Astro no longer looked at the couple. From their behavior alone, he could tell that the reason they had not directly approached him was simple—they believed it was safer to keep this relationship hidden for now. It was not something Astro felt any need to be dramatic about.
The dull pain in his left eye still lingered. He could feel a large amount of magic gathering there on its own; it felt very restless and unnatural, but he paid it little attention. His ears had already picked up something far more troublesome.
"Are you sure, Aubrey?"
"Yes, Your Highness. He made quite a bit of trouble in Joya a few weeks ago. The reports said his name is Astro Blackmist. He's most likely here representing Fiore."
"The same face, and the same first name…" Avon, the Prince of Isvan, murmured. "Did he have a falling-out with his family?"
"Astro? Is that the boy you were watching?" the girl beside him asked, shoveling food into her mouth as if there was going to be no tomorrow.
"Yes. He's the second son of Queen Aurora."
"Who's that? Did we have a queen named that?"
"Did you not pay attention to the other guests? She entered right after us. The queen of the Sin Kingdom."
"Oh… cool."
"…"
"…"
"…Well, it doesn't matter. Let's go."
It was Avon's fault anyway. This girl had never cared about anything beyond food—and him. Hm? Was he just another kind of food to her as well?
It didn't matter. They had grown up together, after all. Her family had served his mother, the former Queen of Isvan. To him, she was merely a tool—useful for her ability, and occasionally for sexual relief. She got food and his presence; he got to use her strength and abilities. It was a simple exchange between them.
Astro sighed as he remained leaning against the marble pillar when a small figure…one that barely reached his waist….stopped in front of him as long jade-colored hair cascaded down her back.
"Here, Astro-sama. Laxus-sama." She offered both of them a plate filled with sweets.
Astro was not particularly fond of sweet food, but he still accepted it since the princess herself gave it.
"Why are you here, Princess?" he asked.
"Father told me to stay with you two," she said with a shrug, copying the way Astro and Laxus leaned against the pillar. "He didn't want me dancing with other men here… especially Prince Nova."
"Prince Nova?" Astro said. His mind was still trying to process everything, so he was a bit absent-minded. "I guess he is not wrong; it's probably best that you avoid him."
"I'm an adult now," she replied calmly. "I know what he is thinking…I can refuse his advances myself."
Astro looked down at the figure that barely reached his waist. He hesitated, unsure how to break the bubble gently, before speaking.
"If you ask me," he said, "there are more reasons to refuse him than just his intentions. In my opinion, it would be better if you don't go near him at all."
Laxus, who finished the sweets on his plate, looked in the direction of Prince Nova, or more towards his shadow…. He originally thought he was just making a mistake…but if Astro was also…
"What do you mean?" the princess asked, tilting her head at Astro.
"Well…"
Astro also cast a casual glance toward Prince Nova in the distance. As before, his attention did not linger on the prince himself, but on his shadow. After only a brief look, he turned away.
He wasn't certain of what he had sensed before. But after what Auro…his mother had told him, about how there was going to be a lot of chaos, he knew he had to reevaluate many of the people present tonight.
And Astro had already formed a disturbing theory about what lay there.
Still, he doubted that a prince of a major kingdom like Iceberg could be that foolish. Becoming friendly with them was one thing….Astro did not believe all of them were inherently bad. But bringing them here, into a gathering filled with royalty and even magic council members…
Is he stupid?
"Don't worry about it," Astro said, changing the subject. He didn't want to badmouth another royal in front of the princess. Anyway, he just had to make sure the princess didn't get harmed. "Do you want something to drink?"
"Hm? Not really…..but…. Wine would be…."
He handed her a glass before she could finish.
"This is orange juice," the princess said flatly, staring at the drink.
"The juice here is really good," Astro replied as he took a sip from another glass himself. "Better than wine, even. Trust me."
"Really?" Princess Hisui examined the glass for a moment before taking a small sip.
Then another.
Then another.
She quickly finished it in one go.
"Didn't I tell you?" Astro said.
"Yeah," she nodded at Astro with a smile. "It's pretty good."
"This gentleman, are you interested in a dance?" A beautiful girl suddenly walked to where they were and asked Laxus.
"Sure."
Laxus was not the type to refuse when a woman approached him, especially when nothing interesting was going on…so he simply took her hand and led her toward the center of the hall.
"Are you not going to dance, Astro-sama?" Hisui asked.
"Hm? I already danced once with someone... I'd like to take a break for now."
"I thought all wizards had a lot of stamina... I mean, even my stamina is much better than my father's."
"Oh." Astro didn't care about her comment and glanced at her with mild curiosity. "I never asked... what kind of magic do you use?"
Astro could obviously sense that she was a wizard too…He remembered Sylvain of Joya, who was really strong.... Back then, before acquiring the Aetherkrone, Astro was not even sure he could defeat him.
