The night sky above the castle was a breathtaking sight to behold.
The full moon cast a gentle glow upon the landscape, illuminating the dark shadows of the trees and the turrets of the castle.
The stars twinkled like diamonds, scattered across the velvet black canvas of the sky, while wispy clouds drifted lazily by, their edges tinged with a soft pink hue.
Fairy lights strung along the walls and ceilings of the castle, while the interior of the hall was adorned with delicate flowers.
The guests, dressed in their finest attire, laughed and chatted as they sipped on champagne and enjoyed the delectable treats laid out before them.
As the night wore on, the stars grew brighter, and the moon seemed to rise higher in the sky.
The party continued, spilling out onto the castle's balcony, where guests could marvel at the beauty of the night sky in all its glory.
And there I was, aware of the beauty of the night but not able to enjoy its view as I was busy in my thoughts while watching the backs of the departing Greenbergs.
This time, I flopped the Greenberg's plan, tricked them into thinking they won, then beat Selina, destroyed her ego, trapped them in another one of my insidious plans, and finally destroyed their family's reputation.
For all I know, after tonight, the reputation and social standing of the Greenbergs will never be the same again.
Maybe their late ancestors would be cursing themselves now for having such worthless descendants.
After the Greenberg family members left while tucking their tails between their legs in shame, the party continued as usual after my father apologised for the inconvenience, and everyone behaved like nothing had happened earlier at all.
Just that a new topic has now been added to the people's discussion, and the enemies of Greenberg's have some spicy news and a good opportunity to strike them hard.
Actually, it was really not a new situation for other people, because such incidents had happened several times in these types of gatherings where a conflict had broken out between two noble families.
Usually it happens mainly between parties of equal strength, but it's also not rare for conflict to happen between families with totally different status.
You could say it's either sometimes the lower-status family members who do something to upset the higher-status family members or because they have a grudge against each other; or it could be because of situations like Selina's, or more specifically because of ignorant people who think they are the king of the world and don't know who to offend and who not to.
which eventually leads to situations like today.
Though the addition of a superpower like the Church of Light and the Archbishop tonight was indeed interesting and entertaining to people, but because they didn't know the ins and outs of the matter or the treacherous plans of the Greenberg family, they just took it as another fool making their family suffer.
It's just that this time it was a count's family that got saved from their extermination by a very narrow margin, which was a more impactful situation because, generally, families with the status of a count are usually the high ranking party in these kinds of conflicts, and rarely does anyone get to see them being so helpless against anyone.
And this is so because there are only 3 dukes in the Kingdom of Netopia and only around 6 more families, excluding the 3 dukes with a higher status than a count.
Anyway, I know that today's matter isn't over yet.
How could it be over when I didn't allow it to be over?
I have given the Greenbergs such a great chance to turn this disaster into an opportunity and take revenge against our Steeline family while also successfully completing their plans to make me their pawn.
So how could they let go of this chance, let go of their hatred, let go of this humiliation they suffered today?
That's why I know they will return.
Well, of course, they will return tomorrow to send their lovely daughter to me.
But not only that, tomorrow they will also return to apologise while bringing me some gifts for free again.
With a new found will and confidence, they will again try to trick my Steeline family, only to find themselves falling into the nefarious traps I designed especially for them.
HAHAHAH~~~!
As the mood in the hall got back to being lively and people started to enjoy the atmosphere, I turned to the people from the Church of Light.
"Thank you, Archbishop, and everyone else for supporting my Steeline family."
"Hahaha, no big deal, holy son, it's what we should do."
There was a satisfied smile on the archbishop's and other people's faces who were from the Church of Light.
Maybe for the Archbishop, tonight was a rare night, definitely one of the top five in his life, when he was so happy, and I have to say that he was really a happy to go old man, or at least he behaved as such in front of me.
With a glass of drink in his hand, he spoke.
"It's encouraging to see that our holy son is not only unmatched in strength but also in tactics and is a logical individual who is unaffected by emotions. I have to say, the more I look at you, the more I feel satisfied."
"I will humbly accept that compliment."
After that, we chatted for about a minute before parting ways, as my father took me to meet some of his friends and other people who attended the party.
