Chapter 42: Guests (PS Chapter)
Luke was lost in thought, planning a scenario to complete the task. He was interrupted by his mother shouting at him.
"Lucius Kreuger, pay attention. I want to speak to my daughter-in-law."
Her motherly tone made him snap into focus mode, even casting a spell.
"Pattern Recognition," he muttered under his breath, feeling the mana crawl into his mind.
"Anyways, as I was saying, are you looking forward to seeing your parents today? I even heard your siblings are supposed to be coming. You must have missed them."
Valeria’s expression twitched. Only Luke noticed, and her emotions showed in her signing. The slow, drawn-out movements revealed her discontent with the question. Her emotions didn’t match her words, which Luke was thankful for. His mother, at least, didn’t seem to realize the true purpose of the marriage.
"She said that she misses her parents and is excited to see them again."
Valeria signed the words, but she didn’t mean them. Luke could tell. His father stifled a cough, insinuating that it was only his mother who lacked knowledge about their wedding.
His mother opened her mouth in preparation for more questions but was, to everyone’s relief, cut off by a maid who walked in.
"My Lord, Ladies, Sir, the guests have begun to arrive. They are currently being escorted to the gardens in the back."
Through the open door, Luke could hear the horses’ hooves clashing against the stone pathway leading to the roundabout in front of the estate.
"Oh, excuse us. We must greet the guests. Just wait here for the time being. We will come fetch you when the time is right."
With that final message, his parents exited the room along with the maid, leaving Valeria and himself alone.
I’m sorry about that. It seems like my mother hasn’t fully grasped the reason for our marriage.
Don’t worry about it. I will have to keep up appearances with my family anyway.
What if I told you I have a plan that doesn’t involve you playing the loyal daughter?
I’m listening.
Luke had just finished explaining the plan to Valeria, who grinned at the details, when his mother came back into the room.
"It seems like most of the guests have arrived. It is time for the appearance of the birthday boy."
His mother was far more excited for his birthday than he was.
He stood up from the couch and walked behind the wheelchair, gripping its handles.
"Follow me, you need a grand entrance."
"Do we really need to, Mother? Just let me go down and greet everybody."
"No, no. We are nobles. This is more than just a simple birthday. This is a chance for the family to network. Acquaint yourself with as many of the other nobles as you can, considering most came because of your feat."
Luke sighed, reluctantly following his mother through the house to the back side. He knew what was happening, but there wasn’t a way to stop it.
The three of them stopped in front of two glass doors. On the other side was a balcony.
He groaned, earning the attention of his mother—and a light slap on the back of the head.
"Focus, Lucius. This is important. Every noble does this during their parties."
Luke looked over the wheelchair, hoping that Valeria could offer her insight.
None came.
Trumpets played from the garden as two maids gripped the handles of the doors. When the trumpets stopped, the doors swung open. Luke felt a slight push from his mother, signaling his entrance.
Luke walked forward through the doors and onto the balcony. Beneath him were hundreds of people, all seated at tables scattered around the garden. Staff stood between them, holding plates full of food and drinks.
Everyone was looking at him.
He didn’t recognize most of the people, only picking out Leon’s face from the crowd.
"Introducing, Sir Lucius Kreuger and his wife, Lady Valeria Kreuger."
The trumpets played once more, followed by a round of applause. He swore that Leon had whistled during the ovation.
When the trumpets ended and the applause died down, he exited the balcony with Valeria while his mother ushered him through the halls of the estate and out into the garden.
He stepped into a sea of hundreds of people talking in groups. A small orchestra played in the background.
Luke couldn’t help but notice the expensive suits and dresses the guests wore. They must have cost an astronomical amount. He estimated their prices based on what his explorer clothes had cost.
He wheeled Valeria through a shrub arch and truly entered the party. Instantly, his appearance turned the heads of the nobles. Luke braced himself to be bombarded with birthday wishes, but all of the nobles paused when they saw one man approach him.
Luke didn’t need anyone to tell him which noble family the man came from. His blond hair gave it away, along with the fact that Leon followed behind him.
The crowd gave way for Lord Gregory to approach.
He looked down at Valeria as he spoke.
"It’s nice to see you again, Lady Valeria."
She, of course, couldn’t hear him, but responded with a nod out of courtesy.
The man then turned his head toward Luke, extending one hand.
Luke met it, and they shared a firm handshake.
"I have heard much about you over the past couple of weeks. Between my son and the noble gossipers, tales about you have spread."
"It seems they have. I hope Leon didn’t oversell my abilities. I am still just an F-Rank explorer."
Leon laughed softly, but Lord Gregory didn’t bother looking at his son.
"I do not know if he oversold your abilities, but it is rare for him to praise the skills of others, considering he has never had a peer at his level. Speaking of my son, on behalf of the Gregory family, you have my thanks for bringing him back alive. He surely would have died if you had not been in that rift with him."
"I just did what was necessary to survive. It was Leon who approached me to enter the rift with him. He should be thanking whatever intuition led him to that decision."
Lord Gregory glanced at his son, letting out a laugh of his own. Unlike Leon’s nervous chuckle, it was one of genuine amusement.
"Indeed, indeed. Either way, I still have to thank you. My appreciation will be apparent in your birthday gift, as well as your share of the academy’s compensation."
He reached out his hand again for another handshake, which Luke reciprocated.
"If you ever get bored talking to all these selfish nobles, don’t hesitate to come over to our table. You are welcome at any time."
With his parting words, Lord Gregory and his son left, but not before giving Valeria a respectful bow.
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