Cale was confident.
— I wonder if Taylor has met His Highness yet?
- We'll find out now. But I don't think he's found me yet.
- Why?
— For his own safety. If he shows up at dinner in front of everyone, Venion won't be able to touch him. A crippled older brother and a power-hungry younger brother. All eyes will be on them.
"Awww… Well done, Taylor!"
By the time the prince finished speaking, the door to the hall was finally opened.
"Just in time".
A wheelchair rolled into the banquet hall.
Taylor Stan, the paralyzed eldest son of Marquis Stan. He rode into the banquet hall in a wheelchair, pushed by Mad Priestess Cage. At that moment, Taylor and Cage's gaze quickly passed Cale, and no one noticed. But for these three, such a fleeting contact was enough.
*Bang!*
The door to the banquet hall closed tightly once more. Taylor Stan was dressed in a luxurious formal robe, and although he was in a wheelchair, a relaxed smile played on the young man's face. Priestess Kage was also dressed in the robe of the priestess of the God of Death.
"They probably decided to reveal their identities."
Cale thought it was a wise decision. The Temple of the Death God might have some headaches over this, but why should Cage care?
- What is this…?!
A shocked, angry voice came from the northwest table. When Cale turned to look at him, Venion had already jumped up from his seat in a fit of anger and was glaring at Taylor.
- This is probably the most terrible day in the life of Venion Stan.
"You know, I'm beginning to suspect that Young Master Cale won't rest until he humiliates Venion in every way possible."
- Well, it seems he knows how to take revenge masterfully.
It was a reaction that was usually impossible to see on Venion's face, and these actions went against the accepted etiquette among the nobles, but Venion was in no condition to care about maintaining etiquette right now.
The black dragon was delighted with the strange man's methods. Without doing much, he had caused more trouble for Venion than he had ever seen in his entire life. If this continued, he would not mind waiting to kill him. Let him suffer a little longer.
Cale looked up at the top of the platform. Crown Prince Alberu waved his hands and began to speak.
"I didn't expect to see Marquis Stan's eldest son, Taylor Stan, and the priestess of the Death God here.
The Crown Prince seemed happy. Taylor paid his respects, still sitting in his wheelchair:
- I heard that an opportunity has arisen for the nobles of the kingdom to meet and speak with Your Highness. I apologize for coming uninvited.
Crown Prince Alberu had a grin on his face. Cale could tell from that grin that Alberu had correctly understood what Taylor meant when he mentioned the possibility of talking to the Crown Prince.
"The other 'me' has probably forgiven Taylor for any mess he made with his appearance. 'Me' must be so thrilled!"
"I have asked for a representative of each noble house to be present here, but if a noble house has no representative, there is no problem with whoever shows up. You were probably a little upset that I only sent one invitation to the Marquis's house, weren't you, Mr. Taylor?"
- A little, Your Highness.
Cale looked at Venion. A noble house without a representative. Although it had not yet been officially announced, everyone already knew that Venion was to be the Marquis's successor. It was obvious that the Crown Prince's words had cut Venion's heart. This was probably because Marquis Stan was close to the Third Prince.
Several curious glances were directed at the prince, but no one said anything. Succession was a strange thing. Especially in royal families. And he was the one on the team to save the world, not the other princes of Roan.
"It's a little weird."
Cale thought it was strange. Although he wasn't particularly interested in it, looking at him now, it seemed that even if the King cherished the Third Prince, it wouldn't be easy for him to replace the Crown Prince.
"Stop thinking about it! Think about someone else before you come to some unexpected conclusions! I ask the God of the Sun!"
However, the Crown Prince was extremely considerate and cautious in his treatment of the second and third brothers in the novel, and Marquis Stan was close to the third prince. The other factions also had a prince they supported.
"There must be something behind this."
Naturally, this "something" was something Cale didn't want to know about.
"I adore you!"
- I'm sorry you're upset, but I'm glad Mr. Taylor looks very healthy. It's been a while since we last saw each other.
Taylor smiled and replied to Albert:
- Your Highness, my legs can't move, but my arms, head, eyes, ears, mouth and everything else are still very much alive! No, in fact, they've become even stronger.
