Nobles gather

Pixel noticed her grandfather's distress and spoke more gently. "If they have made contact with anyone then it will only be initial contact. So long as you keep a close watch over us and try to prevent further relations with the Glutt family then such problems can be prevented."

Rufus looked a little relieved after he heard what Pixel told him. "You are correct, I was a little too anxious just now so I was not able to think clearly. If there has been a meeting then today will be the first time and there will hardly be chances for the two families to meet again unless it is at another noble gathering or event."

Felice decided to add her own opinion. "I would guard against future trips outside of the family home. If there has been contact then a contact method may have been left behind or there may be a contact within the family which can pass messages along. If there is someone to monitor their movements when they go out then their words and actions will be sent back to grandfather."

Pixel looked towards Felice with a look of approval. 'Big sister is not bad, she understands the situation and is able to come up with countermeasures for the dangers within the family and outside. She has potential so I look forward to her future.'

The Meridian family had three main candidates for the next family head which were Felice, Maximillion and Milo while Pixel was completely excluded from the competition and Cleo had no support due to her previously being seen as Milo's puppet or pawn.

From what Pixel had seen of the three of them, Felice possessed the best qualities to inherit the position while Maximillion had a couple of flaws even if he was loyal to the family but Milo was too selfish and spiteful to be able to run the family.

Cleo was in a difficult position because she had no power or support of her own so she could only fall back into the control of her mother and brother once she no longer had the strength or will to continue resisting them.

Her protests would only fall on deaf ears of her mother and brother who ignored her feelings while selfishly exploiting her for their own gains.

That would be the likely outcome for Cleo but nobody was aware of the changes that would be brought to her fate after her encounter with someone of a higher status.

After finishing their discussion, the three of them returned to the place where the nobles had gathered and started socialising.

Felice was surrounded by many of her loyal followers which had gained a new found respect for her while Rufus talked to the other family heads about the ongoings of Zou.

Maximillion was surrounded by a couple of children from lower ranking families which had grown closer to him during the hunt.

The one that stood out the most among the Meridian family was Milo who had many resentful gazes on him while the crowd around him had grown much smaller compared to what it had been like before the hunting competition.

Cleo stood off on her own and quietly tried not to cause any trouble for others.

There were many others who had went to get treated while others returned to their own groups or families which were nearby which showed that there had been a slight change in the power structure among the families as some were considering removing their support for certain individuals after they found out the events that happened within each groups hunt in the forest.

There had been some similar situations to what happened to Felice while there were a couple of noble children which caused problems for their own groups in their own ways.

The final groups were starting to appear one after another after they had completed the hunt and returned to their families who were waiting for them.

According to the rules of the hunt, the prey were each being prepared for those who caught them as a feast would soon be ready for them.

Pixel was reunited with many of those she had split up with as they all gathered together. "Hey guys!"

Harley lead the group of children her own age with a katana on her waist. "I heard that you caused quite the stir this time. I am not surprised.."

Liquorice grinned as she added. "Subduing such a dangerous creature on your own.. you should have brought us along if you were going to do something like that. It is our duty to protect and support you after all."

Misty nodded enthusiastically. "I agree! How could you leave us out of something so exciting?"

Pixel let out a sigh as she replied. "It is not that I do not trust you all but I believed it was best for me this act on my own. Everything worked out in the end so there is no problem. How did you all do?"

Harley was about to speak up but Liquorice stepped in to interrupt. "I felt that it was best that we took this hunt as a way to work together as a team but we only chose to target weaker prey for certain reasons. Although we could have challenged ourselves.. it was not a good idea to take any risks or expose our abilities yet."

Pixel placed her hand on her chin and nodded in approval. "Hmm.. having many talented people by my side while I am already catching enough attention will only make others even more wary of me. You did well."

Harley revealed a look of dissatisfaction. "I wanted to cut up something strong but I had to settle for something weak and small."

Misty shrugged. "I do not mind either way."

Liquorice nodded. "I knew you would agree with me."

Pixel replied calmly. "We are still young and have yet to fully mature while there are so many grownups and other ways which can threaten our lives so it is best to not draw too much attention to ourselves. If you want to hunt something bigger then it can be done in a not so public setting."

The three girls looked excited after hearing Pixel's words but just as they were caught up in their discussions, a figure came leaping towards Pixel at a fast speed.

Ash who had just arrived to congratulate her daughter caught sight of the figure then revealed a cold look in her eyes. "You dare!"

Although she was previously a commoner, she was the type of person which followed her own feelings and instincts over the rules and things like status so when confronted with certain things, her first choice would be to rebel to protect those she cared about over considering the other person's influence or power.

Although Ash was not well versed on the many noble families and their overall structure, she was able to recognise that the other party was someone of high status.

Ignoring the difference in status, Ash leapt forward to stop the figure which aimed to harm her own daughter.

As she did, her shout caught the attention of many in the area and several others quickly jumped into action to defend Pixel even if they would arrive late.

Old Swifty moved along with Ash in an attempt to protect the mother and daughter. "So troublesome."