Chapter 17

Every noble in the kingdom of Fresiala are busy and excited as they choose what clothes and accessories to wear while reminding their own family members to behave properly in the Royale Palace. Today is the day of the party organized by the Cres Val family in the Royale Palace.

There are a lot of reasons why they will attend the party. Some nobles are just obligated to attend and avoid offending the Cres Val family who is one of the strongest and respected families in their kingdom. Some are only attending to simply enjoy the party. But for the nobles who desires to have a strong connection with the family in the higher society, it is a good opportunity to meet and communicate with them and possibly create a good relationship with them.

Everyone in the Royal Palace is also busy. The servants are decorating and cleaning the whole palace until dust was removed in every corner. The guards are patrolling around to check and secure that no intruder will cause a problem in the party. The royal chefs also cook the dishes and used the recipe given to them by the head chef in the Marquis Cres Val mansion.

While all of these are happening, Gian is still laying on his bed. His temperature finally went down and his breathing was also normal. Gian was severely advised by both of his father and older brother not to leave his bed and take the whole day to rest. Even though he's displeased in this situation, Gian still obediently nods his head.

After a few reminders, Marquis Cres Val and Viel left their mansion early since they still have to talk with the King and greet the guests for the party later. Gian was left in their mansion with the maids. Turning his body to the left side, Gian looks at the pen on his bed before reaching out his hand to hold it.

"Dude, I'm bored." Russel suddenly said. "I have nothing to do right now."

"Even if you want to do something, you can never do it anyway." Gian said. "You are a pen, remember?"

"Touche." Russel said. Gian can feel from his voice that he is pouting. "But do you really want to stay here?"

"Even if I don't, I can't disobey my father."

"For a guy who already experienced living twice, you are still such a good boy to your father." Russel said. "What a loyal and reliable son."

"..."

"But still, you want to go to the party, right?"

"...No." Gian denied.

"Oho? Don't lie to me. I know you want it, too. Even if you don't say anything, I can easily tell that you are itching to see what will happen to the party."

"...But I can't go to the party, remember?"

"Of course, you can."

"My family will be mad at me if I attempt to go there." Gian said. "And the maids are going to stop me if they see me walking out of my room."

"They would not be mad if they will not know anything about it."

"..."

"So... Let's go to the party?"

Gian stares at the pen he is holding with squinted eyes. The way Russel persuades him feels really weird. He's acting like a bad spirit whispering something bad to his ears. But somehow, Russel's persuasion is actually working.

"Gian?"

"And how are we going to do it?" Gian asked. If Russel is being persistent, maybe he also has a plan to do it, right?

"Hehehe... Call for your little assistant to come here."

"Aaron?"

"Ah, yes. I remember his name now. That Aaron is the key to the success of our plan."

-//-//-

Frederick is currently talking to the King Johannes and Queen Merille. Frederick is here to give his report to the King before he gives his full attention to the party later. The maids are serving them a freshly brewed lavender tea, which is a new product that they will also introduce later at the party. While Frederick and King Johannes are talking, Queen Merille is admiring the purplish-pink colored tea served in a crystal teacup. The sweet flowery aroma of it is wafting in the air, which makes their nerves calm.

"This is really good. It's actually a good that you come up with this idea." The Queen said with a smile. "With these products, along with honey, we don't have to worry about the shortage of sugar and tea this year. It is all thanks to you, Marquis Cres Val."

"I wouldn't dare to accept your gratitude, Her Majesty. I just simply doing my job and help our kingdom."

"You are still the humble Frederick Cres Val I've known for years." King Johannes said before chuckling. "You never change."

King Johannes and Marquis Frederick were close to each other. It is because the two of them are already friends since they attended the same academy before. King Johannes was still a proud prince at that time and Frederick was his right-hand man and close confidant. After they graduated, Prince Johannes was crowned as the King of their country and Frederick inherited his father's title and businesses.

"But Queen Merille is right. You really help our kingdom this time again. What will we do if you are not here?"

"You are overestimating me, Your Highness."

"Not only you are too humble. You are also too stiff." King Johannes said before he laughs. "Alright. We are taking more of your time. You may go now. We'll see each other again later at the party."

Marquis Frederick bows his head to the King and Queen before he leaves the office. King Johannes looks at the steam swirling in the air that comes from the scented tea. He let out a soft chuckle before he reaches for his teacup to have a taste of the lavender tea. The lightly sweet flavor of it is refreshing in one's mouth that gives a relaxing feeling in their body.

"Whoever helped Frederick to develop this tea is a real genius." King Johannes said as he sighs in satisfaction after having a sip of lavender tea. "This can help Frederick to erase the rumors of him rebelling to the kingdom."

"That's true, Your Majesty." Queen Merille said. "And we both know that Marquis Cres Val will never do it. He is too loyal to our kingdom and to you, Your Majesty."

