Welcome Ball

Servants welcomed the guests invited by Knight Marshall outside the castle gates. They were lords from the surrounding lands and nobles from Harvest City, a hundred miles away. From this alone, it was clear that Knight Marshall had a wide circle of acquaintances, which was naturally inseparable from his family background.

The ball was held in the castle's grand hall. More than a hundred enormous smokeless candles illuminated the entire room, while red wine shipped from Bagang City, the Duchy Capital, and fresh game hunted in the forest behind the castle tempted everyone's appetites.

Night had already fallen, and all the guests had arrived in the hall. No one was ever late for a ball like this. Compared to the variety of nighttime entertainment on Earth, people in this world had very few activities after dark. The poor could not afford expensive oil lamps, so they went to bed early. The nobles mostly just read at night. Nobles living in cities might have the chance to attend an opera, but such performances were not held every day.

Hosting a ball was extremely expensive. Ordinary nobles could only hold one or two such gatherings a year; any more than that would be beyond their means.

Bennett Knight's Territory had never hosted such a gathering for as long as Abel could remember. He wondered how Knight Marshall managed his finances. Knight Bennett really ought to learn proper financial management from Knight Marshall, Abel thought.

Abel was the star of the evening, so he rested with Knight Marshall on the second floor of the hall. Then Steward Linsey, dressed in a black tailcoat below, loudly announced, "Please welcome the esteemed Knight Marshall and Young Master Abel."

Applause erupted from the crowd. Knight Marshall led Abel slowly down the stairs, nodding continuously to the guests. When Knight Marshall raised his wineglass, the atmosphere of the ball reached its peak.

Apart from Knight Marshall, Abel did not know a single person at tonight's ball. And being not yet thirteen, no ladies invited him to dance. With nothing to do, Abel looked around. Other than the occasional guest greeting him, to whom he politely returned the courtesy, there was nothing else for him to do.

"Lucky black-haired brat."

"Yeah, what a lucky fellow."

"Why couldn't something this good happen to me?"

"With a face like yours, they'd rather choose me."

In a corner of the ball, several young men were chatting and laughing together. They did not notice Abel approaching. When they saw him, they were first embarrassed, then a young man in white formalwear stepped forward, bowed to Abel, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry. We didn't notice you had arrived."

"There's no need to apologize. I was the one who interrupted your conversation." Abel returned the evening bow, his expression calm.

Before coming to Hari Castle, Abel had already considered that people might discuss this matter. However, with his true age being forty and having lived two lives, he did not take such gossip to heart.

Abel's attitude seemed to win the young men's favor. They pulled him into their conversation, discussing amusing stories, such as which knight had found a new lover or what prey someone had hunted.

The young man in white formalwear was Isaac, eldest son of Baron Victor of Harvest City. Earlier, he had shown great envy for Abel's good fortune in being adopted by a Feudal Knight with no heirs.

Isaac's father, Baron Victor, was one of the many knights in Harvest City. Though these knights living in the city enjoyed comfortable lives, most of them engaged in commerce, because maintaining a noble's luxurious lifestyle required a great deal of gold.

Although merchants were considered beneath nobles, they had no choice but to engage in the commercial dealings they looked down upon in order to earn gold. Meanwhile, feudal lords—even Feudal Knights—held higher status than landless barons like them.

Without land, there was no castle. They could only live in the city, and no matter how large a house was, it could not compare to the freedom of one's own castle. The income from a fief also provided a steady source of funds to support oneself, one's family, and one's guard.

Abel could understand Isaac's envy. As long as there was no malice behind it, Abel could tolerate it.

He took a light sip of red wine and listened to their conversation, occasionally adding a remark. It made him seem neither too distant nor overly enthusiastic.

At that moment, a sinister gaze swept over him. As a Level 4 Rookie Knight, Abel immediately caught the malice in it. Without showing any reaction, he examined the source from the corner of his eye, still gently swirling the wineglass in his hand.

It was a young man with a tall, straight figure and handsome features. His blond hair was impeccably combed, but his overly narrow eyes gave him a somewhat effeminate appearance.

Abel lightly nudged Isaac and asked in a low voice, "Who is that?" As he spoke, his gaze casually swept toward the young man.

