Chapter 20: Special Guests

"My son! Your father and I have missed you so much! We've heard so little from you. Please do write more frequently," Lady Rosetta said.

She was wearing a grand yellow dress and a golden hair accessory. Although her words were quite motherly, Yunho didn't forget how horrible a mother she was to Irene.

But to think that if things followed the original story, she'll be dead soon...

Yunho nodded, putting on the face of a polite son. He knew how to deal with Iris's parents by now. Light conversation and formalities would wrap up a conversation quickly enough.

"Sorry, Mother. Mother may not have heard, but your son's been a little busy recently," Yunho said, speaking formally.

Lady Rosetta made a slightly surprised face.

"Oh, I did hear some news in my social circles, but I..." The woman didn't finish her sentence, but what it implied was obvious.

_I didn't think it was true_

Lady Rosetta was Iris's mother, so she was one of the people who knew his behavior best. And feeding the hungry was not something Iris would do even for a million mana stones.

Lady Rosetta was about to say something else, but a guest approached her. Soon, she got caught up in other conversations and began to walk away. But before she was too far, Lady Rosetta looked back and said, "Make sure to greet your father as well!"

Yunho watched the woman as she walked away. Despite her still having a social and graceful mask on, Yunho could see the growing unease in the way she presented herself.

Sickly children living in indifferent households tend to figure out how to read adults. From a nurse's eyebrow twitching to his mother ever so slightly narrowing her eyes, he could see microexpressions in people.

Yunho turned to his servants, who were standing a respectful distance behind him for lower-class individuals.

"You guys can get closer. I'm going to the refreshment table anyway. There's no need for me to socialize right now," Yunho said, facing the three servants.

Aris's and Nym's faces lit up. They were interested in the goods that a noble party would offer. Seeing how kind their young master had become recently, they had a chance of actually having some.

Rider just nodded. Yunho began traversing the width of the large hall, but he was stopped by numerous people. Some were lost servants or other guests who were just in the way, but others stopped him to greet him and apparently were familiar with Iris.

Thankfully, no one seemed to want to talk for long, so Yunho didn't have to stress about what to say. But Yunho could also feel a multitude of eyes on him. And whispers of both admiration and gossip could be heard around.

Yunho looked over the spread of food on the table before him. Bowls of various drinks and glasses were arranged to be taken. There was also an assortment of desserts left out, such as small cakes and fruit tarts. Yunho turned to his servants to ask what he should take, but he noticed that they all seemed to be distracted.

Yunho wondered why until he caught a conversation happening not too far away from them. His servants were closer to the group of people quietly talking, but Yunho still caught wisps of their conversation. They were doing a sloppy job of hiding the fact that they were gossiping about someone near them.

"So were the rumors not true? Who would have this grand of a party for a daughter they didn't like?" A woman in the group said. She was fanning herself with a pink fan that matched her gown.

"Well, I think they're just doing all this to avoid Irene's wrath. My sister's friend's cousin once worked at this estate, and she swore on how badly they treated the young lady. They couldn't care less about her before, but now, she's the high priestess. How could they go against her now?" The man next to her replied. His tone was blasé, and he clearly took some joy in the prospect.

"I'm only certain that things will get more interesting from now on," a third woman said. She was wearing a purple dress and had her shoulder on the first woman's shoulder.

The man laughed and spoke again, "You're right! But maybe we'll see the fall of Evastine in our lifetimes..."

They moved on to another topic, and Yunho didn't see the point of listening anymore. Nothing they said was wrong, but it still left a bitter taste in Yunho's mouth.

...Nothing that couldn't be fixed with a sweet treat, right?

Yunho said nothing and turned back to the refreshments table.

He looked at a plate of tarts and turned to Aris, who was currently still staring at the group of guests.

"Would the strawberry or custard one taste better?"

Silence fell among the four people...

Nym cut in, "Custard, most likely."

—

Yunho enjoyed the custard tart, now placed on a small plate in his hands. He used a fork to cut the tart into pieces and offered a few to the three servants.

