Chapter 51- Fragment Of The Shadow Monarch's Dagger (Part 1)
Returning to the party, Rin found the guests standing near the staircase that led to the second floor and where the king and the star of the party come from. This was the common occurrence in such parties as the king should give a speech before his daughter or son came out and started receiving gifts from the people around him.
'It's about to start.' He thought to himself as he watched from the sidelines.
He didn't have any reason to get closer nor did he want to get closer. He just wanted the party to end peacefully so that he could go back and resume his training and preparations for the academy.
'I seriously hate places like these. They are not made for me.'
[You will have to bear with these things from now on, host. The greater you become, the more attention you will get.]
'Can't I just get stronger in peace?'
[You are asking for the unreasonable, host. You already know how greedy and curious your kind are.]
'I know, I know. I was just voicing my dreams. Look, here he comes.'
From upstairs, the king came down slowly. His aura immediately took over the hall as everyone fell silent watching him in awe and respect. His demeanor was indeed worthy of respect as it showed nothing but deep pride.
"First of all, I must thank all of you for accepting the invitation to my daughter's birthday. I am truly grateful for it." He said with a loud voice.
His domineering tone made everyone unconsciously fall silent and listen quietly for his speech. After that, the king started speaking about many topics that surrounded his daughter, the royal family, and some other matters.
'So boring. Just cut to the chase man.' Rin rolled his eyes as he sipped the rest of his cup of juice silently.
He had no idea when this speech will be over so he decided to search for Elise. He didn't have a chance to speak with her since he came here.
'There she is. Damn, she also looks bored like me.'
Elise was standing on the other side of the room, and around her were many people. Most of them were handsome young men and women.
They were all sons and daughters of nobles from around the kingdom that came here merely to speak with Elise. The birthday was a secondary thing.
'They are quite smart. Creating a relationship with Elise before the start of the new school year will help them greatly. Sigh, I can't imagine myself turning that sly anytime soon.'
[You lack the mental capabilities to do that, host.]
'And you lack a brain! Just shut up!'
[Yes, host.]
As he was having that banter with his system, Elise looked at him from the corner of her eyes. She could see that he was looking at her too but his eyes were not focused on her. It was as if he was looking at something else.
'Is he talking with his system?' She wondered.
Then, she sighed and started walking toward him. The other youngsters around her were surprised by her weird behavior. One of the handsome boys asked her curiously.
"Where are you going, your highness?"
"I have some matter to deal with." She replied coldly without stopping for a second.
The group looked at each other and then at the person the princess was walking to. Many of them didn't know him at first but one of them quickly recognized Rin.
"That's the son of Duke Silvereye."
"Oh! That boy? I never met him before?" A girl muttered.
"Does he know her highness?"
"Who knows? But, her highness does seem to know him since she's walking toward him."
"Or maybe she just wants to strike up a conversation with everyone and not leave anyone alone."
"That may be the case. Her highness is truly the epitome of benevolence and kindness."
And just like that, the group's respect and awe for the princess increased exponentially without her knowing anything about it.
"You seem bored?" When she reached Rin, Elise said.
"I'm just trying to pass the night quietly." Rin kept rolling the cup in his hand without looking at Elise.
"Beating up my brother doesn't seem like 'passing the night quietly' for me."
Rin visibly froze in his place and then, his eyes shifted toward Aria who was watching the speech from up close next to his father and mother.
"She told you, huh?"
"I would've known either way."
"Sigh, well. I wasn't intending to hide it, anyway."
"What did he do?"
"It's a long story."
"Then make it short."
"He tried to assault Aria so I dealt with him."
Rin wasn't looking at Elise at the time or he would've been taken aback by her reaction to his words. Her teeth clenched a frown appeared on her delicate face for a split second before vanishing completely.
"I…"
"If you want to say anything along the lines of 'I apologize for his horrible behavior'. You don't need to. I have nothing held against you, Elise. It's a mistake on my part."
"And now, for the last part of this beautiful evening. My daughter, Maria, please come out."
Their conversation was cut short by the appearance of the princess as she strolled down to stand next to her father. Maria was a gorgeous girl most likely younger than Elise by one or two years at most.
She had an adorable face and a petite body that provoked the men's desire to protect her and cherish her. Her long blonde hair dropped to her shoulders and her black eyes were glowing faintly with a young innocence that was still not touched by the world.
'Why do I have a feeling as if this girl is…'
"She's one of the heroines."
Rin's eyes widened as he started back at Elise. He was rendered speechless.
"Yes, she is indeed a heroine. After I rejected the protagonist, she ended up helping him and they quickly became friends. You know what happened next."
pαпdα-ňᴏνêι·сóМ "I wasn't shocked about that."
"Hm?"
"Your mind-reading abilities are scary, Elise. It's as if you could read my mind." Rin said jokingly.
"..."
"She looks like a typical 'happy-go-lucky' girl. Any boy will fall for her instantly with that personality."
"Did you fall for her?"
"Huh? Obviously not. I'm just stating the facts. Why did you ask me that?"
"No reason in particular."
"Hmm?" Rin hummed as he thought of something before a mischievous smile appeared on his face.
"Don't tell me. Are you jealous of her, Elise?"
The moment he spat out the last word, Rin's body shuddered as he felt a strong pressure coming from Elise.
"It's a joke! A joke! I didn't mean it." He replied as he shook his hands frantically.
Then, as if it was an illusion, the aura vanished and Elise replied.
"I was just joking. I returned your prank." Her face was still as serious as ever.
"Huh? That didn't look like a joke to me."
"It was funny."
"Beat me if it was!"
The two kept going back and forth idly without a care in the world. If the others saw how Elise was acting in front of Rin, they would die from shock or potentially be frozen in shock for eternity. Elise was never a friendly person at all so seeing her 'joke' around was a first for anyone.
Meanwhile, Maria had already started speaking.
"I thank all of you for this great night. I can't believe that my 15th birthday will be this joyful. I truly thank all of you for this great night." She said with a beautiful smile on her cute face.
Meanwhile, her eyes were secretly looking at a corner of the room where Rin was standing. She was taking glances at him from time to time curiously.
"Now! Maria shall receive your gifts. We will call for your names in order for Maria to properly thank you." The king said.
In a matter of moments, two butlers came out with a long list. After that, they started naming some people along with their gifts.
The gifts varied from jewelry to mana cores to dresses and everything in between. Maria kept thanking each and every person who gave her a gift. Her smile was truly like a warm breeze in the cold that melted the hearts of people.
As the gifts kept coming, Rin caught a glimpse of something in the corner of the room that he only noticed now when the gifts were pulled out. It was so eye-catching that he could see it from under the pile of gifts there.
"Rin?" Elise called for him when she saw his weird behavior.
However, the latter didn't respond and merely kept looking at the thing silently. His mind was completely occupied by it to the point where everything else turned into a blur in front of him.
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