"Quesions? Sure, what's up?" Hel asked enthusiastically.
"I'm wondering… do you think I'll do anything at this party?"
When he spoke, he lowered his voice slightly, not for the people listening, but he wanted Hel to feel like he was, after all, which girl doesn't like secrets.
"Umm… I don't really know, but it seems like you will, after all you were willing to spar with Bin for it" Hel answered calmly, her voice was also low.
To those who couldn't hear the details of their conversation, it would seem like they were whispering some intimate words to each other, but to the Saints, it was just a Prince speaking of if he would crash a party hosted by a Supreme.
"So, does Her Majesty know anything about what I'm about to do?"
"I don't know, Mother didn't say anything, just…" Hel went quiet for a moment, then shook her head slightly, "nevermind"
"I see…" he nodded in understanding, even when slightly enthralled, she still wouldn't reveal the slightest information about her mother.
"So she knows then… after all concealment of that level might be able to fool Saints but it can't fool a Sovereign inside their domain, especially one that deals with puppets"
He spoke as if talking to Hel, but his eyes were locked with Ki Song's, and as usual, she held her motherly smile, not refuting his words.
'tsk…' he clicked his tongue inwardly.
"So… what are you going to do?" Hel looked up at him.
He smiled and whispered in her ear.
"I'll tell you just because you're cute… I'm planning a trade"
"A trade? What kind?"
"Simple, I'll give up a few of my secrets in exchange for less questioning"
"That's what happens after you cause trouble, what happens before?"
"I'll play a song for you… will that be okay?"
Hel raised an eyebrow, "you're planning to play me a song?"
"Yes…"
"Which one?"
He smiled proudly, "I wrote one, specially for you"
"You wrote a song?"
"Ofcourse, who do you think I am?"
'It's not like the original composer can sue me for copyright here…' he chuckled inwardly.
Hel looked at him suspiciously, then smiled.
"I can't wait…"
At that moment, the music drew to a close. Hel's enthrallment had already ended a while ago, it was when she started asking what he was going to do. Although she probably noticed something wrong, she didn't call him out, and their intimate dance finally drew to a close.
"Would love to have a drink… I remember you saying you hadn't had one" He smiled as he led her towards the delicacy section, his target was that large cake.
"Since you're offering, I naturally can't refuse" Hel smiled as they walked forward.
She showed Eubin a smug smile as they passed, after the dance, who would dare say she's inexperienced now. Eubin scoffed and turned away.
As they arrived in front of the cake, he met Cara there again, and surprisingly, Seishan was with her.
"What's going on with you two?" Seishan was the first to ask.
As an Ascended, she was not able to pick up the details of their whispering through the noise, so she just assumed they were talking while dancing, and now, away from the dance floor, they were still hand in hand.
"How's that any of your business… if you're jealous then maybe you should've returned from your nightmare sooner" Hel proclaimed proudly.
Seishan looked between them, then her eyes settled on him.
"Are you sure you haven't been enthralled unknowingly?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hel glared slightly at her.
"I mean, you're the least experienced aren't you?"
"Huh… that obviously isn't true, it's Revel!" Hel declared.
"What do you mean it's Revel?" A voice sounded from behind them.
Hel jolted slightly, "Rev! Stop sneaking up on people"
Merlin turned around to see Revel in a long black dress that covered most of her body, of all the people, she was the one who dressed most conservatively.
"Who doesn't have experience?" Revel asked again.
"We're obviously not including the things you read in your books" Hel crossed her arm below her chest.
Merlin was obviously not interested in their squabble, he was already cutting off a piece of the cake l, he just hoped his large cut wouldn't destabilize the balance and fall the entire thing, after all he wasn't exactly cutting it from the top.
"Women are fighting over you and you're over here eating… are you even normal?" Cara, who wasn't involved in their discussion, moved closer to him.
"They're not fighting over me, I'm just the insignificant thing that started the situation" he shook his head dismissively, "it's just like how a butterfly flaps it's wings and tornado happens, or how an archer shoots a butterfly, and a city almost gets destroyed"
"What does that mean?" Cara asked, confused.
