[42.4] There's Always One Party-Pooper

I went to walk out of the room and looked back at her to make sure she wasn't going to roll back over. To my relief, she had already fallen asleep and started snoring. I closed the door behind me and walked back down the hall to where the rest of the partiers were.

I stopped to pull one servant aside, "Can you make sure that every guest leaves either with a trusted coachman or if they are too intoxicated, they can have a room to sleep in?"

The maid gave a nod and walked down the hall to make preparations.

I looked around the ballroom and noticed Cyrus sitting at a table with a bored expression. I walked over to him and plopped down beside him, "Having fun?"

He gave a faint nod, "I am."

I snuggled closer to him and held his hand, "You don't look like you are."

He gave a shrug, "I just don't really know how to enjoy this kind of event."

"Really? I didn't know you disliked parties that much."

He shook his head, "I like parties. I just don't like being around people who see me only as a tool for them to move up in society."

I looked around, "But they don't seem to be trying to curry favor."

"I suppose I still hold a grudge for how these people treated me as a child. None of them would come near me until I learned how to control my illusion magic. When I started focusing on magical swords instead of my magic, then they slowly started accepting me… But it all seems fake and it makes me feel a little sick."

I let out a sigh, "I guess they still have a long way to go before they accept demons and demonic magic."

He let out a forced laugh, "I don't think they will ever accept that."

The corner of my lips curved up, "I wouldn't say that. It's a slow process, but I bet eventually society will accept it."

He turned to me with a slight smile, "You seem pretty confident."

I shrugged, "Society can change. Sometimes it's fast, sometimes it's slow. Either way, it'll change eventually. I saw it in my other world so I assume it would be the same as here."

He let out a chuckle, "You really commit to acting like you're from another world."

I turned to him with a smile, "Sometimes I wish I could show you my world. I think you would be so amazed to see what it's like."

"Oh? And what is it like?"

"It's much more advanced technologically and you can communicate with anyone anywhere in the world through the tips of your fingers. Despite all of that though, this world is still my favorite. Magic never gets boring and you don't have to pay for it."

"Hm… I think I wouldn't mind visiting. It would be nice to see how you became the person you are."

I could see my expression reflected in his eyes. I felt a bit anxious, but when I stared deep into his eyes, I felt a sense of calm.

I leaned forward and gave him a kiss.

His eyes widened in surprise, "R-Reika! What if someone saw you?!"

I shrugged carefreely, "Eh. They are all too drunk to notice."

I leaned my head on his shoulder and looked out into the crowd. I could see his cousin Nicholas beaming as he flirted with the girls surrounding him.

I hummed, "Your cousin seems way more tolerable than your Aunt and Uncle… Despite being such an obnoxious flirt."

Cyrus stared through the crowd with indifference, "My Aunt and Uncle always let him do what he wanted so he turned into a bit of an idiot who chases around girls all day."

"You don't seem to hold as much of a grudge against him as you do your Aunt and Uncle."

He let out a sigh, "That's because even though my Aunt and Uncle let him do whatever he wanted, the one thing they never did was give him attention. I guess he was always chasing after women for the affection he never got from them."

I clicked my tongue, "Why are you making me feel pity for him? Now I can't even hate him for being an annoying womanizer!!"

"You can still hate him for that." I watched as Cyrus closed his eyes and a smile of nostalgia appeared on his face, "I will never forget the first time I met him. My Aunt and Uncle would always lock me inside a small box and starve me. However, one day, I heard the chains unlock and the door open. Nicholas held up a finger and told me to be quiet. He left the box open and gave me food and water… He didn't leave my side until he heard my Aunt and Uncle coming back."

I was a bit surprised by his confession, "Wait. The child of your terrible Aunt and Uncle actually has good qualities?!"

Cyrus laughed, "He may be a good-for-nothing womanizer, but he isn't without compassion. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and probably doesn't even know the slums exist, but I'm sure he would never hesitate to feed a hungry person if he came across one."

"Ah… So he's just ignorant, but he's not a complete monster."

Cyrus nodded in agreement, "Exactly."

I snuggled into him, "You're still the best choice for the throne."

He laughed and squeezed my hand. As we were cuddling, a guest rushed to our table in a panic.

"Hey! You two need to do something about your friends."

I sat up, "What do you mean?"

She pointed to Felix and Hazel who were standing in the corner, clearly arguing about something. It was getting so heated, that people were starting to walk away in fear they would get caught up as collateral damage.

I stood up, "I will handle it."

Cyrus stood up as well, "I will help."