The three couples attracted the attention of everyone present in the room.
The auction master walked in the very front with her usually masked husband, who was rumored to be very handsome.
After them were the faces of the Heliox, some of the most attractive couples in the empire. Some of the best minds of the empire and his dear partner, a pillar of the empire's high society.
Following them were the lawyer and florist duo that attracted a lot of attention because of their unique clothing. They were just fabulous…
And following them, the last entering duo was the genius brother-sister, famous among many circles of the empire.
One was a genius mage while the other one was a famous knight already far above many famous knights.
Both of them were famous, but didn't give much attention to the people in this room. They weren't the main duo of today's party, anyway.
Their brother would be on his way here from his dinner with the emperor himself so he was going to steal all the attention soon. They just had to sit and pass the time until then.
They could go and meet their acquaintances, so they were calm about things.
And the auction master was the same as she knew she would have to stall for time until the two of them were there.
It was fine if it meant he could make an unforgettable impression on everyone here, so she was fine with it.
There were few people they could talk to aside from the shady nobles, so the four duos separated and engaged in different conversations or went away and sat down and waited for people to come to them.
They were going to come there and sit there anyway, so they were ready for them.
So… time passed as the annual winter ball of Hiraani continued as usual until one of the butlers came up to the auction master and whispered something in her ears.
There was a smile on her face after that, and she nodded and asked for an announcement device.
[ "Can I please have your attention, honorable guests?" ]
Her voice instantly attracted everyone's attention, and people looked at her with confused expressions.
She was just talking with one of the famous merchant viscounts, but now she was announcing something.
It wasn't like her to do something like this. She had never done the announcement herself, so it was even more surpassing. But it was the cold demoness they were talking about, so all eyes focused on her.
[ "It is my greatest honor to introduce my dear little son to everyone for the first time.
He has been away from his family and has only now reunited with us recently so he doesn't know many people personally.
I would be happy if everyone could welcome him with open arms so…
Please welcome my amazing little son, Axion Heliox Kromet and, everyone already knows her, his date miss Reinelle Atraxia." ]
It was shocking to actually meet that famous boy, but even more shocking was the person entering with him.
-Kneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet. freewebnovel. com
The giant doors to the hall opened with a sound that reverberated loudly throughout the room, and two young but mature figures walked into the dead silent room.
Everyone had different reactions to her announcement, but many were curious why a prominent figure like the representative of the great dukedom was being escorted by her son.
It was weird, and many didn't care about it, but they all definitely were interested in finally seeing that boy who was famous in children's fairytales and was the talk of the empire.
They had unique expectations, but as soon as the boy and the girl walked in and they all saw them together… they were genuinely mesmerized.
The young lady of Atraxia was as gorgeous as ever, spreading peace just with her enchanting beauty.
But her first-ever escort was no less attractive than her.
"Wow…"
"Amazing."
"Elegance, calmness, and a spark of true nobility…"
"Beautiful~."
"H-hot!"
There were countless unique reactions from the young and old.
Older nobles were attracted by his unreal elegance and the way he handled the entire atmosphere around him.
He was different from the young children. They could tell just from a glance that this boy was no child.
From the way he walked, his perfect posture, those sharp eyes, his clothing, his fragrance, and his attractive golden hair. He was the personification of true noble etiquettes.
They were impressed by this very first impression. And the young ladies, even boys, couldn't take their eyes away from them.
Ladies had uncontrollable blushes on their faces as they looked at this amazing person.
The very first thought on their minds was that they should have been the ones being escorted by him. But then they looked at his partner, whom they could never hold a candle to. So those thoughts were limited to just their fantasies.
It was the same for the boys. They also wanted to be the escort of that amazing lady. But then again, they couldn't even match the boy in looks, let alone challenge him in terms of strength when there were stories of him facing a demon at the young age of six.
They could only sigh and think that the world was unfair. But not every girl and boy was included in this common bunch.
The young imperial princess was intrigued by his appearance, but that was it. Those unique chocolates and things made of chocolate were more interesting for her than for him.
The imperial prince that no one was interested in was definitely interested in this duo. So much so that he had a unique smile on his pale face. But then he looked to the other side, and that smile deepened.
He knew something interesting was going to happen very soon.
Sitting alone in the front chair, the second imperial prince looked at this person walking with lady Reinelle.
He was holding her, smiling while looking at her, and she was smiling back?
-Crack.
The glass in his hand was full of small cracks and after just a moment, it shattered into fine powder.
His expression was calm, the same as it had been, but the opposing air around him got more unapproachable than before.
He just sat there and watched as the two of them reached the auction master, the party resumed, and everyone started gathering around the two of them.