- I see. Indeed, you are still alive. I forgot about the fact that the strongest is the one who manages to live life to the end.
Cale saw that the Crown Prince was completely focused. He then turned to see that Venion's face had once again taken on the expression befitting of a noble scion of a marquis, but he was still looking at Taylor with a piercing gaze.
Cale found this situation quite interesting.
"This should be a fun show."
- In fact, he himself staged this show!
- And now he sits and has fun.
"But I must admit, the revenge on Venion in just ten minutes exceeds all my expectations.
— He cast a shadow of suspicion in his direction — from the nobles of the North-East; doubts — from the nobles of other factions. He hinted that Venion might be involved in the robbery of Viscount Tolts, and in the end he personally and comfortably brought his hated brother just in time for the holiday.
- How Venion will suffer...
The old butler thought with a grin that the Young Master would make a great assassin. It would be nice to see what he had in store for Venion Stan at the very end…
The Crown Prince, Taylor, Venion, and the nobles of the various factions. It would be fun to see the expressions on everyone's faces. It made Cale want to grab some popcorn. It was a tense situation that could flare up at any moment.
Choi Han, who, thanks to Cale, remembered what popcorn was, completely agreed with the red-haired man.
- What is "popcorn"? - The child, although enjoying the suffering of his tormentor, did not forget to notice interesting things.
Everyone shook their heads. Choi Han replied:
- It's a snack. In our world, they eat it when they observe something, just like we are doing now.
- What does this appetizer consist of? - Since food was within the chef's sphere of influence, he immediately joined the conversation. Food from another world was very interesting to him.
- If I remember correctly, it's corn kernels fried in oil. They're usually sprinkled with salt.
- Fried corn kernels? What's the charm of hard kernels, even salty ones?
- Oh! They're not hard! They explode and become like little clouds. They melt in your mouth.
The black dragon really wanted to try these "clouds". It seemed very funny.
Bikros nodded thoughtfully. He promised himself he would try making this popcorn. It sounded so simple and interesting.
— Popcorn also comes in caramel.
And after a moment of stupor in the room, no one expected this comment. In the same faceless voice, the God of Death added:
— The cheese one is still tasty. But the salty one is, of course, the best.
The chef decided to cook all the options. If God says it's delicious, who is he to not try to cook it? Especially the first in the world.
While they were discussing the finer points of the global snack, a lot of things happened on the screen, and several meaningless but extremely polite conversations, and Taylor sat down right next to Cale.
Alberu pointed to the group, and Cale quickly walked over to sit down. There was no chair next to him, but soon the space was occupied by a wheelchair:
- Nice to see you.
Taylor greeted the nobles of the Northeastern Region as he joined them. Kage naturally sat next to Taylor. The two, no, all three of them, including Cale, acted as if this was their first meeting with each other.
— Young Master Cale is not the only one with acting talent.
- It really does look very natural.
- Your Highness?
- Choi Han-nim?
"Why did you put Young Master Taylor next to Cale? With his reputation, I would have kept Taylor away from him." The sword master was genuinely curious. Cale said that the Crown Prince was very calculating in such things, so there must be a reason.
— You probably missed it while you were enlightening Mr. Bikros on the nuances of your native snacks. I seated Mr. Taylor next to Cale precisely because of his reputation. "I" need to keep Taylor safe untilsafe until I get a chance to talk to him alone, which means keeping him away from any factions that could influence him in any way. There is no single faction in the Northeast. Only followers who are afraid to make a move on their own without an order from their leader.
The swordsman nodded understandingly. So far everything was clear.
— And it's safest to put him with Cale. The Hanituses are a neutral family. Cale himself, according to my information, does not suffer from a thirst for power, which means he will not bother Taylor, just as he will not make a row at a royal reception. And the rest of the nobility will be afraid to approach them while any bottle is within reach of Lord Hanituses. So I took advantage of his reputation, that's all.
Choi Han admitted that if you look at it that way, it was actually a smart move.
- This is interesting.
Cale agreed with the Black Dragon who transmitted his words directly to his head and looked at the Crown Prince.
"Then, although the meeting is a little delayed, let us resume it," the Crown Prince announced the beginning of the meeting.
"I wanted to gather the people who will be the future of our kingdom and share a meal with them. Thank you all for coming, and I really hope we enjoy the food."
