The banquet happened on the 22nd of Artuxia, near the conclusion of the first month of the year. It was considered a pre-holiday banquet, for the 26th was the day of the creation of the Empire.
The location of the festivity was in a cozy, small estate up north of the capital. The air smelled like wine and smoke, the floor was relentlessly hit by the shoes of dancing people, and the room was filled with talks about politics and the economy.
The expensive cellars above their heads lighted the floor, and the high windows showed the view of winter, which seemed way more beautiful from the estate than from the main streets of the capital.
Dozens of nobles were present in the room, all from different parts of the Empire, some of them having traveled for days before arriving at the estate.
People united around the large white table, filled with dishes and delicacies, to make social interactions.
Some of the nobles here had tremendous power and influence, while some were lesser nobles, often having received their status due to their history rather than their wealth.
Servants rushed in and out of the banquet hall with an efficiency beyond human comprehension. They brought out dishes and wine at a speed that seemed almost inhuman, though the nobles present did not seem to remark it, as they did not value the talents of mere servants of the estate.
In a table near the upper left corner of the room, far from the double door that led to the corridor, sat a noblewoman wearing a luxurious crimson dress with intricate patterns.
She had the allure of a mature lady, unlike her looks, which resembled those of a young lady in her best years for beauty, rather than her actual age, which was closer to 40.
Her hair was of a ginger color and was tied in a messy bun that looked splendid and perfectly paired with her light brown irises.
The crimson dress pooled around her feet and flowed around the chair she sat on. The lady was one of the most powerful nobles in the room, having tremendous influence in the capital. Other than Count Fomenko, she was most likely the strongest noble in Sredizmiye.
This lady was none other than the Countess Karina Rostova.
Her delicate hand held a glass of expensive red wine above the table, but it appeared she did not take even a single sip of the drink. Multiple nobles went to see her and socialize, but their attempts were only futile, as she quickly cast away anybody who dared come near her.
The Countess seemed bored beyond contempt; she did not stop looking at the entrance, as if waiting for someone to arrive in the room.
She waited and waited, almost for an hour, before the now closed double door finally reopened.
There, in the distance, she could see the two figures who stood at the entrance.
Out of the two people, she clearly expected one of them to come. There was little chance that Dmitri wouldn't come to the banquet. Not that he particularly enjoyed those, but it was some sort of duty for him as the most influential noble in the region of Zemedy.
The presence of the Count even put her at ease sometimes, even though they had a small-scale war of power; both of them understood each other very well and actually rather enjoyed each other's company.
But the second person next to Count Fomenko was one that she totally did not expect.
It was a woman taller than the Count. Her white hair was styled in a bob cut and did not even reach her shoulders.
She had eyes of the color gold, ones that she had never seen in any other person.
Her facial features were soft and of fantastic beauty. She thought it was almost a shame that she was this tall; she would've had a better chance of finding a husband if she were shorter, which was expected of a woman. Especially with her looks, she could've easily secured a good life.
The girl wore a Midnight-blue dress with silver accents and the skirt layered like feathers. It had a high collar, open shoulders, and flowing sleeves.
All of the people at the banquet turned their gazes towards the girl.
Could she be…
The girl suddenly joined her arm with the Count's as they walked towards the tables far from the entrance, near the Countess.
Dmitri's daughter?
I knew he had a daughter, but I had never seen her, nor had anyone, for that matter.
But don't they look completely different?
She recollected herself as the two people who she supposed were father and daughter, approached her table.
The Count bowed slightly to her. "Good evening, Karina. Could my daughter and I sit at this table?"
She looked at both of them for a few seconds, putting a weird tension in the air, before she snapped back to reality.
"Sorry, I was not focused at all. Sure, you can sit here." She smiled at the two of them as they both sat at the same table as her.
"Ha! What a pain it was to come here. Can't they just make their banquets closer to the city?"
"You know how they are. No way they would dare approach the commoners, Ha!"
Both nobles laughed at the situation.
Dmitri caught a servant and asked for a bottle of wine.
Unlike the Countess, Dmitri was quite a wine enthusiast. Over the years, he had gained a reputation as an expert and even worked as a sommelier for quite some time in his younger days, which was when he had met the Countess.
They were both about 18 at this time and immediately became good friends. Dmitri then went on to get married to his wife and distanced himself from Karina. But now that his wife had unfortunately passed away, he started talking with the Countess once again.
"I didn't know you would bring your daughter today?" She asked the nobleman as his bottle arrived.
"She wasn't supposed to come at first, but she ended up accepting after I got on my knees." Dmitri expressed a smug smile of victory.
Karina sighed heavily. She could not believe her ears. The Count begged on his knees for his daughter to attend a stupid banquet. It seemed like a joke to her.
But she was not all that surprised.
Even though they had barely seen his daughter, every noble knew how much Fomenko cared for his family.
It was normal for him to miss important meetings because of his wife in the past. Perhaps this was why he started coming more often as a token of apology.
Karina turned her body towards the young lady and asked. "Sorry, young lady, I don't think we have ever met. I am Countess Karina Rostova, and you?"
The lady waited a bit before responding.
"I am Anastasia Fomenko."
"…"
Solatin woke up in cold sweats from the dream spell. Having seen some of His most terrifying experiences in front of His very eyes, it was no surprise to see the Sun God reacting as such.
He wiped his forehead, swaying His golden hair in its way.
He looked around the fog, only to see His angel still asleep on the ground.
He approached the androgynous being and shook her slightly, not expecting much as the spell was enough for Him to feel fatigue.
Surprisingly enough, Longel immediately woke up without any difficulty. He suddenly remembered that He was the one to possess the memory of the original Longel, making it impossible for the angel actually to dream of Her past.
After waking up, Longel apologized profusely, bowing to Her master in front of Her
"Do not worry, Longel."
The angel came back to Her position next to the throne and remained there.
Solatin also sat back on the throne and adopted a nonchalant position of thinking.
So this was the 509th game.
Seeing memories of the previous game did startle me, but in exchange, I did gain some insight into myself.
Was there any way for me to have prevented this outcome?
He scratched His chin, trying to think about the answer to His question.
Well, it is of no use to think about the negative points; I will remain focused on what is essential.
It appears as if I lost because of Arsene's treason. I knew he was always the intelligent kind, but not that much.
Who knew the Great Paladin of the Livanian Empire would actually be a cold-blooded and merciless murderer?
"Better luck next time."
Why would he say this to me?
I know he was aware of it being a game for us, but I don't think I ever told him there would be other games after this one.
Hmm.
If only I could find him somewhere.
I do have access to the dimension of order, but it would take an eternity for me to find his soul, if it even is there.
Who knows what this guy could've done after my death? He had the ability to become a God if he wanted. Well, a Devil in his case, but it remains a form of transcendence nonetheless.
And for the timeline…
I actually have no idea how it works.
Our worlds are technically not connected to each other by time, but it does exist for both dimensions.
So would he become a Devil in the Fourth Heaven, or a future one?
I will probably never know.
The Sun God pulled the human world back into His hands, going back to observing the play in front of His eyes.
Just before His consciousness entered the human world, a sudden thought entered the Monarch's mind.
A thought that bothered Him quite a bit.
Were his eyes always turquoise?