Chapter 46: The Four Princes’ Banquet

Women are strange creatures.

But older women are even stranger.

When Adonis went to pay Minerva a visit in her private chambers to have tea with her for the first time in months, he was hoping she’d stroke his hair like she always did and talk a little.

This was the normal practice.

... Or rather, this was their routine.

There were many other things he expected, a warm hug, using her thighs as pillows, maybe a kiss on the cheek. Minerva wasn’t exactly a clingy woman... well, not in the traditional sense, at least. Her clinginess was entirely different.

Any of those possibilities were things he had expected. What he didn’t expect was to be aggressively choked while she sat her thick rump directly on his poor crotch like he was a horse she could straddle.

A dangerous smile was on her face as her blood-red eyes glowed scarily. She narrowed them in a way that managed to look very sexy to Adonis, even in his current situation.

"Hoh~ Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to come back?"

"Very long..."

With her porcelain-white hands clamped tightly around his windpipe, that’s all he could choke out.

Minerva shook her head innocently.

"I’m the victim here, you know? I waited so faithfully for your return, only to find out you’ve gone and given your virginity to another woman! Did you really think I wouldn’t find out? You have my precious milk in your belly, Little Fifth... that means we’re especially bonded."

Even while getting choked, even with a tiny string of saliva rolling down the side of his mouth, Adonis managed to force a cool smile oozing of nonchalance.

"About the whole virginity thing..."

Squeeze~ Minerva’s grip tightened around his neck.

"No explanation can save you unless I was the one to take your first time! ...Or have you magically become a virgin again? Hmm? Should I check?"

Without waiting for an answer, she reached behind herself, searching blindly between her peach for the thick rod she’d been sitting on all this while.

Frrrt! She gave his thing a firm squeeze that instantly made Adonis’s shoulders go limp.

"Hmph. Your first time is definitely gone."

She got off him, turning to sit on the edge of the bed with her fair, long legs crossed over each other. She had a stubborn, sulking pout on her face, and her hair had turned green.

Green... the color of envy.

Adonis knew his role. Cheering her up was his job. The job is always the same. Sitting up on the mattress, he innocently scooted closer to the angry blood witch.

"Are you still mad?"

"..."

No answer.

Minerva wasn’t a childish woman in the slightest.

In fact, Adonis often wished they could talk about less mature, casual things during tea time, the way he did with Mariella. Yet, when she wanted to, she knew exactly how to act like a spoiled brat.

He reached out, playfully poking her puffed-up cheek.

"Come onnn~ talk to meeee..."

Minerva maintained her stubborn frown, throwing him a sharp side-eye. After a long moment, she let out a cool sigh, relaxing her posture to regain her elegance.

"If you really want to make it up to me, then you’ll let me dress you up for the little gala we’re having tonight. Hm~?"

Just like that, she was smiling like a vixen again.

"Wait. There’s a gala?"

"Oh, figures you wouldn’t know. After all, you haven’t been in the palace for so long. All the princes were instructed to return from their training for tonight’s event. You probably weren’t informed because... well, no one really cares about you."

"Uh-huh. How sweet."

"Except for me, of course."

Somehow, she still managed to sound so proud.

Adonis smiled. "So, what do you mean by styling me?"

Minerva clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Oh, oh! I had the court tailor custom-make a new attire for you! Blue looks nice on you, sure, but I feel black is far more your style. And your hair has grown so long! Why carry it around looking like a messy rascal when you could get it braided?"

"My hair?"

Adonis pinched a few strands hanging in front of his face.

He’d been so focused on perfecting his water spear over the past few months that he hadn’t even noticed how overgrown and messy it had gotten. Though, to be fair, a man with his face could make anything look good.

...

The gala started with the evening sun, classical musc, and nobles filing into the Grand Ballroom.

Near the entrance, King Aldrius and his royal wives were busy greeting the high-ranking guests. Nearby, the princes were swarmed by eager nobles asking endless questions about the upcoming duel.

Leander, in particular, was drawing a huge crowd.

He’s become a supreme warrior, someone whose strength you couldn’t question.

Everyone wanted to be around him.

Now that his supposed engagement to Mariella was stuck in a questionable "IF", a swarm of single noblewomen had already surrounded him.

"Your Highness, how did you get so tall?! Not that you were short before, it’s just..."

Before the lady could ramble further, Leander calmly placed a finger over her lips, hushing her instantly. The girl melted on the spot, as did every other lady standing around him.

A short distance away, Bradley stared at the Third Prince with a deep frown and persistent murders.

"I trained until my bones bled... I gave my all, and yet not a single person is paying attention to me. What else do I have to do in this damn palace to get some recognition?"

A hand patted him on the back.