"It's a butterfly effect scenario, how the tiniest of things cause the biggest of calamities" he shrugged.
"Is that a thing?"
"Yes… it is"
"By the way, do you want to dance?"
"No… I feel like everyone's watching you, so I'll just avoid the attention" Cara refused flatly, she was naturally able to sense when she's being watched, and ever since Merlin got close to her, she had been getting that feeling.
"Suit yourself then…" he picked the plate and walked towards the others.
"Revel… you're looking very beautiful today" he complimented.
"Don't patronize me you playboy" She scoffed.
"Ouch, that's how you see me, that's just cruel" he clutched his bleeding heart, then sighed, "anyways… is Her Majesty free, me and Cara want to see her"
"Why am I following you?" Cara, who heard her name, objected.
"Why's she with you?" Revel looked at him suspiciously.
"I think the more important question is…" he looked at her dress, "why are you dressed in [Elemental Darkness] at a party, did you run out of clothes?"
Revel's suspicious gaze turned into a full-on glare as she walked towards him menacingly. Merlin obviously wasn't going to get caught, so he politely excused himself by holding on to Cara's shoulder, and using [Blink] to reappear near Ki Song.
"Your Majesty…" Cara bowed even before he could utter a word.
Ki Song nodded in response then turned to Merlin with a light smile.
"You seem awfully at ease with my daughters"
Recalling the fact that he enthralled one of her daughters earlier, he coughed lightly in embarrassment and stated his purpose.
"Lady Song, I might need your help"
"You want to play Hel a song?"
"Well, yes"
"Then simply tell them yourself, you're a Prince aren't you?" Ki Song raised an eyebrow in amusement.
His eyes twitched slightly, but his polite smile never changed.
'Fine… two can play this game'
He spotted Eubin by the side, then turned to her.
"Please take good care of my friend, I'll be back"
He turned to Cara and patted her shoulder, "you owe me one"
After all, it's not everyday one stands side by side with a Sovereign, if she leaves a good impression on Ki Song, then when a chance to become a Transcendent comes along, she would at least have an advantage over others.
He walked towards Eubin who held a glass of champagne in her hands, when she noticed him approaching, her face crumpled slightly.
"Oh wipe that hideous look off your face, I'm here to beg you" He smiled as he stopped right in front of her.
"You…" she dragged the word, "want to beg" she finished in a voice filled with disbelief.
"Ofcourse, I'll promise you one Transcendent level help, in exchange, you just have to help me with a minor in convenience"
"That's not begging," Eubin rolled her eyes.
"So, do you agree or not?"
"If I don't?"
"I'll meet Moon, she'll help me, and if she doesn't, I'll meet Silent, all I have to promise her is a spar…" he answered calmly.
"Revel was right, you are a playboy" Eubin sighed, "so what do you want?"
"It's just that I want to play Hel a song, and I don't want to go up there to tell them myself, so I want you to help me do it" he explained.
"Just that?"
"Simple right… so, will you help me?"
"Fine, but don't forget your words"
Before she left, he spoke up, "you don't listen in on your mother's conversation do you?"
"No, why would I do that?" She shot him a look that seemed to say 'really?'
"That's fine then" he waved and walked back to Ki Song, "I am awfully at ease with your daughters" he smiled smugly.
Cara leaned closer to him and whispered, "be respectful, you might get charged with treason"
He leaned even closer and whispered back, "you know she can hear you right, she can literally hear every conversation that takes place in this hall"
Cara shuddered slightly as her eyes drifted to Ki Song who was looking at them with a smile that showed pure amusement.
He added in Cara's ear, "if I get charged with treason, then you would end up as my accomplice, then we can run away together"
Cara turned to him, "who would want to run away with you?"
"I can see how you became close quickly" Ki Song spoke up softly, "you two are cut from the same cloth"
He chuckled, then turned to the stage where Eubin had just talked to the musicians, and the song had come to a stop.
"Well, that's my cue" he snapped his fingers, using [Flame Jump] to reappear on stage.
