Chapter 28: Unexpected Guests (2)

Unfortunately, I never got the chance to leave with Elena. 

Perhaps because we walked slowly and hesitantly, the banquet hall was already filled with many people.

The owner of the winter castle and host of the banquet, Joachim, sat in the highest seat. Except for a few who were shaking their tails to try to talk to him, everyone seemed to be enjoying the banquet in their own way.

But now it was time for the protagonist to appear.

As the door opened and Elena and I stepped into the banquet hall, the eyes of everyone standing there focused on one place. Despite her young age of only sixteen, her shining appearance like a star was enough to captivate the attention of everyone there.

It wasn’t for nothing that I was mesmerized when I saw her as soon as I opened the door.

As the attention shifted towards Elena, people automatically began to look at me, who was standing next to her, too. I didn’t know what words Joachim used to invite these people here, but they didn’t seem to know that I was Kraus.

Because, judging by the emotions I felt through their gaze toward me, it wasn’t something they would dare to send to Kraus’s successor.

Of course, it was impossible to not have some unconscious emotions, but the emotions expressed in their eyes were too obvious to ignore.

However, judging by the fact that people who looked at me like that were teenagers who were still immature to hide their emotions, it seemed individuals who appeared to be their protectors were skilled at concealing their feelings, which was fitting for those who repeatedly navigate a social world that could be chaotic.

Although I couldn’t help feeling a little awkward every time I saw them, it didn’t matter much.

Ignoring their gaze, I tightly held Elena’s hand and walked towards Joachim, who was standing on a distant pedestal, quietly smiling at us.

There was no one blocking the path toward him.

We arrived in front of Joachim through an open road like the parting Red Sea. He got up from his seat and came down towards us. 

He grabbed my shoulder and spoke to me quietly with a sad face.

“Too bad. How can you be so relaxed with my daughter right next to you?”

“I’m not the type to show off much emotion on my face. Or, did you want to see me standing in front of everyone with an unsightly, nervous face?.”

At my answer, Joachim gave a small smile and lightly brushed off my displeased gaze.

“I did have some of that in mind. You resemble Arthur so much. That’s why I thought it might be fun to see something interesting for a change…”

“Father?”

Elena’s chilly voice echoed in Joachim’s and my ears.

Somehow, even though it was indoors, my hands were cold. Elena’s magic was being released in harmony with her emotions, just like before.

Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to affect the entire banquet hall like it was then, so the only ones who could notice it were me holding her hand and Joachim nearby.

As soon as Joachim saw the cold look in his daughter’s eyes, he cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the people below, stopping his conversation with me.

‘Ah, he ran away.’

After chasing away the mischievous father, Elena took advantage of the moment when Joachim turned his gaze away and sent me a wink with one eye closed without saying anything. Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but respond with a wink, too.

But Joachim only looked away from us for a moment, took one look around the banquet hall, and immediately signaled me to come closer.

Receiving his signal, I stood next to him along with Elena, and after confirming that everyone in the banquet hall was watching us, he spoke in a heavy voice different from when he joked with me.

“It looks like there are uninvited guests, but it seems like everyone I called has gathered.”

At Joachim’ss words, the banquet hall became quiet.

His voice had the power to suppress the masses. The man standing here now was not just a doting father but the ruler of the north and the master of one of the seven mage towers on the continent. So it was difficult to imagine the same image he had when dealing with me.

‘Uninvited guest?’

However, what filled my head now wasn’t Joachim’s changed appearance, but the identity of the ‘uninvited guest’ he mentioned. There were some people below who seemed to share the same thoughts as me, but it didn’t seem like they had the courage to speak out under Joachim’s momentum.

I didn’t bother to ask him about the identity of the ‘uninvited guest’.

If that ‘uninvited guest’ was harmful to us, Joachim would have dealt with it in front of everyone without saying anything like this in front of people.

The fact that he didn’t do that means that he deliberately told the audience to screw up… Could it be my father?

I shook my head and denied that possibility.

It would be difficult for even my father to come from Sarham to Merohim in two days. And if he was going to attend the banquet, he would have moved with us from the beginning.

Above all, if my father had come, I wouldn’t have failed to notice. Although he was a sword master, I have reached a level of skill where I could be confident to some extent in recognizing his presence, even if I was not as good as him.

I had sparred with my father for several years, so it didn’t make sense that I wouldn’t notice anything. So it must be someone else. But at the moment, no one came to my mind.

Why was so much attention being given to the ‘uninvited guest’, whose identity need not be disclosed?

Although I couldn’t quite pinpoint the reason, my instincts were warning me that getting involved with this individual would only result in trouble in the future.

“Some of you may have already noticed, but the reason I called you was to inform you of the engagement of my daughter, Elena. The young man standing next to me is the one who has become engaged to Elena”

Still, there was no time to worry about unidentified uninvited guests right now. So I put aside my personal curiosity and anxiety for the time being.

Though Joachim’s voice introducing me hadn’t changed much, those who were listening could sense a different atmosphere. Having cleared my mind of distractions, I looked directly at the faces in front of me and spoke.

“This is Damian Kraus, who has become engaged to Miss Elena Edelweiss.”

It was neither a loud nor a quiet voice.

However, my words, spoken with confidence, were enough to reach the ears of everyone present.

Many of those gathered here appeared to be taken aback by my introduction, whether it was because they were surprised by my sudden appearance or by the mention of Kraus’s name.

The most surprised seemed to be the teenage boys who had been blatantly staring at me.

Those who admired the sword were bound to know the legend of Kraus, who was associated with the founding hero of the empire. 

