The House of Hayes had been loud since early noon. Everyone was doing their work, running from room to room and shouting orders across the halls. Tomorrow a grand gathering was about to happen.
Leon sat quietly in his wooden chair at the corner of a large hall room. From his view, he could see entire arrangements happening, the arrangements being made and the rush of attendants and housemaids without being in the way.
He was placed far enough so that no one would trip over him in the middle of all the chaos. At his side, Vera sat in a rocking chair watching over him and handling her due paper works and Hanna as always standing besides Vera.
Over the past months, he had learned that this particular corner was where he was set down whenever the house had more important things to do than watch him.
Today, the most interesting thing was a long table made of heavy wood. It had a beautiful, transparent ore finishing and a rotating center which could be used for food plates. That table was being carried through the hall barely by two servants who seem to be on their limits and nervous.
"Careful with the table legs," Vera warned, her voice carried a sharp edge that made the servants freeze for a second. She did not even look up from the stack of guest response letters in her hands.
"That table is older than both of you combined, so be careful. Take it straight to the main hall and start the decorations."
"Everything in this house is older than us, my lady," one of the servants muttered under his breath, thinking lady Vera would not hear him.
Vera shot a fierce look at the doorway. Before she could even voice her displeasure, Hanna smoothly stepped forward from behind, her voice was low and carried a chill to it. "Mind your tongues and hurry. The House has no patience for careless hands today."
As Hanna stepped forward, Leon noticed a strange seal glowing on the back of her neck. He stared, feeling confused. ’What is that? She didn’t have that before.’ he thought as he memorized the shape of the mark.
The servants swallowed hard as they quickly hurried down the corridor.
Once they were gone, Leon turned towards his mother.
"Mother, if they drop that table, it may get a scratch," Leon said in a calm tone. "You should have assigned some squires for the heavy lifting."
"Yes, I would have done that, my baby, but they are all busy doing drills for tomorrow’s banquet," Vera said softly, placing the pen and papers down. "And besides those servants can carry it just fine. They have already sensed essence and strengthened their bodies after all."
A moment later, Marcus came into the room. He wore a dark blue coat with some silver threads, a white shirt inside the coat and paired it with black trousers. Thomas followed closely behind him, carrying a ledger.
He walked over to Leon and crouched down near him and sent a small thread of his essence into Leon’s body. For the past few months, Marcus picked up a regular habit of checking his son’s body condition. Once he was sure that everything was perfectly fine, he pulled his fingers away and stood up to look Vera.
"Vera, how many guests are coming?" Marcus asked.
"Forty one." Vera answered. She set the stack of guest’s response letters down on the writing desk by the window.
"Forty two if Old Halric brings his apprentice. And the Ashgroves are coming as well, Kellan wrote back saying he is bringing Elara also, which is surprising since their elven lineage rarely go outside."
Marcus rubbed his face, looking strained. "We need to call it off, Vera. We need to cancel the gathering."
"Cancel it? The invitations were sent out right after Leon was born. We can’t call it off now." Vera said, understanding Marcus’s thoughts.
"Listen to me, I know it was my mistake but look at him," Marcus whispered, glancing at Leon. "A child with naturally strong soul and intellect is a massive blessing. Even though I only invited our close friends but I am concerned about the Royal Guards who will accompany my sister, Sofia. Those imperial experts may pick up on Leon’s strong soul."
"Yes, I understand but we cannot call it off, Marcus. Not after this," Vera said, tapping a letter sealed with a sun and lion’s crest. "Sofia said she is excited to meet us and she isn’t just bringing guards. Her husband, Prince Asher, will also come. If we abruptly cancel off our gathering, it ill look suspicious."
"Prince Asher himself is making the journey?" Marcus said, furrowing deeply as he let out a sigh. He processed the sudden weight of the arrival. "Then the gathering goes on. Thomas, arrange a dedicated platform for Leon so the guards stay at a distance or I’ll find a way to manage them myself."
"Consider it done, Lord." Thomas replied smoothly as he bowed a little.
