I activate my mental ability to disperse all thoughts about that unknown woman, turning in another direction and even withdrawing my sensory ability from around her.
The girls are beautiful, but by beauty standards Brendu is above Marga, Sol, and Arisa; from my perspective, the four of them are equally beautiful. In several votes held to decide which noblewoman in the empire is the prettiest, Brendu always dominates the results.
I’m sure this young lady wouldn’t lose against Brendu, most of the votes would probably be split between the two of them. In my eyes, the girls are above any other woman and that will remain the same.
“That blow was unexpected, even I was left speechless.” Glia gives me a mental hit.
“Yes, I know. Who could she be? As far as I understand, Nanly doesn’t have any younger sisters, the only option is her sister-in-law.” I remember she didn’t want to give me any description of her, she said it was part of the surprise.
Wait… when she said she wanted to give me a surprise, was she referring to her? What is that woman planning? I don’t even need to look in her direction to know my thoughts are close to the truth, Nanly is staring at me with a huge smile, she must have seen my reaction.
They hug tightly, the sight of two beautiful women embracing makes the entire room smile. Of course, I continue looking elsewhere, the light blue color of the room has never been so interesting. Who painted it so perfectly?
“Let’s allow Nanly and Maki to rest properly. There will be a celebration tonight to honor the return of my future daughter-in-law and a future friend of the family.” Mirtha winks at me. “It will begin at nine at night, so come prepared to stay awake late.” Everyone applauds and makes celebratory noises.
Nanly doesn’t stop looking at me, I’m certain she wants to introduce me to her “little sister,” while I continue admiring how the rocky material on the floor shines so beautifully and matches the rest of the room.
Several maids appear quickly, I don’t even know when they were called. I immediately follow one of them toward my room, and the moment I enter, I search for the do not disturb sign, place it on the door, and lie down on the bed.
“Don’t jump to the wrong conclusions, she probably just wants you to become friends.” I repeat those words to myself several times.
“At least they can’t force you into a relationship with her, they’d end up in huge trouble.” Glia’s words calm me down a little. “The problem is that young lady has been giving you fleeting glances the entire time…”
I remain silent, I have no answer for my little sister. I simply close my eyes until I fall deeply asleep… my body has an internal clock, I can roughly calculate six or seven hours of sleep without any problem.
When I wake up, my mind feels calmer. My rank allows me to stay awake much longer than normal, and my life affinity enhances that ability, but the body still needs proper rest to function correctly.
I’ve spent several days without sleeping properly, there were some where I didn’t sleep even a single minute. This long nap relaxed my brain properly, now I feel much clearer-headed.
I search through my dimensional bracelet for my most elegant clothes. I always argued with Brendu that there was no need to keep a formal suit stored away, apparently I was wrong, I’ll have to thank her when I see her again.
The moment I leave the room to head toward the banquet hall, I freeze, looking left, then right, then left again. “Where am I supposed to go? Do you remember, Glia?”
“No, I have no idea.” She answers in a sleepy voice, and after giving me that negative response, I feel her presence fall asleep again.
I flip a coin to decide which direction to begin my journey. I head right first, having considerably reduced the range of my Personal World, this little mini game is fun, I’ll follow my instincts.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
“The banquet will be held in this hall, Lord Maki, some of the guests are already waiting. There’s a reserved table for you and Lady Mirtha said you could join her table if you wished.” One of the mansion’s workers explains to me.
“Thank you for your help, for now I’ll sit alone.” I reply.
“If you need anything, simply ask any of the workers, we are at your service.” The young woman with perfectly tied brown hair and small eyes says goodbye.
I let out a sigh after she leaves. In the end, I completely lost my way, first I ended up in an outdoor garden and then in front of the mansion’s main kitchens, I only found this young woman by chance outside the kitchen and she guided me here. My instincts failed me.
When I enter, I see far more people than expected, far more than I imagined. There are already over one hundred people gathered in this place, and everyone turns to look at me the moment I walk in. It’s impossible not to attract attention when entering through doors over four meters tall that create a beautiful sound when they open.
I smile the way I practiced since childhood for these kinds of events, walking smoothly and confidently toward my seat. Along the way I greet several people, exchanging simple compliments and well-practiced laughter.
I’m sure rumors about who I am have already spread among these people, there’s no way everyone would be this kind without knowing who I am. I hope Mirtha did a good job telling them that I don’t want my identity leaking outside anytime soon.
Many of these people are prominent figures in entertainment. This sovereign territory is home to many famous people involved in the entertainment world; theater actors, models, singers, dancers, and much more.
Many artists also migrate here to live most of the time, taxes are much lower than in the empire and their professions are highly supported within this territory.
The ruler and his wife are clear examples; the ruler is a renowned theater director, he has many award-winning plays recognized throughout the continent, his name is written in books about the most influential figures in entertainment.
Mirtha is equally famous for being a top-level model and dancer, she has dominated runways and performances for decades. She is an incredibly talented, beautiful, strong, and intelligent woman; such a combination is rare to see.
I sense a powerful presence near one of the other entrances. I try to discreetly look toward that person, but there’s no point trying to be subtle, he was already staring at me. Our eyes meet, I give a slight nod of greeting and he responds the same way.
That bald man dressed like an army officer, with an unfriendly face and intimidating presence, is the leader of this territory’s guard. A very powerful diamond rank, it is said he can fight against some weaker grade 6 monsters.
He isn’t a limit breaker, but he is still extremely strong among his rank and highly respected even by obsidian ranks.
A young man with quick and precise movements approaches my table, offering me a catalog of wines, I choose the one with the most striking name and a few minutes later an entire bottle is placed on my table.
I step out onto the empty balcony with a glass in my hand, the cold air strikes my face and my hair sways with the gentle wind. I’ve never been a smoker, but for the first time I feel tempted because this atmosphere is perfect for a cigarette and a glass of wine.
“Hello.” A voice sounds behind me. I close my eyes for a moment, open them again, and slowly turn to greet the person, I already knew who it was before she spoke.
“Hello, how are you? Can I help you with something?” I look directly into those enormous blue eyes, her reddish hair moves gently with the wind and her pale skin turns slightly red from the cold air.
“I’m well, thank you for asking.” She gives a perfectly practiced smile, it reminds me a lot of Marga or Brendu, a formal smile. “I wanted to thank you for helping my sister-in-law Nanly, she told me the detailed story, thank you for appearing and saving her.” The young woman gives a deep bow.
“It was a coincidence, but I’m glad I saved her, she’s a wonderful person. By the way, I’m Maki Vichag, I didn’t introduce myself properly before.” I extend my hand toward her.
“I’m Lully Lepak, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” She accepts my handshake. At no point does she neglect her manners or movements, everything she does is carried out with chilling perfection, as if she were forbidden from making even the slightest mistake.
She walks slowly with her wine glass, staring in the same direction I had been looking. “You know? I’ve loved this view ever since I was a child… but I feel like I’ve grown tired of always seeing the same thing, I’d like to admire other landscapes without feeling trapped.” Her voice becomes slightly softer.
She turns to look at me. “You aren’t completely happy at events or parties like this either, are you?” Her question freezes me. Am I really that obvious? I didn’t think someone could notice so easily.
“You don’t have to answer me.” She gives a calm smile. “This feeling is new to me, I feel comfortable expressing myself to someone in a situation similar to mine. I don’t hate these kinds of events or gatherings, it’s just that looking or acting perfect ever since I can remember has been exhausting. Sometimes I just want to be free for a moment or stop worrying so much about what other people think, to be a little more ordinary.” She turns again to look toward the garden.