since my old parents forced me to do nothing but. If anyone was cheating, it was the female lead, with the author’s support and literally God on her side. 

I didn’t mention the poison and pistol lessons just to be safe, but I still bragged my heart out. Other guests glanced my way as well, getting a hint of what this evening was really about. Mother or Delilah probably told Duchess Finley beforehand, or she was simply extremely intuitive. 

“What do you wish to do, taking so many lessons?”

I glanced towards Father. The room had fallen quiet at that exact moment, so the duchess’s words were heard by all. The light clinking of cutlery over the quiet music played by a band in the corner was the only sound, before Father spoke. 

“My daughter, Valentina, will be my successor and the heir to House Avington.”

He said it solemnly, matching the mask he always wore in front of court, and perhaps only I could tell, but pride leaked out from his expression. I sat with all the dignity of a future grand duchess. 

Chatter erupted, though calmer than the reactions would be from my usual associates. These people were powerful enough that they didn’t have to pretend as much.

“A worthy choice, indeed.”

“House Avington will be in good hands.”

“My sincerest congratulations, Lady Valentina.”

“It’s a wise decision, Your Grace.”

For the rest of the evening, I was the star and center of attention, like how things ought to be and just how I liked it. I had earnest discussions with our guests, conversations far more intelligent than I was typically surrounded with. Don’t get me wrong, I cherished the childish chats of my friends and I, but it was a nice change. 

It was more fierce, because I wasn’t automatically right. Occasionally, that made me tempted to throw my knife at the partner of my conversation, but intellectual debates with equals deserved to happen without the concern of status or power. It was a challenge I appreciated, though tiring. 

On the other hand, it wasn’t completely different from what I knew. 

“Count, I’ve heard that you’ve suffered many losses this year.”

“And what would a merchant like you know? But of course, I’m sure you just can’t stay out of anyone’s business.”

“I know that a little birdy whispered to me that a certain noble’s son is gambling away his family’s fortunes. I wonder who that might be?”

Thinly veiled insults, snide remarks hidden scarcely, everyone after their own profit and gains. After all, this was humanity and the nature of court. 

The companions aside, the food was delicious. It was rare for me to attend a formal dinner party, and Mother went all out on this one. I savoured every bite. 

When the meal was over, and the conversations began to die, I was satisfied in every aspect. We had achieved the goal of the evening, creating a majestic impression and reintroducing me no longer as the spoiled brat of six months prior, but a spoiled brat with intellect that knew how to hide emotions. 

“I enjoyed this, Zacharias. Good night to you and your family, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Your Majesty. Thank you for coming.”

Now that I thought about it, the king had sat and listened most of the night, laughing and making comments, and occasionally engaging in discussions. We didn’t talk directly after our initial greetings, and I was so focused on myself that I barely paid attention to what he was doing, while he had plenty of chances to observe me. 

Well, it didn’t matter that much. We had met before, when Father took me to make introductions and a few other odd times. If he was listening to the new rumours about me, he would know that I was much improved, since if I didn’t I would die at the hands of his son. 

Anyhow, I considered the dinner party a success. I was a step closer to power, one way or another.