Then I was again snatched back by my mother, who took me to meet other noblewomen and their daughters, who had their eyes twinkling like a certain old man with a long white beard.
Although these little nympho girls were cute and fun to have around, but when they got ready to make me their groom there and then,
Only by explaining the terms of "The Special Marriage Act and The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act" to them was I somehow able to protect my childhood and human rights.
After which, at last, my mother took me to meet the people from her home land, the Dukedom of Spade in the North.
Long story short, our chat with them was very nice and lighthearted, but I felt a little disappointed because the people from Spade who came here were only a few people from the branch family, and no one from the main family came.
Well, in reality, I didn't even expect that anyone from the Spade family would actually come, considering how proud those war headed people are, who only know how to fight demons, and how they despise these kinds of celebrations.
So even the presence of these aunts and uncles, who were just from the branch family, was really an unexpected surprise for me.
However, what was really unfortunate was that the little princess of Spade from the main line was not here today, nor was that girl from the branch family, who was Kevin's fiancee in the novel.
Yes, Kevin's fiancee, Daphne Spade, was the granddaughter of my mother's uncle, who was once saved by Kevin's master while he was travelling.
After which, he agreed to marry his granddaughter to Kevin because he thought that his daughter's future would be set if she could marry a boy with the potential to reach the sword grandmaster rank one day while also having the support of another sword grandmaster.
Another cliché routine, right?
But what's interesting is that unlike those bloody routines where the fiancée usually despises the protagonist, in this case it wasn't at all like that.
Kevin's fiancée is a girl with traditional ethics and beliefs.
Her situation is like marrying a dog and being a dog, or marrying a chicken and being a chicken, and since she was a smart girl, she understood that Kevin's background was actually very good for her, where she would have the shelter of a Sword Grandmaster.
Otherwise, as a member of the branch family of the Spade, she was destined to marry into a low status noble's house who might not even have an ancestor with sword grandmaster rank.
Calculating the time, it's been almost 5 years since that event took place.
It's unfortunate that I didn't know the details of how and where Kevin's master saved my mother's uncle, and also since I was still a two year old at that time, I couldn't do much in that situation.
Otherwise, I would have really done my best to destroy this chance.
Because in the novel, it was this fiancée of Kevin who acted as a mediator between him and the family of Spade.
With the help of whom Kevin came into contact with the only daughter of the head of the Spade family, Isabelle Spade, who at that time was also the head of the student council as a sophomore in the Aura Academy.
Isabelle and Daphne were another one of my targets for retribution, and in some ways, they were an even greater target for me than Selina.
According to what I remember from the novel, Isabelle was the polar opposite of Selina, for if Selina was a haughty, arrogant, and stupid b*tch, then Isabelle was a clever, sly, smart, aloof, and cold natured girl.
who knows how to use her brain and do evil as well as good deeds to achieve her goals.
In the novel, if Selina used Luke and betrayed him while helping in the destruction of the Steeline family, then this Isabelle and Daphne were one of the biggest reasons why the Spade family betrayed my mother.
It was also because of this reason that, since my birth, I have never even once visited them, nor have I shown any goodwill towards them.
"Cherishing the new and discarding the old,"
My maternal grandparents are really worthy—a bunch of old dogs, not knowing how to pray to god in old age and collect good karma to ascend to heaven after death, but getting greedy and betraying my mother, do you even deserve to be called my grandparents?
Just you wait, motherf*ckers; I already have a plan to ensure that you perish in the most gruesome way possible, making even the most heinous of the demons tremble in horror.
Unfortunately, considering Isabelle's and those old dogs' natures and personalities, I knew that they wouldn't be present at this kind of party; otherwise, had anyone of them dared to come today, I would have dared to show them my reception, even better than I did to those Greenbergs.
Anyway, just like that, time passed, and it was finally the time to end this party.
Although this is a fantasy world with a monarchial society and a little laid back technological background similar to that of the 1950s back on earth, but that's only for the common people who have no access to mana or aura.
For people like the nobles, the technology of this world could even be said to be on par with or above that of modern Earth, and definitely not less if not more.
