Chapter 102
The birthday banquet of the First Prince, Kiser ben Britten, was one of the grand celebrations of the Imperial Palace, and it was probably because he was one of the closest candidates for the throne.
The banquet hall could hold over a thousand people, but it was packed to the brim, and the tables in a row were piled high with many dishes. Of course, the nobility, who were unconcerned about such delights, gathered in groups of three or five and started talking among themselves. It seemed that the nobles were more interested in furthering their own agendas before the main character arrived.
The topic of most conversations was naturally the ball, which was held annually to celebrate the birthdays of the princes and the princesses. The ball was grand and lavish, and it was a long custom of the Avalon Empire. As such, no noble would want to miss any ball, whether they were the prince’s ball or the princess’ ball.
A young man would naturally ask a lady for a dance. It was important for the daughter of an esteemed family to receive an invitation to dance because it would be a great humiliation for them if no one were to invite them to dance. Setting aside the impact it would have on her family, it also meant that the lady lacked any feminine allure.
Nobles live for their own glory, so they tended to choose a partner of similar status. As such, even if the outward appearance of the lady were less than satisfactory, the young man would be willing to ignore it.
The First Prince’s partner by the end of the night was an important matter that concerned the ladies in the banquet hall. And the one who had the most invites for a dance would become the First Prince's partner. As such, there were five or four young ladies gathered in the corners of the banquet hall, discussing the subject.
With a sigh, a young lady with light brown hair from a viscount family said, “Just once, I wish I could be His Highness’ partner.”
“Don’t even think about it. You know that means besting the women from the more powerful families, right?” Another young lady standing next to her said while pointing at the dance floor in the middle of the banquet hall.
She was pointing at the gathering place of the daughters from the Twelve Families as well as the daughters of powerful counts. Those ladies gathered in a conspicuous location that drew the most attention from the nearby nobles.
“It’s just my own wishful thinking! You didn’t have to take it seriously.”
“I just want you to have a more realistic dream, girl.”
“What are you talking about? It’s a dream because it’s not realistic.”
Another young lady with light blonde hair, a petite build, and an adorable visage lifted her finger. It attracted the attention of the other ladies, and she tilted her head before asking, “Apart from the First Prince, who is our empire's most popular bachelor?”
One of them thought about it for a moment before responding, “Young Master Babel?”
The petite young lady shrugged. “There’s someone else aside from Young Master Babel. Of course, he’s going to become a Master in ten years, but I meant appearance-wise rather than talent.” At that, the petite young lady’s eyes turned blurry as if she was thinking about someone.
“Ah, there she goes again.”
“I think she’s sick. Young Master Veron didn’t really impress me with his looks.”
“Wait, what? Young Master Veron is here? Where is he?” asked the petite young lady.
“Now that Senna mentioned him, I think I want to have a look as well. Sadly, there are so many knights around that looking for him would be like finding a needle in a haystack.”
“Ah, right, isn’t Senna’s father a Battalion Commander of the Imperial Knights Order?”
At that, Young Lady Senna revealed a smug look as she responded, “That’s right. And you must be aware that the Imperial Knights Order has many attractive men.”
“Yes, it’s true. I mean, I know the training is hard, but at least no one from the Imperial Knights Order looks like the unlucky son of Count Shibre.”
“Hey! Lower your voice!” one of the young ladies anxiously warned as a large-framed man rolled his way toward one of the tables filled with dishes in the middle of the banquet hall.
The same young lady briefly looked around before saying in a low voice, “My father told me something. Apparently, Count Shibre discovered a mana stone mine that produces an annual income more than what the empire earns in several years!”
“Does that even make sense?” asked Senna with wide eyes.
“Yes. My father oversees the Secret Treasury, and he apparently saw high-grade mana stones being deposited into the Secret Treasury, and of course, it’s from Count Shibre.”
Senna muttered blankly, “Oh my God... If that’s true, then Avalon will have one more pillar to rely on, right?”
The whistleblowing young lady nodded and said, “I believe Count Shibre’s goal is to add another seat to the Twelve Families making it thirteen! His Majesty is happy with what Count Shibre had done, so it’s possible because His Majesty is definitely happy with him. It won’t hurt to add another family as well, especially with the current affairs and all.”
“Uh-uh, I don’t like this. I’m not dancing with someone who looks like that..”
Senna felt a shiver down her spine, and she trembled while looking at Count Shibre's eldest son.
Even though it wasn’t particularly hot outside, he looked like he was drenched in oil. His face was bloated with an excess of fat, and two pinholes which were apparently his eyes could barely be seen.
As the daughter of a knight, Senna despised men who couldn’t look after themselves.
It would be endurable if only Young Master Pigge set Shibre’s outward appearance were disgusting. Unfortunately, he was particularly infamous for his anger management issues and the shameless way he often flirted with noblewomen from other families.
“Where is he going?” Senna muttered with a grimace.
“I think he’s heading toward Young Lady Natasha of the Broly Family.”
“Natasha mun Broly?”
