Seven Devils and a Rose

The message from Lord Geoffrey came to Aria the next afternoon while we were in the sitting room, me doing my hardest to read a children's book about the history of the Acaedien Kingdom with Brenna's help.

Once Aria terminated the call, she turned to me and said, "Lord Geoffrey has invited us to come for dinner tonight."

I raised my head and asked, "I beg your pardon?"

Brenna, who looked excited, clasped her hands together and said to me, "Isn't that great, Alfie?"

I raised my brows. "Me, too?"

Aria nodded. "Yes."

So I was to be presented at dinner, eh?

I asked, "What do I wear? I mean, do I have to wear something fancy?"

Brenna said, "Of course. It's a Saturday dinner with the seven lords, Alfie. You have to wear the proper outfit."

I see. Was this something akin to dining with the queen of England or something? Then again, it was hard to imagine doing something that formal, especially with the seven lords. Of course, they were the rulers of Acaedien, but the fact remained that having a formal dinner with them would feel kind of strange, considering that two of the lords had wildly and passionately kissed me like some starved beasts. Meanwhile, another had told me he liked to bully me yet at the same time pamper me, like someone he cared about. Lastly, there was another who decided that I was his best buddy and treated me as such.

I said, "But I don't have anything fancy to wear."

Aria waved my concern aside. "There's no need to worry about that, Alfie. Lord Geoffrey told us to visit the palace's tailoring department this afternoon." She came over to me, grabbed my hands, and pulled me up from my seat. "Come on now. We don't have a lot of time. I'll be accompanying you to make sure you pick something suitable to wear for tonight."

I sighed, feeling rather reluctant. "I suppose."

Brenna said, "While you two go shopping for Alfie's clothes, I'll get myself ready, then."

Aria said, "Can you please contact Leona and tell her she needs to be present as well?"

Brenna, already halfway out the door, said, "Okay."

Some twenty minutes later, Aria and I found ourselves in the tailoring department in the south wing of the palace. Obviously, it was not busy today, since it was a Saturday, and there were very few staff around.

Aria and I, along with an elf sales assistant, were in the main display hall, inspecting the male garments, searching for something suitable for me to wear. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to offer me, since I was comparatively small in terms of size where most of the male clothes here were concerned. In the end, the elf assistant found a few pants and blouses, which he insisted I try on.

When I came out wearing the new garments, Aria clasped her hands, a bright grin on her face. She looked pleased, I thought.

Standing in front of the mirror, I inspected myself and thought that I didn't look too bad.

Nodding my head, I said, "This will do."

"Yes." Aria agreed.

After the bill was put under Lord Geoffrey's name and with the garments neatly folded and placed inside a fancy shopping bag—with its own brand and logo called Acaedien's Finest Tailor—Aria and I headed back toward our quarters.

An hour later, I was in the bathing chamber, enjoying my time in the hot spring pool. I had to be clean—spic and span—before presenting myself to the important lords of the kingdom, after all.

Subconsciously, I played with the ruby rose necklace dangling about my neck. My fingers caressed the gem as I, once again, marveled at the exquisitely cut jewelry.

Again, I wondered who it could have belonged to, because it simply looked too antique and fine for my parents to own something this magnificent. It must be an heirloom for sure, especially with the way it was so intricately designed.

Gently letting the pendant rest between my plump bosoms, I then spread my arms out and let myself float about in the water as I stared up at the ceiling, my mind on Lord Geoffrey and the Wulin Kingdom.

From Lord Geoffrey's explanation yesterday afternoon, the country, which resided in the east of the Aurora Realm, sounded like it had a culture that was similar to the Chinese in our world. Then I wondered if they, too, had a great wall like the Great Wall of China? Or if they'd dress like those people in ancient China? With long, flowing robes. Or better yet, did they do kung fu?

I started giggling excitedly at the prospect and couldn't wait for the time of visitation to arrive.

I didn't know how long I stayed there, just taking my time, when I heard a few knocks come at the door.

"Alfie? Are you done?" Aria said from the other side.

I opened my eyes and swore under my breath. "Shoot!" I rushed out of the pool and said, "I'm nearly done. Give me five minutes."

"Okay," Aria replied. "But there's no need to rush."

Regardless, I hurriedly dried my body and long hair with a fluffy white towel. Then I got dressed, pulling on the trousers and then binding my breasts tightly. Afterward, I put on the fancy blouse and then blazer. Once I was done with that, I quickly blow-dried my hair with the hair-dryer, which used a magic crystal filled with qi to operate.

Once my hair was done and resting long, straight, and silky down my back, I quickly formed it into a loose knot at the back of my head. After that, I placed my new military officer hat on top, thus hiding my bun.

Done, I cleaned up after myself and then gathered my pile of mess and headed out the door.

It was half an hour later when the girls themselves were ready, and boy, did they look simply stunning.

Aria—elegant and refined as always—was wearing a flowing blue gown, her long blond hair coiffured into an intricate bun atop her head, adorned with hairpins of roses the same color as her dress. Behind Aria was Brenna, who looked pretty in pink, her pastel gown fitting her body perfectly and showing off her curves, her lush brown hair beautifully styled with curls and adorned with butterfly hairpins.

Leona came down the stairs last, and she looked super hot in red. Her gown, a deep burgundy color, fit her body snugly, showing off her slender, toned figure, while her dark-red hair was formed into a loose bun atop her head with a red hairpin of intricate design. Once she was on the ground floor, she chuckled in amusement

"What's wrong, little one? Never seen cat women this dressed up before?"

I smiled as I shook my head. "No. This is the first time. You all look simply stunning."

Brenna grabbed hold of my hand and looked me up and down. "We're not the only ones who are stunning. You are, too, Alfie. What a nice outfit, all very military like."

I chuckled, blushing hot about the cheeks. It couldn't be helped. These were the only garments that fit me out of all the other formalwear they had at the tailor's. Of course, when I had inspected myself in the mirror back in the bathing chamber, I had thought that I looked like a very young military officer, what with the dark trousers, white blouse, and officer-style jacket. Not to mention the military officer hat. I must admit that I looked rather fetching.

Aria said, "Shall we get going?"

Both Leona and Brenna nodded their heads in agreement, and we left our quarters in high spirits, ready for an entertaining and delicious meal. Obviously, I couldn't wait to feast because I had heard there'd be lots of different foods available, some of the best in Acaedien.