The difference is that those advanced devices and machines don't operate on electricity but on aura and mana.
Subsequently, there were trains too in this world for the masses and common people.
Though instead of cars, there were magically enchanted carriages in this world, pulled by strong demonic beasts, capable of covering hundreds of kilometres within an hour, with enchanted interiors more luxurious than some high class hotel rooms, and with defences so strong that even a bomb wouldn't be able to leave a scratch on their surface.
That's why, when the party was finally over, everyone left directly for their homes, all of which were in different territories hundreds of kilometres apart, in their luxurious carriages after once again congratulating me one by one.
Soon everyone left, and the hall got empty.
Of course, except for the people of the Church of Light, who were our special guests tonight and were staying in the Steeline castle under our arrangement, enjoying the best hospitality given by the Steeline family.
It was then, after everyone left, in the empty hall, where only the three of us—my mother, father, and I were left, that I turned towards my parents and spoke without hesitation.
"Father, can you ask our family's potion maker to check out what's mixed in this drink?" I took out the drink that I had stored in my spatial pouch, and after transferring it to an empty glass container lying on the table, I gave it to my father and added.
"Tell him to be careful because the thing added to it could be ancient or difficult to find, so ask him to give his best."
When my parents looked at the drink in my hand and heard my words, their eyes flickered, and a solemn atmosphere was created between us.
My father didn't say anything to me; he just took the glass container and left the hall in deep thought while leaving a message.
"Meet me with your mother in my room in one hour; the result will be out by then."
My mother, on the other hand, had a murderous look in her eyes when she looked at the drink in my father's hand, who was about to exit the hall.
The intelligence she possessed allowed her to instantly put two and two together and see the big picture, after which she looked at me in the eye and asked word for word.
"Is it what I am thinking, it is?"
"I don't know what's in it, but it certainly came from the source you have in your mind, mother."
Bang~!!!
"That b*tch! How dare she? I will kill her!"
─ One hour later. In a beautiful, luxurious bedroom fit for the head of the Steeine family, which was in the heart of the castle and had high ceilings and large windows with a stunning view of the castle gardens, a woman cursed loudly and hit the glass table in front of her in rage. Bang! "That b*tch, how dare she? I will kill her!" A piercing smash signalled the initial impact as the glass shards got blasted and scattered across the ground. Shatter! The noise reverberated and echoed throughout the space, heightening the sense of outrage and gravity brought about by my father's report. "To plot against my son, such guts!" My mother, who was sitting on the couch next to me, shouted in an extremely enraged manner while gritting her teeth and clenching her fist. In spite of the fact that she had just shattered a glass table, there was not even a single scratch on her hand, clearly signifying what an insane level of physical strength she possesses. And if it hadn't been for me g
My sudden leap from her lap and question to my father caught my mother's attention, who then also eagerly looked at him to hear the answer.But instead of what we thought he would say, my dad just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders."How would I know who's behind such a thing?"Although he claimed that was the case, his eyes—which I caught gesturing at my mother as though to say, "Don't bring up that subject in front of Luke"—said otherwise."Dad! Why are you trying to hide it from me? I just saw you secretly signalling at my mother."The fact that I saw through his methods and revealed them so directly immediately made his cheeks red and his face embarrassed.Thereafter, helpless, he turned to my mom as though pleading for assistance.But all she did was give him a shake of the head, as if she didn't want to get involved in what was going on between the father and son, though I know she was enjoying it too.Dejected, my father tried to persuade me."It's still not time for you
Next morning, 6:12 A.M. Chirp~! As I woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside, I stretched my arms above my head. The sun was peeking through the window of my room, casting a soft glow across the plush rug on the floor and the bed as I felt the sun's warmth on my face. As I sat up, yawned, and rubbed my eyes, the familiar sights, including the large map of the continent of Ardonia on one wall, marked with pins indicating all the places I hoped to one day visit and where some major events of the book took place, came into my sight. My room is spacious but tastefully decorated, though unlike the rooms of kids my age, where toys and books fill the shelves and overflow the toy chest, mine looks more like it belongs to an adult scholar. In this case, I'll give my mom the benefit of the doubt and take the other half of the credit since I share this room with her and we both enjoy it this way. Looking to my side, I noticed that my mother wasn't there by my side, but the bed is s