As he appeared on stage, he bowed slightly, causing the crowd to cheer slightly, then using an illusion, he made his voice reach the crowd.
"For today's special, I'd love to play a song to someone I hold very dearly… the title is Daylight"
Then he sat in front of the piano, then began to play a song he plagiarized.
[♪ Daylight— David Kushner ♪]
As he began to play, the atmosphere settled into a serene rhythm, the chatting crowd quieted down as everyone listened to his voice and the music.
"What a beautiful song, who knew that the monster everyone feared and respected in the Bright Castle would turn out to be a lovely singer" Seishan commented in a low voice.
"That's right… and the best part is, he's playing the song for me" Hel smiled proudly.
"Isn't that because he used it to avoid answering your question?" Revel countered.
"I don't see anyone playing you a song" Hel rolled her eyes.
"That sounds like a break up song though"
"The lyrics don't matter, it's the heart"
"Can we just listen to the music?" Seishan interrupted the two sisters.
..
"Your name is Cara right?" Ki Song spoke calmly, but her eyes never left the stage.
"Yes, Your Majesty" Cara straightened herself.
"It seems Merlin is rather fond of you despite you two just meeting today" Ki Song smiled.
"He's nice to be around… and he's different" Cara answered with deep breaths.
"Oh… different how?"
"He does whatever he wants, but not in a rude way, he's understanding, and he sees everyone as equal" Cara explained what she had noticed while being with him.
"That's mostly true…" Ki Song nodded, then faced Cara, "Ascended Cara, how do you feel about moving to Ravensong?"
"By your request Your Majesty" Cara bowed respectfully.
"Good… after the party, meet Hel to show you to the dream gate so you can place your anchor there, and tell her to inform the Saint in charge of your citadel" Ki Song smiled then turned back to Merlin who was still playing.
"Thank you Your Majesty" Cara bowed again with a smile, even she knew what it meant to be placed in Ravensong.
..
As he finished playing, then gave a bow to the audience, the crowd erupted into a series of cheers and whistling, some people even threw flowers.
'Aren't you supposed to save these for when the Skinwalker comes?' he muttered inwardly as the flowers fell to his feet.
From his position, he could see the Song sisters clapping too, and Hel had a wide grin on her face. He used [Flame Jump] to exit the stage, appearing right beside Cara.
"Thanks for taking care of her, if you need me, I'll be by the delicacies" He bowed to Ki Song, then with a hand on Cara's shoulder he used [Blink] to appear beside Hel.
"How was the song?" He said with a smile.
Hel pulled his tie as kissed his cheek, "it was beautiful"
"Playboy…" Revel scoffed from the side.
"You're just jealous…" Hel said in a smug voice.
"So why were you playing Hel a song?" Seishan asked.
"He used it to dodge a question obviously, he's not nearly romantic enough to do it without an ulterior motive" Revel glared at Merlin who once again wasn't interested in them, but was picking out different types of food onto his plate.
"Look at him, he doesn't even have the slightest of idea what playing a song for a girl means" Revel pointed at him.
"Yo…" he waved.
"Don't 'Yo' me you scoundrel" Revel gritted her teeth.
"My bad Rev, I'll write you a song too"
"Who wants a song?" Revel scoffed and walked away.
"You're really different from the Merlin I know," Seishan commented with a smile.
"What can I say… I became better" he smiled.
"Did you really write that song?" Cara asked.
"Ofcourse, even I could hear his efforts through the music," Hel replied in his stead.
'Hey, it's not a lie if I don't say anything'
"Is that a new hobby you picked up during your time in the dream realm?" Seishan asked.
"It was during my second nightmare, but I'm really good at it"
"So while we were out struggling to survive, you were discovering a talent?" Cara looked at him in doubt.
"not exactly, but similar"
"And you have the guts to call yourself an Ascended" she scoffed
"The strongest at that, do you believe it… work smarter I guess" he smiled as he picked up a champagne glass.
Then he looked in the drink and said with a smile.
"Where have you been all this while?"