Alter-Drug

Chapter 10 - The Banquet

Carl was neither an aristocrat nor a merchant.

He did not fit into this crowd at all and did not think he would be able to make any friends, so he just stood by himself in a corner and waited for the banquet to begin.

Even though he thought he had kept a low profile, many guests still noticed him.

After all, anyone with an invitation to this banquet had to be a member of high society. Carl’s demeanor and simple manner of dress made everyone assume that he was the son of a merchant.

Several merchants looked at him from time to time, but not a single one recognized him.

Their attention was soon drawn to something else. A group of maids walked in with an array of colorful drinks, warm cakes and snacks, and placed them in every corner of the hall for the guests to enjoy.

This was the reception before the actual banquet. The guests picked up some drinks and began to chat even more noisily among themselves.

Carl, on the other hand, was wondering about something else. What did the drinks of this other universe taste like? He looked at the colorful drinks on the table and realized he had no idea which one to pick.

“This one is blue creeper fruit juice.” A chubby finger suddenly pointed at one of the drinks in front of Carl. He turned to look and realized that a pudgy man was now standing next to him. He looked very ordinary, but had a friendly smile. “It’s not a fruit native to the Tooda Kingdom. It’s been picked from a neighboring country and shipped all the way to Eisen Castle, which requires around half a month of travel.”

”To avoid spoiling the fruit, large amounts of ice are required to preserve it in transport. That’s also why the juice of the blue creeper fruit is chilly, refreshing, and full of flavor.” The pudgy man was quite humorous too as he added, “You can give it a try. If you don’t like the taste after trying, you can splash it in my face.”

“Thanks for the recommendation.” Carl picked up the glass of blue creeper fruit juice and held it up to greet the other man. “I’m Carl.”

“I’m Gerald.” The man picked up a glass as well and smiled as he said, “My family runs a spice shop at the harbor, do drop by if you have the time.”

“I…” Carl was about to tell Gerald who he was when the sound of melodious music came from the other side of the hall.

Everyone turned to look and saw that a young and handsome aristocrat was using both hands to play a lovely piece on the harp. His smile was pleasant and his light blonde hair added to his charm.

A number of female guests could not help but stop everything they were doing to listen to the young man perform with admiring looks on their faces.

Gerald smiled and whispered to Carl, “That’s Henry Bernard, son of Baron Rick Bernard, the city’s tax official. He’s famous around here, and the man of many young ladies’ dreams.”

Well, that part was certainly obvious. Carl nodded, then frowned at what he saw next.

As Henry played on, he began to sing, “The poplar trees by the river are the most beautiful, and the pine trees on the mountain are the most majestic. But neither the poplar nor the pine can compare to the moon above. If you agree to be with me, my pretty damsel, even the moon’s beauty is merely one thousandth of yours.”

His singing was clear yet full of emotion.

This was a song meant for a man to confess his love to the woman he loved, and Henry sang it very well. The women who had a crush on him instantly felt their hearts racing and their faces were all red. The problem was, Henry was not singing it to any of the women among the guests. Instead, he was singing it to the maid holding a tray in the corner.

Even though the maid kept her head lowered and nobody could see her face clearly, that curvaceous figure and her long brown hair that reached her waist told Carl that this maid was the very same one he had offended earlier.

Regardless of Henry’s intentions in singing this love ballad to her, it was an action that would only result in trouble for the maid. Carl could see that other than admiration for Henry, the women’s expressions were also filled with hatred and jealousy toward the maid.

Henry went a step further by offering a brooch to the maid. The jewels on the brooch sparkled brightly in the chandelier lights.

He stopped singing and smiled cheekily at the maid. “My dear, the garden at the back of the manor is really pretty. Do you want to go take a look at the flowers with me?”

Some of the men immediately started smiling, while some of the women hid their shy and blushing faces behind their fans. They understood what Henry was implying.

However, some of the young aristocratic women were enraged as they glared hatefully at the maid. To them, the flirtatious and brazen Henry was not wrong in harassing the maid. Instead, the lowly maid was the one in the wrong for shamelessly using her beauty to seduce Henry.

Carl started walking over in hope of putting a stop to this whole thing.

Just then, the maid suddenly did something. Her slim calf stuck out from beneath her long skirt as quickly as lightning and stepped hard on Henry’s foot.