And…his own parents as well. Astro casually took a glance at where Aurora and Arthur were sitting before looking away immediately.
Even now, he still could not fully assess their full magical power. After his mother asked him not to probe her recklessly, he had subconsciously avoided doing so… partly out of caution, partly because he did not want to upset her. The fact that he still could not read them meant they were most likely on a completely different level than his current self.
It seemed he still had a long path ahead.
"Well, I learned my magic from my mother," Hisui said. "She gave me this key too..."
Astro noticed the princess pull a silver key from a hidden pocket in her skirt and proudly show it to him.
"Is this a...?" Astro paused, recognizing the design from magic shops he had seen across the continent.
"Yes. This is a Celestial Spirit Key," she said. "It can summon a really beautiful spirit."
Astro could see how much she cherished it from the way her eyes shone. This was the first time he had met someone who cared more about a magic's appearance this much.
"Sounds interesting. I've seen quite a few keys for sale," Astro said. "But this is the first time I've met someone who actually owns one."
"Yes. Celestial Spirit wizards are very rare," Hisui replied. "Besides my mother, I only met one before... a wizard who visited my mother a long time ago, before she passed away. She didn't tell me her name, but I remember she had very pretty blonde hair."
Astro smiled faintly. It seems like to the princess, beauty seemed to matter more than power—both in the wizard and their summons.
'Well, I guess magic should be something to enjoy too… It's not always about power.'
As they continued chatting, a figure clad in a knight's armor stepped forward and stopped in front of Astro.
Astro noticed that Laxus was still dancing, but the blond glanced briefly in his direction, noticing the knight too. Astro shook his head lightly, signaling that everything was fine.
"How can I help you?" Astro asked as he straightened and looked at the man.
"My name is Aubrey," the knight said. "I am a knight of the Kingdom of Isvan. My prince wishes to speak with you."
"Oh?" Astro replied with a helpless smile, "It would be an honour… But I am a participant in the upcoming event, and it would be kind of..."
"Don't worry about it."
The voice interrupted before Astro could even finish.
"Princess Hisui is here as well, isn't she?" the young man said calmly. "Astro Blackmist. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Prince Avon Hawkins. But you already knew that, didn't you?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Astro replied politely. His purple eyes met the prince's silver ones without wavering. "Your presence is unmistakable. I'm sure everyone here knows who you are."
Prince Avon's gaze slowly swept over him, assessing. "Are you certain we have never met before, Astro?"
Astro suddenly felt the magic of the girl standing behind the prince fluctuate, turning chaotic.
'Is she warning me or something?'
He spared her a glance before returning his attention to Avon.
"I think this is our first meeting…I believe I would remember meeting a prince," Astro said calmly.
The girl's magic surged again.
"Prince Avon," Princess Hisui walked in front of Astro and looked up at Avon, "you are regarded as a role model for the new generation of nobles. Still, I would have preferred… even without any ill intent… not to make a participant of Fiore uncomfortable."
The magic behind the prince grew even more unstable, like a bomb waiting to explode. Avon himself seemed completely unaware. From what Astro could tell, the prince was an ordinary man—he did not even possess enough magic to qualify as a wizard.
Avon noticed the attention gathering around them. He did not look embarrassed. Instead, he bowed lightly toward Hisui.
"My apologies, Princess Hisui. I thought he was an old friend of mine," he said, looking at the princess.
"I don't think he would lie to me…so I guess I mistook him for you."
"Looks like him?" Princess Hisui asked with doubt. Well, Astro did have unique purple eyes… and she only saw one other person in the whole night with purple eyes…
Avon turned back to Astro with a faint, helpless smile. "Well… Kind of…we met a long time ago…and he also had a red tattoo birthmark on his face. But except for that, you look a lot like how I imagine he would look grown up."
"A red tattoo mark?" Astro asked, genuinely confused.
Seeing Astro's expression, Avon sighed softly. It seemed like he really made a mistake.
"Yes, he had it on the left side of his face…It seems I truly made a mistake... my apologies."
"No, it's okay…I am glad that the misunderstanding was solved at least. I hope you can find your friend soon." Although Astro was kind of sure that he was the friend Avon was talking about…But without the memory, Astro didn't want to make any mess.
Avon looked at Astro's face once again before he bowed once more and turned away. As he did, two faces flashed through his mind….Two kids….a blue-haired kid and a black-haired kid, both smiling as they dragged him upstairs by holding one hand each. Identical red tattoo marks adorned their faces as they smiled at him: one had the mark on the left side…and another had it on his…. right side.
Astro did not know what Avon was thinking. What he did notice was that the girl who had accompanied the prince had not followed him. She remained where she was, staring at Astro intensely.
