By Zephyria “How long until we arrive?”
“This area is so congested that it will take more than 15 minutes. Shall I request them to speed up?”
Hugo, having sent the coachman to the doctor with the help of the guards, hurriedly boarded the attendants’ carriage and headed to the banquet venue. As the carriage was a symbol of power and wealth, the subordinates seemed reluctant to have him ride with them, but there was no other way. It was difficult to find a luxury item comparable to the Duke’s white carriage even at the carriage rental shop.
Pentagov doesn’t have a very wide Magic Power control area, so it would be good to use Teleport, but the destination, the party house, was a place he had never visited before, so Teleport was not possible. Even if that wasn’t the reason, if rumors spread that the Duke had entered the banquet venue alone without a carriage, his mother, who valued dignity, would not leave all the attendants who had assisted him alone.
In the end, Hugo, having given up on arriving on time, leaned back in his seat and looked down at his wristwatch.
“…No, don’t rush. It would be a disaster if another accident happened.”
He said that, but he counted the remaining time. 5:55 PM.
Duncan, who wanted to be the protagonist of the banquet, might not like it, but it seemed that he would be able to arrive shortly after the main ceremony began.
Hugo crossed his arms, hoping that there would be no more incidents. The sky outside the window was filled with twilight, as if a fire had spread.
The red clouds passed over the roof of the party house, which could be seen faintly in the distance.
It was fortunate that the time was not delayed as much as he had thought.
“Don’t you think our Penrod Baroness and Count Duncan make a good couple?”
“Haha, Count Duncan. Are they already ‘ours’?”
“We might even hear about children soon.”
“Of course, the sooner the better.”
Duncan, who had introduced Margaret Penrod to his close noblemen, seemed elated, as if he were drunk even though he hadn’t had a drink. When he first appeared with the Baroness in front of the group of nobles, the atmosphere became so cold that there was a moment of silence. However, the Penrod Baroness’s unique, gentle, and charming social skills were enough to quickly win people over. She drove the nobles around and made her mark on the banquet hall.
Some whispered behind her back, saying that she was openly clinging to the powerful from her first banquet and trying to launder her background. They said that she had even brought a partner with her when she entered, but now she was ignoring them and trying to launder her background.
However, that was just jealousy for not being able to join the group led by Duncan. As a young noble who suddenly appeared was manipulating the banquet hall, it was natural for the old nobles, who were not mainstream, to be bothered.
Of course, regardless of that, Duncan was busy building up the recognition of the Count’s family’s prospective mistress.
“Now, come this way. I heard you’re preparing to expand your military supply business, so I can’t help but introduce you to the Marshalls.”
“Are you talking about Lord Jeffrey Marshall? I’ve been wanting to greet him for a while, it’s an honor.”
“Oh, you know Marshall? Then it’ll be easier to talk. He’s an elite officer with a great reputation in the military. It’ll be helpful to get to know each other.”
“Mrs. Marshall is from the Agrizendro family, so it’ll be easier to connect with the Duke. I heard that the Duke is also looking for investment opportunities related to the military supply business recently….”
One of the men in the group chimed in, but trailed off at the end. Duncan’s stinging glare was fixed on his face.
“Why are you talking about that now? Mrs. Marshall is already married out, so what does she have to do with the Duke’s residence?”
“Hmm… I’m sorry.”
The man answered with an awkward cough, as if embarrassed. He hadn’t said anything wrong, but he could feel Duncan’s anxiety. Duncan was worried that the Count’s family’s prospective mistress might be tempted by her connection with the Duke.
Originally, he would have mocked the Duke for not showing up yet. He would have joked that he was looking down on time.
However, the reason he didn’t bring up that story at all today was that he wanted to make Margaret Penrod his own before the Duke arrived.
If she was recognized as a member of the Imperial Faction through him, she would be able to realize the influence of the Duncan Count’s family here. Even if she approached him to gain business advantages, he was going to let her know which side it was more advantageous to be on.
“Anyway, it’d be good to greet Lord Marshall… but where did that guy go?”
