Spotting our table, which had my name on a stand at its center, the five of us approached it, and while three of us were accustomed to such an occurrence, Michelle and I weren't. "Whoa, this is fancy! Is that plate solid gold?" Whistling in awe, I picked up the gold plate, remarking how heavy it felt before placing it back down, causing the Madam to chuckle.
"Fufu, if you're surprised by this, Alexander, then you'd be shocked to know the utensils at the Royal table are made from solid platinum." Gesturing to the biggest table in the ballroom, my eyes slightly widened when I saw the whitish-silver color of the plates and utensils. "They're really flaunting their wealth, huh." Muttering under my breath, I softly shook my head and glanced at Michelle, who seemed too scared to touch anything.
Gently rubbing Michelle's head, easing her nerves, I glanced back at Gorgan. "So, Clampa didn't come?" "Ah, no, I had him stay home. It's still a delicate time for Cassandra, so I thought it would be a good chance for him to grow a little. Soon, he'll be taking the mantle of Duke." "Don't say that, Dear, our Clampa still has a lot to learn."
"How's he getting along? Has he gotten accustomed to his missing arm?" At my question, the two sported wry smiles. "Well, he's clearly frustrated; he'd lost his dominant arm after all, but he's adapting." "Have you thought about acquiring a potion for his arm to regrow?" Rather than respond, the duo just stared at me in silence and furrowed their brows in confusion.
"Oh, y-you're being serious, Alexander?" As Madam's slightly shaky voice escaped her mouth, I nodded and tilted my head, confused at her reaction. "Why would I joke about that?" "Ah, well, it's just, only Legendary potions can regrow lost limbs." "Surely the Roswald kingdom has at least one, right?" Raising my eyebrow, Gorgan softly sighed and shook his head.
"A Legendary potion specifically for healing? Unlikely, but even if they did, they wouldn't hand it over so easily. Even if I'm a Duke, they wouldn't give me just because I asked." Nodding in understanding, the two went silent, causing me to snap my fingers. "Oh, how about I introduce you to an Alchemist? She's a bit of a pervert, but her skills are incredible."
Gorgan and the Madam looked suspiciously at me, then glanced at each other before the former hesitantly nodded. "Um, sure, if you're suggesting her, I suppose we can look into her. What's her name?" "Kurama." Faintly smiling, Gorgan furrowed his brows, rubbing his chin with a thoughtful expression.
"Kurama? Hmm, I don't remember any alchemist with such a brand name; is she a part of the Mage Guild?" "Oh, sorry, I forgot popular alchemist uses brand name. Hmm, I think it was Foxy, hmm, got it! FoxyLady!" Snapping my fingers in eureka, I nodded to Gorgan, whose eyes widened in shock. "F-FoxyLady? THE FOXYLADY!?" Gorgan's voice got several octaves louder, causing several others to cast curious glances our way.
"Y-Yeah, FoxyLady, she's a friend of mine, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind at least meeting with you." At my words, Gorgan just stared at me in disbelief before laughing, his boisterous voice, unforgiving in this environment, managing to eclipse nearby conversations, causing some to look at us, or specifically him, in annoyance.
"Hahaha, to think you knew THE FoxyLady! I'm tempted to daughter just to marry her off to you." I just half-heartedly laughed at Gorgan's words as I could tell he wasn't joking, and that's what I found scary. "Haha, I've already got my hands full as is, Duke Gorgan. A-Anyway, let's discuss further details another time. I can't spend today talking to you solely; I should get to know some of the others." Wanting to extract myself from the conversation before he actually decides to do that, I gently pushed Jasmine and Michelle away while following right behind them.
"Haha, yes, yes. We'll discuss another time, good idea, Alexander… To think he knows FoxyLady, a legendary alchemist, even Monarch's trouble to get ahold of–" As Gorgan's voice faded into the background from the noise of other conversations, I heaved a sigh of relief. "Was he being serious, Alex?" "Haaa, sort of." Softly nodding at Michelle, I looked down, only to notice someone was standing in front of me, causing me to regain my composure as I raised my head, only to lock eyes with a beautiful woman.
