"What?" That was the only word which could escape Kenneth's mouth at what his son told him, because out of all the plausible outcomes, that was one he did not expect. However, before he could question his son or ask how it came to me, Lucia, the eldest daughter of the family interrupted his thought process.
"You finally caught yourself a wife," said Lucia with a grin on her full lips that complemented her long, blonde hair and sea green eyes. "I am happy for you, Steri... But that means I will have to catch up," she said, grinning. Although her comment did not contribute anything to the discussion, at least it lightened the atmosphere a bit, not to mention that it gave Kenneth some time to think.
"How did that arrangement come to be?" asked Sterling's father.
"It was actually a matter of convenience, father," said Sterling, telling only a half-truth. "I had found out a few very interesting facts about Silia during this evening, which lead to us discovering that both of our families have been exchanging letters for a while, discussing a potential marriage. After thinking through the consequences, we have decided that it would be the best if we got married. The marriage already has the blessing of the royal family by the way," he added as a side-comment, knowing that Silia would be able to convince her parents.
"That is fantastic," said Abigail, Sterling's mother, who had been in such a shock that she could not say anything up until now. "I am happy for you, Sterling," she said, wiping a small tear from her eye.
"He gets all the good catches," lamented Lennon, the second-oldest son of the household. "Now what am I supposed to do?" However, his poetic question remained unanswered, so he just shrugged and went back to eating his meal. The two youngest members of the household, Sterling's little twin brothers just stared at him with wide eyes, forgetting that they were supposed to be having breakfast. They would be surely questioning him later, but for now, they were in awe at the fact that their biggest brother was getting married to a pretty princess.
"So..." said Kenneth after a short while. "Now that we know that, are there any requests you would like to make for the party, Sterling?" he asked, however, before the Machine Duke could reply, Lucia intervened.
"Only if he does not steal the spotlight from me again," she said jokingly as she returned to her meal.
"I will be spending most of my time with the mage princess, Lucia," said Sterling with a slight hint of resignation in his voice. "You will get to be the star of the party while I occupy myself with the princess, introduce my family and lead her around the castle," he said seriously as he thought the evening through. "But no, father, I will not be needing anything special. If you decorate the mansion with the best you have, that will be quite enough. The rest, Conru and I will handle."
"I wish you the best of luck, Sterling," said Kenneth, smiling at his son, proud that he managed to achieve something like this.
"I wish you happiness instead," said Abigail with a bright smile. "I hope you will find bliss with the mage princess."
"Only time will tell if I do," said Sterling, not wishing to comment on the situation. He knew that his mother was a bit like Silia in that she believed in love, but she also believed that with time, one can come to love person. He did not want to hurt her feelings by telling her that the marriage he arranged was a purely political one, and if he had anything to say about it, it would probably stay that way. After all, disgracing the mage princess was something he would never do, not to mention that even though her ideals of love were hopeless, he would not stand against them if she found someone whom she loved and he was in the way. Because that was the duty of a Sterling.
The rest of the breakfast went by fast, with him talking about business or everyday things with his family, treasuring what little bit of free time he had left before he had to begin the preparations with his trusty aide. He enjoyed these peaceful times and he even endured the questionings of his little twin brothers with a smile as he ate with his family, knowing that these moments were the most precious ones in his life, when he was with his family, without any burdens to carry. However, as with everything, even the breakfast had to come to an end, so as such, Sterling had to say goodbye to his loved ones for the moment. As always, after breakfast, business called him, so he was not likely to speak with his family for the rest of the day. Only on very rare occasions did he have the time for dinner or lunch with them.
* * *
The ball was simply magnificient, Sterling had to admit as he looked at the mansion's richly decorated grand hall. His father really outdone hismelf with the decorations and he spared no expense to make his vision true, even if it was Sterling's bank account that ultimately suffered the most. But the Machine Duke did not mind, because the end result was truly amazing. Every single corner of the grand hall has been thoroughly cleaned by the staff of the house for the event, even the smallest and most insignificant damages were fixed and new magical lamps were placed both in the grand chandellier hanging from the ceiling and the small lamps along the wall, lighting the place in almost-natural, white light which allowed everyone to bring the best out of their makeup, illusion magic or dress. But at the same time, the light helped to accentuate the features of the hall.
A grand room spanning several dozen meters in all directions, the hall of the Acker family certainly looked impressive, with its high-class materials and the exceptional craftsmanship responsible for many of the intricate details. The floor was made out of painted oak wood inlaid with magically enchanted, black-and-white-and-grey marble which seemed to form a complex, intertwining pattern on the floor, however, there was actually no pattern to it at all if one looked at it from the top of the balcony. However, at certain spots on the floor, a pure, non-magical marble plate was placed, with the AckerFamily's coat of arms literally burned into them by some form of ancient, now-unknown magic. It was a strange, but also elegant sight, not to mention that it provided a good contrast against the ceiling, which was nothing but the Acker coat-of arms with the large chandellier hanging from the centre. However, the beauty of the hall did not end here as at the centre, there was a staircase adorned by a wooden fence with gold engravings on it. Naturally, the staircase was covered by a red carpet to prevent its marble surface from scratching too badly. The balcony on the second floor of the grand hall was also nothing short of impressive, especially given that it supported two more staircases for a third level, from which one would be able to enjoy the magical lights of the chandellier to its fullest. Still, the room would not have been complete without the huge dinining tables, lined with expensive and richly decorated tableware, a transparent curtain separating them from the part of the hall which was intended for dancing. The dancing part of the room glimmered with faint magic, as it had a spell applied on it that made slipping very hard and it also protected the expensive floor tiles from being damaged, yet it would not interfere with the mages who would attend the party.
Nodding brightly at the spectacle before him, Sterling took a look at himself. He was wearing his favourite, grey tailcoat that became a trademark of his when he was dealing with businesses, the one which had the Acker coat of arms embroidered both into the front and the back. A darker, almost black trim complimented the tailcoat, subtly emphasizing the light grey buttons with rich engravings on them. For this night, the Machine Duke chose to wear grey, thin gloves that were easily to take off and put on, as well as a moderately dark shirt with a dark blue tie. It really complimented his features well, his short, chestnut brown hair and his piercing steel gray eyes matching and balancing the outfit, emphasizing the best features of his face. Patting his left pocket to make sure that the engagement ring was still there, Sterling felt satisfied with the work that the household's servants have done, watching the grand work from the second floor of the balcony, waiting for a certain someone to appear as his father greeted the arriving guests.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity to him, she, the mage princess Silia entered through the great doors of the mansion... and his breath was taken away despite himself. The dress she chose must have cost her a fortune with its rich golden colours and patterns, not to mention that it was surprisingly daring for a mage princess like her. Then again, she was highly unconventional with her tactics and strategy, but her methods seemed to work well just as Sterling experienced himself on that particular night. She was truly a mage princess, not some puppet who was raised to be married off to another person despite the rumours going on around her.
"Her and His Royal Majesty, The Queen and King of the Wolf Throne, and their daughter, the Mage Princess!" said the announcer, but Sterling was already well on his way down from the balcony. Meeting her was his first priority for the evening.