"Um... is there something on my face, miss?" Astro asked with a polite smile.
Someone like Laxus might have enjoyed such intense attention. For Astro, however, it was exhausting. He was already tired, and he still had a lot of thinking to do, and the pain in his left eye had yet to subside. Healing magic was not working. If not for his Devil Slayer physique, he would have been rolling on the floor in agony by now.
"..."
The girl said nothing. She simply continued staring at him.
"Um... did I upset you somehow?" Astro asked again with a polite smile.
The girl slowly raised a finger and pointed at his face. Her magic spiraled out of control.
Astro instinctively shifted, subtly placing himself in front of Princess Hisui as he looked at the finger pointing at his face.
"Um…?"
"I will not allow you to become Prince Avon's mistress," the girl said stiffly. "I refuse this relationship."
"..."
Avon, still lost in his memories, nearly stumbled. If not for the knight behind him, he would have fallen flat in front of everyone.
"..."
Laxus, whose hearing was even better than Astro's, made his first mistake on the dance floor and stepped hard on his partner's foot.
"Ouch—!" the girl in his arms could not help but cry in pain.
"Huh?" Astro couldn't really focus on any of them.
"..."
Astro pointed at himself slowly.
"..."
"What?"
On a far corner of the hall, Aurora sat with one leg crossed over the other beside her husband. Her posture was very lazy and relaxed, yet it did nothing to diminish the natural elegance she carried. There were a still a lot of gaze in her direction. She let out a soft laugh as she covered her mouth to not make too much noise.
"What's so funny?" Arthur asked.
"Our son is having so much fun over there..."
"Really?" Arthur replied with mild doubt. He had spent more than twenty years with this woman. It was very easy to tell that he knew that their son was most likely suffering in some way.
Still, if Aurora was laughing, things were probably under control.
Arthur picked up a piece of dessert from the plate beside him. He took a bite, paused, frowned slightly, then swallowed with visible reluctance. After inspecting the sweet for a moment, he cut another piece and held it out in front of Aurora's mouth.
Aurora leaned forward naturally and took a bite, her expression relaxing almost immediately.
"Mmph... their sweets are really good..."
"Really?" Arthur glanced down at the dessert again with his purple eyes, then at Aurora, who was clearly enjoying it. He then proceeded to cut another piece and fed it to her.
As his feeding session continued, a tall man with a thick beard approached them.
His eyes traveled slowly over Aurora's body—over the full swell of her chest, emphasized by the elegant cut of her dress, then further down to her crossed legs. The fabric rode high enough to leave most of her pale thighs exposed, smooth and unguarded beneath the hall's lights.
"King Runar Steensen," she said warmly as she noticed the old man, lifting her eyes to meet his while still chewing. "How may we help you?"
Yes. This was Runar Steensen—the King of the Iceberg Kingdom, and the host of this summit.
"I was simply wondering how our hospitality has been," Runar said, stroking his beard. "Do you have any complaints, Queen Aurora?"
"Of course not," Aurora replied with a smile. "Everything has been top-notch. Your kingdom truly excels at hospitality."
"I'm glad to hear that."
Runar's eyes drifted again… more openly this time… over the line of her waist, the curve of her hips against the chair, and back to her legs.
"How about we share a dance, Queen Aurora?" he continued. "It would be a fine way to celebrate this new friendship between the Iceberg Kingdom and the Sin Kingdom."
Aurora paused, considering for a brief moment.
Then she smiled helplessly.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm already quite tired for the night, King Runar."
"I... I see." Runar was clearly surprised by the rejection. After a moment, he recovered and smiled. "Then I hope we'll have the opportunity next time."
He turned to leave—though not before casting one last look at Aurora's figure.
Aurora's mouth twitched. This old guy was not subtle at all… And why did he think she would bother dancing with him next time?
She turned her head slightly toward Arthur, who was still calmly feeding her sweets.
"Your cute wife was almost molested by an old bastard," she muttered, "and you didn't do anything?"
Arthur noticed the faint moisture at the corner of her eyes. Without a word, he pushed a rather large piece of dessert into her mouth, effectively silencing her.
"Mmph… it's too big," she said with a mouthful of sweets.
"Stop acting," he said calmly. "I've been with you for over twenty years. I knew you wouldn't let someone like him touch you."
Aurora pouted. Of course, she would never allow someone with such improper thoughts to lay a hand on her…well… anyone other than her husband. Still, he could have pretended to be jealous. Is her charm going away? Is she not even worth getting jealous? Is she going to get divorced in her middle age?
Arthur fed her another piece, shutting her mouth and brain both. Although Aurora was pouting, she couldn't refuse any sweets.
Wait.
Aurora suddenly realized that she had somehow eaten five plates of sweets without noticing.
"I see," she said suddenly with a sweet smile, clapping her hands. "Your strategy is to feed me until I get fat so no man would look at me."
