The entire hall quieted down when they heard the Butler announce those names and turned to the entrance. Although they knew Dukes would show up today, it’s still a big event for most people to see or interact with, especially regarding the Zoller Dukedom.
The Zoller Family differs from most Noble Families in that they don’t appear in public.
People often dub them the “Hermit Family” because of their reclusive nature. However, just because they aren’t popular doesn’t mean they’re weak. All Dukedoms are strong, even if that’s not how they portray themselves.
That shouldn’t surprise anyone, though, as strength is one of the most important factors for a Noble House. Which becomes even more important the higher in status one is.
Since Dukes are the King’s right-hand men, it goes without saying that they have the power to back that title up.
So, just the title of Duke should be more than enough to intimidate just about anyone.
“The Zoller Dukedom? I think I’ve heard of it. Aren’t they that family full of hermits who live in the mountains?”
“Shhh! Are you retarded? Whether or not they are hermits doesn’t matter. It’s still a Duke’s family!”
“Do you think I should walk up and say hello?”
“No! You’d only be wasting your time. The Zoller Dukedom doesn’t need to make friends. Unless you can make up for a weakness of theirs, which I doubt, it’s best to find another family to make connections with.”
People murmured about the Zoller’s, but most people lost interest and returned to what they were doing. Making connections with a Duke’s family was hard enough, and the Zoller’s were even more so.
However, not everyone felt that way. A few people were looking at them with fiery eyes.
“It looks like your Hermit Family decided to show up after being locked away in your little mountains for the past few years.” A tall, blonde, and handsome man appeared in front of them, with a blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy trailing behind him.
He then looked at Mika and said, “Oh? Is that the child that took so much of your time away from this Country, Cain? She’ll definitely grow up to be a beauty in the future."
After saying that, the man reached his hand behind him, pushed the boy in front of him, and said, "Here, let me introduce my youngest son, John Agni. He’s only four years old, but he’s already quite the charmer. Well? What do you think? They’d be a perfect couple, wouldn’t they? Hahaha!”
Cain and Elizabeth’s faces darkened when they heard that voice.
“It’s a… pleasure… to see you again, Duke Logan Agni. I’m surprised to see you here today. I figured you wouldn’t have time to make it today, what with how many women you have to ‘take care of.” Cain replied, which made Logan scowl.
Then Cain turned to John and spoke, “Oh? Is this your son? Like father, like son. He looks just like you.”
Logan’s nose tilted upward, but Cain wasn’t done speaking.
“However, I think my little Mika would cut off his miniature sword within the hour if he were my daughter’s husband. Thus, in consideration of your goal to spread your seed to every corner of the earth, I must decline your offer.”
Cain and Elizabeth snickered, looking at Logan’s face, which convulsed in rage and embarrassment.
“Is that so? Well, I wouldn’t want my little John to marry himself such a brutal woman anyways, so let’s leave it at that.”
Logan glanced at Mika before turning around and walking away with his child.
Mika watched as the two incredibly attractive Father and Son walked away and felt disgusted.
Those two people looked at her like they were looking at an object or a trophy-a trophy that would only satisfy their pathetic vanity.
She’s come across plenty of people like that in her previous life. Since she was an incredibly strong female warrior, many men saw her as something worth conquering. That’s all they saw her as though; an object that, if they possessed, would inflate their already ridiculous ego.
However, every single one of them ended up under her blade, and she would ensure it stayed that way even in this life!
“Don’t pay any attention to that guy, Mika. He and His family have always tried getting one of our kids to marry into their family. It’s something that’s been going on for generations and won’t stop anytime soon.”
Elizabeth spoke, seeing the disgusted expression on her daughter’s face.
“...Why?” Mika asked.
“Well… It’s complicated. For now, you should just know that the Agni Family is very greedy and power-hungry. If you can, try to avoid them in the future. If you slight them in any way, they’ll chase you to the ends of the earth.”
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Mika nodded and put these thoughts in the back of her mind.
After the brief encounter with the Agni Family, Mika’s group walked into the banquet hall, but they mostly kept to themselves.
Some people would come up to try and make a connection with them, but Cain gently declined any advancements.
He had no intention of forming any connections here because there was no need. He already knew almost everything there was to know about most of the people in this room.
If he wanted to befriend someone, it definitely wouldn’t be in a place like this.
Time passed slowly, and thirty minutes had passed since the Zoller Family arrived.
A few other families showed up after them, but no more people showed up for the last 10 minutes.
Suddenly, everyone heard an announcement, which caused everyone in the room to kneel.