Furthermore, in a world where dragons exist, the legend of the only Dragon Slayer in the world had a similar level of recognition as the founding myth of the Estellian Empire.

It was not impossible that some people might know stories that aren’t even written in books. But I only learned of my family’s connection to such a legend after I became Damian.

After all, the novel was developed around the main character and the people around him, so there was no way readers could know about the legend of the Kraus family, a villain who was eliminated at the beginning and whose face was only seen once afterward.

Apart from that legend, there was already a living legend who had become the youngest sword master on the continent and was the current head of the Kraus family, my father. Since no one was unaware of this fact, they lowered their gaze toward me as if they were like that from the start.

I didn’t pay attention to those people. I just continued with what I had to say.

“Kraus and Edelweiss have been reliable friends for a long time. I am very happy that that relationship has led to the engagement between Miss Elena and me.”

There was no lie in this statement.

Just a few days ago, I was a man on the verge of breaking off the engagement, but it was true that I was happy to be engaged to her. After all, there weren’t many candidates who had gone as far as being engaged to her?

“Of course, simple words will not be enough to express that feeling. So, I, Damian Kraus, here and now, as the acting head of the Kraus family, promise that Kraus will continue to be with Edelweiss forever, starting from this engagement.”

The ring on my finger was a sacred object that symbolized Kraus’s family head.

Although I was just a sixteen-year-old boy in this position, my words had real power. Of course, even if the words were grand, they only meant that Kraus would continue to have a good relationship with Edelweiss in the future.

However, there was nothing more certain than the fact that I was imprinting on the minds of the people here who I was.

The relationship between families was determined solely by the authority of the head of the family. Furthermore, if they had seen how Joachim complied with my words, they should not have simply thought of me as Elena’s fiancé.

‘Don’t think of me and you as equals,’ was the message that was emphasized when one’s worth was based solely on family and social standing. At least my father, who entrusted me with the ring, would say that I had passed with passing grades.

So my brief self-introduction ended with applause from the audience.

Even if there were people who wanted to object to the engagement, if they knew their place, they would be able to figure out that even if they were vassals of Edelweiss, it was a place they should not speak about. Fortunately, there was no one in this gathering who did not know where to stand.

When the applause of the people stopped, the banquet hall began to fill with the sound of music played by previously prepared bands.

As the music began to play, permission was given by Joachim to start the banquet, and many people in the banquet hall began to approach me, probably because they had already prepared themselves. However, I did not meet them. I was a man with prior commitments, after all.

As I was looking at banquet hall, Elena smiled at me and spoke softly.

“Damian?”

“Yes. I know. Well, well… Elena. Would you please give me a chance to dance with you?”

“Of course!”

***

“Damian stay here. I’ll get you something to drink.”

“No, that’s fine. I’ll get it.”

“Who was that person who almost fell in front of me earlier? Just sit quietly here.”

“That…”

Before I could finish my sentence, she had already left the balcony to get something to drink. I had no choice but to lean against the railing and wait for her to come back.

The cold wind of Merohim blowing from far away cooled my heated face.

As I had practiced before, I didn’t do anything that would make others call us ridiculous while dancing with her today. Rather, it could be considered successful because others clapped for us when the song ended.

But it wasn’t successful for me.

Throughout the dance, I felt like I had gone back to the first night I learned to dance with her.

Her beauty, perfectly decorated with a beautiful dress and makeup, completely shattered me, who was confident that I had adapted through two days of practice.

Still, I didn’t make any mistakes while dancing, but the moment the song ended, I couldn’t control the sudden weakness in my legs, and my body leaned toward her. Although it looked like I hugged her as soon as the dance was over in the eyes of others, only she, who was closer than anyone else, knew the truth.

“I’m glad though.”

“What’s so good about it. You bastard.”

I quickly turned my head at the sudden voice that rang in my ears.

Despite feeling relaxed, I wasn’t completely numb to my surroundings to the point where I couldn’t sense the presence of those around me. I had quickly prepared to draw my sword out of caution against the unknown presence, but the guy who suddenly appeared in front of me prevented me from doing so, waving his hand and telling me not to.

“Hey, don’t use that!! Dragon Heart’s magic here! It’ll be known not only to Joachim but also to that Arthur bastard! I just came here to talk to you.”

“Who are you?”

I asked him, stopping putting the ore into the ring.

At this moment, the only thing I could be sure of was that the person in front of me was the ‘uninvited guest’ that Joachim had mentioned. Yet, my wariness towards him still hadn’t disappeared. After all, I had no reason to trust someone who suddenly appeared by my side and spoke to me.

“Hah, you. Your unlucky gaze and face really resemble Arthur. Fine, if you’re that curious, I’ll tell you!”

Ah, I found out one more thing. If someone talked about my father or made exaggerated gestures while speaking, it was obvious that they were an acquaintance of my father or Joachim.

The man threw off his black robe’s hood and began to introduce himself with a proud face. And as soon as I confirmed his face, I ran towards the banquet hall.

“My name is Franz Erthuwen!! The master of one of the seven magic towers, the Tower of Twilight! The head of the Erthuwen family!!… Huh? Hey!! Where are you going?! !! No, even something like this resembles that bastard father of yours……”

I could hear him saying something behind me, but I didn’t hear any of it. In my head right now, there was only one person’s face that came to mind.

With crimson red hair that resembled the sunset and red eyes, there were only two people I knew who looked like that. So, even before the man finished speaking, I walked into the banquet hall where Elena was supposed to be.

Sure enough, the person who was in my thoughts was standing in front of Elena.

“Richard Erthuwen.”

One of the male lead candidates for the original novel, whom I thought I would only meet after a year had passed, appeared in front of my eyes.

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