Chapter 745: Announcement [2]

Bang—!

A fist smacked against a wooden table, shattering everything beneath.

"A dragon? A dragon...!?"

Several figures stood opposite him, their heads lowered. Neither of the two showed any expression as they calmly waited for the man in front of them to calm down. But that was easier said than done, as a seething voice came after.

"Marquis. Explain to me how this is possible."

Marquis Wilshire raised his head to stare at the pair of yellow eyes staring in his direction.

He bit his lips before eventually opening his mouth to speak.

"...I was made unaware of the situation. I previously checked the cat, and everything looked normal. It wasn’t a dragon. The power that it emitted was also not at the level where it should’ve been concerning.

"Then how can you explain the current situation?"

"I..."

The Marquis paused, his face turning grim as he raised his glasses up and eventually turned silent.

"There’s no excuse."

Regardless of what they did or tried, the results were set. Even if they went and protested the results, the chances of them being able to overturn the result were next to nothing. This was clearly the result that the current head of Central desired, and he was going to do everything in his power in order to maintain this result.

This fight wasn’t just a political one that involved the royalties.

It was also one that involved the nobles within Central. With the upcoming elections, this fight was set to determine who would have the starting momentum between all the parties involved.

Orson Rosemberg was now leading the race.

"How am I going to explain the situation to them? They’ve even gone as far as handing the Book of Enhancement to us. Thankfully, we didn’t lose that one. If we had lost that one, I wouldn’t even be able to save our own heads."

Biting his own nails, John sat back down on his chair.

The more he thought about the situation, the faster he started to chew on his nails.

This was far from the optimal results. While the fight didn’t directly dictate the winners of the battle, it put his sister ahead of him.

He couldn’t allow that to happen.

He had to win the throne.

Before John even realized, he was now starting to chew on the skin of his fingers. It was the subtle stinging sensation that he felt that made him realize this as he stopped. He raised his head again and looked at the two people in front of him.

He alternated his gaze between the two of them.

And then—

"Not all hope is lost."

The Marquis spoke up again.

"Not all hope is lost?"

John tilted his head, his gaze turning hazy as he looked at the Marquis. A sudden pressure filtered across the room in that moment.

"What could you mean by that? Do you have something in mind?"

Sensing the prince’s gaze, the Marquis pursed his lips before eventually nodding. He thought back to the fight and had even gone to visit Captain Albas. It was during that brief conversation that he came to learn up about an interesting fact.

"...The Ring of Nothingness."

He mumbled softly,

"It’s in the Evenus Child’s hands. If you reveal this information to ’them’, then I’m sure they might forgive this offense. In fact..." He paused, looking at the prince while adjusting his glasses. "It might actually support you even more. As you know, they’ve been trying to collect all seven artifacts for quite some time."

"....."

The room fell silent shortly after that.

Staring at the Marquis for a couple of seconds, the Prince leaned back on his chair while tapping his mouth.

Eventually, his yellow eyes flickered.

"You’re right."

A smile finally returned to his lips.

"This might actually be an opportunity."

***

"Ukh."

I fixed my collar while looking at the massive building in the distance. The place wasn’t anything crazy. It was no bigger than the estate that I stayed in.

Several figures moved about the grounds, each dressed in dignified attire that gave the place an almost ceremonial air. The atmosphere was tense, as if every step toward the entrance carried the future of the Empire.

...And maybe it did.

At the center of the courtyard, a grand fountain rose, its steady stream glinting beneath the fading light. Neatly trimmed bushes and carefully tended vegetation lined the path.

Above it all, the sun sank lower, staining the horizon with a soft orange glow that stretched across the sky.

’...Please don’t tell me it’s that.’

I adjusted my collar again while staring at the distant estate.

It wasn’t like I didn’t see this coming. It was bound to happen. The only issue was that I wasn’t really ready for it.

At least, not in this condition.

’It might also be true that I’m overthinking things. At the end of the day, I haven’t been told anything about it.’

But it was also true that I had been sleeping for the past couple of days.

I groaned silently.

Thankfully, looking ahead, I could see that nobody had yet to recognize me. This was primarily due to my using [Veil of Deception] to hide my face. I didn’t want to stand out too much.

At least, not in my current condition.

"How are you feeling?"

Leon stood next to me.

