Horace watched Seluvis walk away and once again pushed back the barrel of wine his elder brother Godfrey offered him.
"Brother, I really can't." Horace lowered his voice, his smile tinged with helplessness.
"If I drink any more, I really will put off tonight's 'important business.'" He cast a meaningful glance at Rellana, who stood nearby surrounded by noblewomen.
Godfrey froze for a moment, then burst into thunderous laughter as realization dawned, pounding Horace on the back. "Hahaha! Right, right! How foolish of me! I'll drink this for you!"
With that, he tipped his head back and poured the entire barrel straight into his mouth, his exuberance drawing looks from everyone around him.
While the wine briefly held Godfrey's attention, Horace stepped back half a pace, his gaze sweeping calmly over the noisy banquet.
Naturally, he had noticed Seluvis's act of "leaking secrets," with its obvious implication that he wanted to join Horace's side.
Was he surprised? A little, but it was hardly unexpected.
How many researchers like Seluvis were truly fools? They had a keen nose for judging broader trends and their own interests.
He had clearly recognized Horace's firm ties to the Golden Dynasty and his increasingly secure, unique position of power in Caria. Placing an early bet was perfectly normal.
It was not just Seluvis. Horace could clearly feel countless gazes from Caria's nobility focusing on him throughout the banquet, openly or discreetly, eagerly or apprehensively.
He was now a duke of Caria, the queen's brother-in-law, and the first lord's younger brother. He commanded the Order of the Great Rune Knights, had his power base in Lakeside Town, and maintained a complicated, arm's-length relationship with the True Magic Academy.
To these nobles, he had already become a towering tree whose shelter they had to seek, or at