Brother Locke, are you going to leave Faustian after this? lsons flabby arms retrieved his glass from the servants. He clinked it against Lockes and downed it in a gulp.
Locke mirrored the twirls and elegant sways of the Faustian nobles with his glass absentmindedly. His mind was buzzing with thoughts; Locke hadnt registered any of lsons words.
lson wasnt irritated by the lack of response, though. He raised his hand to ask for more wine. lson wasnt powerful enough to learn about the planar war. However, his wide business connections that spanned across multiple kingdoms along with his profound perceptiveness allowed him to realise that sothing was amiss.
The air was thick with tension and jitters recently. lson had always felt chills down his spine when he attempted to link the mass disappearances of high-rank Knechts to the weird atmosphere.
His Uncle George was a high-rank Knecht too. lson had done his best to pry information from the old man but George didnt have much to spare. The older man had only known that those knights had left to answer the Hall of Knights call to arms.
George was getting old and hed just been through two wars; his body was at its limits. The man was able to exempt himself from the mobilisation after paying a large amount of assets to the hall.
Plenty of high-rank Knechts across Missia, especially those that stood at the pinnacle of power, had done the sa. After all, they were the only ones that could afford the fine that ca with defying the halls order.
Locke was a high-rank Knecht that just ca from Aomar, which was why lson was eager to hear his perspective. The Kingdom of Faustian was far from Aomar, so there must be so news that they hadnt learnt of yet. This was lsons gut feeling as an excellent trader.
From the looks of it, Locke had refused to answer further. lson saw no point in forcing out an answer so he retrieved his glass from the servant and downed another serving of wine. Lockes silence was an obvious cue; lson understood that the answer was sothing he shouldnt dabble into. Locke obviously knew a thing or two.
Even so, they moved past the topic and carried on. The garden began to fill with more nobles that were out for a dance. The sight of rry dancing made lson itch to mirror their fun too. He turned to Locke, Dont you feel like dancing too? He glanced over to Glace and the other girls. lson was probably one of the very few in Faustian that knew of Lockes wildness.
No thanks. But dont let stop you from having so fun. Locke shook his head and took a sip of his wine.
Truth be told, he didnt know how to dance at all. The last ti hed danced was seven years ago when he and Angelina made it out of Morphey Forest. Shed taught him the basics during the princes banquet but it had been so long ago that Locke forgot everything. It went without saying that Glace could dance. Kristin and Laffey most likely knew how to dance too. However, Locke wasnt in the mood to ask them for a lesson.
Apart from his growing hosickness, the other reason behind his reservation was the king. Locke wished to leave a good impression on his future father in law. The kings coldness towards him earlier was very much felt. Despite his many encounters with fierce battles, near-death dangers along and the thrilling Botanian conquest, nothing couldve prepared him to face King Faustian. The old king looked like any ordinary man but Locke had always felt apprehensive in his presence.
Locke cared not about noble titles and the power they ca with. His hands were stained with the blood of at least hundreds; hed slaughtered Shalorians, Aomarian thieves and alien creatures in the past. Yet, the souls reaped by his longsword had brought no substantial improvent to him. It did, however, bring huge changes to Lockes perspective of the world.
Before he knew it, his new outlook had given him a special aura. Locke would usually suppress this aura at the bottom of his heart. Only Count lson, whod dealt with people of all walks often, could steal a glimpse or two. Was nobility the answer to a legitimate life? Could knighthood even dampen enemy attacks? Obviously not. Locke could chase after power just like everyone else but he could never lose himself in the process. His will was strong and he knew what to stay away from.
The king can do whatever he wants to , thought Locke with his arm over his face, back pliant against the cold stone bench. Worst ca to worst, hed just bring everyone he loved away from Faustian and elope with Angelina! He was confident that the princess would follow him if that ever happened. However, he didnt wish to see Angelina torn between family and love. He drew a sigh. Locke could only hope that the king would not break them apart.
It felt almost as if the world ran on power. Locke seethed in his mind. If he was a quasi-Ritter or better yet, a Ritter, the king wouldnt have displayed such reluctance to approve of their union. Locke wouldnt stand a chance at becoming a Ritter even with the resources they brought back from Botania. However, having him advance as a quasi-Ritter wasnt too far of a stretch.
While Lockes mind was plagued with a storm of thoughts, lson had moved his big belly into the hoard of dancing aristocrats below. Many young and beautiful noblewon began to flock to him with charming smiles.
lson was in his thirties but he was still unmarried; he was the only bachelor among the high-ranking Faustian nobles. In his words, hed like to enjoy a few years of freedom before thinking about settling down to build a family. However, his wish had made him the most radiant diamond among the Faustian aristocrats. The noblewon were either after his influence or his wealth. But one thing was almost certain, no one was here for his looks.
As Count lson began waltzing across the dance floor, Ranz entered the hall and went straight into the hall. At that mont, Princess Angelina and King Faustian were in the middle of a hearty conversation high above everyone else. Ranz made a beeline for the group of nobles on the left of the space.
How did it go? asked Kester blankly as he took a sip of wine. He stood by the window for an unobstructed view of Angelinas beauty.
Ranz leaned over and whispered lengthily into Kesters ear.
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