Chapter 483 - 320: The Unscrupulous Lord of High Cliff Castle Who Coaxes a Little Girl (2)

At this thought, the smile on his face grew even wider.

Even the King somehow looked much more agreeable.

After the matter was settled, a grand banquet commenced. Beautiful dancers performed dances from the East in an open space, Minstrels plucked at their harps and sang beautiful poems in unison, and a few Magic Apprentices were mixed in among them, using trick-like Low Tier Magic to create a magnificent backdrop.

It was a feast for the eyes for the Lord of High Cliff Castle, a self-proclaimed country bumpkin. When the performance ended, he immediately gave them thunderous applause, causing nearly all the dancers to blush and cast alluring glances his way. This meant that if a certain someone was willing, he could surely have an unforgettable night.

Unfortunately, while the performance was decent, the conversation at the dinner table was nothing but false compliments and meaningless platitudes. Coupled with the frequent toasts for all sorts of reasons, the Lord was utterly bored.

Thanks to Filo’s earlier introduction, the Lord had long known that most of these nobles were two-faced, conniving people, and he couldn’t be bothered with them. When the occasional noble tried to strike up a conversation with him—this rising star of the social scene—he would just brush them off perfunctorily.

When he encountered those who simply admired him, however, he would be extremely patient and offer a few words of encouragement.

The only person he found interesting was Filo. He was clearly disgusted by certain nobles, yet he maintained an impeccable smile and treated them with patience.

It led those nobles to actually believe the Prince was easy to get along with, and one by one, they used him as a stepping stone in an attempt to exchange a few words with the Lord.

Amidst the endless toasts, however, Levi noticed that Queen Seres and His Majesty Harland were like two mortal enemies. Their mutual disgust was so palpable that even a blind man could see it.

The surrounding nobles, however, seemed to have long since grown used to it, acting as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Bored, Levi’s gaze wandered until it landed on a round table a dozen paces away. The marble table was covered with a red cloth, and a group of young people were seated around it.

Prince Bedoyel was among them, sitting in the seat of honor in line with the King. It was obvious that these were all His Majesty Harland’s children—three sons and seven daughters in total, ranging in age from their twenties down to ten.

But what truly caught the Lord’s eye was one little girl.

She sat in the very last seat, her frail body clad in a simple black dress that looked extremely cheap compared to what the other Princes and Princesses were wearing. Like a rabbit that had wandered into a wolf pack, she anxiously nibbled at a plain potato on her fork, piece by piece. Her eyes were fixed on the steak and venison leg in the center of the table, yet she didn’t dare reach for any of it.

If that were all, it wouldn’t have been particularly strange. After all, not every Prince and Princess lived well; there were always unfavored ones who were ostracized. It had little to do with the Lord.

What truly made him take notice was that she had waist-length black hair and a pair of brown eyes identical to his own.

’To suddenly see someone who looks so much like me in a crowd of blond, blue-eyed people... It’s like meeting someone from back home.’

Before long, after finishing her boiled potato, she said something. With a cold nod from Prince Bedoyel, she climbed down from her slightly-too-tall chair and walked out alone through a dark corridor. No one noticed her departure; she was like an unnoticed shadow.

The other royal children at the table watched her go with cold indifference. Some even looked disgusted, seemingly relieved that she knew her place and left on her own accord.

Already bored, the Lord seized the opportunity to excuse himself to use the restroom. Hands in his pockets, he unhurriedly headed for the same corridor she had taken.

...

Ashiru Kurasien walked alone through the empty Royal Palace, holding the hem of her skirt. Halfway there, she clutched her rumbling stomach and muttered, "The sweet potatoes I planted should be big enough now. I’ll roast them later. Oh, and I’ll ask Aunt Norma to come eat with me."

At this thought, a smile finally appeared on her face.

"It’s a shame there were so many people, I couldn’t even see what the Lion Hunter Knight looks like," Ashiru said with a regretful look. "But I hear he’s very heroic and extraordinary. Sister Lina even said she wants to marry him." As she muttered the last part, she covered her mouth and stifled a giggle.

"My esteemed young lady, may I ask what you were just saying?"

A voice suddenly came from behind, startling Ashiru. She turned to find a tall, dashing young man who had appeared behind her at some unknown moment.

He was dressed in magnificent formalwear, his posture tall and straight. He was clearly an important personage she didn’t recognize.

"My lord, I... I wasn’t saying anything," Ashiru said timidly, lowering her head and fidgeting with the faded hem of her skirt.

’She actually doesn’t recognize me.’ Levi’s eyes darted, and a string of lies rolled off his tongue. "I’m no great personage, just an ordinary Guard. I’m part of the Royal Palace’s Wyvern Squad. We hide amongst the nobles, and if assassins appear, we’re responsible for securing air superiority. My designation is 9527."

"Oh, I know that squad." To his surprise, the little girl before him nodded as if she knew. Then she asked doubtfully, "But shouldn’t all the Guards be on duty in Saint Peter’s Griffin Round Hall right now?" Ashiru certainly wasn’t a fool, but she was hardly the sharpest knife in the drawer. With just a few more words, the Lord had her ninety percent convinced.

"Can’t a Guard step away for a moment? Just like you did," the Lord said, bending down slightly so he wouldn’t loom over her and cause her any stress. "With so many people in the Round Hall, no one would ever know you slipped away."

"I heard you mention roasted sweet potatoes. Could you share one with me? I haven’t eaten all morning," the Lord said, theatrically rubbing his stomach with a pleading look on his face.

The sweet potatoes were clearly very important to the little girl. She considered for a full ten heartbeats before making a difficult decision. "But... I don’t have very many. If you have a big appetite, there definitely won’t be enough."

"Don’t worry! I’ll be full after just a couple of bites," the Lord said, patting his chest resoundingly. The sincerity on his face was so convincing it could have made a scheming Demon believe him.

"Alright, then." Ashiru nodded. She knew how awful it felt to be hungry, and she didn’t want this Guard to have to work on an empty stomach.

’Worse comes to worst... I’ll just eat a little less myself.’

"You don’t have to call me ’Miss.’ Just call me Ashiru," she said as she led the way.

"Of course, the esteemed Ashiru," the Lord replied with a perfectly straight face.

"You don’t have to say ’esteemed,’ either." She seemed to have never been treated with such respect. Although he couldn’t see her expression, the little girl’s steps became visibly lighter.

The two of them wound their way through the corridors of the Royal Palace. She seemed very familiar with the route, navigating the twisting passages with practiced ease.

Meanwhile, the Lord touched the Ring of Dawn on his middle finger as he surveyed his surroundings. He hadn’t forgotten his promise to Sivia, but neither the last time he was in the Royal Palace nor this time had the Ring, which could sense Bronze Dragons, lit up. He wondered if the distance was still too great.

’Following this rather naive, down-and-out Princess is the perfect opportunity to investigate.’

He had no idea how long they had been walking, only that his head was starting to spin from all the twists and turns. The magnificent, high-spired Gothic buildings had given way to a series of shorter houses.

If he couldn’t still see the inner walls of the Royal Palace in the distance, he would have sworn they had left the grounds entirely.

Soon, they stopped in front of a small, three-story building enclosed by a parapet wall. The building had its own courtyard, and while it was a considerable improvement over the other stone houses nearby, it looked nothing like a place where a King’s daughter would live.