Birthday Tea & Royal Drama
She was performing superbly in all of her arts, which left her a little extra time to study things she was interested in- like rocket science, for instance. Her teachers told her she had a natural affinity for it, which was nice. But she'd also had time for her ballet and wellness hobbies, and was finding them more and more enjoyable as her skills improved.
Carin had been paying particularly close attention to the news as of late. The new kingdom of Ondarion would soon be joining the Simworld Alliance, and she didn't intend to miss a single detail.
Becoming a famous actress would be all well and good for Aurelia- but wouldn't it be so much better if she could marry into one of the new noble families, and start making her way towards the throne?
Aurelia happened to come out in time to hear Carin and Saiyan discussing this possibility. She didn't hear everything, but she heard enough. Aurelia, marry, nobility, throne. Her heart sank. She loved her parents dearly, and she knew they meant well, but dammit this wasn't what she wanted.
She slipped back into her room before they noticed her. She still hadn't told them about Eren- she was worried they wouldn't approve before, they certainly wouldn't now.
Unaware of her daughter's qualms, Carin began preparations for Aurelia's birthday party the next day. They'd booked a lovely little tea party venue in Newcrest, and Carin prepared delicate sandwiches and pastries for it.
Before they left for the party the next morning, Carin took a moment to tell Aurelia just how proud she was of her. "You've gone above and beyond every goal we ever set you. You're going to do great things, my princess."
Even with her apprehensions about the future, Aurelia's chest swelled with pride. Carin never gave praise unless she truly meant it. "Thank you, Mother."
Aurelia reunited with her cousins at the party, the first time she'd seen them in a while. Not much had changed, so far- Eirwen was very close to opening up shop, Leia was still working as a Reaper and involved with Grim. It was nice that things had stayed mostly stable so far, even with all the changes in the world.
Aurelia entered young adulthood with every possible positive character value, a testament to what a good child and teen she had been. Her final core trait was Genius- a shame it wouldn't be used much, going to drama school.
She enjoyed acting, truly- but it didn't require a lot of thought, at least for her. She'd practiced for so long, it was simply second nature. Maybe she'd have to take up chess, to give her mind some stimulation.
As the party kicked into full swing, Aurelia started making her rounds. She talked to Ava, who she hadn't really spent much time with- as the eldest of the cousins, Ava had already been in high school when Aurelia was old enough to hang out with the others.
Ava was studying Fine Art at University of Britechester- perhaps some of her and Aurelia's classes would intersect!
When her cousins had moved on, Aurelia finally had a chance to sit down and chat with Sakura and Eren, who she had invited to the party but had barely seen since it started.
"You weren't kidding when you said your family was huge." Sakura remarked.
"This isn't even everybody." Aurelia admitted. "Most of my uncles couldn't make it, and Lis couldn't either."
"You're lucky." Eren chuckled. "Our family's just us and Mom."
Before Aurelia knew it, the party was over, and they were back at home packing her things. They'd already found her an apartment in Gibbs Hill, the same neighborhood where Ava and Liliana currently lived.
In a couple days, she'd start classes, and begin the path to becoming an actress like her parents wanted.
The apartment was small, but once they'd moved her things in, it felt quite cozy. She hung her posters on the walls, and arranged her snow globes along the lower shelves of the tv stand. She could foresee this place feeling like home, she thought.
The one thing that would take getting used to was the quiet. There was hardly any traffic on the cobbled streets outside, nothing like the hustle and bustle of city noise she was used to. Just the crickets chirping faintly outside the window, and even those would be gone come winter.
The quiet was overwhelming, so Aurelia decided to take a late night trip to the Willow Creek Archive. When she arrived, though, she was stopped outside by a redhaired woman. "You are Aurelia Cheng, yes?"
"I am. Can I help you?" Aurelia asked, puzzled as to how this stranger knew her name.
"My name is Marina Corsair, I am a royal envoy representing the noble kingdoms of the Darong, Capp, and Thebe families of Ondarion. I have received word of suspicious activity regarding some of the ancient treasures being kept outside of the kingdoms. I have come to ensure the safety and security of these items. I am hoping to do this as swiftly as possible, as I do not want to bother any of the dukes with this matter. They're just so busy, as noble people tend to be. You understand, don't you?" Before Aurelia could respond to any of this information, Marina continued, "I need someone trustworthy to help me complete this task, and your family's pristine reputation would indicate you are suitable. Would you help me with my master pla- I mean, royal duties? I will make sure it is worth your while."
Aurelia certainly did notice the slip of tongue, but did not remark on it. This seemed... odd, to say the least. Why would such an important royal matter be entrusted to some random university student, even one from a famous family? But she couldn't help but be curious all the same.
"Alright, I'll help. What do you need from me?"
"Ah! Of course, your task... I'm sure that the Darong's missing treasure is hidden here, somewhere in these old archives. Why don't you help me search for it? I believe you may be the next guardian of their legacy!" Marina gave Aurelia a smile that was just a bit too bright. "I must search elsewhere, but if you find anything, tell no one but me." And with that, the Envoy slipped off.
Aurelia was confused but also intrigued. She'd wanted something to challenge her mind, and here it was. She decided to start by asking the library a couple questions- perhaps about the Darong family the Envoy had spoken of. The librarian seemed in an irritable mood, but answered Aurelia nonetheless.
"You know, you're the second person to ask me about this family today. That redhead was in here asking about them too, kept muttering about the Darongs and art while she was looking through the books. I don't know much, but maybe you'll find something upstairs."
With her questioning of the librarian unsuccessful, Aurelia decided to try and do some internet research. After a couple hours (how late was it anyway?) she stumbled across something she wasn't entirely sure she was supposed to find.
The Darong family's interest in art was deeper and more mysterious than she would've expected. From what she'd found, it seemed they were trying to restore an old family painting, and had invested quite a lot into that endeavor.
But if it was really just a painting restoration, why was the Envoy acting so sketchy? There was more going on, Aurelia was sure of it- but the trail of information seemed to end there.
With her internet lead dried up, Aurelia decided to try some old fashioned research instead. If she didn't find anything here, she'd try the Laurelwood Library in Britechester. As she ran her finger along the spines of the books, Aurelia paused over one- an old black tome with gold binding, a thick layer of dust lying over the top of the pages. The spine read, "The Darong Dynasty: A Royal Family History."
As she took out the book and flipped it open, a delicate golden key slipped from between the pages, landing on the wooden floor with a quiet clink. Maybe this was what Marina was after?
Aurelia didn't know whether or not she trusted the Envoy yet, so she quietly pocketed the key, resolving to guard it for now as she left the library.
Aurelia returned to her tiny apartment, and put the key away in the oddly specific display case Eirwen had sent her as a birthday gift. The piece had arrived with a note written on the back of a tarot card, that had simply said, "I foresee you needing this. Happy birthday."
Eirwen was an odd duck, but it seemed her cards had been correct this time. Though Aurelia couldn't imagine finding enough keys to fill the whole thing!
Right?
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