Henry’s smile stiffened as he took a deep breath while trying not to wince in pain. His handsome face paled and his expression wilted because his foot simply hurt too much. He even suspected that his bones had been crushed.

Many of the aristocratic young men had a look of schadenfreude and even raised their glasses as they exchanged amused glances and smiles when they saw how the usually-charming Henry had failed to capture the heart of a woman and even suffered a punishment for making such advances.

Carl was also rather shocked by what the maid had done. He had not expected her to react this way at all. He thought that she would just endure this treatment quietly because Henry’s social status was much higher than hers.

That was a good stomp! Carl strangely felt really happy about this.

Just when Henry was about to shout at the maid, a bright voice at the entrance to the banquet hall suddenly announced loudly, “The honorable Grand Duke Karolin’s eldest daughter and owner of Eisen Castle, Countess Melissa, has arrived!”

The guests in the hall put away any distractions and made their way toward the door. They quickly stood in line according to their status.

Melissa’s knights escorted her into the hall.

She wore a long silk robe around her gown, the soft silk cascading elegantly like a waterfall. The patterns on the fabric were gorgeous and decorated with tiny pearls and crystals. Her collar was wide and a butterfly-shaped brooch held the robe together, also covering her full bosom in a strategic yet elegant manner.

One could vaguely see her deep cleavage peeking out from beneath the outer robe, which only added to her seductive charm.

Her face was expressionless and her chin was lifted slightly to reveal her fair and smooth neck. Her presence alone commanded respect.

Regardless of whether the guest was an aristocrat or a merchant, or even whether they truly respected Melissa or not, all of them bowed deeply at the waist to express their servitude toward the woman.

She was the owner of Eisen Castle, and that was a fact that could not be disputed. Heath had embarrassed her earlier by not allowing her in, but nobody else would dare to treat the countess in such a manner.

Everyone knew that Heath was backed by Grand Duke Romarin and his family, and that his status was why he had dared to assert his authority that way.

The feud between the two families had gone on for centuries. Making life difficult for each other was a normal way of life between the two families and everybody was used to that.

Of course, if anybody else tried to behave the same way toward either side, they would be struck dead in an instant.

Melissa broke into a charming smile after everyone had bowed and greeted her. She looked around and her gaze finally landed on one person. Her tone was a little sarcastic as she said, “Henry, I hear you were making trouble at my banquet earlier?”

“Melissa, we haven’t seen each other in years and it’s a rare chance for us to catch up with one another, but the first thing you do is to smear my name? That saddens me greatly.”

Henry placed a palm on his own chest and bowed slightly as he spoke rather flippantly, “Your Ladyship, I’m so glad to see that you’re still as beautiful and energetic as ever.”

“You’re also as glib-tongued and playful as ever.”

Melissa’s gaze moved on from Henry to another person. She walked over and curtseyed as she greeted him, “Uncle Raymond, my father sends his regards.”

“Please thank the Grand Duke for remembering me!”

Raymond Horace was a baron and the governor of Marsk Stille, a town outside the castle.

He was in his late forties, very muscular and his reddish brown hair looked like a lion’s mane. He had a scar next to one of his eyes and his huge knuckles and palms were covered with thick calluses.

This man was an aristocrat, but he was also a warrior.

Melissa treated him with great respect. “My father has prepared gifts for you and your family. Please remember to take them home after the banquet.”

Raymond bowed in return and said, “The Grand Duke is really too kind.”

Melissa smiled as she started looking around again.

Some guests subconsciously straightened themselves up because they had also noticed that Melissa chose who she wanted to speak to, and did not address any random person.

The first person she had chosen was Henry, the son of the port tax official.

Everyone could understand her reasons for doing so. The tax official did not only collect taxes, but he also managed the trade operations at the port and was backed by the king himself. It was not wrong to say that the tax official was actually a representative of the king in Eisen Castle.

The next person she had chosen to speak to was Baron Raymond. The man was not only the governor of Marsk Stille but also a vassal to the Karolins. He represented the Karolins’ rule over Eisen Castle.

So, the big question on everybody’s mind was, who was Melissa going to speak to next?

Carl was curious about this as well. While he was still making some guesses, Melissa’s gaze fell on a pudgy man in the distance. “Mr. Gerald…”