‘You are the only one that I was looking forward to meeting.’
The underlying meaning behind those words, in Roel’s view, was similar to the joke ‘Those who are supposed to be here aren’t here’.[¹]
The moment those words escaped Nora’s mouth, all of the nobles in the vicinity fell deathly silent. They turned their heads over and stared at Roel with widened eyes, leaving him feeling as if countless daggers were stabbing into his back.
“Ah, my apologies. It appears that I have misspoken out of excitement.”
Nora covered her mouth with widened eyes, as if she had just noticed her own faux pas. She quickly corrected her words.
“What I’m saying is that I was looking forward the most to meeting you.”
“…”
Nora’s following words raised another huge wave of commotion across the banquet hall. Hushed whisperings could be heard all around, and this time, even those who were at the furthest end of the banquet hall were starting to turn their eyes over too.
In the blink of an eye, Roel had become the center of attention.
W-what the hell is this woman talking about?!
Roel stared at Nora in utter bewilderment, not knowing what kind of madness had struck her. The two of them had only met once before, so why was she talking as if they were lovers?
Nora looked at Roel quietly with a smile after saying her piece. There was a gleam in her sapphire eyes, carrying an inconspicuous trace of mischief and excitement.
Others might have overlooked it, but there was no way that could have escaped Roel’s eyes.
Son of a banshee! That woman is doing it on purpose!
It was in that moment that Roel knew for sure that Nora carried bad intentions in her heart. He quickly racked his overclocked brain before answering with a composed tone.
“Ah, is Your Highness hoping to have another game of chess with me? I understand. If time permits, I’d be more than willing to accompany you.”
Those words made the crowd, who had been watching the thrilling drama unfurling before their eyes with bated breaths, deflate in a mixture of relief and disappointment.
After all the buildup, it’s just a game of chess? I thought that it was some explosive gossip…
Roel’s explanation had popped the bubble of excitement for the onlookers. They slowly turned their attention back to their circles to resume their conversation.
But what Roel didn’t expect was that Nora had no intention of letting him go that easily.
“Chess? Well, a game with you would interest me, but I don’t recall ever playing that with you.”
Nora looked innocently at Roel, her sapphire eyes shining.
As expected, those words were incredibly effective in stirring up the interest of the crowd. Even Kane and Carter had turned to look at Roel in bewilderment.
You demoness! What in the world are you trying to play over here?
Are those words that can be spoken in public? Are you trying to confess to me right now?
Roel, who desired to maintain a low profile and live his life out in peace, wanted nothing to do with this sadistic angel, but things were swiftly going down the wrong direction. Nora’s words were as good as affirming their close relationship, leaving others with no choice but to view them as a pair.
This disastrous turn of events left Roel feeling utterly anxious, but his mind was failing to find a good comeback to turn the situation around. Unexpectedly, at this crucial moment, a person stepped forward and saved him.
“Your Highness Nora, I enjoyed the pleasant conversation we had the previous time you visited the Ascart House. If I may humbly request, could you stop teasing my Lord Brother?”
Alicia stepped forward and curtsied gracefully to Nora. Her unique cool and lofty disposition felt like a refreshing spring in the midst of summer, winning her the compliments of the watching nobles.
Alicia, well done!
Roel was overjoyed by the arrival of reinforcements. He didn’t think that the introverted Alicia would step in at a moment like this, and her tone sounded a little unhappy and pushy even. Could it be that…
She doesn’t like Nora too?!
No wonder! Or should I say, as expected of my little sister. It looks like we have the same taste in people! We’re really a pair of siblings made in heaven!
The sharp-witted Roel nodded approvingly to himself as he thought of just how amazing the bond between siblings was… unlike a certain man who was still watching the drama as if he was just an onlooker!
While Roel was berating Carter on the inside, Nora and Alicia were shooting sparks at one another.
The sapphire eyes of the golden-haired girl narrowed slightly as she met the crimson eyes of the silver-haired girl before her. Through a mysterious telepathy arising from the exchange of gazes, they were made aware of each other’s intentions.
