In the main dining hall of Kastian Manor, the dinner banquet was already more than halfway through.
The silver candlesticks lit on the long table emitted a soft glow, while melodious string music echoed through the spacious hall. Yet the air was thick with an oppressive silence that made it hard to breathe.
After several rounds of wine, Cedric elegantly wiped the corner of his mouth with a silk napkin.
He slightly tilted his head and, from the corner of his eye, glanced at Graves, who had been sitting upright and silent beside him.
‘Time is about right.’
Cedric, using the motion of adjusting his cuffs, whispered in a voice audible only to the two of them.
Graves instinctively raised his head, his gaze crossing the long table to cast an extremely subtle look at Ailiya, who was standing in the shadows.
Ailiya remained in her perfect standby posture, hands clasped in front of her, her ice-blue eyes calm as still water. At this distance, not even a single breath’s rhythm had changed.
But in Graves’s mind, a cold telepathic message rang out clearly.
【Go. Follow his orders.】
Graves immediately stood up and gave a slight bow to Cedric and Madame Elsa.
“Excuse me, Madame, Young Master Cedric. I’ll step out for a moment to relieve myself.”
“Go ahead, Mr. G, no need to stand on ceremony.” Cedric nodded with a smile.
Graves turned and strode out of the hall.
Cedric set down his wine glass, his gaze crossing the table to fall on Leo, who was engrossed in cutting a bloody steak.
“Leo.” Cedric’s voice was not loud, but it was clearly audible to everyone at the long table.
His tone carried the regret of an older brother watching a disappointing younger sibling, along with undisguised contempt: “These past few days at the manor, I’ve carefully observed your daily routine. I have to say, the main family’s expectations for you seem to have fallen short.”
“Seeing you still laboriously practicing those basic magic spells every day, as your elder brother, I really feel sorry for you.”
Leo, who was cutting his steak, paused. He looked up, his amber eyes flashing with wariness: “Third Brother, what do you mean by that?”
“I was just wondering what kind of minor illness could completely turn a person into a talentless fool who can’t even stabilize his magic power…”
Cedric laughed coldly, “It seems the elders were indeed mistaken back then. Facts prove that bloodline is indeed predetermined by birth.”
“A sparrow can never become a phoenix, no matter how high it perches.”
Cedric watched Leo, who was on the verge of exploding, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes.
However.
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
Not only did Leo not pounce like a mad dog as he had in previous days.
“Third Brother’s reprimand is correct.”
He lowered his head, but his voice was surprisingly calm, “I truly am a talentless fool. That’s why I need to work even harder at my practice, lest I embarrass the Kastian family when I go out.”
As he spoke, he even raised his juice glass and made a distant toast to Cedric.
“I’ve been carefree since I was a child, truly not as good as those carefully nurtured flowers of the main family. But I think it’s fine to be a wild weed growing freely here.”
“Regardless, I wish Third Brother a smooth journey tomorrow.”
Cedric hadn’t expected that this powder keg, which exploded at the slightest touch, would actually learn to be patient today.
Watching Leo continue eating his meat without a care in the world, Cedric’s face turned extremely gloomy.
Since provocation wouldn’t work, he had no choice but to force the issue.
Cedric snorted, stopped wasting words, and with a sharp glare, he suddenly raised the wine glass filled with red wine in his right hand, preparing to smash it heavily onto the ground!
Bam!
The extremely thick oak double doors of the main hall were suddenly pushed open from the outside with great force, emitting two dull crashes!
The sudden loud noise instantly silenced the entire dining room. The string music stopped abruptly.
Cedric’s hand holding the wine glass froze in midair. His brows knit sharply as he turned his head to look at the door with extreme displeasure.
Then, the slightly shrill announcement of the maid Anna, carried by excitement, echoed through the hall: “Bishop, His Excellency Augustus, has arrived for the banquet!”
‘What?’
As soon as the words fell.
A middle-aged man dressed in a magnificent pure white bishop’s robe trimmed with gold, holding a scepter, walked into the hall with great momentum and presence.
“W-What is this…?”
The arrogance on Cedric’s face instantly solidified. His hand holding the wine glass froze in midair, neither advancing nor retreating.
The bishop of Fengyue City? Why is he here?!
Cedric was completely bewildered, his mind blank.
Elsa, who was seated at the head of the table, gracefully stood up.
“Your Excellency the Bishop, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend the banquet.”
The smile on her face was as gentle as a spring breeze, dignified and proper, without a trace of panic.
“Madame Elsa is too polite. It is my honor to receive an invitation from the Kastian family.” Augustus smiled warmly.
Cedric put down his wine glass and stood up stiffly, asking, “Aunt Elsa… what is this?”
“Oh, I almost forgot to introduce him to you.”
“Cedric, aren’t you set to return to the royal capital tomorrow?”
Madame Elsa sighed, putting on the appearance of a worried and caring elder.
“Recently, the area around Fengyue City has been quite unsettled. I heard that extremely dangerous assassin proficient in shadow magic is still on the run.”
“You are the third young master of the main family. If something were to go wrong on your way back, how would I answer to the main family?”
Madame Elsa smiled as she looked toward the bishop and the captain beside him.
“To ensure your absolute safety on your departure tomorrow, I specifically made a generous donation to the Holy See in the name of the Kastian family, inviting them to see you off.”
“At the same time, it is also to celebrate Captain Garrick’s recovery from his injuries and to thank His Excellency the Bishop for his personal treatment earlier.”
As she spoke, the smile in Madame Elsa’s eyes became unfathomably deep.
She looked at Cedric’s already stiff face and asked with concern.
“So, Cedric, with His Excellency the Bishop personally present, is tonight’s farewell banquet safe enough for you? And… surprising enough?”
‘Surprising? It’s more like a shock!’
“S-Satisfied… It is truly a great surprise.”
Cedric had to grind his molars to force out these words.
His face was now even redder and more purple than the glass of red wine from earlier.
“Satisfied is good.” Madame Elsa nodded in satisfaction. “Then let’s continue our meal.”
Leo was overjoyed in his heart. He picked up his knife and fork again and quickly cut into a piece of steak.
“Third Brother, sit down!”
“This steak won’t taste good once it’s cold. You aren’t so happy to see the Bishop that you can’t eat, are you?”
“Hahaha…”
Cedric slowly withdrew the wine glass, then tilted his head back and downed it in one gulp.
“I… of course I’m happy…”
“Thank you… for Aunt Elsa’s thoughtful arrangement.”
At that moment, standing in the corner shadows, Ailiya.
On her normally expressionless face, a rare flicker of astonishment passed.
‘It seems the pre-arranged manor defense battle plot for tonight has been directly skipped by Madame Elsa using her “power of money.”‘
Ailiya silently sighed in her heart.
‘What a pity. I was hoping to reap some experience points in the chaos tonight. I sharpened my dining knife for nothing.’