Chapter 80

080.

To one side stood Eliana, and ahead was Serasie.

Both influential young ladies were gathered around a single boy.

No matter that the banquet was hosted by Drannus and that Blamia was delivering a speech—eyes were inevitably drawn to this scene.

The speech itself was nearing its conclusion anyway, and Eliana’s and Serasie’s behavior was growing bolder.

In the corner near the entrance of the banquet hall,

people nearby began to cast their glances one by one.

The sight of the daughters of Lacatus and Hiart together wasn’t something that happened often,

so naturally, attention turned to the boy monopolizing their interest.

“Isn’t that Lady Lacatus?”

“Lady Hiart is here as well?”

“Who might that be?”

“What… Is he from some noble house?”

“It’s impossible not to have seen someone with such an appearance in the social circle.”

The reactions among the young ladies were especially pronounced.

Encircled by Eliana and Serasie, though Kalen’s greater height made him more prominent,

he was unmistakably far more handsome than the other nobles present at the banquet.

Furthermore, among the surrounding young lords were only those who had already been rejected by Eliana.

While Serasie was off eating fruit desserts, none of the ones who expressed interest in Eliana managed to even exchange a word with her.

This left their curiosity piqued.

Who could this individual, close enough to be embraced by Eliana, possibly be?

Yet, for all their looking, there was no way they could know who Kalen was.

He was merely an illegitimate child with no background worthy of mention in such formal gatherings.

His connection with Drannus was exclusive to the Eclecia Salon.

To those merely participating in the banquet hosted by Drannus, he was nothing more than an enigma—an mysterious young nobleman sparking whispers.

“Shouldn’t you go and introduce yourself?”

“Uh… Interject between Lacatus and Hiart?”

“Wow, he’s handsome…”

“Is the banquet attire fitting him so well?”

But no young lady was brave enough to step forward.

The prestige of the two noble daughters surrounding him was simply too high.

And if they were close enough for such familiar conversation, it was obvious that inserting themselves into that circle would be fruitless.

As the young ladies hesitated, unexpectedly, the young lords who had been observing their reactions started voicing their thoughts.

Even among the attendees of Drannus’s banquet, there’s usually a pride in standing out from the crowd.

And seeing the once icy Lady Lacatus

display such overt friendliness toward a young man stirred certain emotions in them.

Emotions they struggled to control at their age.

More experienced individuals might call it youthful vigor or bravado.

“Hello?”

After tenderly patting Eliana’s head, Kalen turned his head toward the voice,

grateful that the atmosphere was finally beginning to relax.

Someone approached, smiling in a manner slightly disconcerting.

A face entirely unfamiliar to Kalen.

“What’s so interesting over here? Mind if I join the conversation?”

What term described this?

Yes.

Cheeky.

Or perhaps, intrusive.

Just by looking, you could tell that this person had some ulterior motive.

Though he was smiling, there was an intensity in his gaze as he stared at Kalen.

Naturally, with a stranger appearing out of the blue and gazing at him this way, Kalen felt both surprise and annoyance.

Approaching someone with no proper introduction and leering at them like that was hardly friendly behavior.

“I’m sorry, we’re catching up on something.”

Kalen answered curtly without reciprocating the greeting, staring directly back at the young lord.

Caught off guard by the unexpected response, the latter furrowed his brow.

To say they were catching up implied they didn’t welcome any interruption.

It was a subtle way of saying, “We’re discussing something only we understand, so don’t butt in.”

Nobles live or die by their pride.

Even if one were to act rudely, the custom would be to greet such behavior with a polite smile first.

But this boy did nothing of the sort.

He met this impolite intrusion with an equally unyielding return.

The young lord found it extremely humiliating.

For it was not fitting to speak to one bearing the title of baron in such a manner.

This only reignited the sting of rejection he felt earlier after attempting to flirt with Eliana.

Given the numerous eyes already watching, retreating now would only cost him face.

So, the young lord chose to advance instead.

“That’s not very kind…”

At that moment,

“Kal!!”

From far away, someone came running toward Kalen.

Her azure hair swayed as she rushed forward in her banquet gown, her eager steps making her look almost endearing.

The figure of the young girl who had just delivered her congratulatory speech on the podium was none other than Sinat, the young mistress of Drannus.