This little lass actually likes her own stepbrother…
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This woman is eyeing Lord Brother…
“Oh? I’m not teasing your older brother though. These are my earnest thoughts.”
“I see. It would appear that the months my Lord Brother and I have spent waiting for your letter hasn’t been in vain. Allow me to thank you on behalf of my Lord Brother for your thoughtfulness.”
“…”
Nora’s eyes gradually turned serious after hearing Alicia’s words. She hadn’t thought that this little girl who was two years younger than her would actually be so formidable with her words. While maintaining her poise and etiquette, this little girl naturally weaved an implicit message into her words to inform all listening ears that Nora hadn’t been in contact with Roel ever since departing from the Ascart House several months ago.
With this piece of information, the crowd would have the impression that any words that Nora was going to say next were just an attempt to reconcile with Roel after giving him the cold shoulder for several months. Even Roel, who had realized that the tables had turned around, didn’t look as troubled anymore.
Looks like I can only go this far this time.
Such thoughts in mind, the Little Miss Angel was forced to begin adopting an apologetic attitude.
“My apologies, Alicia. I have been focused on my studies over the past few months that I couldn’t divert my attention elsewhere. I am grateful to both you and Roel for attending my birthday banquet, and I hope that you’ll have a pleasant time here.”
With a smile, Nora politely concluded this high-level verbal war between experts.
Carter and Kane spent the rest of the time chatting a little before their time came to an end, in which Carter then led Alicia and Roel back into the crowds.
It was pretty much free and easy after greeting Kane and Nora.
Typically speaking, the nobles who were still waiting for their turns to greet the royal family would gather together and converse while snacking on the food provided… though as nobles, they wouldn’t eat too much in such a setting.
For those who had already greeted the royal family, they would begin looking for the targets they wish to socialize with in order to carry out their agenda.
As for the children, there were pretty much no restrictions at all. They could eat and drink whatever they wanted as long as they didn’t look too indecorous. The parents would usually set them free to hang out with their little gang of friends.
But Roel, as someone who was absent for the previous banquet, had a mission on hand. Carter would be bringing him around to introduce him to everyone that he ought to know of. In a sense, it was like a supplementary lesson for having skipped classes. Of course, Alicia had to come along too, since she was officially a member of the Ascart House as well now.
Having to maintain a dignified posture and greet foreign faces one after another, Roel and Alicia swiftly tired themselves out. For an entire hour, they had to put on their most graceful smiles and behave in a way that would leave favorable impressions with others. Even so, they had only managed to greet the noble houses who were closer to the Ascart House by the end of the hour.
“Let’s stop here. It’s impossible to meet the nobles from all of the houses in just a single day. You must be starving by now.”
Carter also noticed that the two children were exhausted, so he urged Roel to bring Alicia over to the buffet table to grab something to eat while he continued to socialize with the other nobles.
“Let’s get something to eat.”
Roel spoke as he looked at the table filled with glorious delicacies.
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[¹] This is how the joke goes:
A person was hosting a party. It was already beyond the time they had agreed on, but over half of the guests hadn’t arrived yet. As a result, the host was feeling very anxious inside. So, he remarked.
“Why aren’t those who are supposed to be here, here?”
A few sensitive guests, after hearing those words, thought to themselves, ‘You’re saying that we aren’t supposed to be here then?’ So, they discreetly left the party.
Seeing that some of the guests were leaving, the host grew even more anxious, and he exclaimed.
“Why are the guests, who aren’t supposed to be leaving, leaving?”
The remaining guests heard those words and thought to themselves, ‘You’re saying that we are the ones who are supposed to be leaving then?’ So, they left the party too.
In the end, the only ones left at the party were the host and a few of his closer friends. One of the friends stepped forward and told him.
“You should think before you speak. It’s hard to take back your words once you have spoken.”
The indignant host exclaimed in response.
“I wasn’t asking them to leave!”
The remaining friends flew into a rage upon hearing those words and bellowed
“So you’re asking us to leave then!”
After saying those words, they turned around and left in a huff.