As soon as the prince finished speaking, servants entered the hall with different dishes for each table. At the back of the hall, an orchestra began playing unobtrusive music in the background.
It was different from a real holiday: a kind of mixture of a banquet and conversation, and the transition between tables was quite natural.
Bikros looked critically at the dishes being brought in. It looked decent, but he could have done better.
— Young Master Cale, we plan to greet the Crown Prince.
Cale nodded at Amir's statement and focused on the food on his plate. But his mind was working hard.
"What is he up to?"
There was no way the Crown Prince would have thrown nobles together without a reason. He definitely had some sort of purpose. Cale even had a few different ideas about what that purpose might be:
"It might be related to the war in the southern region of the Western Continent. Or that it will fall on the civil war that is coming to the Kingdom of Viper."
Everyone turned to the prince.
— Rather the first option. Getting into a civil war at this point in time is not in the interests of the Roan Kingdom.
Everyone nodded and returned to watching.
"I don't have to worry about that, so I'll just stay calm."
This matter was none of Cale's business. And so he began to enjoy the food in front of him.
- It looks delicious. It looks so delicious. Weak people cook very well.
Cale enjoyed his meal while listening to the envious comments of the Black Dragon. The food in the palace was very delicious.
— From my observations, the royal cuisine is indeed worthy of praise. But, given such resources, the food served could have been better.
- Really? - the dragon tilted his head to the side.
- True. From here it is clear that the sauce served with the meat is of the wrong consistency. It is not critical, but it does not allow you to fully enjoy the texture of the meat itself.
- Sweet Prince, did you hear? You need a new cook! Hire Bikros!
"Not in my life," the Crown Prince nevertheless tried to smile sweetly, but he couldn't. His twitching eye was in the way.
The princesses were in a giggly mood again, and the room filled with quiet giggles. Do they ever calm down?
His hand subconsciously reached for the glass the servant had left for him, but it quickly disappeared.
- Cale, just five minutes.
The youth nodded at Eric's sincere request and returned to his meal. The other nobles of the Northeastern Region watched him quietly. They were already in an awkward position, with ten families divided between different factions, but now this character who looked like an exploding magic bomb, Taylor Stan, was also part of their table.
People looked at Cale, who was able to eat calmly in such a tense situation, with curiosity.
- He likes to shock people.
- Literally doing nothing.
- Aha! Amazing, huh?
Cale heard the Black Dragon's voice in his head:
- By the way, this whole room is full of magical instruments for recording video.
- Oh...
Cale let out a sigh and began to smile. Anyone watching him thought that the boy was doing this because he had eaten something particularly delicious.
"Now I know one of the Crown Prince's goals."
Cale felt a sense of satisfaction from knowing one of the Crown Prince's goals.
First of all, the Crown Prince was watching the nobility. The Second and Third Princes naturally knew about it. This meant that the entire royal family was aware of what was happening.
"He figured it out quickly," Alberu smiled with satisfaction. Such people are rare among young nobles. Perhaps the whole secret is that he is not a nobleman at all.
Cale slowly stood up when he saw the three of them rise from the table and smoothed his hair slightly before speaking.
— Shall we go?
Cale stood behind the three successors of the noble families and headed towards the platform to meet the Crown Prince.
- Oh, our north-eastern nobles!
The Crown Prince greeted the four with a bright smile. Alberu shook hands with everyone who came to greet him.
Alberu Crossman. His blond hair and blue eyes made the prince look like a living version of a fairy tale prince. The beautiful blond hair was unique to the Crossman family, the ruling family of the Roan Kingdom. They called it the symbol of the Blessing of the Sun God.
Albert Crossman, who had not shaken hands with all who approached, winced slightly at this description, but no one saw it. Everyone was interested in how their acquaintance would go.
- Your Highness, we are glad to see you. Eric Wilsman meets Your Highness for the first time.
- Yes, yes, Mister Eric. Don't we have something to talk about?
Eric responded to the words of the Crown Prince, who smiled brightly as he raised the issue of investing in the coastline of the country's Northeastern region.
- Yes! I was waiting for the right moment to discuss this with you!