Though as I looked at her, I couldn't help but feel something was off. Using [Heroes Gaze], I looked right through her fake appearance, gazing upon the real her, which happened to be a small, foot-sized pixie, and she was more charming than beautiful. "Eh, you saw through my illusion?" As my eyes returned to normal, I saw her shocked expression, causing me to flash a smile as I slightly bowed. "Alexander Vestalis at your service." 'Smooth, very smooth, Master.'
When I raised my head, her human form was gone, and what floated there was a pixie with butterfly-like wings; she had short brownish hair, bright blue eyes, and pale skin. "Vestalis? That name sounds familiar." Muttering under her breath with a thoughtful expression, she promptly shook her hand and flew around my head before floating just a foot away at eye-level. "Duchess Scarlet… I like you, you seem so friendly."
While I wasn't expecting to come across someone so straightforward, that just makes things easier for me. "I appreciate it, Duchess Scarlet; I try to get along with everyone. Better to have more friends than enemies." Faintly smiling, I introduced Jasmine and Michelle to her, causing her to faintly nod.
"I live in Cleotra. Visit sometime, Alexander." Smiling, Scarlet gave me a final look before floating away, causing the three of us to look at each other. "Well, that was weird." "She seemed nice though." As Michelle and Jasmine whispered amongst themselves, we continued to slowly walk through the ball, greeting any noble that approached us, which, let's just say, there was no shortage. It seemed to me that being the savior of Cassandra was no secret matter, not that I was expecting it to be.
Having greeted possibly the fifteenth noble, a pair, a lithe Elven woman, and a bulky demon with two large horns approached. "Count Alexander Vestalis, to whom may I have the pleasure of greeting?" Faintly smiling, I waited for them to introduce themselves, but neither did; instead, the latter skipped it and got straight to the point. "Join the Noble faction." Listening to the Demon, which was practically a threat given how intensely he was glaring at me, I inwardly cursed. 'Dammit, this is what I wanted to avoid. I did not want to get dragged into these nonsensical political battles.'
Honestly, I had been quite worried about this happening—well, that was until Jasmine explained things to me yesterday. Essentially, I was the weakest noble in terms of political power and influence; even if a noble or royal faction managed to gain control of me, I didn't hold much significance. Still, at the end of the day, for them, one more noble on their side is one less noble they have to deal with.
"Fufu, excuse my college, Zion can be rather blunt." Offering a charming smile, she stepped forward while taking a sip from her glass. "That's fine, I prefer when people are direct, it makes it easier to talk to." "Why don't we find a quieter area to engage in a detailed conversation?" I couldn't tell if she was trying to seduce me, or if that was just her personality, though either way, it didn't matter; I had no intention of joining any faction.
'Even if I were to join one, it would be the Royal faction.' "No thank you, Mam. I'm perfect where I am." Her smile briefly faltered before Zion, her partner, stepped forward, though she managed to stop him. "You know, it's rude to reject a lady's offer." "That's okay, I can handle the consequences." This time, her smile vanished completely as a cold expression replaced it. "Oh, is that so? Overconfidence has been the downfall of many."
Before she could continue speaking, a bunch of soldiers entered the ballroom, causing her to click her tongue. "Seems his Majesty has arrived. Don't waste your next chance, Alexander. Duke Vendom isn't as understanding as we are." Giving a final threat, she and Zion left. "I will say, one thing I don't miss about being a princess is maneuvering through the political landscape of a kingdom."
Nodding in agreement with Jasmine, the three of us copied what everyone else was doing and headed to our table; when we arrived, two people walked into the Ballroom, the King and the Queen, then followed by three women, who were probably his concubines, and finally nine children, four boys, and five girls.
As they walked through the Ballroom, they arrived at their table, where the King and Queen sat at the head, the concubines on the Queen's side, and the children on the King's side. Clearing his throat, the King stood up and slammed his sceptor on the floor. "You may sit." Everyone, including us, sat down and stared at him, waiting for him to continue speaking.