She barreled toward Kalen, ready to embrace him.

Or rather, she would have if Kalen hadn’t skillfully restrained her, predicting her move.

Smiling knowingly, as if having anticipated this, Sinat straightened her posture.

“You were talking to someone else while I was speaking! How could you?”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t ignore you.”

“Hmm… Apologize properly!”

“Alright.”

Witnessing this bizarre interaction, everyone except Kalen, Eliana, and Serasie froze.

Especially the young lord who had just stepped forward—his expression clearly asked why Sinat too showed such familiarity toward Kalen.

“Since Sinat is here too, how about we go get that snack we discussed earlier?”

“Alright, Sister.”

Serasie interjected by taking hold of Kalen’s free arm, opposite to where Eliana stood.

Both Eliana and Sinat nodded happily in agreement, then trailed behind Kalen as he stood up.

Encircled by the three young noblewomen, he cast a brief glance at the young lord who had mustered the courage to approach, then looked away.

And so, the young lord left standing there,

felt more humiliated than ever by that final glance from Kalen.

***

“Tastes good right…?”

“It’s my favorite.”

“Try this one too!”

Kalen was kept busy taking bites of the incessant snacks offered to him non-stop.

It was as if the three noblewomen were competing to serve him their choices, each one reflecting their individual tastes.

Yet, he wasn’t bothered.

Being able to spend this meaningless time with people he had come to build a relationship with made him happy.

So Kalen continued chatting aimlessly about daily life as he ate the offered treats,

while the three noblewomen laughed and engaged with his stories.

“Back then it was really—”

“Hello.”

While Kalen was in the middle of recounting a story about a drinking bet gone wrong in the North,

someone interrupted and interjected themselves into the group.

It was a rather bold move.

Though many were staring curiously at their foursome, none had dared to actually approach.

All three noblewomen turned their sights on the intruder.

Kalen, too, directed his attention toward this person.

A muted grayish-white hue surrounded the woman, whose presence was somewhat formidable.

She seemed to cautiously smile while requesting permission to join their circle.

Just as Kalen was about to ask who she was,

“Lady Laris?”

Serasie exclaimed, surprised, as she recognized the woman.

The lady with the steely gray eyes gave a slight nod in confirmation.

At hearing the name, Kalen too understood her identity.

Laris Plache.

From Claire Empire’s illustrious five great families, including Drannus.

In other words, just as remarkable in lineage as Eliana and Serasie.

When was that?

He distinctly remembered the name.

When Kalen was studying etiquette and various other graces under the guidance of Blamia,

Laris Plache was mentioned as one of the foremost individuals from the four great families.

The second daughter of the Plache house.

Known for excelling in the scholarly field.

Apparently recognizing the tension, Laris moved closer.

It was no longer possible to ignore her once both Serasie and Kalen had recognized her.

“What brings you here, Lady Laris?”

“I should introduce myself properly first.”

Laris, adjusting her banquet dress with grace, then proceeded to extend her formalities.

Since all three noblewomen were looking toward Kalen, he was reluctantly elected as the representative recipient of the formal introduction.

“I am Laris, carrying the name of the Plache family.”

“I’m Kalen.”

After exchanging brief pleasantries, Laris gently smiled.

“I was merely curious to see who the esteemed flowers of Lacatus, Hiart, and Drannus were chatting with so amicably.”

Her gaze wasn’t dismissive, as the previous young lord’s had been, but filled with genuine curiosity.

Kalen met her gaze calmly.

Laris then nodded slightly before glancing around at the three noblewomen and continuing.

“Someone mentioned to me that at Eclecia, Drannus opened the gate to three different worlds.”

Everyone here understood the implication—‘worlds’ referred to the magical concept of a sorcerer’s personal realm, more commonly known as the ‘Soul’s Domain’. It was a hot topic that regularly excited discussions within the aristocratic circles.

“If it were just that, it would have been noteworthy but nothing extraordinary. However, I found it hard to believe.”

At that, Laris’ gaze shifted.

From mere curiosity, it deepened into genuine intrigue.

“One of them mentioned that the same boy appears in the domains of each of the three ladies…”

Her steely eyes remained locked on Kalen.

“Is the rumor true?”