“Announcing the arrival of His Majesty, King Edward Lionspear Elrod, and Her Majesty, Queen Sofia Elrod. Alongside them is the Third Prince, Benjamin Elrod.”
Mika, who was in her Mother’s kneeling embrace, felt something rumbling within the depths of her existence that made her pale.
‘Oh shit! Is this what the System was talking about?! With how I’m unable to kneel?’ Mika wondered, hoping nothing would happen so long as she was in her Mother’s arms.
Fortunately, nothing happened even after a few moments, allowing Mika to sigh in relief.
Afterward, Mika looked up and saw three incomparably beautiful people walking down the steps toward the throne at the end of the room.
The person leading them was a man with a large stature, definitely over two meters tall, with tanned skin, short brown hair, and bulging muscles. Power rippled with every step he took, and he gave off the aura of a King.
Next to this man was a fairy-like woman who exuded grace and serenity with each step. She had long green hair, beautiful brown eyes, a stunningly beautiful face, and a curvy figure.
Behind them was a boy who looked no older than 5 years old. He had auburn hair, but that was the only similarity he had with the two people in front of him. He looked like a naïve little boy who knew nothing of the world.
Mika instantly knew who these three people were, but her focus was on the man in the lead. She could tell that the rumbling in her existence targeted that man. She didn’t know what would happen if it actually shot out of her existence toward the man, but she knew it wasn’t anything good.
‘Thanks for holding me, Mother!’
She silently thanked her Mother for holding her right now, or else someone would’ve gotten severely injured. That someone, was the King and most likely her as well.
Luckily, the people in the room didn’t have to stay like this for long.
“Rise.”
A deep magnetic voice commanded. Nobody wasted a second before following his command. The King nodded slightly and continued after everyone was now standing.
“Thank you for accepting the invitation to celebrate my Third Son’s Fifth Birthday. We’ve prepared food and drinks for everyone. We’ve also prepared for the kids to gather and play together. Perhaps this can help them get acquainted with one another and be the start of bonds for years to come.”
After saying that, the King clapped his hands lightly and announced, “Without further ado, let’s begin the celebration!”
All the adults in the room, and some kids, understood what the King meant with his last few statements. However, the King also secretly mentioned something to the adults in the room.
He wanted to meet with them.
They didn’t know why, but that didn’t matter. The King wanted to see them, and as his loyal subjects, they must comply with his wishes.
After the announcement, the parents pushed their kids over to their designated area where the Third Prince was celebrating his Birthday.
Cain and Elizabeth were no different. Elizabeth handed Mika over to Olivia and gave her a few instructions.
“Olivia, you take care of Mika while we’re gone.”
Olivia nodded and grabbed Mika’s hand.
Elizabeth turned to her sons and said, “Adam and Nathan, I want you two to take care of your little sisters. Make sure nobody tries to do anything to them. Since we are in the King’s castle, I doubt anyone will, but you never know.”
After saying that, she looked at all of her children, and with gentle eyes, she said, “You guys don’t have to make friends if you don’t want to. Our Zoller Family doesn’t need any connections, but that doesn’t mean you guys can’t make any friends. If you find someone you like, you’re free to befriend them.”
“Yes, Mother.” Adam, Nathan, and Olivia said at the same time.
Elizabeth turned to Mika and wasn’t sure what to say. Truthfully, she would prefer if Mika never opened her mouth. Her youngest daughter’s words can be… quite hurtful if taken the wrong way. Just a few words out of her mouth might accidentally offend an entire group of people; this was especially so with kids.
Right now, she regretted bringing Mika to such a formal occasion.
However, there was no time for regrets, so she could only sigh in frustration before leaving Mika with these few words.
“Be a good girl, okay?”
Mika tilted because she thought she was always a good girl, but nodded nonetheless.
After that, Adam, Nathan, Olivia, and Mika walked over to the kid's section. Though in reality, it wasn’t any different from the place they were just at, except it was away from the adults.
When they showed up, the kids were already talking and playing with each other. A few brown-noses already huddled around the Third Prince, trying to curry favor with him, and the latter didn’t stop them.
Adam and Nathan also met up with a few of their friends and left Olivia and Mika alone. However, they kept glancing over at them to ensure they didn’t encounter any trouble.
Olivia didn’t mind this and started making small talk with Mika to pass the time.
Olivia didn’t have any people she could truly call her friends and saw no point in trying to make any in this kind of setting.
Unfortunately, it didn’t matter what Olivia wanted. Since she was all alone with a baby in her arms, she stuck out like a sore thumb.
Out of the corner of their eyes, they saw a little girl approaching the two of them, and neither Olivia nor Mika could tell what she wanted or what she was trying to do.