58 Sibling Love And Devotion (1/2)

The pleasant, soft music played by the performing musicians would have been enjoyable had it not been overshadowed by the deafening sounds of the guests at the party. A cacophony of hushed whispers buzzed around his ears like a fly he couldn't get rid of no matter how hard he tried.

”So that's the boy that the princess's taken for her herself…”

”Who would have thought? It seems like she likes them young and cute…”

”He's the one from that incident, right? The one that was 'covered up' last year. Very interesting, indeed…”

”Her Highness was very quick to react, too. Snatched the boy before anyone else even had a chance. I hear it soured her relationship with…”

Rumors, theories, and gossip were born here, exchanged amongst the upper class like money. Anything was up for sale here, be it a scandalous rumor about the royal family, the movements of certain noble families, or far-fetched stories about events that might or might not have occurred.

Unfortunately, Reed himself had become one of these hot topics that the nobility discussed in these gatherings, for good reason.

A foreign child who had won the favor of the Winter Princess, of all the people in the North.

Someone of questionable talent that caused a certain incident during his contract with the Will of the World.

A figure that had seeming made friends with all of the most important figures in his generational batch, despite his unorthodox origins.

Even his personal records had been wiped clean. The only thing they'd been able to learn about him were the most basic of details.

Naturally, these crumbs of truth only served to heighten the fantasies of the nobility who lived and acted on the whispers they heard in the wind. Things were being hidden from them, which meant only one thing to them.

Someone was making a move upstairs, above even them. Powers greater than the likes of them, who managed the state of affairs in their regions. The boy was a subject of national concern, and that meant something big.

The royal family rarely ever intervened in matters of the state, acting only in times of crisis and international concern. The title of Evergreen had been the last straw for them. It was beyond unprecedented, for the royal family to have given the boy that title.

Everyone in the room felt it their bones. Something was happening. A storm was coming, and a big one at that. And with this storm came an opportunity, a gamble of sorts.

The storm could bring unimaginable benefits to them, or utterly destroy them if they picked the wrong choice. Ride the storm and adapt to the new changes, or fight back and defend against the change.

That was the question. And knowing the answer would dictate the future hierarchy of the noble class for centuries, perhaps even millennia to come.

Of course, what he felt inside was anything but how he seemed on the outside.

They won't stop looking at me… Do I look weird or do they just not like me? Not that I give a damn what they think of me. Some of their gazes are also a bit… unsettling. T-They look like they want to skin me alive or something!

”That's the greed in their eyes, boy. They see you as delicious prey. It's only natural; people always want what others possess. When you came walking in with that royal wench, everyone recognized that you had some kind of worth. Why else would a princess associate with a nobody like you?” said Lacrima.

Violett and Lu'um had left him to his own devices after they had left to take care of some kind of business. What that meant was unknown to him. Abandoned, Reed had moved across the ballroom to one of the more secluded areas to hide from the persistent gazes of the guests.

Reed sighed and quietly muttered, ”This is ridiculous… I really don't belong here at all. Might as well hide somewhere better than here…”

Just as he was about to consider hiding in one of the mansion's bathrooms, a charming voice said, ”Why don't you hide in my room instead? It'd be better than hiding out here, behind this pillar, right?”

Startled, Reed turned towards the source of the voice and saw a young girl staring at him curiously behind a large, potted plant. Her long, distinctive silver hair had given her away as it amusingly swayed back and forth like a lure.

Her big, honey-golden eyes caught his attention as they inspected him from top to bottom. It made her seem like a predator — albeit a cute one — like a jaguar or a lion, stalking its prey…