Chapter 45
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 45: Banquet(1)
***
Evening.
Sofia attended the banquet with Jackson Cutter.
Earl Copperhead had set up the banquet hall by connecting large tents.
Although it was a temporary banquet hall, it exuded a certain opulence, leaving nothing amiss.
Bands played musical instruments on one side. Servants busily carried freshly made food.
“Jackson, ah, please.”
Sofia extended a canapé just brought to her, saying.
Jackson Cutter took the food offered by Sofia Russell into his mouth.
“Mmm, delicious. Sofia, it tastes even better when you feed me.”
“If you think I’ll be pleased by saying that, you’re mistaken.”
The two burst into laughter. Passing nobles looked with envy.
“Ah…”
Instead of answering, Jackson Cutter sighed deeply as he ate the food she offered.
Sofia looked at him with a puzzled face.
“Jackson, why are you suddenly like this?”
“Sofia… Look, don’t you feel it?”
Jackson glanced at the nobles in the banquet hall. She tilted her head.
“No one recognizes me.”
Jackson said weakly. It was then that Sofia understood her lover’s words.
“Well, aside from the last bunch of bums, all the nobles are in the ballroom. I thought there would be at least one person who recognized me…….”
“Jackson, don’t worry. People are busy exchanging greetings with those they know. Someone will recognize you soon.”
Sofia said, embracing Jackson.
“Do you think so?”
His face brightened slightly at her comfort. Sofia nodded.
“…If it were Damien, wouldn’t everyone recognize him?”
Suddenly, Sofia Russell thought of Damien.
As the day had proven, there was no one who didn’t recognize his face.
Thanks to rumors, his portrait was widely circulated.
‘If it were Damien… there would be people trying to strike up a conversation.’
She thought of herself next to Damien.
Just imagining it made her happy.
“Sofia? Why are you suddenly smiling?”
Jackson Cutter asked with a puzzled voice. Only then did Sofia Russell return to reality.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
She blurted out.
The murmurs from the entrance of the banquet hall grew louder.
“Is that person Damien Haksen?”
“Who is the young man next to him?”
“They look oddly alike… Could he be his brother?”
At the name Damien Haksen, the two of them turned their heads toward the entrance.
Before they knew it, nobles were crowding the entrance.
“Well, he’s more handsome than I thought, isn’t he?”
“Ah, that’s him. I heard rumors about your thin, anxious countenance, but you don’t quite match the rumors, do you?”
“So is Damien Haksen, but his brother next to him is quite handsome.”
Sofia felt her heart pounding.
The Damien she saw during the day was handsome enough to momentarily captivate her.
Even his usual appearance was impressive. What would he look like when properly dressed?
Curiosity and anticipation rose simultaneously.
‘No. Let’s not do this. I have Jackson.’
Sofia shook her head. But her heart continued to lean towards the entrance.
‘Wait… Could Damien Haksen actually be hoping that I would come?’
The conflicted Sofia began to rationalize herself in a strange direction.
‘Right. He even tried to provoke jealousy by pretending not to recognize me. He’s probably expecting me to see how well he’s dressed.’
Sofia nodded to herself.
‘Just to appreciate that effort, should I go and see him once?’
But she couldn’t go recklessly. Jackson was right beside her.
“Damm it… Damien Haksen…”
Jackson gritted his teeth while glaring at the entrance.
Damien, receiving attention unlike himself, seemed to displease him.
“Jackson, are you going to just stand here like this?”
He looked at Sofia with a face that seemed to ask, ‘What are you talking about?’
“You told me. You said you would definitely defeat Damien in the jousting tournament. Then, instead of doing this, you should approach and observe Damien closely.”
At Sofia’s words, Jackson’s eyebrows twitched.
“Are you telling me to observe him now?”
“A lion doesn’t let its guard down even when catching a rabbit. You have to observe Damien closely to achieve a perfect victory and enhance your reputation, don’t you think?”
Whether it was convincing or not, Jackson’s gaze changed.
“…You’re right. Instead of doing nothing, I should get a close look at Damien. That’s the key to a perfect victory.”
Sofia internally cheered. Fortunately, things were going as she hoped.
The two headed towards the entrance.
“I’ll make way for you.”
Jackson pushed through the nobles, clearing the way. Thanks to him, Sofia could easily reach the front row.
And the moment she saw Damien, she was at a loss for words.
His hair was neatly combed, and a black tailcoat elegantly adorning his physique.
At that sight, Sofia’s face turned red in an instant.
‘…Is Damien really that handsome?’
When she thought about it, Damien always belonged to the handsome category of men.
However, his messy behavior and irregular lifestyle had overshadowed all those advantages.
But now, Damien was different from the past.
His knightly physique was making his appearance even more radiant. “…Damien.”
Sofia Russell murmured with a touched expression.
‘To put this much effort just to show himself to me.’
If Damien heard this, he probably would have laughed out loud.
***
Upon entering the banquet hall, Damien felt only one emotion.
