The invitation had contained no scheduled time for the event. In its place was simply this:

  "Please feel free to call upon us at whatever hour suits you on the day."

  In other words: come whenever you like.

  Whether a party or some formal ceremony, the done thing was to set a start and end time — accounting for the limits of preparation and hospitality — and for guests to arrive neither too early nor too late. That was the etiquette of polite society.

  And yet, "any time you please" was without precedent. Small wonder, then, that the nobles who received the invitation were rather at a loss.

  What on earth could it mean? Surely Regis Celeste hadn't simply failed to grasp the conventions of society? Each household mobilised their connections and quietly probed for answers — only to receive the same reply from every quarter: 'It means exactly what it says.'

  The ladies had beseeched Merīne Biala Mare, daughter-in-law to Lady Biala, to enquire on their behalf — but she had already been instructed to answer with one thing only: 'There is no cause for doubt.'

  If Lady Biala herself had said so, then this was no blunder from an ignorant newcomer. That much was settled. What remained, however, was the rather pressing question of what, exactly, was being attempted.

  Still — recalling the day of the housewarming at that estate, the nobles who had received the invitation shared a common conviction: whatever awaited them would surely exceed anything Felidelia had known.

  The children of those noble households, for their part, needed no such convincing. Their excitement required no analysis.

  Parties and social engagements had always been the exclusive domain of adults. For children not yet of age, leaving the house meant lessons at the schoolhouse, or the rare occasion of accompanying a parent on a visit. And yet here they were — invited by that floating island everyone had been talking about.

  Not only were they to attend a social event before coming of age, but it was to take place in the sky. How could they possibly not be excited?

  Though, one suspected, it was not only children whose hearts stirred at the words 'up in the sky.'

  Opening day of the resort hotel.

  'Come any time' notwithstanding, arriving at another household at the crack of dawn was still a breach of manners — and so guests began trickling in from around ten in the morning.

  Tenger had not appeared over the capital that day, and so the nobles who arrived at Alabaster Hall by carriage — assuming the event was to be held at the estate itself — were bewildered to find the servants guiding them not inside, but toward a peculiar arch-shaped structure erected before the house. They went along with it, as one does, and in the very next moment found themselves utterly thunderstruck: the arch led somewhere else entirely.

  "Welcome."

  Stepping through the Gate, they emerged before the main entrance of the resort built upon Tenger. Following the staff who stood ready to receive them, they proceeded through the sweeping gardens and into the entrance hall, where uniformed attendants lined both sides to greet the arriving guests. From there, they were shown to a spacious lounge. As music drifted in from somewhere unseen and welcome tea was set before them, an attendant arrived to explain the facilities — that was how the day was arranged.

  "Comis Dariede and family — welcome, and thank you so much for coming. My name is Ladrita, and I will be your guide for the day. Might I take a moment to explain our facilities?"

  That was more or less the standard exchange. What caught the eye first was the attendants themselves: uniformly handsome, whatever their species, and dressed in a style quite unfamiliar to Felidelia — white shirts, dark grey trousers, and waistcoats.

  "Our resort comprises the hotel Supra Nubes, our attached spa facility, and the amusement park Cloudland. As the hotel operates on a reservation basis, today's visit will be a tour of the premises — we do hope you'll enjoy the experience regardless. The spa and amusement park are available free of charge as part of our opening event, so please don't hesitate to ask if you'd like to make use of either."

  "A spa? What's that?"

  The noble frowned, unfamiliar with the word.

  Understandably so. In a world where the culture of public bathing had never taken root, the very concept of a spa did not exist.

  "My apologies — I should have explained. A spa is a comprehensive facility where guests can enjoy bathing, massage, and grooming treatments. Think of it as a more leisurely form of therapeutic bathing."

  "Ah — like taking the waters."

  The culture of communal bathhouses had never developed here, but therapeutic visits to natural hot springs on a physician's recommendation were not uncommon. That framing, at least, got the idea across.

  "Precisely. As I mentioned, both the spa and the amusement park are complimentary today, so please do let me know if you'd like to try either."

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  "But — if there's nothing the matter with one's health, why would one go to the bother of a bath?"

  The lady of the house raised the question, and it was, again, a perfectly natural reaction.

  "A most reasonable point. Preparing the water, clearing up afterward, drying one's fur — it's all rather a great deal of trouble, and one can quite understand why bathing is something people prefer to avoid. At our facility, however, all of that has been taken care of. We also offer a new cleansing preparation that leaves fur gleaming and silky — our hope is that guests might see it as a chance to refresh themselves with rather less effort than usual."

  Even with that explanation, the lady remained somewhat unconvinced.

  "To think my husband came to a place like this — alone! I shall never forgive it, not as long as I live!"

  "I keep telling you, I hadn't the faintest idea what the place was like when I came — how many times must I say it before you'll listen, woman!"

  Something noisy caught the room's attention. Turning toward the source, they saw an elderly couple — Manul cat Felinoids — making their way across the lounge in simple robe-like garments, bickering as they went.

  "Is that — the Prime Minister?!"

  "Ah, yes. The Prime Minister and his wife arrived first thing this morning and have been thoroughly enjoying the spa. Reservations for overnight stays open tomorrow, but I understand they persuaded the Owner to make an exception — they'll be staying two nights."