Arthur stared at her as if she were an idiot… She usually ate far more than this at every meal.
Still, he knew better than to argue about how much a woman eats in front of the said woman. Instead, he decided to calm her down; this conversation would go on the whole night…Not that he minded, but there were important things to focus on right now.
"I have told you before, too…No matter what you say, wear, or do," he said as he fed her yet another piece, "people will always look at you that way. They are just conditioned to look at beautiful things….I would be more upset if you hide or change yourself for them…"
"But… if anyone ever thinks they can come close and take advantage of you...."
His tone never changed, but his eyes glowed bright purple. If anyone who knew Astro saw this and looked at Arthur at this moment, then they would not have a single ounce of doubt that they were father and son.
"I'd just simply make sure that's the last decision they made in their life, even if they are the king of a whole kingdom."
Aurora blinked, seeing how casually he said it….
She had planned to tease him more—but now her face instead felt warm. And this guy wasn't even blushing, saying such cheesy words. She raised a hand to stop the next sweet.
"I'm full. If not for making me fat, then why are you feeding me so much if you don't want me to get fat?"
Aurora thought he would just say that she usually eats more than this…then she could tease him more…
"Hm?" But Arthur replied casually as he took a glance at Aurora's face and then her dress…His gaze lingered on her chest for a bit before answering. "I just don't want you to run out of energy tonight. You wore this exposing dress in front of me the whole night... and even danced with me in such a provocative way…. Did you really think you could just walk away after teasing me like that?"
"..."
"What?"
"Nothing, just feed me more…It is not enough yet."
"..."
As the gala was nearing its end, A fifteen-year-old boy with rose-colored hair stood in a corner of the hall, quietly watching everyone doing their own stuff.
From a distance, he saw the old King Runar dancing intimately with a woman, openly disregarding the gazes of those around him. From the corner of his eye, he noticed another woman with the same rose-colored hair as him laughing as she danced with several young men in turn.
Throughout the night, he kept watching them flirt freely, without restraint.
At first, he had thought this was simply how royalty behaved. But as the night went on, he noticed that most nobles were either spending time with their families or engaging in serious discussions about business and politics.
That realization made him quite uneasy.
Maybe what his parents were doing wasn't normal after all.
"Oskar..."
A tall figure suddenly stopped beside him.
Oskar turned and looked up at his half-brother, Prince Nova Steensen. Nova's bright yellow hair gleamed under the lights, effortlessly drawing the attention of several noble ladies nearby.
"You should socialize more," Nova said in a low voice with a bright smile on his face. "Of course, you have no chance of becoming king with me around... but you should at least marry into an influential family and bring some value to me."
His tone was light and playful. To outsiders, although they couldn't hear it, it seemed like an older brother giving casual advice to a younger sibling.
But Oskar didn't see it that way.
His gaze drifted past Nova, toward a young girl with jade-colored hair laughing uncontrollably beside a black-haired young man.
"Did you get rejected by the princess of Fiore?" Oskar said flatly, "And now you're trying to regain a sense of accomplishment, brother? She's like twelve..you psycho."
Nova's eyebrow rose a bit, but his smile didn't fade in the slightest.
There were very few noble young ladies of the Fiore princess's status in Ishgar. Most influential kingdoms had an abundance of princes or princesses who were already betrothed. The only real exception was the princess of the Pergrande Kingdom in the far north—but Nova did not even dare to think of being with her.
As for the Fiore princess, there was no need to rush. King Toma was clearly on high alert around him, so patience was required. Besides, the summit would last for at least a week—perhaps longer.
"I am making progress for this kingdom, Oskar," Nova continued, with an unwavering smile. "I organized this entire summit. Most western kingdoms don't even bother attending such gatherings, yet because of me, they all came this time. I want what's best for this kingdom... unlike you, you selfish, useless brother."
His expression remained bright, completely mismatched with his words, which he said in a low voice.
"Does being useful to this kingdom," Oskar asked quietly, "mean giving up what makes us... human? Brother?"
Nova's eyes widened slightly.
For the first time, his smile cracked.
"What... how…? What do you mean?"
Oskar felt no satisfaction at seeing his half-brother speechless. He simply turned away.
"Don't worry," he said, waving a hand without looking back. "I won't tell anyone. I won't make decisions for you... So please don't make decisions for me."
He disappeared into the crowd without looking back at Nova.
Prince Nova remained where he was, gray eyes glowing faintly as he watched Oskar's back.
No one could tell what he was thinking. But if someone looked closely, they might have noticed the faint uncertainty hidden behind those gray eyes.
But it lasted only a moment.
His gaze refocused, his lips twitching slightly, as he turned toward the stage. He had no time to waste his precious time thinking about such an useless brother.