The Tale of the Ice Princess

Part 2 - Chapter 3

Aria's dress ^ . I forgot to put it in last chapter . Its here so you have an idea how it looks like .  Credits go to the original artist , i don't own this pic 

The 'garden' was a large expanse of green , seemingly natural but yet not at the same time . It had a large pavilion shrouded by tall hedges boasting pure white roses , a greenhouse made mostly of high quality glass and a terrace where the tea party was being held . Throughout the air , the scent of the Desdemona roses prevailed , with its strong and fruity fragrance . 

When i stepped foot into the terrace , i saw many other aristocrats socializing . They were all dressed in a variety of subtle colors , with females wearing shin-length dresses while males wore suits of a darker shade .  Most females and young girls were wearing dresses overly decorated with lace.

Must be a new trend then .

Trends in noble society came and went like the days , it seemed as if every season a new trend would take root , disappearing like following the changing of the seasons . 

However, what was most notable was that all the young children around my age were standing beside an adult . 

Ohhh.. so the adults introduce their children to their acquaintance's children to forge connections

Seeing all the children  with at least a parent by their side sent a pang of longing through my heart . 

No . that can't do . As soon as i detected the unwanted feeling , i pushed it back down , locking it into a mental box . 

  Plastering my most genuine-like smile (read: fake ) , i headed to greet the young master of the house . 

As etiquette dictated , one must greet the host of any party before doing anything . It was easy to find the host , i just needed to find the largest group . 

Lucky for me , the host was situated just a ways away from the entrance . I got into the line , which only had a few people , thankfully . 

When i arrived at the front , i placed my left hand on my collarbone , with my right holding a portion of my skirt . 

Curtsying, i said , "I pray that the Mother goddess watches over the House of Regginand , blessing it with prosperity and longevity . I am of House Heldor , Aria Heldor , and am pleased to make your acquaintance ." 

" And i to you . I am Lucas Reggienand , pleased to make your acquaintance . " The young master of the house - Lucas , answered , bowing .

Count and Countess Reggienand was situated slightly away from their son , being greeted by the adults . I headed over to them , repeating the whole greeting process .

When i greeted them , i felt a change in their mana . 

Mana , in its essence was what gave living things life , flowing through all things , the only difference was the color of the mana . The mana stone that was attached onto my pendant had the spell "Mana Zone" engraved onto it . 

How mana zone acted was something similar to how bats located things. I based the spell of the research papers i read on how bats hunted for food in the dark . Like the 'echolocation' process i read , it acted in a similar manner . The spell was constantly using mana , spreading a thin layer of mana with a radius of half a kilometer. 

It was like a sixth sense , it allowed me to have a all around view of the landscape , with everyone unawares because of how subtle it was . When the thin layer of mana it poured out i could detect any living or non living being as long as it had mana , even detecting the subtlest changes in a subject's mana flow .