Aris and Nym, with only a beat of hesitation, took a piece from the plate. But Rizer just shook his head, abstaining. Thinking about it, did the man photosynthesize? Yunho couldn't recall seeing Rizer ever eat in front of him.

The three young people enjoyed the sweet treat. The yellow custard had a sweet, creamy taste that complemented the flaky crust.

Yunho returned to the refreshment table to get a side of fruit when the voice of the announcer called out once more.

This wasn't the first time. Since they arrived, many other guests had come and had their arrival announced. But it was obvious that the coming guests were more important. A hush fell across the hall.

The announcer used a horn, and a few Evastine servants were already lined up beside the small flight of stairs at the event hall entrance. Their heads were bowed down.

Whispers filled the hall on who the guests might be, but they were soon answered by the ringing voice of the announcer.

"Now arriving, the Crown Prince of our Lucivia Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Nikolai Winstor Caelum!"

The air was sucked out of the room, but the announcer started again.

"Also now arriving is Northern Grand Duke, His Grace, Dorian Izak Aeris!"

Two formidable figures stood at the entrance, alongside polished stewards who stood behind the two respected men.

Yunho could recognize one as being the crown prince. He had golden blonde hair and red eyes like rubies. His eyelashes were long and spindly like thread. His outfit was adorned with a blood red color, a white sash, and many emblems. He exuded a princely aura.

It was just as how the author described him in the book.

But for some reason, Yunho found himself more drawn to the man next to him.

The Grand Duke...

He was briefly mentioned as being at Irene's party but didn't play that big of a role.

He stood tall and straight like a popular tree. And his black hair framed his pale honeyed skin perfectly. His face was defined, and his lips were pursed sternly but still looked to be soft. His build was steady and dependable, and his eyelashes framed eyes that looked like they could pierce through souls.

The Grand Duke's eyes were a similar color to the Crown Prince's but felt much deeper and as if the color was swirling like pools and beckoning you in.

Yunho sucked in a sharp breath.

Wasn't this man too attractive?! He was stealing the spotlight of the Male Lead!

Yunho could hear whispers erupting throughout the hallway.

"The Crown Prince personally showed up?"

"There must be something more to this."

"Lady Irene's the next high priestess now. This is only natural."

"Could this be a marriage proposal in the making?"

Yunho almost chuckled at the last comment he could catch. It was a pretty accurate prediction, maybe they got a few spoilers from the novel.

However, Yunho didn't get much time to breathe because as soon as the two men and their stewards and bodyguards had just made it down the entrance stairs, another announcement came.

But this one wasn't one of arrival.

A servant whispered into the announcer's ears, leading him to immediately hold the horn to his mouth again.

"According to Lady Irene, the celebrant and our next high priestess's orders, the masquerade portion of the ball is to commence now!"

The lights in the event hall immediately dimmed, and people marveled at the effect. The lights were most likely mana-powered, so they could be controlled by a magic user.

There was some commotion near the entrance from the guests who eagerly rushed to meet the crown prince and grand duke, but Yunho didn't pay mind to any of this.

He scanned the hall, looking for a glimpse of Irene. It was a bit too dark to see clearly, and there were many guests.

But then, Yunho saw a glimmer of silver weaving throughout the dark event hall towards a crowd of people. A crowd of people that was surely around the two newly-arrived esteemed guests.

There she is!

Yunho set down his dessert plate after popping one more fruit in his mouth and followed the silver light, swiftly untying the mask at his waist and fastening it to his face.

—

The lights dimmed in the event hall, and the three servants looked up in surprise.

Rizer raised an eyebrow, "Will the young master still be able to find us?"

Aris wiped the rest of the crumbs off her lips and spoke up.

"We can just go to him, no?"

-

The group of three made their way to the refreshments table, where their young master was supposed to be selecting some fruit for a quick snack, but instead, they were met with no one in sight.

Among the many dishes arranged on the table was an empty plate with a few crumbs, but there was no Iris near it.

Rizer's eyebrows furrowed, and Aris and Nym shared a look:

"Not this again!"

—

End of Chapter 20