"I am also looking forward to this moment. You are the intelligent Young Master of the Count Wilsman Family. The Wilsman Family is responsible for entering the Northeastern Region and has been performing its duties very well. How can I reject this project?"
"He slowly subdues him."
- This is what they are like...
- Who, Miss Rosalyn?
- Sweet lips!
- AHAHAHAHAHA!
The prince rolled his eyes anyway. Who wouldn't?
Choi Han was just glad the ladies forgot about him. He was a "hero of justice" and all that, but he wasn't going to save the prince from this particular nightmare. It was every man for himself.
"Interesting".
Cale watched this quietly until it was his turn. The Crown Prince extended his hand to Cale, who bowed his head slightly.
Everyone was waiting impatiently to see what would happen next. Although there was no indication that anything would happen. Cale was planning to keep his distance from the Crown Prince, so it was in his best interest to keep quiet. Although no one had forgotten his strange notions of the word "quiet."
"Mr. Cale of the Hanityuz family, who is in charge of the very edge of our Northeastern region. This may be the first time I meet you, but thanks to Count Deruta's good work, we are no longer afraid of the Forest of Darkness. You don't know how comforting this realization is for me and everyone else.
Cale had only one purpose for attending this banquet.
"I heard that Mr. Cale has a very free spirit. I'm sure it's because the souls that were implanted into the sculptures by their creators in the Haniteuz family's territory gave you some insight? I feel that your free spirit makes your soul very pure."
It was probably hard to find praise for someone who was known to everyone as a complete nonentity. In that regard, the Crown Prince was simply amazing.
- Your Highness! I am amazed! You came up with so many compliments just for one guest! You know how to appreciate beauty, right?
"Miss Rosalyn..."
— Don't be so embarrassed! I'm praising you!
— …Yeah… Of course.
Cale sincerely grabbed the Crown Prince's hand as he began to use his sweet-tongued skill. Now iNow it was his turn.
The Crown Prince had blond hair and was dressed in formal attire. Cale had red hair and was also dressed in formal attire. Both looked relaxed. Cale's calm voice filled the air.
— I also felt something when I met Your Highness today. I realized that in addition to our current Sun, His Majesty, we also have you, the one who will shine at night to watch over the citizens at night. It was a beautiful image for my eyes.
- And what about you, Your Highness?
— …And what about me?
- Did you feel something too? Was it mutual?
— Miss Rosalyn!
Vitira laughed merrily, oblivious to the disrespectfulness of the whole situation. The others hid their smiles, too.
However, Choi Han didn't understand what the Crown Prince must feel in response. Was it happiness that Cale was behaving well at the reception?
Cale's voice was very calm and relaxed, and he looked very confident.
— … Is that so?
But the Crown Prince seemed confused for a moment before his expression returned to normal. Cale did not miss this change.
- Your Highness! - Rosalyn looked extremely shocked.
—…Yes? — He was afraid to hear what she would say next.
"You look so cute when you're embarrassed!" The shock was instantly replaced by a sly smile.
- Thank you, Miss Rosaleen! It is always a pleasure to hear compliments from such a great woman as you. You yourself shine like the sun itself, and therefore, hearing pleasant things from you is doubly pleasant!
Alberu just wanted the damn dinner party to be over.
Cale continued in an equally sincere voice:
- Indeed, Your Highness. I may not be able to sleep at night, for I have personally met you, the Star in the minds of our citizens.
- You have deprived the Young Master of sleep. You are such a disgrace!
Eruhaben honestly thought that Vitira would soon need a sedative. She was already breathing with difficulty.
The sword master tried to figure out why the Prince was ugly if he had done nothing.
Eric's jaw dropped, and Gilbert and Amira looked at Cale with disbelief. Cale saw the Crown Prince begin to think. It seemed to the young man that he had taken another step towards his goal: "distance from the Crown Prince."
At this moment, the Black Dragon muttered something strange:
— Why does this weakling call someone who dyes his hair with magic the Crown Prince? At this level, only a dragon as wonderful and powerful as me would notice. Would any other dragon dye his hair? No. Or is it some other type of power?
"Crap".
"Damn! I didn't think about the dragon."
