The carriage wheels stopped before the Lobster mansion, where the hostess of the ball would receive them for the evening. Charles opened the door for her shortly after, offering a gloved hand to help her come down. During their way there he did not speak much, preferring to stare out of to the trees, while still catching a fleeting glance to her. She could notice an awkward smile appearing every now and then in his face, but there wasn't much of a clue as to what kind of man he really was.

She could already see a woman in red, greeting the guests by a willow tree that gave space to the entrance of the main house, but her focus was soon taken back to Charles, who had finally decided to speak.

"Honestly, I couldn't care less for events like these." He said, turning to face her directly, "They always make me feel like these eyes are judging my every step."

"I thought you soldiers were used to being observed at all times." Lili smirked, trying to entice him to open up a little bit more.

"I much prefer brooding over some maps than this." His serious tone remained, dragging the young Comtois closer to the lady in red, who promptly turned to greet them both.

"Lord Gagneux, be welcome." She said, flashing a row of white teeth that seemed very much well trained to occasions like these. "This must be the young Lady Lili Comtois, am I right? House Lobster welcomes you, my dear."

Lili acknowledged her as the widow of the former Lobster lord, an influential family to the capital with ties to the church that dated from many centuries before. While not coming from a higher social standing, this woman, Mirella had made her mark in the society after the death of her husband, grooming their child so that he could take the reins of the family in the years to come.

"Lady Annie, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The young Comtois kept her polite tone, feeling the countryside breeze dim and vanish as they made their way into the main hall, where other guests were waiting for the ceremonies to begin.

She could see important people gathering around the room, some of the military was there too, easily recognisable by the use of their proud blue uniforms. A pair of cellos played from afar, filling the walls of the room with a slow, but welcoming songs.

Charles, probably not wishing to take part in the dancing that would soon begin, took Lili to a quieter place of the room. His hands pressing tightly against hers as she recovered her balance.

"Better to stay out of sight, wouldn't you think?" A slight smirk crossed his face, causing one eyebrow to quirk in Lili's expression.

"You really don't like observed, don't you, Lord Gagneux?"

"If you knew just as much as I do, you'd be inclined to agree with me."

Lili wasn't expecting such tone, unconsciously folding her arms as she was about to pout. 

"Enlight me, then." 

"I don't need to, we should let our hostess do that." Charles removed one of his gloves, pointing to the Lobster lady who now had greeted all the guests and found herself in the center of the hall.

The dark curls of the more mature woman flowed around as she gestured for her guests attention, moving to a well placed dais that allowed her to be in the exact centre of the room.

"Dear guests and companions, fellow people from the city of Gardelilac and countrymen of Golché, you all know why we're gathered here. To celebrate the welcoming of Summer has been a tradition in our folk for many centuries now, but there are those among our flock that hate the very existance of my kind, the people of Gariant."

Some people, especially those from the military, tensed up, clenching their first and making some low comments about just how they couldn't understand where this speech was leading to. Lili turned her eyes to Charles, trying to decipher his expression, but all she found was a calculating man, who had his full focus at the Lobster lady as if he too wasn't entirely sure on what was happening, but perhaps there was more to it.

"So, my dear friends." Lady Annie Lobster continued, watching as some in the crowd moved closer to her, "This is a declaration of war."