Chapter 15 - Ignoble Nobles

                                        

                                              
Why hasn't anyone made a Game of Thrones crossover with CoTE—or something close to it? I can't be the only one thinking about it, right?
Oh, by the way, for the sake of my sanity—We're going to be using our world's months/calendar instead of me just creating something new. That means we'll use January, February, etc.
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Location: Aristocratic Palace, Wall Sina
Year: 844, Winter
Time: Early Evening



The sound of our footsteps against polished marble filled the silence, and while I didn't mind the quiet, I was acutely aware of the situation I'd walked—or been led—into. Leaving the ballroom so early in the evening wasn't ideal, especially not with a noblewoman like Frieda Reiss. 
It wasn't hard to predict how that would look.
I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. She walked with grace, her head slightly lowered, her hands clasped loosely in front of her. The echo of gossip still played in my head. 
The nobles' whispering about her and me had been less than subtle.
It was a mistake to attract attention this early in the gala, but an even greater one to be seen leaving the ballroom with Frieda. I'd need to correct that soon, though making it appear unintentional would require care.
She cleared her throat, breaking the silence. 
"The person you were speaking to earlier..." Frieda trailed off for a moment, her tone hesitant. "Before I interrupted. Do you know her?"
She was referring to Catherine, of course. The flustered young noblewoman had been sent my way by her friends, though the interaction hadn't lasted long, she did make an impression on me, to say the least.
I deflected, tilting my head slightly as if in thought. "Do you know her?"
That earned a soft chuckle from... my acquaintance. 
I'm still unsure what our relationship is but assuming I'm not reading the social cues wrong again, I believe we are acquaintances.
"I do, though only in passing," she admitted. "I've been... encouraged to memorize nearly everyone's names and titles."
We stopped walking as she said this, coming to rest in a quieter section of the palace. A few nobles passed by, their conversations too absorbed to spare us more than a glance. It was private enough to avoid drawing attention but not so secluded as to invite suspicion.
I didn't want my 'amazing' luck to drag me into a scandal.
"Encouraged?" 
Frieda scratched her cheek; it seemed to be a nervous habit. "My father insisted," she said, downplaying it. "It's customary to know the people you'll share a room with, especially at events like these."
"Customary," I echoed, though I doubted that was entirely true. Memorizing a list of names and faces on command wasn't a skill most people found necessary. 
Still, I let it slide.
"Does it impress you?" she asked, smiling faintly, though her tone was self-deprecating.
"It's not unimpressive," I replied. "I imagine it's useful. You must be talented, knowing all these names on such short of a timeline."
"Oh, I wouldn't say I'm talented in anything..." She chuckled again, brushing a hand against her dress. "Useful, maybe, but mostly exhausting."