Chapter Four

“Huh?”

Andrew froze, and so did everyone around him.

“Are you saying that you’re the War Lord?” Andrew asked with a frown.

“Yes, yes, I am. And I don't think I've ever met you,” Arthur replied with a low smile.

“Oh, you’ve got jokes,” Andrew said, almost angrily, and walked away.

“Damn, your family is really messed up…” Henry muttered, flashing Amanda’s father a dark look. “So disappointed in you,” he finished, this time directing his words to Amanda.

Amanda sat in the corner. In the face of humiliation and disappointment, she didn’t utter a single word, but tears silently rolled down her cheeks. Never had she imagined that she would be confronted by such a humiliating moment. She stared at Arthur, feeling a mixture of disgust and disbelief. She didn’t mind that Arthur had been imprisoned, nor did she care about the stigma that came with it. What bothered her most was his attitude. Initially, she had thought that he would start fresh and live a practical life after being released, but the Arthur King she knew now was a bitter disappointment.

Andrew Robertson was making his way back and crossed paths with Arthur once more, stopping to exchange words.

“Okay, you claim to be the War Lord?” he asked dryly. “Well, there’s going to be a welcome banquet tomorrow night in Eldrida, specially dedicated to welcoming the one and only War Lord himself. I hope to see you there.”

Andrew was right; indeed, there was a welcome banquet dedicated to the War Lord. As Arthur now had intentions to settle in Eldrida, the stakeholders had appointed him as the Counselor of Eldrida, which was a very honorable title. His true purpose for being there remained uncertain, and many feared him. It was easy to cause panic, so Eldrida had decided to host the banquet in his name, hoping to ease the tension.

“Oh? Can you even attend such a banquet, Andrew?” Henry couldn’t help but ask, having overheard their conversation.

Andrew squared his shoulders and smiled. “Of course, I just received two invitation cards.”

In fact, Andrew had gone out of his way to buy two invitations for four million, just to show off at the family gathering.

All those present looked at Andrew in awe. “Now that’s four million well spent, if you ask me,” he said with bravado.

“Uh… is there any way you could get more invitations, Andrew?” Henry asked cautiously. “If so, our fathers would love to join and expand our horizons!”

Andrew’s father, who had been present during the discussion, gazed at his son with anticipation in his eyes.

“It’s alright, I’ll get more no matter what!” Andrew agreed flatly, even though he could feel the burn in his wallet. “It’s just a matter of one phone call!” He finished emphatically and strode off to make the call.

Andrew returned a few minutes later, claiming the invitations had been secured. He turned to Arthur and exchanged a menacing look. “You better show up to that banquet as none other than the War Lord himself.”

Arthur just stared at him, without uttering a single word.

“Amanda, your good-for-nothing man here can’t even afford an invitation to the War Lord’s banquet, whereas Andrew purchased four invitations in minutes. Is this the life you want?” Henry asked Amanda, who sat in the corner, still feeling sorry for herself.

Arthur straightened up. “Who said I couldn’t afford a measly invitation to my own banquet?” he intoned.

“There he goes again…” Henry said, rolling his eyes.

Arthur glanced around the room, making brief eye contact with several members of the wait staff who were serving wine and hors d'oeuvres. In a matter of seconds, one of them approached with ten invitations to the welcome banquet.

“Invitations to the War Lord’s welcome banquet have just arrived for the Cortez family,” the server declared, handing the invitations to Amanda’s father before walking off swiftly.

Everyone who witnessed the scene stood in awe, jaws dropping, including Amanda’s parents. Andrew looked at Arthur, catching him smiling subtly, though he remained silent.

“Every important family member of Amanda Cortez’s family is invited to attend tomorrow’s banquet,” Amanda’s father read aloud from the envelope.

Arthur said nothing as the scene unfolded before him. This caused Andrew to seethe inwardly, as he had managed to secure only four invitations for his family, while Arthur, a man Andrew saw as a tramp, had somehow obtained ten for Amanda’s entire family—and no one seemed to notice except for Andrew.

At that moment, the patriarch of the Cortez clan arrived, having heard what had transpired. He demanded to be handed the invitations, which Amanda’s father gave over out of respect. The Cortez patriarch proceeded to distribute the invitations one by one to the high-status members of the clan, pointedly ignoring any member of Amanda’s immediate family. Even Henry and his wife received invitations, but Amanda’s family did not.

The patriarch suddenly felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Arthur standing behind him.

“Why didn’t we get an invitation?” Arthur asked quietly, his tone deceptively calm.

The room fell silent. The Cortez patriarch stiffened but quickly recovered, looking down at Arthur dismissively. "You don't really expect an invitation, do you? You should know better than anyone that people like you don’t belong at a place like that."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, unphased. "People like me?" He chuckled lightly, though his eyes held no humor. "You mean someone who just secured ten invitations to the most exclusive banquet in Eldrida?"

The patriarch faltered slightly but regained his composure. "That’s irrelevant. These invitations are for those who truly matter in the Cortez family. You, however, are not one of them."

Amanda, still seated, glanced up, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Her father remained silent, caught between family loyalty and the unfolding drama. Henry smirked, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Arthur, never one to back down, took a step forward. "Perhaps you don’t understand. This banquet is being thrown in my honor, and whether you like it or not, Amanda and her family will be attending."

The Cortez patriarch sneered, "Over my dead body."

Arthur tilted his head. "That can be arranged."

The room erupted into murmurs as tension thickened in the air. Even Henry looked momentarily taken aback by Arthur’s calm threat. No one dared move, as the weight of Arthur’s words hung over them like a storm about to break.