Everyone wanted to greet the person that even the cold auction master, countess Nolen, couldn't help praising.
Few saw it, but she even smiled a few times, so it was even more unbelievable.
It was clear that she loved him, so he was inevitably going to become a famous person in the future. So, making a solid connection with him starting now was surely going to be profitable.
So, people started greeting him. And he, too, greeted back to everyone. Every single person with their name, origin, profession, and even background.
It was as if this young person knew everything about every one of them.
It was just like his mother. And this impressed them even more.
But still, the best thing about this good-looking young one was that he was approachable. He was so approachable that it reminded them of his grandfather.
His grandfather was a great man and there was a reason everyone knew they could go and talk to him. It was a strange feeling of innate trust. Something few could ever achieve.
And this young boy before them, though not quite there, had definitely achieved something similar.
They all could approach him and talk as freely as they could with their long-time close acquaintance.
And he knew them, their children, and their work, so the conversation with him was even more smooth.
He genuinely knew about every one of them, so the people who hesitated before were overjoyed that someone like him knew even about someone like them.
They all were happy, and this happiness was clear to see for every person in the giant hall.
Countess Nolen was smiling at this. As a mother, she couldn't be happier. His other family members were the same, especially his older sister and younger brother.
Anna and Zoe went back home with their grandparents, but it was fine. They were still young for these things, so they didn't need to be here.
So, the banquet continued. People came and chatted with Eon for a while and everyone was getting their chances, so no one had any complaints.
Of course, there were exceptions to this, just like any other thing in the world.
"Lady Reinelle. Can I have this dance?"
The second prince politely asked Rein, who was just quietly standing with Carla and a bunch of other girls.
It was out of the blue and the request came directly from the prince so the other girls had a surprised expressions and smiles on their faces.
But Carla and Reinelle were calm. They just looked at the prince with a bitter expressions and this reaction ticked the prince even more.
"I will have to apologize, prince Claudius. But I have already promised my first dance to master Axion and after that, I do not think I will have any more strength.
Today has been long and difficult for me, so I hope you understand."
Her reply was calm and Carla nodded as if she knew this was going to happen.
The other young ladies were sad to hear that, but the fact that the person that had never danced in any social gathering had promised a dance to someone excited them even more than before.
"I… understand. Enjoy your night malady."
The prince walked away with a still calm expression and the ladies started asking Reinelle about her relationship with Eon and she replied that they were 'just friends'.
Well, it was the truth. But the young ladies saw that sadness in her eyes and understood there was more to their story and started their inquiries with their unique smirks.
They were some of the few ladies that knew a bit about Reinelle and Carla, so they were comfortable around them.
They thought of her as a friend so they could ask about these personal things, and Carla was also naturally the target of their interest.
So, they talked, and meanwhile, the second prince had reached the famous Eon.
"I greet the great second imperial prince Claudius. It is an honor to make your acquaintance."
"Likewise, young master Axion. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.
It might be sudden, but can I take some of your precious time?"
He was asking for a private chat while looking at him, and the crowd gathered around them understood what he meant.
So, when Eon nodded and looked around at the people, they nodded and gave some space to the two of them.
Eon already knew something like this was coming from a while ago, so he was already ready with his answers.
"It might be selfish of me to ask this, but young master Axion, can I have the dance you promised to lady Reinelle?
You must know about the fact that she could only have one dance today because of her poor condition, right?
I will make sure to properly repay you, but can I please have this dance?"
An imperial prince was requesting something like that. Many people hearing it would definitely be shocked, but Eon was calmly looking at him.
Of course, he knew Reinelle was tired. She would definitely be after all the things they did throughout that day. They both had a wonderful time, but to end the awesome day, the dance was a must.
And she was only going to dance with him even if she had enough energy to go on for the entire night. So, it was an already decided plan.
It wasn't in his hand anyway, so there was nothing he could do. It was up to her what she wanted, so Eon tried to respectfully decline while telling him all that. But…
"So, in short, you can't not dance with miss Reinelle today. Am I right?"
"Something like that? But it's still not up to me-"
"Alright then…"
He nodded and took out one of his gloves and threw it at Eon.
"Young master Axion, I challenge you to a duel."
Eon had seen it coming. And maybe this was inevitable, as he thought.
He wanted to show his most annoyed expression, but everyone was looking and it was an imperial prince they were talking about.
'It's going to be annoying…'
He could only click his tongue and look at the person before him, his partner on the other side, and his lovely mom with an excited smirk on her pretty face.
'Haaa…'
It was a small thing, so he wanted to finish it as soon as possible. freewebnovel(.)com
Their dance was more important than some child's tantrum, after all.
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