Click―

The servant, who had entered the equipment room on the second floor at Richard’s instruction, passed the spare cylinders stacked on one side and approached the transformer’s slot. There, cylinders containing a yellow liquid were inserted into the slot in parallel. They were supplying the energy processed from Magic Power as a power source for light and electricity.

After removing the cylinders one by one and checking them, the remaining energy was sufficient. There were no foreign substances stuck in the joints, nor were there any unusual signs. The servant, thinking it was a temporary problem, put the cylinders back into their slots and walked out of the room.

Just as he was about to close the equipment room door and lock it with a key, a shadow fell beside him.

“Hey.”

The servant was startled and looked up. A man in a suit was leaning against the wall, looking down at him.

There was a strange, unrefined air about his loosely hanging tie. It was Henry Digliff, who had attended as Margaret Penroad’s partner, but there was no way the servant would recognize his face.

The servant, thinking he was just one of the nobles, bowed.

“I apologize, I didn’t know you were here…”

“Are you a servant of the Count’s family?”

“Yes, I am.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Pardon?”

“How long have you been working here?”

Only nobles with close ties to the Duncan Count family could come up to the second floor. Or a servant under their orders.

Even among the servants, those brought in from outside wore different clothes, so they were barred from entering by the guards from the stairs. In other words, being up here meant that he was a close aide of the Duncan Count family.

The servant racked his brain to recall if there was such a person on the list of close aides that he had memorized for days before the banquet. Even so, he faithfully fulfilled his duty.

“It’s been about two and a half years. Is there anything you need?”

The man, who had been staring down at him, repeated, “Two and a half years…” Then, as if something didn’t please him, he frowned and muttered.

“What a waste…”

Then he gestured with his chin towards the railing overlooking the first floor.

“I’ve seen some rats scurrying around on the first floor, so go check it out with a few people. I can’t stand being here.”

“Rats, you say?”

“Yes, squeaky rats.”

“I’ll go check it out right away. If you could tell me roughly where you saw them…”

“Near the entrance.”

The man pointed to the corridor leading to the main entrance beyond the huge chandelier.

“Go straight out there.”

The servant tilted his head for a moment. Guards were stationed there, so if rats had appeared, he would have heard about it already. But if it was mice, not sewer rats, they might have been small enough to go unnoticed.

If it became known that rats had appeared at the banquet, it would not only damage the Count family’s reputation, but also mark the beginning of a hard time for the servants. He had to deal with it quickly before more people saw them.

“I’ll take care of it right away. Thank you for letting me know.”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

The servant bowed and hurried across the corridor. He took the colleagues he met along the way down the stairs and disappeared into the crowd in the hall.

The man leaned against the pillar behind the railing and watched him go. After a while, he picked up a bag hidden behind the corner, opened the door to the equipment room that the servant had failed to lock, and went inside.

At that moment, the Duncan father and son, who had finished changing, came out of the lounge at the opposite end of the corridor. The aides who had taken their places on the protruding balcony on the second floor cheered and greeted them.

The two men, dressed in white banquet attire, stood at the end of the balcony overlooking the hall. The house manager and the master of ceremonies looked around and shouted.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please give us your attention!”

At the same time, the circular garden of the party house was relatively deserted. Most of the guests had gone inside, as the main event had already begun.

The herald, who had been announcing the names and titles of the guests, was also away from his post for a while. Only the guards standing on the stairs remained motionless.

Soon after, three carriages that had arrived late stopped in a row along the perimeter of the garden.

Two were from the Agrizendro family, and one, though without the family symbol, was a rather luxurious carriage.

“Master, what shall we do with your coat?”

“I’ll wear it in. Give it to me.”

Hugo, relieved that there was no noisy welcoming ceremony, received his coat from his attendant and quickly got out of the carriage. As soon as he stepped onto the sidewalk with a curb, he looked up at the dazzling exterior of the party house and straightened his clothes.

At that moment, a gentleman and a lady carefully got out of the carriage that had arrived earlier.

The lady, holding the gentleman’s hand and gathering her dress, had bright blue eyes. Her hair was a mysterious silver, almost white, but her jewel-like eyes clearly resembled the Duke’s eyes.

The lady, holding her still-unpronounced belly, walked and spotted a man who stood out even from afar, and called out.

“Hugo!”

Hugo, who had been striding forward, the hem of his coat fluttering, stopped. There were few people who would call him by his name in such a place. He immediately turned around, a warm smile spreading across his face.

“Silvia.”

Hugo’s cousin, Silvia, and her husband, Jeffrey Marshall, were standing there. Unlike Silvia, who was waving her hand, Jeffrey bowed politely as soon as he saw Hugo.

“Greetings to the Duke. It is an honor to Laina Rogia.”

“It’s been a while, both of you.”

“Hugo, how long has it been? Is this the first time since the gathering a few months ago?”

“I suppose so. You look better than then.”

“You’ve become more handsome, Duke? I heard about the expedition. I’m glad you look healthy.”

An excited Silvia looked Hugo up and down, unable to contain her joy, and suddenly hugged him tightly. Hugo, who had momentarily raised his arms, looked down at her with a slightly embarrassed look. His gaze turned to Silvia’s husband, Jeffrey Marshall.

There was nothing wrong with it, but his conscience was slightly pricked. However, Jeffrey, who did not know that the two were not true blood relatives, simply watched the family reunion with a pleased expression and said a word.

“Congratulations on your safe return and victory.”

“Thank you.”

Hugo’s hesitant fingertips gently patted Silvia’s slender shoulders and back. She was a cousin of the same age he had often interacted with since childhood, so he was just as happy to see her.

However, when Hugo felt Silvia hug his waist even tighter, he grabbed her shoulders and kept a moderate distance. It was more of a gesture of concern that she might break than an intention to reject her.