Vitira's laughter suddenly stopped. Nine extremely shocked gazes turned towards Alberu, who now looked more like a statue in the Hanityuz Gallery than the statues themselves.
At that moment, Cale realized that he had learned another useless secret that he couldn't even tell anyone.
"Is this the mystery of birth before us this time?"
Cale didn't want to know about such things.
Cale smiled tenderly at the prince and fell into thought:
"I don't know. I don't know anything."
The Black Dragon continued to mentally reason about why any Dragon would ever use his magic on such a useless person and that he personally would never do such a thing, however, Cale himself tried his best not to listen to it.
- Hmm, his pupils are also colored. This weakling is definitely up to something. You, a weakling, should be careful.
"If you stop talking, I think I'll be okay."
- Hm? This man is not that weak. Weak man, be careful. You can die.
"Shit".
"That's for sure!"
And it was at this point that the room returned to its original form, thus marking the end of the fragment.
Alberu cursed every god he knew for this particular circumstance. If the fragment had continued, he would have had more time to consider the situation.
He didn't even think that the dragon would be able to open it so easily. Although he should have. It was a damn dragon. But they had spent enough time here, and there was not a single comment from him, and only now did it dawn on Alberu - it was impossible to feel anything in this room. That's why the child hadn't said anything before, he simply hadn't felt it.
- Your Highness...
"Yes, Choi Han-nim?" the prince answered, having come to his senses a little. He did not stop frantically considering his options.
- Why do you need to hide your appearance with magic? - The sword master didn't see any problem yet, but seeing how the blond tensed up, or not anymore, he realized that it was serious.
Everyone was waiting for an answer. Rosalyn and Eruhaben especially. Magic of such a level that a dragon, even an inexperienced one, mistook it for another dragon's magic must be hiding something very serious.
"The Crossman family values its members' appearances very highly, Choi Han-nim," the prince's voice was too tense to believe this excuse, but the swordsman nodded. He didn't want to pressure the prince.
The Black Dragon, like a curious child, of course wanted to know why the prince painted himself all over, but like a smart curious child, he decided to approach it from a different angle. He learned this from the Strange Man.
- Sweet prince! - he shuddered a little. - If magic hides you, then why are you still blond? After all, magic doesn't work here!
A surprisingly accurate observation for a four-year-old. Eruhaben hadn't even thought of it. Not to mention the others.
The prince in question opened and closed his mouth several times, but was unable to answer. He didn't really know the answer. The magic of the necklace should have dissipated at the beginning.
- My dear neat God, is this your job?
Someone teach this kid to give proper nicknames. Especially to Gods.
- No. It's not me. But it's the only magic that works here.
"Is this divine power?" the child continued his interrogation.
- No, my precious. It is not a divine power. Consider it a small gift to His Sweet Highness.
Rosalyn and Vitira snorted at the sweet nickname out of habit, but quickly pulled themselves together. Now was not the time to be merry.
"Great. Now the God of Death is making fun of me too."
Alberu didn't know how to react to all this right now. It was too unexpected. But whoever was responsible for this gift, he was very grateful to him.
His brain quickly calculated the options.
"It's not dragon magic, it's not divine power, then what?" The child turned to Eruhaben.
He had some guesses as to what exactly it might be. There weren't many options. Rosalyn started guessing along with him.
Alberu thought frantically. In his current situation, he had only two options. Both were about equally bad.
The first: to refer to the fact that this is an inconvenient
topic and wait until everything itself is revealed in fragments. But there was a huge probability that it was revealed under not very good circumstances. And the reaction could become even worse.
Option two: reveal the truth now and hope that the bad attitude can be corrected while they are here.
This was the safest option. He would get trust points for confessing himself. Mary would not tell him anything, Choi Han and the Black Dragon knew nothing about dark elves and dead mana. It would be easiest to gain their favor. Lock, Vitira and the Molanov duo were questionable. Lock, as a representative of the God-forsaken tribe, might be more loyal. The main problem was the sorceress and the elf.
Mages have always been prejudiced against dead mana. And for light and dark elves, it was the main reason for discord.
No matter how much you think about it, in essence, he has only one option left:
"I am a quarter dark elf. Therefore, hiding my true appearance is my key to survival. I hope you understand," he closed his eyes as soon as he finished speaking. All he could do was wait for the verdict and soften the blow.