He was wearing a fine suit, one with the Evenus insignia, as his hair was neatly arranged. The fabric clung neatly to his frame, emphasizing the elegance of its cut. As he moved, passersby cast discreet second glances his way, drawn not only by his appearance, but by the way he carried himself.

’...He’s doing too much.’

I sighed and looked ahead.

I could see Kiera and Evelyn walking ahead. The two also attracted the attention of the people around us as they wore rather eye-catching outfits, matching the color of their eyes and hair.

I took a few steps to the side and moved into the building.

As opposed to the usual gatherings and banquets, the moment I entered the estate, the air was rather tense as people were segregated into a couple of distinct groups. The noise was rather hushed, and the food that was laid out was completely untouched.

All until—

"Mhm. Don’t mind if I do."

"...Wait!"

Kiera and Evelyn made their way towards it.

The two immediately caught the attention of a few nobles, but neither of them appeared to care as they bickered around the food area. I followed the two quietly before looking at all the neatly arranged food.

’I’m actually feeling really hungry. I haven’t eaten in three days...’

The moment I woke up, I was forced to change to attend this gathering. My stomach was just a few seconds away from rumbling.

’...I’ll just get something quick and be over with it. For now, I’ll get this.’

I settled my gaze on some cold food. It looked like some sort of meat dish that was placed on top of a small piece of bread. Picking it up, I had a bite of it.

But—

"...."

This...

This was tasteless.

I looked around.

’I know they’re probably almost out of money due to how much they’ve spent on the entire event, but at least hire a proper chef.’

Pursing my lips, I narrowed my eyes as I looked around. Just as I was about to move from my spot, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hm?"

I turned back to see Evelyn.

"You looking for this?"

"Oh!"

My eyes lit up as I saw her hold up a small glass bottle, with fine white granules inside.

Salt!

"Yes, that’s exactly what I’m looking for."

I nodded several times. As expected of Evelyn. She also noticed the problem with the food.

"Here. Let me put it for you."

"...Here."

I handed Evelyn my plate as she opened up the bottle and dumped the entire thing over my food.

"...."

I looked at Evelyn.

She looked back at me.

Before I could even get a few words out, she nudged at the food in my hand.

"Is this enough?"

"...You think?"

I looked at the food that was covered in salt. I couldn’t even see the food anymore.

’What’s gotten into her? Why did she suddenly dump so much salt on the food?’

Who did she think I was?

Now the food wasn’t even edible anymore.

"Look. I know that you want to mess with me, but—"

"No, I’m not."

Evelyn put the salt away.

"Just try it."

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the food. She wasn’t joking, right? However, looking at her and seeing her insistent expression, I relented and just brushed away some of the salt before taking a bit of it. The worst that could happen would be me spitting up the food.

But...

"Oh!"

The food was surprisingly well seasoned.

I couldn’t help but look at Evelyn in surprise. She really did know her stuff.

"....."

I stopped after a few bites. Taking notice of Evelyn’s expression, and then Kiera’s as she stood behind her, I pursed my lips and looked at the food in my hand.

"You want it...?"

The two just stared at me. Their eyes looked dead for some reason.

I was about to ask why, but before I had the chance to do that, a certain voice echoed through the surroundings.

"Looks like everyone has made it here for the end of the Rite."

As the crowd turned toward the source of the voice, a man in a pristine white suit emerged, each step ringing softly through the venue.

His very presence seemed to ripple outward, commanding the space without effort.

He wore a thin smile as he looked around.

At his side walked Delilah, dressed in her usual formal outfit, her deadpan gaze sweeping over the gathering before briefly locking with mine. For a fleeting instant, our eyes met until she shifted her attention elsewhere.

Though she wore nothing remarkable, Delilah needed no finery to draw notice.

Her very being demanded it, an invisible weight pressing down on anyone who dared stare at her for too long.

Together, the two advanced steadily toward the center of the hall.

Coming to a stop, Orson looked around.

The place fell silent. All eyes were drawn in his direction.

In that moment. In that silence.

I could almost hear the inner voice of everyone present.

What was the big announcement? What did he want to say...?

Their curiosity didn’t last for long.

"...I can practically see what everyone is thinking. In that case, I won’t drag the announcement for long."

Murmurs echoed.

The anticipation was high.

Then—

Orson turned his attention towards Delilah.

"I’m here to formally announce that my daughter is now engaged."

The surroundings turned completely still.

All eyes were locked in Delilah’s direction.

But soon...

Boom!

The place erupted into chaos.