The dinner banquet was held in one of the gardens inside the royal palace. Hastur followed Earl Hall as he greeted the nobles who had come to attend the banquet, while Earl Hall introduced their respective backgrounds to Hastur from the side.
This also gave Hastur a much better understanding of the upper nobility of the Loen Kingdom.
Some nobles who were around Earl Hall's age would always casually inquire about Hastur's marital status during their conversations.
Some nobles even wanted to betroth their daughters to Hastur on the spot.
Throughout all this, Earl Hall kept a gloomy expression on his face, seemingly pondering something.
Hastur could only decline their enthusiastic offers with polite excuses such as being too young and wanting to establish his career before starting a family.
"When your father was your age, he was already famous far and wide."
Georgina Augustus, dressed in a burgundy evening gown, walked over from nearby, her burning gaze fixed on Hastur.
Hastur had met Duchess Georgina once before. She seemed to have had some sort of ambiguous relationship with his father.
"Later generations should take those who came before them as lessons. That way, they're less likely to stray down the wrong path," Hastur replied calmly.
"Your personality isn't like his at all. That actually makes me a little interested in you."
Georgina Augustus lightly brushed aside the strands of hair hanging beside her ear. Holding her wineglass, she leaned a little closer, her red lips exhaling an alluring fragrance.
Without drawing attention to himself, Hastur shifted a small step closer to Earl Hall. He likewise raised his glass and smiled. "It is my honor."
"You don't seem very good at sweet-talking, nor are you particularly skilled at socializing. In that regard, your father was much better than you." As Georgina Augustus spoke, she glanced at Earl Hall and said meaningfully, "A treasure without an owner is something everyone wants."
"I don't like interfering in matters between young people. Those are their own affairs. As their elders, we only need to watch them grow and occasionally offer them a little help." Earl Hall deliberately emphasized the word "elders."
"I don't consider myself old yet." Georgina Augustus smiled as she finished speaking, then left to catch up and chat with the other nobles.
"The most important thing in interpersonal dealings is to keep your eyes open, lest you be deceived by someone's outward appearance," Earl Hall said pointedly.
After that, Earl Hall also went to catch up with the nobles he was familiar with.
Hastur silently sampled the delicacies served at tonight's banquet. As he looked upon this extravagant life of wine and revelry, he actually found himself less attracted to the Black Emperor pathway.
The further one advanced along this pathway, the harder it became to escape such social engagements.
Rather than waste time on things he had no interest in, he would prefer to choose a Beyonder pathway that allowed him to travel around and see the world.
Come to think of it, he had been in this world for so long, yet he had never even left the country.
He had always remained within the territory of the Loen Kingdom. Once he returned this time, perhaps he could visit some other countries.
The Intis Republic was a good choice. Bernadette also seemed to have plans to return there. The only thing he needed to be wary of was that followers of the Supernova Dominator and the Mother Tree of Desire were also there.
If he went to the Intis Republic, it might increase the risk of exposing his true identity.
Hastur sampled the food while considering his plans for what came next.
It wasn't until Jevington Augustus appeared that he put down his utensils and headed toward where everyone had gathered.
The former First Prince, now the new King, stood at the very center, surrounded by everyone like the moon surrounded by stars.
Merely by changing his status, he already carried some of George III's rigidness and solemnity.
He appeared unsmiling, merely nodding lightly at the nobles' flattery without showing much joy or delight.
Tsk, he's still not quite there yet.
His outward rigidity, solemnity, and unsmiling expression might make him seem more dignified, but in reality, it was merely a forced performance. That was why he didn't dare casually reveal his emotions.
If George III were attending this kind of banquet, he would definitely have a cheerful smile on his face and naturally greet every noble present.
He wouldn't need to deliberately control his emotions. The ones who needed to put on an act were those nobles who wanted to flatter him while still worrying about maintaining their dignity and making fools of themselves.
As King, he himself was the center, and the surrounding world was merely an extension of his will.
Hastur silently evaluated Jevington Augustus in his heart. Although he had helped strangle George III to death, he couldn't deny that George III had been quite a competent king.
"The new king isn't much older than you, and he likes promoting young people. This is your opportunity," Earl Hall whispered beside Hastur.
Hastur nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, Earl Hall. I'll do my best to leave a good impression on the new king."
Earl Hall said nothing more. He merely looked through the crowd toward Jevington Augustus, who was surrounded at the center.
This new king was highly ambitious and wholeheartedly wanted to expand the kingdom's territory and become a great king who surpassed George III.
The current campaign against the Feysac Empire was an excellent opportunity.Jevington Augustus chatted with the surrounding nobles for quite some time before his gaze finally fell on Earl Hall. "Earl Hall, did Miss Audrey not come tonight?"
