Dresden Celebratory Peace Ball
Most Illustrious,
By virtue of being the honorable Head of State of your nation I have the privilege of informing you that you have been awarded the opportunity to attend the Celebratory Peace Ball in Dresden at the request of His Imperial Majesty, the Kaiser. Following the cessation of hostilities and military interventions in the Xathuecian state by Edelreich as well as the return of dignity to the European continent with the removal of the illegal Alcasian Regime, the Imperial Household has declared a period of celebration throughout the Empire for no less than three weeks. While most of the affairs are of a personal or national nature, His Imperial Majesty did decree to establish a few celebrations in order to foster goodwill with Europe and the world, along with thanking the nations that participated in the conflict on Edelreich’s behalf.
Located in the city of Dresden within the fair Kingdom of Saxony, the Dresden Castle has been selected to host the occasion. Owned by His Majesty the King of Saxony, a dedicated degree of work was set forth to prepare the castle to receive guests from all around the world and comfortably supply them with all the amenities of home. The Celebratory Peace Ball will only be for an evening's affair, however His Majesty has made accommodations available for up to a week after the event for business or leisure. An itinerary of the occasion is enclosed with this letter.
By extension, this offer is only eligible for the legally standing Head of State; however His Imperial Majesty has permitted the royal families of each applicable nation to be permitted to attend and enjoy the festivities as well.
Harald Alexander von Preußen,
Minister of the Kaiserreich of the Empire of the Edelreich
Dresden Castle,
Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony
“Ah, magnificent!” The elderly man happily exclaimed from the top of the stairs that led down into the ballroom floor. “The chandelier is absolutely the perfect finish to top it off.”
His companion nodded in disdain towards the fixture. “It is quite a nice chandelier Your Majesty.”
“It’s been in use since the late 18th century. Beautiful piece of art.” The Saxon King turned and looked back at his aide, taking a deep breath. He had spent the better part of two days overseeing that every inch of the castle was prepared for the ball. Not a single liberty was going to be taken on his account.
“Is Mathias here yet?” He asked sheepishly, having been so busy with the final preparations to notice if his own liege had arrived.
The aide nodded. “Yes. He arrived just about an hour ago with some of his family. I was busy with the chefs as you requested,” he explained, “so I was unable to see exactly who accompanied him.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” The King exclaimed again, turning to face the doors that lead to the entrance hall. The aide sighed and followed behind his excitable employer as they headed to the front door. “Open the way good sirs,” he yelled to the servants. “Open the doors, they will be here soon!”
The men saluted and pulled open the door, the fresh summer air flowing into the hall. The King ordered his aide to stand awaiting them and handed him a list of each guest's titles and names to announce them by before returning back into the main hall. A few minor guests had already arrived. While the invitation stipulated heads of state only, the Kaiser was generous with supplying invitations and a collection of dukes and lesser nobles had already begun to arrive, some of the earliest coming like the Kaiser did and retreating to their rooms until the ball started.
Standing on the balcony just overlooking the ballroom floor, the Saxon King took one last look at the place he was presenting. The floor was lowered down and connected on two sides by shallow-sloped stairs, rising up to an area that overlooked it and would likely be full of people conversing throughout the night. On the opposite side of him was the entrance to the private areas of the castle, mostly off limits as they contained personal rooms and privacy was a concern. Furthermore the ballroom’s upper level had an exit on the east side that opened into a small garden that was to be available for the duration of the ball.