As I descended the stairs with my mom, I greeted the archbishop and the other paladins and priests from the Church of Light, who were gathered around a large table in the middle of the hall."Good morning, Archbishop, and to everyone else." My mother nodded and also greeted them, and they all stood up and greeted us back."Good morning to you too, holy son, and to you too, Duchess Steeline.""Good morning, Holy Son.""Greetings Duchess.""Holy Son is very kind.""Does the Archbishop sleep comfortably? There weren't any problems, were there?" I approached the table and asked as we exchanged small pleasantries with each other."No worries; everything was good, and we all had a good night's sleep yesterday." He replied with his signature old smile.Then, one by one, following the archbishop, the other paldins and priests also started expressing their thoughts."There's no need for the holy son to worry; Steeline's hospitality was really one of the best we have experienced.""Even the gar
─ December 25, year 1000 Caspara Commercial Road. As a convoy of opulent carriages drawn by horse-like demons passed by the towering trees on either side of the road, the sound of their hooves clopping against the snow-covered asphalt filled the air. A single carriage in the centre was surrounded and escorted by four carriages of Aura users and Paladins of strength equal to "Swordman" and "Sword Master" rank. The carriage in the middle appeared ordinary yet elegant, with its exterior painted in a rich burgundy colour with gold trim that gleamed in the sunlight. However, only upon stepping inside can one realise that this carriage is far from ordinary. The interior of the carriage is a magical space, with a sense of grandeur that far surpasses any five-star hotel room. But what truly sets this carriage apart is the magical bedroom that lies beyond a set of doors. Inside the spacious and opulent room, on a king-sized bed that was covered in silk sheets and plush pillows, I was ly
Even though we left the Steeline castle at a relatively early hour in the morning, now that we are here in the royal capital, the afternoon sun has already begun to blaze overhead, giving everything it touches a warm golden glow. Since our visit today was very secretive in nature to ensure that the ceremony could be carried out without disturbance or interruption, there were no emblems or markings of the Church of Light or the Steeline family on our carriages. Therefore, our carriages were stopped at the gates of the Imperial City, but after the Paladins confirmed the identities, our carriages were respectfully allowed in without even going through any checks. Upon passing through the city gates located within the massive walls that encircled the Imperial City, we were greeted with a flurry of activity. The streets were filled with various vendors selling their wares in colourful stalls, craftsmen practising their trade, people going about their daily lives, and the sound of carria
"Then please." Hearing the cardinal's words, the elderly nuns standing before the altar who had been gawking at my earlier performance suddenly came to their senses and rushed over to him, as if they had been waiting for this moment all along. I understood why they were called, but having myself taken care of by a gaggle of elderly ladies was not really my first choice. It's not like all the nuns in the cathedral were old and wrinkled; I spotted a few young and attractive ones peeking at me stealthily from a side aisle. Some of them were probably my age or a little older, but they were apparently still in training and therefore not eligible enough to be responsible for my care on this momentous occasion. Though I really wanted to be dressed by those beautiful young ones, but what can I say? For the successful implementation of my plans and to maintain my righteous and sacred image, I have to bite the bullet, sacrifice myself, and let these old women take advantage of the innocent
Following the activation of the "play" by system, everyone watched in astonishment as the statue of the goddess began to glow with an otherworldly radiance.This radiance then burst forth from the statue of the goddess and engulfed the entire hall, especially me, who was the real recipient of it.The "divine energy of the goddess" that flooded my body bathed me in a warm golden light and then carried me off into the air.With excitement and fear, everyone saw a strange, powerful energy coursing through my body as I was lifted off the ground, my small feet leaving the soft red carpet.Instantly, as my body rose higher and higher, glistening with the same divine light that surrounded the goddess statue, I opened my eyes, which had turned completely white and were giving off a tyrannical oppression to anyone who dared to look into them."Impossible!""It's the goddess! The goddess has descended in the holy son."People's shocked exclamations reached my ears, and I smiled to myself."Card