"Him? His name is Daniel. He's a disgusting fellow." Isaac turned to glance at the young man, then turned back with disdain.

"What happened?" Abel asked curiously.

"He's a merchant's son. His sister married Lord Walker in Harvest City, so he wormed his way into noble circles through her. But even that wasn't enough for him." Isaac looked up at Abel before continuing, "He heard Knight Marshall had no heirs, so he begged his sister to help him become Knight Marshall's adopted son. His sister had no choice but to ask Lord Walker to approach Knight Marshall, but Knight Marshall rejected him to his face."

Isaac took a sip of wine, as if Daniel's rejection had put him in a wonderful mood. "This matter spread throughout noble circles. Do you know what everyone said?"

Seeing Abel's calm expression, Isaac continued without much interest, "Everyone said Daniel had no self-awareness, and Lord Walker lost a great deal of face because of it. Really, Lord Walker should have thought it through. Would Knight Marshall accept a merchant's son as his heir? Even if he agreed, his family never would."

Once the gossip began, Isaac's interest surged. He poured out everything he knew in one breath, allowing Abel to understand why Daniel hated him.

Unable to bear their boring topics any longer, Abel found that the important matters in these young men's mouths were nothing more than gossip and hearsay. Finding an opportunity, he excused himself and headed toward the washroom.

When Daniel saw Abel heading toward the washroom, he also rose and followed him.

Abel did not enter the washroom. Instead, he stopped by a window nearby and let the outside wind brush against his slightly heated face. His twelve-year-old body felt a faint buzz after only a little red wine. Only after the cold wind blew over him did he feel somewhat more comfortable.

Placing his wineglass on the windowsill, Abel reminded himself that his body was still too young and he should not drink. He had understood such principles back when he had been a fitness coach, but the atmosphere of the ball had made him forget his age for a moment. After reflecting on himself, he decided not to touch alcohol again until he came of age.

As the host of the evening, staying away from the ball for too long would be very impolite. Abel turned around, preparing to return to the hall, when a figure rushed into him. Almost at the instant of impact, Abel's body reacted. The powerful aura of a Level 4 Rookie Knight surged from him. The person who had struck him failed to move him in the slightest, but was instead sent flying by the force of Abel's reflexive response. He flew three meters through the air, then slid another two meters after hitting the ground before finally coming to a stop, lying motionless.

Someone happened to witness the scene. Only when the person was flung away did they realize something had happened, and several people immediately came over to investigate.

"It's Daniel." A knight reached out, turned the fallen man over, and made the discovery.

"Oh, heavens! My dear Daniel, what happened to you?" A young woman in a voluminous noblewoman's gown hurried over in a panicked trot. Seeing Daniel on the ground, she cried out in alarm.

Knight Marshall, as the host, arrived at the scene. Seeing Daniel lying on the ground, he asked Abel, "Abel, what happened?"

"I don't know either. He charged into me, then somehow flew off like that." Abel spread his hands in an innocent gesture.

Knight Marshall looked at Daniel on the ground. Without needing to think much, he knew what had happened. Abel had only arrived today, knew barely anyone, and was the host of the evening. He would never attack a guest without cause.

Knight Marshall still remembered Daniel. After refusing the young man's unreasonable request, he had even been mocked by his friends over it. But because of Lord Walker, he had not pursued the matter further.

Today, Daniel had actually attacked the castle's heir at a ball he was hosting. This was no ordinary matter. As the heir to the castle, Abel now truly possessed noble status, and attacking a noble in this world was a serious crime. Attacking the heir of a castle within someone else's castle was plainly an act of courting death.

Knight Marshall ignored the woman who was still sobbing and fussing over Daniel. He turned toward Lord Walker in the crowd and said in a deep voice, "Did you bring Daniel to my castle today to provoke the Hari Family? Or are you preparing to have a duel of honor with me for our respective reputations?"

Lord Walker's expression turned ugly as he glanced at Daniel on the ground. To be honest, if he had known Daniel was this bold, he would never have dared bring him here even if beaten to death. Daniel had merely begged to come because he wanted to see what kind of person had become Knight Marshall's heir.