“It seems he hasn’t arrived yet.”
“What? I sent out the invitations months ago, he should have come early….”
Duncan clicked his tongue and showed his displeasure. At that moment, the lights that were illuminating the banquet hall suddenly flickered.
“Huh, what’s going on?”
“The lights….”
In an instant, darkness fell and then brightened, and the people in the hall all looked up at the ceiling. Richard Duncan, who was standing awkwardly next to his father, grabbed a servant next to him and whispered, wondering if there was a problem with the equipment.
“Did you check the cylinder?”
“I’ll check right away.”
The servant ran to the equipment room to check the cylinder that was the power source for the party house. The chandelier hanging in the center emitted a bright light again, as if nothing had happened. As the atmosphere became a little agitated, Duncan continued nonchalantly.
“Don’t worry about it. It can sometimes flicker like that.”
“Sir, the main ceremony is almost upon us. What shall we do?”
A man who appeared to be the house manager approached and told him cautiously. Duncan checked the large clock in the hall. It was already past 6:10.
“Oh dear, look at my mind. We should start soon. The Count and I will go change, so please take good care of our Baroness.”
“Of course.”
“Please go ahead.”
The Duncan father and son left a simple greeting and quickly went up to the second floor to proceed with the main ceremony. Duncan’s close associates among the remaining nobles also headed to the second floor to secure good seats.
The rest moved to the center of the hall to greet others or showed interest in the Baroness again.
“By the way, I heard she’s a great asset….”
“She’s been involved in business since she was young?”
The Penrod Baroness, who had been quietly observing the situation, smiled as soon as the Duncan father and son entered the lounge. She then lowered her head slightly and opened her mouth.
“I’m sorry, but I’d like to tidy up my face before meeting more people. Excuse me for a moment.”
As she seemed to be leaving, the nobles who had been talking to her rolled their eyes, feeling embarrassed.
“There’s a guest room on the second floor, so use that. Lord Duncan cherishes the Baroness especially, so he’ll allow it. I’ll tell him separately.”
“Thank you for your consideration. But it would be better to leave the space for more important distinguished guests.”
The Baroness, who had refused the favor, put her hand on her chest and added politely.
“I’ll be back soon.”
She responded gently but firmly and soon disappeared into the crowd. Her receding steps were elegant, but somehow gave the impression that she was hurrying a little.
The nobles followed her back with their eyes, but since she said she would be back soon, no one paid much attention. They just secretly lamented that it was too bad to give her to Richard Duncan, and that they had belatedly discovered such a talent.
In some quarters, there were complaints that the Duncan father and son and key figures had left, so she had left because there was nothing more to do. However, the voices of those who scolded the speaker became louder, and the complaints were quietly buried.
Meanwhile, the Penrod Baroness headed to a small terrace space on one side of the hall.
It was a place where people rarely came and went, as it was behind the stairs leading to the second floor and blocked by thick pillars.
She carefully closed the door and moved to a blind spot that was not visible from the inside. After examining the surrounding terrain and any possible gazes, she took out a communication Magic Tool and contacted someone.
The connection tone was quickly cut off, and before the Baroness could speak, the other party’s question was heard, as if they had been waiting for quite a while.
―What’s the progress?
“Preparation is complete, Young Master. I’m on my way out after receiving the signal.”
―Agrizendro?
“He wasn’t in the hall. Shall we delay the plan?”
The man’s voice on the other side was silent before continuing.
―It’s better if that guy isn’t there. He’s got an unnecessarily long lifeline.
“Then I’ll proceed as planned. Most of them are gathered on the second floor.”
―Come out within 3 minutes.
The other party cut off the connection after saying the last words. The Penrod Baroness stared down at the communication Magic Tool before putting it in her pants pocket.
Soon, she took off the shoes she was wearing and the jacket of her suit, and tucked Margaret Penrod’s metal business card into her inside pocket.
Barefoot, she crossed the terrace and threw the shoes and clothes she was holding into the hall.
On the waist belt hidden by the jacket, the engraving of ‘Buckle Smith’ was faintly engraved.