"That's true." King Johannes nods in approval. "I know better than anyone than Frederick will never betray us."

As the King sings his praises for the loyal Marquis, he didn't notice that his Queen was gripping the hem of her dress tightly.

-//-//-

Before the time of the party, the guests start to enter the Royal Palace. Each one of them is wearing a lavish and expensive suits and dresses to showcase their noble ranks and status. At exactly three o'clock in the afternoon, the party has started.

These nobles are personally welcomed by Marquis Cres Val. They are all eager to have a talk with him, hoping to leave a good impression. But because the Marquis is busy at the moment, they can only ask the Marquis and hope to have a chat with him later.

Viel is also helping his father to make the party organized. Aside from being one of the hosts of this party, Viel is still doing his duty as a General Knight. He is ordering his men to check the every corner of the Royal Palace and make sure to keep the every guest safe from any danger. He sometimes greets the guests and exchanges a few words with them.

At exactly three o'clock in the afternoon, the party has finally started. After some opening formalities, the King and Queen of their kingdom joined also them as they take the seat designated only for the royals. The King gives a short speech to make the party eventful and lively.

The tables for the ladies are separated from the gentlemen. There are several treats placed on the three-layer dessert stands and several bowls of treats on their tables. There are cakes, waffles, cookies, sweetbreads, and cupcakes on the dessert stands. Inside the bowls, there are sliced fruits drizzled with honey and dry candied fruits coated with honey.

At first, the guests are not intrigued by the treats on top of their table. What catches their attention are the glass teacups that servants placed in front of them. Using glass teacups is very rare in every party. Several minutes later, the servants pour a magenta-colored liquid in their teacups.

Some are feeling perplexed and doubtful about the strange tea that the servants served at them. But when they saw their King and Queen drinking it as if it is nothing, they slowly removed their doubts and try to have a taste of the tea in front of them.

A lady wearing a yellow dress suddenly exclaimed in excitement. Soon, all of the guests are chatting with each other how that strange tea tastes so good and refreshing. When King Johannes witness the reaction of the crowd, he shows a happy smile. He suddenly stands up and gets the attention of the guests.

"I'm guessing that you are wondering about the tea you are drinking. The tea you are drinking was developed by Marquis Cres Val. Those teas are called hibiscus tea." King Johannes said.

He also explains that these teas will be used as a substitute for the usual tea that they are drinking until the drought disappears in their kingdom. Most of the guests are baffled, but also excited. The taste of the tea really suits their taste. Marquis Cres Val suddenly stands next to the King and ask the guest to taste the desserts on their table. Although confused, the nobles follow Marquis Cres Val's order.

The taste of the desserts is actually not bad. Even though the taste of it is not so sweet, there is something about the taste of each dessert that gives a good flavor to it. When the guests ask about it, the Marquis smiles and reveals the secret of the desserts. The base sweetener of it is honey.

The guests listen to Marquis Cres Val's words attentively. The Marquis explains the details of their new products and their benefits. These products are actually cheaper than the usual tea and sugar they used in their own houses. Not only that, but these are also actually good and the benefits of it are healthy for their body.

When the King offered the lavender tea to the guests, they no longer refuse and eagerly have a taste of it. Just like their first reaction, the guests also like the taste and flavor of the lavender tea. Indeed, these are really brilliant.

"Marquis Cres Val, you are indeed a knowledgeable person. You certainly created these products from the things we usually ignore." A baron suddenly said.

"That's right. We all thought that hibiscus and lavender are only useful as decoration. But you made a delicious tea out of it. We are indeed thankful for your ideas." A viscountess also added.

"It is not me who created those products." Marquis Cres Val said.

"Oh? Then can we know the person behind these creative and brilliant ideas?" King Johannes suddenly asked.

"The person who created those products is my son."

The guests were suddenly confused. Currently, Marquis Cres Val has two sons. They all know that his eldest son is excellent in every way. Not only that, but he is also still young yet he was already promoted as a General in just a few years after becoming a knight.

As for his youngest son, all they know is that he has a weak body and was rarely seen aside from his family and servants. Thinking about for a while, it is impossible for his youngest son to be the one who created these products. Because they know the reputation of his eldest son, they finally come to a conclusion.

"I see. So it was Sir Viel who came up with these ideas." A madam from an earl family said.

When the guests heard about it, they also nod their head in understanding. Of course, who else would come up with these ideas aside from his reliable and intelligent eldest son?

"Oh! I finally understand now. Marquis Frederick, you are truly blessed to have a son like Sir Viel." King Johannes said as he pats the shoulder of his friend.

The Marquis didn't speak another word and only accept the praises he received for his eldest son. While the guests are busy praising the eldest son of Marquis Cres Val, no one notices a man wearing a cloak secretly leaving the party. As he walks away from the party, the loneliness and disappointment are very obvious through his body language if someone can see him right now.