Although my soul felt a little lighter. Just a little bit.
At first there was a deathly silence in the room. Alberu was still waiting tensely.
And the first thing he waited for was the full hands of a curious dragon.
- So you're as dark as I am? Yes? Can I see? Sweet prince, let me see!
Well, he wasn't wrong about the dragon. For now. That can still be fixed. Someone just needs to explain to the kid what it means.
"I am far from your rich and beautiful color, I am only a quarter dark elf, Dragon-nim," the prince said, patting the upset child on the head. It seemed that the only thing that bothered the dragon was that the prince was not black. Small favors. But the silence of the others was becoming more and more tense. He looked up and looked around.
Eruhaben and Molans looked at him with scientific curiosity, but not with hostility. Was Eruhaben really an elf? His reaction was absolutely not elven.
Choi Han looked surprised but calm. For him, the phrase "Dark Elf" meant nothing at all.
Locke looked at him with wide eyes, but with some understanding. The attitude towards beastmen was also so-so.
Vitira looked calculatingly. Mary sat with her hands clenched. She was worried about him. It was clear why Aunt Tasha loved her so much.
Rosalyn is left.
She looked at him in shock. She opened and closed her mouth several times, obviously collecting her thoughts, and finally exclaimed loudly:
— DARK ELF?
A loud cry made everyone flinch.
"I knew it. Although so far everything is going better than I expected."
"What's wrong with the dark elves?" the swordsman looked at Rosalyn.
— They... they... they... — in general, only one thought came to her about why it was bad. Dead mana. She didn't remember any other sins for them. But she only thought about it because Choi Han asked. She already suspected that there was a probable necromancer sitting to her left, and she decided to watch her and draw her own conclusions. It would be fair to give the prince exactly the same conditions, at least. And since she hesitated, lost in her own thoughts, the Ancient Dragon took the floor:
- They didn't do anything. It's just human prejudice.
Choi Han nodded gratefully. Who else should he listen to if not Cale or the smartest of them?
Alberu looked sharply at Eruhaben. He did not expect protection from him.
- Miss Rosalyn, I thought you had learned to see further here than they show.
The Death God's voice brought the sorceress out of her mental stupor, and she turned her attention to her surroundings again. The first thing she noticed was the Crown Prince, who was extremely tense. She could imagine how hard it was for him to tell them about this, since he had spent his entire life hiding. So she hurried to clear up the misunderstanding:
- Your Highness, I apologize for my inappropriate reaction! I was very surprised, that's all. I believe that you are a good person, so I will not judge you only by your origin. Forgive me for putting you in an awkward position. And it is a great honor for me to learn about this from you personally, - she said this with all her innate grace and ingrained ethics. Then she smiled reassuringly at Albert.
- Thank you for telling me, Sweet Prince! - the child climbed to hug him, now on his neck. The dragon was delighted that he was initiated into such a terrible secret.
Choi Han, the Molanov duo and Eruhaben also smiled calmly.
Vitira smirked at this. Dark elf or not, it was fun to mock the prince. She had been watching him the entire time they were here. This was the man she was supposed to work with. And so far he had shown himself to be a responsible and wise ruler. Smart, able to calculate moves and, most importantly, he really cared about his people. It was nice to work with such people. So far he had generated the most sensible plans. And, what can I say, he really was sweet. Especially when he sat there all confused with a dragon on his neck.
"He's a real 'dark elf enemy of the people', a confused teenager, that's what he is. Probably for the first time in his life," so what if he's twenty-three? She's two hundred and fifty. To her, he's like a child.
Mary finally relaxed her hands. If the prince was accepted, then not all was lost with her.
Alberu sat with his head down. He didn't understand what was happening. He hadn't expected such a warm welcome. He had expected at least one scandal. He was prepared for it. He had thought of an answer to any of the claims. But there were no claims. He was confused. In his entire adult life, he had never thought that something like this could happen. For him, exposure was the same as death. And here... Perhaps he was beginning to understand why everything had worked out well in that world.
Hugging the little dragon back, he raised his head and with the most sincerely happy smile in the last few years, in a slightly hoarse voice, said a single word:
- Thank you.