"That’s exactly why this duel exists..."

Godfrey said softly as he stepped up beside him.

"It gives everyone an equal stage to show what they can really do. I know how talented Leander is, Bradley, but I also know how talented you are. And you back it up with raw hard work. So rather than letting envy eat you up, why not use that anger to get even stronger, okay?"

The genuine smile on Godfrey’s face somehow put a smile on Bradley usually grumpy face.

"Alright... fine."

Godfrey chuckled happily, nodding. He pointed toward the buffet table behind them.

"Heh, good, good! Now come on, let’s eat!"

At the center of the hall, King Aldrius clinked his silver spoon against a wineglass to call the room’s attention.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome! Today, my three sons have returned to the capital for the grand duel taking place in just two days! To celebrate, I have prepared delicacies from every corner of the Falsbane Kingdom! Enjoy yourselves th—"

"FOUR!"

A cool voice interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Four sons, actually."

The King who hadn’t finished his sentence, and the nobles who were on the verge of applauding all looked at the double doors of the hall.

Adonis and Minerva.

Minerva’s arm was wrapped possessively around his, resting her head sweetly against his shoulder as they walked. Adonis’s long golden hair was immaculately styled into an elegant braid. His usual blue outfit had been replaced by a fitted black formal coat with ruffles and dark silk gloves.

The ballroom was silent.

Half the noblewomen in the room forgot to breathe as their eyes were stuck to Adonis’s handsome new look.

Minerva was overwhelmed with pride. She always loved when the man on her arm matched her beauty... and in Adonis’s case, he easily surpassed that.

"See? I told you black looked good on you..."

She whispered softly against his arm.

"I’ll admit... it’s growing on me..." said Adonis.

He refocused on the ballroom with a sinister smile.

"Speaking of four... I should probably return the Fourth Queen before Father gets too jealous."

Pfft—!

A small, suppressed snort sounded somewhere in the crowd, which triggered a chain reaction. In seconds, the silence of the ballroom made way for loud laughs from the nobles.

Adonis chuckled alongside them as he walked Minerva over to where King Aldrius was standing.

"You can continue your speech now, Father."

King Aldrius’s fingers twitched, his fists tightened.

It was appalling.

This level of disrespect he had to swallow from his own court every day just because of this bastard’s antics. It was times like this that made him the least respected ruler among the entire Magic Nations’ Alliance.

Minerva and Adonis shared one last smile... a subtle, intimate glance that the King was 100% sure was done purely to mock him.

Third Queen Lucelia didn’t take lightly to this.

’This insolent brat... he doesn’t even bother to greet his other mothers! Will he ever learn a shred of respect?! Still... he does look terribly handsome... and Minerva is practically sucking him dry right in public. What a shameless woman.’

Lucelia glared viciously at Minerva. King Aldrius and dozens of other conservative nobles were doing the exact same thing, utterly despising how this blood witch constantly dragged the royal image through the dirt.

The queen in question didn’t give a damn. She simply took her place beside her co-wives with a blissful, satisfied smile resting on her face.

By now, Adonis was sniffing a pretty flower he’d plucked from a nearby crystal vase.

"Hm?"

The sea of nobles were still gawking at him.

"Come on, people! I’m sure there are far more interesting things to stare at in this kingdom than me. After all, you were all crowding around Prince Leander before I walked in... why don’t you get back to that so he doesn’t feel left out, mmkay?"

The mockingly sweet tone instantly made Leander’s vein throb on his forehead.

Before Leander could step forward, however, First Queen Esmarie blew her top.

"You rascal of a child!"

She marched over to him.

"Have you learned nothing after being disgraced time and time again?! Are you a pig?! Only a pig makes the same mindless mistakes over and over without learning! You’re a disgrace to your father and a shame to—"

"Hold on a second, First Mother."

Adonis peacefully sniffed his flower while holding up a single finger that actually made Esmarie choke on her words and shut her mouth, much to everyone’s shock.

He turned his gaze back toward the grand double doors of the ballroom. Seeing his reaction, every noble in the hall quickly held their breath and followed his look.

Whenever this blonde bastard was around, something insane was guaranteed to happen.

And as usual, he did not disappoint.

Standing in the doorway were Prussia and Mariella.

Both girls were wearing breathtaking, exquisite gowns that had nobles gasp and stare in awe. Even Leander, who was still deeply in love with Prussia, was paralyzed by her looks and unable to tear his eyes away from her.

Adonis gestured toward the entrance with a smile.

"Allow me to introduce my two beautiful fiancées. I’m sure you’re all quite familiar with them by now, the daughters of the lords of the Marsofian Union and the Soron Dukedom."

"...Eh?"

The nobles gasped.