"Uhm, if it weren't for me being in a relationship and you not being my sister, I would have fallen in love in seconds," Sara said, staring at me with stars in her eyes.
"Same here. Sadly for you, I'm straight, and you are my sister—no incest for me."
"Sigh, firstly, I'm adopted, so it wouldn't be incest, and secondly, can you guys help me?" I said, struggling with my tie. It was the first time I had to wear something like this.
Sara stepped in and helped me tie the knot.
"Ah, so that's how you do it. Thank you," I nodded, slipping on my dark blazer. Turning around, I looked at the mirror Sara brought into the lounge.
Looking back at me was a young girl about 177 (5'8") cm tall, with black and purple highlighted hair tied in a low ponytail. A single black horn jutted from the right side of her forehead, and dragon scales traced below her right eye and down her neck. Her eyes were intense, captivating, and unnerving at the same time.
I wore a blood-red suit with a black shirt beneath, paired with black leather shoes and a matching crimson tie.
"Sara… Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah, of course. You look very handsome. Look," she said, then pointed to Nyx standing off to the side.
Looking at her, I noticed Nyx staring at me like a deer in headlights.
"Nyx, are you satisfied with what you're seeing?" Sara asked. Sara teased with a grin.
"Hmm," Nyx hummed, nodding slowly.
"Well, too bad for you. You also have a partner tonight." Sara said with a grin, this time looking at my reaction.
"Ugh, fuck," Nyx muttered, looking away with an annoyed expression.
'Hehe, she's so cute,' I thought with a soft chuckle.
"Get a room," Selena said, clearly annoyed.
"Climb out of the closet," I retorted, smirking at her.
"If I come out of the closet, you're coming with me!" Selena shot back.
"You'd enjoy that too much," I said, rolling my eyes.
"I don't enjoy it as much as I would enjoy watching you squirm when Nyx actually flirts back," Selena replied, grinning.
"Nyx doesn't flirt. She just... stares intensely and makes my brain melt."
Sara chimed in, "That's what we call flirting, genius."
"I'll leave you clowns to it," Nyx muttered and turned to leave.
"Nyx, you're not going to fly down in your dress, right?" I said, eyeing her long, black, strapless gown that flowed past her knees. She wore sleek black heels that made her taller than me. Her white hair and black ensemble made for a stunning contrast.
"Right… We are a kilometer in the air," Nyx said, suddenly sounding embarrassed.
"Don't worry, I'll teleport you to the castle entrance," I said, nodding before she just vanished.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but since when can you teleport people without touching them?" Sara said with a knowing grin—before vanishing.
"That's what you get," I muttered.
"She's going to hold that against you," Selena said, smiling.
"Meh. Her paybacks are always entertaining."
"That's true. It's always funny seeing you suffer."
"You two are just jealous of my swag."
"You're what? Ren, no. Never say that again," Sara said, reappearing next to me with an exaggerated eye roll.
"Honestly, the suit gave you points. That word just erased them," Selena added with a smirk.
"Okay, okay, I get it," I said, grumbling.
"But really, Ren," Sara said, her tone softening, "you look good tonight. You clean up nice."
"Takes a village, apparently," I muttered, tugging on my blazer.
"And my sister has superior taste," Sara added, patting my shoulder.
"Alright, enough bonding," Selena said. "We have nobles to charm."
"Fine. Let's get going then," I said, teleporting us to my room in the castle.
"Right. Let's go meet with the family first."
"Alright. Uwe's office, I presume."
"Yes, in Dad's office," Selena said with a curt nod.
[Five Minutes Later—Uwe's Office]
"Ren, I'll get you back for that. You know that, right?"
"It was worth it," I grinned, seeing a fuming Sara outside Uwe's office.
"Tsk. Everyone's already inside," she said, pushing open the door.
We entered with Selena following behind.
"Ah, you're finally here. Let's get started," Uwe said. "Ren, before every banquet or gathering with other houses, we meet here to align on how to handle the evening. This process guarantees that everyone is in agreement.
"Oh, so like a strategy meeting."
"Exactly. Now, tonight… your potential betrothed will be attending. She arrived last week, but complications delayed the introduction until now. You'll meet her tonight."
"Ah, fuck—I forgot about her," I cursed, stomping my foot.
"Huh? You had a betrothal and were flirting with Artemis and Nyx the entire time?" Sara teased.
"I totally forgot about her. Tap. Selena, you're in," I said, pulling Selena in front of me as a shield.
"Hey! I'm straight—why would I trade places with you?!" Selena yelled louder than needed.
"As we said before, it was her mistake. Don't worry too much," Leah reassured. "Just tell Nyx and Artemis when you can."
"Ugh. I'll try, but they both have dates tonight," I said, a bit annoyed about the revelation that even Nyx couldn't join me as my partner.
"I'm a bit confused. Why should she warn them?" Julia asked, looking at Leah.
"Because she's trying to court them," Leah said plainly.
"No, not yet. I want to see how they feel about their current partners. I'm not going to take someone away from someone else." I said it firmly, but I didn't believe myself.
"So you won't take the courting seriously until you've figured that out," Sara mused.
"Yes."
"Hmm… Nyx is a given at this point. But I'm not sure about Artemis," Sara muttered.
'What does she mean, a given?' I thought about it, but left it for later.
"Alright. I'll leave that to you two to figure out," Leah said, nodding toward Sara and me.
"Now, Lukas, you're the oldest—set an example this time. Don't fumble around like last time. Also, Karl will be with the other young ones. Help him make some friends."
"I didn't fumble last time."
"…Hendrian, we've already discussed your role. No need to repeat myself." Uwe said with a small smile.
"Yes, Father," Hendrian replied, stiff as ever.
"Julia—"
"No, I'm not going out there to find someone to love. My love is dead. I'm not going to replace him," Julia cut in, glaring.
Uwe sighed. "Fine. Do as you please. Just don't cause trouble."
Leah added more sternly, "I'll be keeping an eye on you."
"Lastly, Sara and Timy. Are you bringing dates or going alone?"
"I'll go alone again," Timy replied.
"I'm not sure," Sara admitted. "My relationship with Sam isn't a secret, but I still worry about how the nobles will react."
"That's understandable. But remember—not inviting him might send the wrong message."
"He knows he's not ready. If he wanted to come, he'd say so. And I know he's busy with missions in the forest."
"That's true. He might become something mighty one day," Uwe said proudly.
"Alright, with that out of the way, tonight's banquet serves to introduce Ren to the noble houses. The humans who arrived earlier will also attend. The introduction will take place at the end. We've prepared ample translation support, but feel free to intervene if you observe them struggling or facing mockery. They are our allies and messengers to their superiors."
"Yes, Mother, we understand."
"Just one question—did you prepare their clothes today?"
"Yes," Lina answered. "And don't worry. If anything happens, the Saintess's bodyguard is capable."
"…I can't take this situation seriously," I said, eyeing Lina with mock horror.
"Haha, don't worry. We know they're on edge."
"I doubt there'll be any fighting," I shrugged.
"We all hope so," Lina said, mirroring the gesture.