As the banquet time drew closer, Ruite was seized by the servants.
Only after being forced into a change of clothes, having his hair styled, and being adorned with several accessories that felt somewhat unnecessary was he finally released from their grip.
“Isn’t this a bit much?”
“Not at all. Since this banquet is hosted directly by the Callaway Duchy, a massive crowd is expected to gather. You must at least maintain this level of appearance.”
Kio’s face looked quite proud.
It made sense; the young master of the Everhart Count family currently standing before him was practically glowing.
He was already remarkably handsome to begin with, but with a professional touch added, his face shone even brighter.
Ruite had been famous for his beautiful and handsome looks since he was a child.
As he grew, his features became more vivid, developing into a refined and calm beauty.
“Then, shall we head down? Ah, you’ve packed the item, right?”
“Yes.”
Ruite finished his preparations and went down to the first floor.
He boarded the prepared carriage with the Count and Countess and set off for the Duke’s residence.
Through the window, the grand and vast grounds of the Duchy came into view.
The overwhelming sight was a physical testament to the prestige of the Callaway family.
Today’s banquet was being held in an annex attached to the side of the Duke’s mansion.
This annex had originally been built specifically for special events and banquets like today’s.
Upon entering, the first thing that caught the eye was the high, open ceiling.
Parts of the windows and the ceiling were made of glass, making one feel as if they were standing outdoors despite being inside.
To think such a space was built simply for banquets—it was certainly befitting of a family with such extraordinary status.
The Count and Countess handed their invitations to the waiting servants.
Recognizing them as members of the Everhart family immediately, the servants bowed respectfully and opened the doors to the banquet hall.
The moment the doors opened, a soft melody drifted out.
Following the calm and elegant sound of the music, Ruite stepped inside to see a significant number of people filling the hall.
Furthermore, the atmosphere of the banquet hall was unique.
The feeling of refined luxury made even Ruite, who had come without much thought, feel a bit nervous.
People who recognized the Count and Countess approached from all sides to offer greetings.
Reina and Taian skillfully engaged in conversation with them, occasionally introducing their son, Ruite.
Whenever it was mentioned that he was a student at the Whitmore Department of Magic, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.
He could sense underlying gazes of envy.
Thanks to that, he was able to feel the prestige of Whitmore once again.
Just as he was gradually adjusting to the atmosphere, the melody of the music suddenly changed.
The attendees, who had been conversing, stopped talking as if they were used to it and looked toward the front.
At the front of the hall, there was a short staircase leading upward.
Following those stairs led to a balcony-like space that protruded out, enough for a few people to stand.
The door connected to that space opened, and the protagonist of the day, Chester, walked out alongside Benger.
The change in music had been a signal to announce the entrance of the main character.
Ruite, who had been snacking on a few desserts, also looked up.
Standing next to Benger, who had a stern and cold impression, was Chester, who took after his father.
Chester was wearing an outfit with a perfect blend of white and blue.
In contrast, his black hair was swept back completely, revealing his neat forehead.
Perhaps because his hair was pinned back so firmly, he felt quite different from when Ruite had seen him at the academy.
He looked a bit older, in a way.
At any rate, whether it was because of the atmosphere or not, he looked like an adult.
“Thank you very much for coming to celebrate my son’s birthday today.”
Benger began, scanning the crowd.
His voice was as serious and heavy as the aura he projected. Because of that, he had a power that compelled people to focus.
At that moment, Chester, who was standing a step away from Benger, could be seen busily moving his eyes.
It looked somewhat unnatural as he kept his back straight and only moved his eyes as if searching for something.
Just as Ruite was wondering what he was doing, their eyes met.
“…….”
He hadn’t expected to make eye contact like this.
Ruite unconsciously tensed his shoulders.
Chester’s eyes, which had been busily scanning here and there, only stopped moving once they landed on Ruite.
Chester stared blankly at Ruite before his eyes widened as if flustered.
He then covered his mouth once and turned his head away for no reason.
‘What is he doing?’ Ruite thought.
However, it was the same for Ruite; the eye contact with Chester felt strangely awkward.
In the end, he started fiddling with his hair needlessly until Reina scolded him to stop before he ruined the styling.