Earl Hall straightened his expression and answered seriously, "She began feeling unwell in her stomach this afternoon and truly couldn't attend tonight's banquet. She was quite regretful about it."
"??"
A string of question marks appeared in Hastur's mind. Wasn't tonight's banquet supposed to be for discussing political affairs?
Even the noble ladies weren't among those invited, so why would Audrey specifically be invited to attend?
Jevington Augustus smiled. "Since Miss Audrey isn't feeling well, I'll have the physicians in the palace go take a look at her. Their medical skills are all quite good."
"Thank you for your kindness." Earl Hall bowed slightly.
Jevington Augustus's gaze passed over Earl Hall and landed on Hastur. With a smile in his eyes, he said, "Count Campbell, my second brother, who will soon be heading to Southville County to take up his post, will need you to look after him in the future."
"It is my duty and my honor," Hastur replied naturally, while inwardly pondering why the Second Prince had stopped him last night.
So he was the person being sent to Southville County to succeed the Duke of Southville.
From the looks of it, the Loen royal family should already know that Dlink Augustus was dead.
That was why they were taking back Southville County, which had been bestowed upon his descendants, and handing it over to Prince Leonard instead.
"Count Campbell, we'll have to become much closer in the future." Leonard Augustus, standing beside Jevington Augustus, had a particularly broad smile in his eyes.
...
After leaving the banquet, Hastur noticed that Earl Hall seemed to be in a rather poor mood. When there were only the two of them left and they were about to board their respective carriages, he asked Earl Hall what was troubling him.
Earl Hall silently boarded his carriage. After a while, he lifted the curtain and beckoned to Hastur, indicating for him to come aboard so they could talk.
The Hall family's carriage was very spacious. Its exterior didn't look particularly remarkable, but the interior decorations were tasteful and luxurious.Hastur boarded the carriage and sat opposite Earl Hall, quietly waiting for him to speak.
"The new king was already married several years ago, but Prince Leonard still has no marriage partner to this day." Earl Hall's tone grew heavy as he spoke.
"He wants to form a marriage alliance with your family?"
"Mm." Earl Hall nodded, then continued, "I won't force Audrey to do something she doesn't like, nor do I want to interfere too much in her marriage."
Hastur completely understood Earl Hall's concerns. Audrey was the jewel of Backlund, and the Loen royal family had always wanted Audrey to marry into the royal family.
Unfortunately, those royal descendants had failed to live up to expectations. Audrey hadn't taken a liking to any of them, nor had she grown particularly close to any prince.
While George III was still around, there was no need to rush. But now that a new king had ascended the throne, he would inevitably need to win over nobles who wielded real power, and marriage alliances were an extremely useful method.
It had always been favored and trusted by the upper classes.
Jevington Augustus's question tonight had already revealed signs of such an intention.
For Earl Hall, this really was a troublesome matter.
If he directly refused, it would easily cause resentment. Jevington Augustus's wings had yet to fully grow, so naturally he wouldn't do anything now. But in the future, Earl Hall would certainly be pushed away from the center of politics.
But then again, this sort of thing wasn't much of a problem for Audrey.
They only needed to drag things out for another two or three years. Once she became a demigod or an angel, she could simply reveal her identity. The Loen royal family represented by Jevington Augustus would definitely no longer dare entertain any messy ideas.
"Do you have any good countermeasures?" Earl Hall tossed the question to Hastur, his gaze pressing and extremely serious.
"I think the best approach is to delay things for now. Wait until Miss Audrey is a few years older, then let her make the decision herself," Hastur honestly offered his suggestion.
"Heh. Do I really need you to tell me that?"
Earl Hall's face darkened, and he told Hastur to get out of the carriage before his presence worsened his mood any further.
"..."
Hastur watched the Hall family's carriage disappear into the distance. Of course he knew what sort of suggestion Earl Hall wanted to hear, but that would be far too disrespectful toward Audrey.
Besides, a mere Jevington Augustus wasn't enough to make him and Audrey compromise over something like this.
The Loen royal family sounded formidable, but Audrey was protected by The Fool, and her status was no lower than that of the Blessed of an orthodox church.
Moreover, there was Susie. She had received the inheritance of a mind dragon and had tremendous potential for the future.
Perhaps one day, there might even be a scene where Audrey stood atop the head of Susie, transformed into a mind dragon, wreaked havoc in the Loen royal family, and openly departed Backlund.
As for himself, there was even less need to say anything. After George III's fall, the Loen royal family's strength had been greatly weakened. They might not even be comparable to the organization of the Yellow-Robed Monks anymore.
Therefore, this simply wasn't an issue worth worrying about.
"Perhaps I should have phrased things a little more tactfully just now. That might have put Earl Hall's mind at ease."
Hastur didn't think about it any further and left in his carriage.