  "That fur — ōrana Mare's fur — she looks like a young woman. Is that what your cleansing preparation does?"

  Dariede Mare had spotted the change in the Prime Minister's wife from clear across the room. It wasn't that she had grown younger — but fur transformed dramatically under shampoo and treatment, and the effect was striking.

  "How very observant of you. Indeed — ōrana Mare was quite delighted with the results."

  Ladrita smiled graciously as she said it. Beneath the smile, a single thought:

  'Hooked.'

  The Prime Minister's wife, Rillendra ōrana Mare, arriving at the crack of dawn had been a welcome surprise — one even Celeste hadn't anticipated.

  After the advance visit, the Prime Minister had returned to the estate in the Rols-Royce, and his wife had already been startled enough by that. Then she had noticed his fur — sleek and lustrous in a way she hadn't seen in years. She had extracted every last detail from him on the spot, and had since spent the intervening days waiting for opening day with barely contained impatience.

  ...That she had not simply invoked her husband's authority to muscle her way in early was, one might argue, a rather fine demonstration of her good sense.

  "I hope that gives you a sense of the spa. Now, allow me to explain Cloudland. As the name 'amusement park' suggests, it is a park composed primarily of rides and attractions for younger guests. It is a recreation of something from the Owner — Regis Celeste's — world: what is known there as a 'theme park.' Current attractions include a roller coaster, a grand observation wheel, a Viking ship, a carousel, and swing rides, among others."

  Rides for children — at those words, the young son of the Dariede family was visibly squirming in his seat. That he managed not to cry out 'I want to go!' was testament to a well-bred upbringing.

  "So that is why children were invited to come along?"

  "Yes. The Owner felt it was a shame that there was nowhere children could simply play to their heart's content — and so alongside the adults' retreat, a space for younger guests was something he very much wanted to provide. If you'd like, we have dedicated childminding staff on standby, so your son could enjoy the park while you and your husband take your time in the spa."

  The Dariede couple exchanged a glance.

  A resort, in their experience, was either no place for children at all, or somewhere children could only trail along without anything to do. But this...

  "Well then — shall we? Since we're here."

  "Indeed... Arlando, would you like to go with Father to the spa? Or..."

  "I want to go to the amusement park, Mother!"

  Ladrita, quick as ever, stepped in.

  "Wonderful. And for the bath — would you prefer a private room?"

  ...In the end, all three members of the Comis Dariede household were well and truly hooked. The servants and groom who had accompanied them were, of course, shown to a separate facility prepared for non-noble guests.

  The reception of the guests who followed ran along much the same lines, and by evening, the opening event had proceeded without a single noteworthy incident.

  ...The King and Queen had been unable to come early on account of royal duties, but young Princess Arsha had arrived in the early afternoon with her ladies-in-waiting in tow — and proceeded to ride the roller coaster again, and again, and again, reducing her attendants to screaming wrecks, which was, if one were being precise, something of a problem.

  "'Scream machine' — well, they named it aptly."

  "Regis Celeste, rather than standing there being philosophical, would you please stop the Princess!"

  In the end, the young princess ran herself flat out, and her exhausted ladies-in-waiting were ushered into the spa. After resting in the royal suite, the party returned to the palace.

  By a happy turn of events, the opening proved a roaring success, and it was around sundown — dinner concluded — that the King and Daharat arrived.

  "I thought if I came during the day, no one would be able to relax properly. Was it too late, do you think?"

  "Your Majesty is far too kind. We operate on three shifts and are prepared to receive guests through the night, so please do take your time and enjoy yourself without worry."

  Celeste received the King as the Owner of the establishment — though in truth, the royal family had already experienced most of this at the annex of Alabaster Hall. The only one for whom any of this was new was Daharat.

  "I had intended to come earlier, actually, but I invited the Minister of Military Affairs and he said he was too busy with work to come — can you imagine? I was wounded. Terribly wounded."

  "How unconscionable. A very traitor to the crown. If you'll permit me, I'll see to his punishment person—"

  "...Would you two kindly stop using me as entertainment?"

  ""Heh heh.""

  Isha, who had been watching the two of them with the patient warmth of someone accustomed to such nonsense, took hold of the King's ear and said:

  "Your Majesty? Perhaps instead of teasing the exhausted Minister of Military Affairs, we might try that amusement park? I've been so looking forward to that 'scream machine,' and it's gotten so late..."

  "OW ow ow ow — all right, all right, I understand!"

  "Father? I leave the Minister of Military Affairs in your hands."

  And off she went, ear in hand, briskly guided by the hotel's general manager, leaving Daharat watching after her with a look of profound weariness.

  Celeste approached.

  "You really do look exhausted. How about it — a soak in the tub? To refresh yourself? I'll even scrub your back, as a special service."

  "...Drop the unsettling jokes. You know perfectly well that drying one's fur afterward is a production — that's why you were in such a state when you had to change on that morning."

  "Oh, that's been sorted. And besides, it's not as though you have a choice — you'll have staff helping you either way."

  "That's no reason to let you see me naked."

  "I've already seen it, haven't I?"

  "You—!"