It had been nine full days since the incident at the Gerrett household, to Sebastian’s surprise, Ade hadn’t done much about it. She had kept silent about the whole ordeal, which was uncharacteristic of her. This brought about a vague sense of danger, as he somewhat understood Ade’s temperament. If she had lashed out, or at least demanded some kind of apology, he would have felt a little better, but she had kept quiet the entire time. She only sent out a random message inviting Sebastian to a function hosted at the Minya household. The function in question was her Father’s birthday, which the Minya family celebrated annually.
“Could this woman be plotting something against me?” Sebastian pondered.
“That cannot be. She and her family put wealth above everything else. They have their sights on my household.”
“So what could she be planning?” Sebastian was currently thinking about the situation as he paced back and front to the corners of his room.
“I have to be well prepared for all eventualities,” Sebastian said with a hint of boldness.
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At the gate leading to Marquis city, a man with a tattered outfit could be seen walking to the city. As he walked, a vague sense of danger could be felt from him. He seemed lifeless but strolled with a certain charisma. The guards watched as this man walked towards them.
“10 silver coins to enter the city.” A guard said in a somewhat respectful tone. Although the guards cultivated natural energy, they felt a certain radiance from the man before them, which in turn made them all the more respectful. The man with the tattered outfit nodded and paid the requested amount. The guards watched as the man walked into the city.
“Where did that outlaw come from?” One of the guards asked as they stared at the man leaving.
“His natural energy eclipsed mine by a lot.” Another guard said.
“I wonder what level of natural energy that was.”
“Forget it, he is way beyond our level.”
The guards continued discussing the man for quite some time. As guards to the city, they rarely ever saw men like that. Usually, those with higher levels of natural energy were enlisted by the founder families of the city. They usually used their issued token rather than paying the toll fee. This was the determining factor of those that were outlaws and those who were enlisted warriors of the various founding families.
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Several days passed as usually, the events at Gerrett household seemed to have died out. It was finally the day of the function. Sebastian had Willard and Hector as his only company. Although Sebastian was nervous about this function, he wasn’t afforded the opportunity to miss out on it. He wasn’t scared for his life, but rather the second most important thing to him, his dignity. Violence within the borders of Marquis city was strictly forbidden. If any ordinary citizen attempted or committed any acts of violence, the punishments were of the highest order. The overflowing presence of the city warriors was always a major deterring factor for assassinations and things of that sort. Sebastian was convinced that Ade had something in plan for him, something that she would use to vent her anger.
Sebastian lead Hector and Willard to the Minya household. As the approached the gates of the household, an intricate pattern of a blue soaring dragon could be emphatically seen on the massive gates leading to the Minya household. From the attire of the warriors to the painting and construction of the buildings, one had to say, the Minya family lived up to their reputation of being the wealthiest household within Marquis city. The exquisite layout of the mansion was a sight to behold. The four columns that lead to the mansion had four different dragons carved onto it. It was clear to see that within Marquis city, not even the Marquis household could compete in the aspect of wealth.
“You finally made it here.” A feminine voice rang as Sebastian, Willard and hector were walked into the mansion. The voice had an irritating ring to it, it was one that brought a certain sense of disdain to Willard.
“I was beginning to think you were planning on missing my father’s function.”
“How can I do that when you specifically requested for my presence,” Sebastian responded with a smile on his face.
“Well, come with me. I’ll walk you in.” Ade said raising her hand in a manner that suggested Sebastian should grab her hand.
Willard and Hector followed closely behind Sebastian. As Sebastian and Ade walked, they conversed about several other things. They even stopped and socialized a little bit with the other nobles.
At a corner, staring viciously at Sebastian, Asyut held a glass of wine. Heavy breaths and an apparent look of disgust could be seen on his face. With every sip of his wine, his anger grew even more. ‘How is it this ***** seems to favor such a loser.’ Asyut thought to himself. ‘Not only did she turn me down, she even went for a guy who had no interest in her.’
“Don’t look so dejected,” Lyon said with a calm expression. “Why don’t you use this opportunity to suppress this Sebastian fellow.”
“What opportunity? How can I possibly suppress him here?” Asyut responded.
“Don’t worry, I will create an opportunity for that,” Lyon said and walked away.
Lyon wasn’t particular in support of Asyut, he really did not care about the struggles of the other nobles. He was after all the next leader of Marquis city. What could he possibly compete for? Lyon enjoyed toying with people around him and shared this interest with Asyut and various other nobles. He wanted a little chaos to alleviate his state of boredom, and Asyut was just the right person for that.
A ringing sound came crashing around the entire hall. Everyone present turned their attention to the elevated section of the hall. “Thank you all for honoring my invitation to attend this event. Today I celebrate another year of good health and I would like to share this occasion with all my friends and family.” A tall slender man, who wore a gold colored robe eloquently said. He was Ade’s father, Ducart Minya. Everyone’s eyes were glued to this man. Ducart was a person that commanded the respect of everyone. He wasn’t a strong general or a shrewd politician, he only had one overwhelming talent and that was the ability to conduct business. His business ties were not bounded to the limits of Marquis city, he had connections around the entire Amber Kingdom. He was a man of great reverence.
At the elevated portion of the hall where Ducart stood, were other notable nobles within Marquis city. Everyone from Asyut’s father to Lyon’s aunt could be seen seated at the elevated portion of the hall.
“Everyone please enjoy the festivities today. I have invited the best chefs in all of the Amber kingdom, the best musicians, and dancers for your entertainment.” Ducart said in conclusion.
“Long live the head of the Minya.” A voice cried from the group of young nobles. This voice was none other than Lyon, the future leader of the Marquis household.
“House head, I would like to offer a special tribute for this function. How about we the younger generation host a martial competition on your behalf.” Lyon said with a slight bow. His action seemed innocent to almost everyone, but those who could see through his act knew he was an arrogant and troublesome person. All he really cared about was finding ways of creating strife.
“House head, we the younger generation would be honored to put on a display in your honor.” Asyut quickly added from a different corner. Asyut knew exactly what Lyon had in mind, this was the opportunity to suppress Sebastian he had talked about. He would be a fool if he couldn’t take advantage of it.
- N/a