Benger concluded his greeting by wishing everyone a pleasant time.
Ruite felt a bit curious as it seemed Chester, the guest of honor, had skipped his greeting.
As soon as Benger finished speaking, the melody changed again.
Unlike before, it was a bright and cheerful tune with a bouncy rhythm.
The banquet hall regained its previous atmosphere.
Benger descended the stairs with Chester.
Several nobles were already waiting nearby.
It seemed they were trying to create some sort of connection with the Callaway family by taking advantage of this occasion.
From a distance, the banquet looked like nothing more than a joyful party—a place to gather, play, and share happiness.
However, looking closely, the reality was different.
It was a place for each family to seek profit, leak information, and create rumors favorable to themselves.
Ultimately, it was just a snobbish gathering.
The nobles currently waiting for Benger to descend were the same.
Their goal was to catch the eye of the head of the Duchy, who held great power and prestige in the empire, and secure some benefit.
However, Benger politely excused himself from those gathering around and approached the Count and Countess first.
“Ruite, get ready to say hello.”
Noticing this, Taian gave Ruite a heads-up in advance.
“Count Everhart and Countess, thank you for attending.”
“Don’t mention it. Of course we should attend. Ah, Chester, happy birthday.”
Taian received Benger’s greeting and simultaneously offered his congratulations to Chester.
“Thank you, Count.”
“Ruite, you’ve joined us today. I was very disappointed that I didn’t see your face at the last dinner.”
As the saying goes, what goes around comes around. Benger spoke to Ruite first.
“I unintentionally committed a discourtesy because I wasn’t feeling well at the time. Thank you for inviting me today.”
Benger grinned. Ruite had thought his features and aura were quite similar to Chester’s, but he felt that Chester’s smiling face was much more handsome.
After exchanging greetings, the conversation began to revolve mostly around the adults.
Ruite stood behind the Count and Countess, doing his best to fight off boredom.
In the process, the desserts placed on a nearby table caught his eye.
He wanted to grab and eat them right away.
He had been about to eat in earnest earlier, but Benger’s sudden appearance had prevented him from truly savoring them.
As he was swallowing his disappointment, his eyes happened to meet Chester’s, who was standing behind the Duke in the same way.
Chester stared at him intently and then slowly moved his lips.
‘Stop eating.’
Ruite flinched.
How did he know?
He was shocked that Chester had accurately guessed exactly what he was thinking.
Because Ruite’s eyes went wide in surprise, Chester bit his lip as if holding back a laugh.
Ah, as expected.
The son was much better at smiling than the father.
“Then, please enjoy the banquet. I will arrange a separate place for us later.”
The boring conversation ended like that.
Benger took Chester and headed to the next group.
For a while, Ruite couldn’t take his eyes off Chester’s back as he followed his father and greeted the adults.
As time passed, the voices and music filling the banquet hall did not die down.
Ruite was tucked away in a corner, snacking on the desserts he hadn’t been able to eat earlier.
He had exhausted all his energy following his parents around and greeting people.
Unable to take it anymore, he had used the excuse of needing a short rest to escape his parents’ sight and finally settle here.
He remembered a cookie that suited his taste and was about to eat it, but it seemed everyone else had the same idea, as they had disappeared quickly.
“Could you refill this?”
While he was swallowing the disappointment of wanting to eat, Chester approached, called over a servant passing by, and pointed to the empty tray.
“Yes, young master.”
The servant who received the request moved quickly.
“You came here to eat, didn’t you?”
“I did not.”
“What do you mean ‘no’? Why don’t you talk after wiping the crumbs off your mouth.”
“There are crumbs? Where?”
Ruite fumbled around his mouth with his hand.
“I’m lying.”
“Ah, what the…”
Ruite looked at Chester resentfully with a deflated face.
Chester had looked tired when he was following the Duke earlier, but now his face looked refreshed—as if he had suddenly gotten into a good mood.
Just then, the servant who had disappeared returned and piled the empty tray high.
“But I really didn’t come here just to eat.”
“Then why?”
Ruite picked up a cookie from the very top.
“I came to celebrate your birthday.”
And then, he held that cookie out toward Chester.
