On Saturday evening, Baron Sauron's carriage left Sushit along the post road connecting the Saint-Roc District to the eastern outskirts. It passed broad stretches of newly sown farmland and headed toward a castle standing on a distant hill.
Earl Foulis's castle was said to be several hundred years old, built during the War of Broken Oaths. It still retained its thick stone walls and towering gatehouse, with narrow windows and traces of long weathering across much of its exterior.
Successive earls had renovated the interior numerous times and added spacious stables and courtyards along the sides, gradually turning a building originally intended for defense into a residence fit for nobility. If one ignored the walls and firing slits that evoked thoughts of war, it was practically everyone's dream of a luxurious estate.
In the setting sun, more and more carriages arrived from Sushit, gathering outside the castle.
The most conspicuous were three matching carriages, their bodies coated in brightly colored paint and their doors bearing Viscount Derilose's family crest. The coachmen and accompanying servants wore matching uniforms as well.
The viscount's daughter, Miss Ilaira, who had just come of age, was in one of them. Her elder brother, the heir who had already begun taking part in the family business, had presumably come to the ball as well.
Farther behind was Viscount Abel's procession, also consisting of three carriages. Clearly, quite a few younger members of his family had come.
The ball's principal guests that evening were the younger generation of Sushit's nobility. Most parents would not attend such a social dance, intended for young people and held in a more relaxed atmosphere, though some families had chosen to come together, seizing the chance to visit Earl Foulis and maintain their connections.
Besides the noble carriages bearing family crests, there