Maids hurried from one guest to another with big smiles, carrying silver trays filled with wine and small pastries. Nobles occupied the stone benches beneath carefully trimmed hedges, chatting among themselves while showing off clothing that probably cost more than my entire life savings. Rich fabrics, polished boots, embroidered cloaks, jeweled necklaces… phew, everywhere I looked, people seemed determined to remind everyone else how wealthy they were.
Compared to them, I looked painfully ordinary.
My shirt was clean, and my trousers were new, but they still looked cheap beside silk coats stitched with golden thread. I doubted anyone would mistake me for a noble, although hopefully no one would question why I was here after paying the entrance fee.
I climbed the wide marble staircase leading to the mansion's entrance. Two guards stood on either side of the enormous double doors, dressed in polished ceremonial armor. As I approached, they pushed the doors open without a word.
