Chapter 107 - Chapter 17: Test #6 (1/2)

Chapter 107 - Chapter 17: Test #6

Knight Saga often had tea party events.

Zephyr, the protagonist of the Demon World, could hold them himself or he could accept the invitation of the other royal children.

The function of the tea party was a social meeting. As it wasn’t an official event like the court gathering, it was smaller in size, but a greater degree of socialization was available.

The tea parties were for collecting and exchanging information, discovering new talents, maintaining their reputation and various media play.

‘Sometimes the “haha” and “hoho” along with the tea and cakes makes it seem far from a meeting.’

Although it wasn’t a court gathering, In-gong was dressed formally when he climbed into the carriage that Flora called. Felicia, Silvan, Caitlin and Chris were already on the carriage as they had decided to go together in order to show that a new faction had formed.

Felicia was wearing a white dress that contrasted beautifully with her brown skin. Among the members here, she was the most experienced with tea parties. She was well aware of the ‘correct meaning’ of the tea party.

On the other hand, Caitlin accepted the tea party at face value and was laughing. Her rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes showed that she had high expectations for this.

She had on a subdued blue dress, and Chris was looking out the window with a scruffy face. He was dressed in a black suit similar to what he had worn to the court gathering, but it was obvious that he didn’t want to participate in the tea party.

Silvan was looking more colourful than usual, looking like a sailor wearing a dress suit.

Chris looked at Silvan who had shifted to make room for In-gong. It seemed like it was burdensome for Silvan to sit directly opposite Chris.

Once Carack and In-gong took their places, the carriage started moving again. Five of the royal children and four aides were on board, but it didn’t feel crowded because it was a large carriage.

Baikal’s mansion was located in the eastern part of the Demon King’s Palace, and it looked more like a military fortress than a mansion.

The overall impression was sharp and pointed, while the dragon sculptures in various places created a sense of oppression.

Baikal’s troops were draconians. The blood of a dragon ran through them, so the people in the mansion would have considerable combat power.

'Indeed, the 1st Prince...’

Even if the order of birth was unrelated to succession in the Demon World, the eldest son was still the eldest son. As the first born and child of the demon king that had lived the longest, he received more expectations and support than the other children of the demon king.

It was one year ahead of Knight Saga, so In-gong wasn’t sure of the current situation, but Baikal should be getting more support than Zephyr from the draconians.

If he had to estimate the ratio, it would be 3:2.

With only 60%, it wasn’t a species-wide support, but the draconians were so fearsome that it was more than the support that some of the other royal children received.

They were guided to the reception room where the organizer of the tea party, Baikal, welcomed them.

”Everybody came together.”

Baikal was a young man with neatly brushed hair who gave off a pleasant impression.

The pair of horns on his head, which could be called the symbol of the draconians, pointed straight to the sky and seemed to reveal Baikal’s straight-lined heart.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, but his muscles weren’t big like Chris and Carack.

The eldest one was Silvan, but he was Felicia’s escort, so he allowed her to greet Baikal first. It was a bit ambiguous since they were twins, but due to the female centered nature of the dark elves, Felicia was always the first to say hello.

Felicia bowed elegantly.

”Thank you for inviting me to the tea party, Baikal orabeoni.”

”Thank you for accepting my invitation.”

Baikal embraced Felicia and Silvan lightly, then turned to Chris and Caitlin.

Chris greeted him first,

“It is great to see 1st Prince.”

He didn’t kneel down, but the greeting was reminiscent of the court gathering. Baikal gave an embarrassed smile at Chris’ distant attitude.

“Chris, don’t be so stiff.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Chris still answered formally, so Baikal couldn’t help frowning. However, that only lasted for a moment. He greeted Caitlin with a bright expression,

”Isn’t this the first time I’ve seen you outside of a court gathering? It is great to see you, Caitlin.”

“Yes, Oppa.”

Caitlin responded shyly. Baikal laughed at how Caitlin’s reaction was completely different reaction from Chris’ and hugged her.

Finally, it was In-gong’s turn.

This time, Baikal greeted him first.

”Shutra, it has been a really long time since I’ve seen you face to face.”

”Yes, Hyung-nim.”

In-gong responded smoothly as he looked into Baikal’s eyes.

It was because there was no information about the original relationship between Baikal and Shutra.

'Maybe there weren’t any exchanges.’

The draconians, Baikal’s mother’s side, and the Gandharva, Shutra’s mother’s side, were enemies.

However, Baikal then said words that In-gong couldn’t imagine.

“Isn’t it your birthday pretty soon? The gifts this year are insufficient. I will send it to your mansion on your birthday as always.”

In-gong panicked. Birthday? Did this mean that he sent a birthday present every year?

In-gong was reminded of the Day of Massacre.

Baikal had held the bodies of his siblings and sobbed. He had been furious at Zephyr and had gone crazy.

If it was Baikal, he might actually be interested in Shutra.

Baikal would know roughly when In-gong’s birthday was. Perhaps he had sent a couple of gifts a year. As the oldest, Baikal would care for Shutra, who was the youngest son. Despite not being children of the same house, they were still children of the demon king. However, no one else had cared about Shutra.

”Thank you.”

There was sincerity in In-gong’s voice. Clearly, In-gong’s reaction had pleased Baikal as he then said in an affectionate voice,

”It is natural between siblings. I should pamper you a bit more.”

His bright smile matched his tender voice.

Baikal led the party towards the reception area. There was already a guest who had arrived first.

“Zephyr came first. Zephyr, say hello to your younger siblings.”

Just like the others, Baikal treated Zephyr as a sibling.

At Baikal’s words, Zephyr looked at In-gong’s party and bowed slightly.

Felicia and Silvan laughed like they had expected this, while Chris sneered.

...And In-gong was convinced.

If Baikal was the light, then Zephyr was the darkness. It would have been awkward if Zephyr laughed and welcomed them like Baikal.

Zephyr, who had long blood red hair, didn’t reveal his feelings but gave off an enormous presence just by sitting there.

Baikal sighed like there was nothing he could do and assigned a seat to each of the party members. Silvan, Felicia, Chris, Caitlin and In-gong were all seated opposite Zephyr.

They didn’t wait long since the time had already been set. After finishing the seating arrangements, a bell sounded to announce the arrival of 3rd Prince Victor and 4th Princess Anastasia.

Baikal also greeted Victor and Anastasia with a bright smile. The two of them were seated beside Zephyr, with Anastasia naturally being a considerable distance away from him.

Finally, all nine of the demon king’s children had gathered. Baikal, who sat in the organizer’s seat, started the tea party with some prepared tea and cookies.

As Felicia had predicted, Baikal led the conversation into a friendly chat. However, he avoided topics that seemed somewhat sensitive, such as In-gong and the sword duke. It seemed as though he was going to avoid all topics that would stimulate competition.

Chris kept silent, while Silvan only occasionally participated in the conversation as he concentrated on eating the cookies and drinking the tea.

The conversation flowed primarily between Baikal, Anastasia, Felicia and Caitlin.