‘Annoying.’
The nobles in the hall were flocking towards him.
Warm desires to strike up a conversation were evident in their facial expressions.
However, not a single noble actually approached him.
It was because Damien deliberately exuded an intimidating aura, preventing the nobles from approaching recklessly.
“Brother, look. It’s a dessert made with Ukulele fruit! I heard it’s hard to find as it’s a fruit grown exclusively in the Apple Kingdom.”
Unlike Damien, Abel was enjoying the food in the banquet hall.
Damien gave a bitter smile as he watched Abel.
“His brother is also handsome.”
“In terms of appearance, he’s even more handsome than Damien Haksen, right?”
“But I still prefer Damien. Look at those biceps!”
Abel was also a subject of interest, especially among the female nobles.
Damien increased his intimidating aura a bit, just in case the ladies came up to him.
Then it happened.
The soldiers guarding the entrance tapped the ground with their spears.
Thud, thud. The rough sound drew everyone’s attention.
“Earl Copperhead is entering!”
The soldiers shouted loudly. The music from the band stopped. The soldiers pulled the curtains that covered the entrance to the sides. An elderly man entered through the gap.
The appearance of Earl Copperhead.
Beside Earl Copperhead, a young lady was walking.
Everyone in the banquet hall was captivated by the lady’s appearance as if possessed by a ghost.
It was Lady Olivia Copperhead.
Earl Copperhead and Lady Olivia crossed the center of the banquet hall.
Even without any orders, people dispersed to make way for them.
Earl Copperhead sat in the central seat prepared in the banquet hall. Lady Olivia Copperhead sat beside him.
“It seems the enthusiasm has waned because of me. Now, everyone, just enjoy the banquet.”
With that, the band resumed playing. The sounds of conversation among the nobles also resumed.
“Your Excellency, it is an honor to see you like this. I am Chris, from the Barony of Nacien.”
Suddenly, one of the lesser nobles walked forward, kneeling in front of Earl Copperhead and speaking.
“Barony of Nacien! I know it. Isn’t it famous for its delicious apples?”
“Thank you for recognizing us.”
The nobleman lowered his head even more.
“To commemorate Lady Olivia’s birthday, we have prepared a gift. If you accept it, consider it an honor for our family.”
The item Chris held out was a small box adorned with jewels.
“It’s a cosmetic made by alchemists from the Michu sect. I heard they used spirit powder to make it.”
As Chris explained, the female nobles began to buzz.
“If it’s the Mithu School, they are the most famous alchemists for making cosmetics, aren’t they?”
“He just mentioned spirit powder, right? The product that, when applied, is supposed to revitalize your skin?”
“I heard that a bar of gold for just a baby’s fingernail-sized portion was traded… I wonder how expensive this cosmetic is?”
It was an item that any woman couldn’t help but be curious about.
However, Olivia Copperhead showed no particular interest.
Earl Copperhead was also indifferent.
Earl Copperhead’s wealth could easily afford items of this caliber.
“It must have been difficult to acquire. Thank you.”
In response to the Earls’s nonchalant reaction, Chris returned, somewhat dejected.
As he returned, another nobleman stepped forward.
“I extend my greetings to Earl! I am Charles from the Zion House! I wish to present this necklace to Lady Olivia!”
Charles Zion raised a glass case.
Inside the case was a necklace adorned with various shining gems.
The faces of those who saw the light of the gems were filled with amazement.
“Isn’t that a Heptastone?”
“It’s a rare gem that, even after capturing a hundred golems in the rocky mountains, you might find just one.”
The Heptastone did not possess any particularly remarkable efficacy.
However, due to its rarity, beauty, and the difficulty in obtaining it, it is currently the most popular gem.
“To bring something so precious.”
Even Earl Copperhead seemed satisfied with the expensive item.
“Olivia, what do you think? Isn’t it wonderful?”
However, Lady Olivia Copperhead showed no particular reaction once again.
She simply looked at the necklace with indifferent eyes.
“I’ll make sure to take care of it.”
“Thank you!”
After bowing his head, Charles Zion returned.
After that, many nobles presented gifts.
However, Lady Olivia Copperhead showed no interest in any of the gifts.
‘She’s a very picky woman.’
Damien thought so as he opened a spatial ring and pulled out a bow.
“Hey, catch.”
Then he threw the bow to Abel. Abel looked at Damien with a surprised expression.
“Why are you surprised? Since we brought gifts, we should give something too.”
“Are you really going to give me this bow?”
“Yeah, I got it from Marquis. It’s supposed to be quite valuable.”
Abel looked somewhat uncertain.
That was because the bow Damien took out looked very plain.
The bowstring looked like it was roughly carved with a dagger, and the color was rather dull.
“Ah, did I not explain about this bow to you?”
“You just said it was a gift from Marquis. You didn’t say anything more.”
“Is that so? Well, let’s go to Earl for now.”
Damien walked towards the Earl Abel had no choice but to follow his brother.
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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