“You’re not alone anymore, so you have to be careful.”

“Just this much? I think the baby is happy to see his uncle too.”

Silvia took Hugo’s hand and placed it on her lower abdomen. There was no time to stop her. She, who had once reigned as the young lady of the Duke’s family, smiled brightly with her innocent eyes and placed her hand on Hugo’s.

“He kicks when he meets someone he likes. Can you feel it?”

Hugo’s stiff fingertips loosely wrapped around Silvia’s abdomen. He focused his senses, radiating warmth from his cold palm.

It was not a heartbeat or the pulse of flowing blood, but something that tickled his palm. The movement of a living fetus, it was like a mysterious flutter so fragile that it was even frightening. Hugo unknowingly looked down at where his hand was touching and smiled faintly.

Then, he met Silvia’s eyes and murmured quietly.

“She’s brave like her mother.”

“Right? Sometimes I’m surprised too.”

It was a welcome greeting from a new life, so much so that they forgot they were late for the banquet.

“Distinguished guests. Felton, Valentine, Ellsworth, Bainclair, my old friends. Today, to solidify the inauguration of Count Duncan and our alliance, I sincerely thank everyone who has willingly taken the time to attend the banquet―.”

Duncan took the lead and delivered his greetings eloquently. His voice echoed throughout the spacious banquet hall like an opera house.

Guests had to retreat more than a certain distance from the railing under the control of the guards guarding near the second-floor stairs. Some nobles had sullen expressions, worried about losing the seats they had managed to secure, but no one disobeyed the instructions.

People flocked to the center of the hall, where they could all look up at the Duncan father and son. As the servants busily walked around with trays, everyone picked up a glass of champagne or wine.

Duncan also picked up a wine glass next to him and continued his long opening speech.

“The reason why the Imperial Faction has been able to remain the object of envy and respect for so long is all―.”

“Thanks to our unwavering friendship and support for each other, and the virtue and reputation we have built together with blood and sweat―.”

The speech echoing from inside the hall spread to the entrance of the party house. At that moment, the servants who had heard the eyewitness account of seeing the rats opened the door, and the sound echoed even louder.

Hugo and Silvia, who were exchanging greetings at the bottom of the stairs, also heard Duncan’s voice. Hugo slowly removed his hand from Silvia’s belly and held out his palm again, as if telling her to take it.

“It’s cold, so let’s go in now.”

“Yes, let’s go in.”

“But Hugo, is the partner seat still empty today?”

Silvia naturally placed her hand on Hugo’s arm. Her other hand was linked with her husband, Jeffrey Marshall’s. Hugo, matching her slow pace, responded with a gentle smile to her appearance with handsome men on both sides.

“I must have kept it empty to enter with the Marshall couple.”

“You’re getting more shameless as time goes on, as expected of the Duke.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It’s my wish to attend your wedding.”

“That’ll be difficult for a while.”

“You’re so firm… There must be a line of people who like you.”

“Silvia, you’re being rude to the Duke.”

Jeffrey cut her off appropriately, and Hugo expressed his gratitude with a nod. Silvia also apologized, as if she thought she had gone a little too far.

“By the way, I thought we were the only ones who were late. What’s wrong? The Duke is late.”

“I had some business on the way.”

Hugo answered, looking down at his wristwatch. After checking the position of the hour and minute hands, he raised one eyebrow as if something was wrong.

“Really? We had something strange happen today too.”

“…What happened?”

“When we boarded the carriage to depart, all four wheels were damaged.”

Hugo, who had been staring at his watch and answering, turned his head sharply at Jeffrey’s reply.

“What did you say?”

“I was worried about Silvia and the baby’s safety, so I waited for the carriage inspection to be completed before finally departing… Fortunately, there were no additional problems after that.”

“If we didn’t attend, Count Duncan would give us the cold shoulder later. I was hesitant to come because it felt uneasy, but we came slowly to see the Duke’s face after a long time.”

At that moment, Hugo stopped abruptly. Silvia, who was holding his hand, also naturally stopped in the middle of the stairs leading to the entrance of the party house.

She looked up at Hugo and asked.

“What’s wrong?”

As the three stood blankly, the guards guarding the sides and the servants who were coming down looked at them with puzzled eyes.

Hugo, overwhelmed by a strange sense of unease, frowned without realizing it. A chilling and hot current alternately swept down his spine. His Adam’s apple involuntarily fluttered.

His eyes, dyed with a subtle color, slowly turned to the entrance of the party house, where bright lights were leaking out. Suddenly, his senses abnormally developed, and the music of the banquet hall sounded louder than ever. It was not just loud, but even noisy. It was so stimulating that it felt like it would tear his eardrums.

Meanwhile, the greetings announcing the start of the main event were rushing towards the end.

“I hope this night brings you joy and becomes a new foundation for a brilliant future. Once again, I thank everyone who has graced this occasion, and in the future, for the infinite glory and development of the Imperial Faction―.”

Far away, beyond the large and ornate chandelier, Duncan raised his wine glass.

“This Duncan and Count Duncan will burn our bodies!”

A piece of the chandelier, like a lightning rod, was reflected in the red wine glass, shining dazzlingly.

The gentle musical piece played by the musicians reached its climax. Hugo instinctively grabbed Silvia’s hand.

The cheers of the guests echoed in his ears along with the music.

They all shouted with one heart and one mind.

“Glory to Laina Rogia―!”

Kwaaaaaaang―!

By Zephyria

Hello, I'm Zephyria, an avid BL reader^^ I post AI/Machine assisted translation. Due to busy schedule I'll just post all works I have mtled. However, as you know the quality is not guaranteed. You can support me and read advanced chapters on my ko-fi. Thank you!

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