Marcus nodded towards Thomas and then looked at Leon. He pulled out a small silver pendant. "Put this on him, tomorrow, It’s and essence warding artifact. It will ward off any prying eyes from Leon."
Vera took the pendant and gently put it into her pockets.
Leon stood up from his chair and walked towards his father. "Father, we are celebrating my birthday? Nobody informed me about that," he said as he was genuinely puzzled.
An amused smile broke across Marcus’s face. He reached down and scooped Leon up, placing him in his shoulder.
"That is because you are only a year old, rascal," Marcus chuckled, tapping his cheek. "Usually, babies your age are too busy on their own to care about guest lists. But I suppose we should have sent you a formal invitation."
Vera let out a soft laugh from her desk, shaking her head at the two of them. "See? I told you he understands far too much, Marcus. You cannot keep secrets in this house when your son talks like a grown scholar."
Marcus went for a moment in his thoughts. A habit Leon had already learned to associate with his father when he was thinking about serious things he did not want to say out loud.
"Zephyr is coming too," Marcus said eventually, changing the subject the way he always did when he decided a thought was not worth finishing out loud. "And Harlan and I had also sent a message to Gideon Wells. They replied back to me."
Vera looked up from her desk in surprise. "Gideon Wells? I did not think that man ever left his massive estate for anything short of a war."
Marcus chuckled. "Anyway, Dorren is also coming. He is bringing a special item specifically for Leon. He will not say what it is yet."
Thomas walked towards Leon. "Master Dorren is a master craftsman and also a close friend of the House Hayes, Young Master," he said nearing Leon.
Leon listened from his father’s shoulder, his small brows furrowing. He wondered what kind of unique item a master Dwarf would forge for him.
After some time, Iris came into the sitting room. She brought the exact kind of loud chaos you would expect from a small girl.
"Is it true that Dwarves are coming tomorrow?" Iris asked. She dropped right down onto her knees beside Leon’s empty blanket, then looked up to see him sitting high up on their father’s shoulder. "Roland told me that Father’s friend is bringing a magical creation for Leon!"
"Master Dorren is bringing a proper and beautifully forged gift, Young miss," Butler Thomas said as he walked towards the open door, shutting it. "He is a master craftsman, after all. There is a very big difference between his elite work and regular toys."
"I hope it is a tiny shield or a little training sword!" Iris laughed, reaching up to gently tap Leon’s nose but she couldn’t reach him.
"You won’t remember most of this big party, Leon" Iris told him, speaking to him like he was a regular baby. "You are way too small. But it is going to be a great day tomorrow."
"It is not a party, Iris," Leon corrected his sister, crossing his small arms from his high seat on Marcus’s shoulder. "It is an official noble gathering."
"It is a party with a boring name so Father doesn’t have to admit he likes having fun," Iris whispered back to him with a grin.
Thomas did not even try to argue with her logic as he simply nodded in agreement while checking his ledger.
That evening, the big house finally became quiet again. Vera carried Leon up to his room herself. She hummed a sweet melody as she walked towards the room.
She sat down in the rocking chair and held him close to her chest.
"Tomorrow you are going to meet a lot of important people, Leon," Vera told him softly, looking down at his bright eyes.
She went quiet for a moment, her warm hand resting against his back. She felt the steady, calm rise and fall of his breathing.
"We will not throw a giant party like this every single year," she said quietly, almost talking to herself.
"Once you grow up a bit more, we will celebrate different kinds of milestones. We will celebrate the day you experience your first real essence breakthrough and the day your body is strong enough to hold a real weapon without your father hovering over you like a nervous hawk. Out here in the viscountcy, regular years stop mattering after a while. It is the great things you do that actually matter."
She smiled faintly into the dark room. "But we are definitely going to mark this first year. It is the one tradition that I care for, no matter how powerful or long lived a person ends up becoming."
Leon did not say anything back. He just rested his head against her shoulder, thinking about the upcoming banquet before letting himself fall asleep.