At that, Senna shook her head as she stared at the central area of the banquet hall with a disturbed expression. There was a young woman there whose head looked like broccoli and who was dressed in an eye-catching red dress. No further introduction was necessary because everyone here knew who she was.
“That’s not a very wise choice...”
“What do you mean? He’s aiming for a young lady who is on the same level as him.”
Senna’s words were met with a shrug from the other young ladies.
“A-Ahem…” Pigge nervously fiddled with his clothes. He coughed to attract Natasha’s attention before saying, “Lady Natasha, if it’s not too much, will you dance with me?”
“Huh?” Natasha, with her signature bright green hair, turned around.
The corners of her lips twitched when she found Pigge standing there.
‘This pathetic pig…!’?Natasha inwardly swore, but she tried her best to maintain her outward grace.
Was she concerned about the consequences of refusing Pigge’s offer?
Not at all!
The elders’ job was to take care of issues that could arise here. It wasn’t the job of the young generation. Natasha thought that she simply had to make sure that she would shine here and best the other ladies.
Natasha held back from cursing because she knew that if she were to respond in bad taste, her image would be shattered. If that were to happen, then there was a huge chance that the young men of the other noble families wouldn’t invite her to dance, not to mention the First Prince.
‘Yes, calm down, Natasha. Think about His Highness. Make this pig your stepping stone!’
Natasha quickly became aware that all eyes were on her, and she broadly smiled as a result.
“You’re Young Master Pigge set Shibre, right? I have heard how your father contributed a lot to the prosperity the empire is enjoying.”
Upon hearing that, Pigge’s chest puffed. His heart started beating faster as well as he burst out into laughter and responded, “Grunt.?It’s nothing. We were just serving His Majesty.”
Afterward, he extended his hand and asked once more, “Lady Natasha, may I have this dance?”
In response, Natasha hurriedly apologized, “My apologies, but what should I do? I’m not in the mood to dance right now.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Please accept my heartfelt apologies, Young Master Pigge.”
Natasha gently bowed without allowing him another chance to speak.
With that, Pigge couldn’t say anything anymore, but it was clear that he was unwilling to give up.
After all, she wasn’t just the daughter of a higher-ranking family—she was a Broly—with all the prestige it entailed.
“I didn’t notice that you were feeling unwell. Please accept my apologies for being so insensitive—”
“No, please don’t say that. You’re making me feel sad because I had to turn you down.”
A few young men from other noble families noticed how Natasha maintained her humility while shaking her head apologetically with a sad smile toward Pigge.
“Marquis Broly's young daughter really has a lovely heart.”
“Right? She can turn down the lower-class children without offending them or marring her pride.”
“As expected from a member of the Twelve Families.”
Natasha’s smile deepened at the remarks of the young noblemen.
‘Everything is going according to plan…’?she thought.
Meanwhile, Pigge had an ugly look as he walked away. It seemed he had no idea about Natasha’s thoughts.
“Damn it,” he cursed. However, the music reverberating throughout the banquet hall dampened his voice. No one heard what he said aside from his nearby friends.
“She’s not even my type at all! I was just interested in her because she’s a part of a family with a bit of influence, and she actually dared to refuse me?!”
Pigge wheezed in fury, and his cheeks reddened, making him look like an oversized tomato.
“Don't be too upset. Aren't you just approaching her as the next successor of Shibre?”
“Natasha is also infamous for turning down men.”
“How foolish of her to treat Count Shibre's son so casually.”
Pigge’s friends remarked.
Meanwhile, the nearby children of low-ranking nobles rubbed their hands together as they approached Pigge. However, Pigge didn’t really care about them. After all, it was only normal for people to gather around someone with power. It was only natural that he had many people surrounding him because of his influence.
“Kuhum…” Pigge coughed, feeling a bit better.
“Let’s just go somewhere after the banquet, I know a place—” said one of his friends.
“Oh sure, I'm a bit excited because it’s your suggestion, Baron Trax.” Pigge smiled. He could finally smile now that he was feeling better.
However, their conversation was interrupted by the steward.
“Lady Charles di Pontier has arrived!”
Pigge instinctively turned toward the entrance at the steward’s announcement.
“...!” Pigge's tiny eyes widened.
A red-haired beauty made her entrance in a beautiful white gown.
Pigge had seen many ladies throughout his life, but even he was taken aback by Lady Charles’ petite stature with all the curves in the right places.
“I heard that Lady Charles is one of the top three beauties of the empire.”
“It has been a while since I saw her. The Pontier family is on the decline, but I guess that’s not really related to her beauty.”
Pigge froze at the remarks he had heard.
“Young Lady Charles of the Pontier family, you say?” Pigge muttered with a smile.
It didn’t matter even if the Pontier Family was on the verge of breaking apart, the daughter of one of the five dukes would still be a fantastic and appropriate companion for him.
‘This is gonna be fun!’
Pigge licked his lips. He had just suffered a rejection earlier, but it seemed as if it didn’t even happen in the first place. Having made up his mind, Pigge cautiously started walking in Lady Charles’ direction.
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