The meal itself was a quiet affair, at least for those of us at the head table. Grand Duke Kaltbrand hadn’t invited anyone to join us up here, so it was just him, Knight Commander Bardin, Count Wirner, and myself. This would change over the course of the banquet, but on this first night it was just us.

I sat on the grand duke’s right, the knight commander sat on his left, and Count Wirner sat on my right. Lingering traces of the awkwardness from earlier remained, so we kept conversation to a minimum. Grand Duke Kaltbrand picked up on this, and followed our example.

It was a different case for our guests. They chattered amongst themselves, talking about all sorts of topics. Thanks to my sharpened sense, I could pick up on most of the conversations. I wasn’t above eavesdropping when it suited my needs. However, I needed to focus in order to pick up on a particular conversation. If I wasn’t careful, all the noise in the room would overwhelm me.

Nobody talked about anything too important. Most of the conversations revolved around me and my sudden appearance. Several of House Kaltbrand’s vassals were outraged and questioned the grand duke’s decision, though they kept their voices low lest they be accused of disrespecting their lord.

Despite the rumors and gossip about me and my origins, I was still something of an enigma to everyone. No one knew much about me, which suited me just fine. After all, I wasn’t the real heir to House Kaltbrand. To make things worse, for them at least, I kept my true strength hidden. That way, no one would know if I was as weak as I pretended to be or not. There were rumors and gossip about my abilities, but hearing about something and witnessing it for oneself was a different matter altogether.

I noticed that the vassals grouped together according to faction, which were all centered around the potential heirs. In terms of size, House Steuben led the largest faction, followed by House Arbeit’s faction, with House Gerhard’s faction taking last place. The ones who were most vocal in opposing me were, of course, the families who followed House Arbeit.

None of this distracted me from my meal. The food was delicious, and it rivaled anything I ever ate when I lived with House Guld. The meal lacked variety, but that was to be expected. The Barrens wasn’t a trade hub like the Riverlands, so the foods available were more limited.

Perhaps I could change that by strengthening relations between House Kaltbrand and House Guld; after this job was done of course. While I considered the Riverlands my home, I had grown fond of the Barrens and its people. If I could lessen the burden on them, even by a little bit, I would be satisfied.

After the meal, which consisted of several courses, next came the entertainment. A troupe of dancers performed several routines. They used magic in conjunction with the movement of their bodies, creating an evocative effect. I found myself enthralled.

Each of the dances they performed told a story, which were often legends and folktales famous throughout the Barrens. The final dance told the story of the warrior who founded House Kaltbrand and became the first Shield of the Empire.

When the dancers finished with their performance, Grand Duke Kaltbrand had the servants clear away the tables in the middle of the hall. The musicians in the corner continued to play.

“I have some business to discuss with the head of each family here.” he said, standing up. He gestured to the now open space. “Everyone else, please mingle and enjoy yourselves.” He held his hand out toward Knight Commander Bardin. “Shall we?”

The Knight Commander sighed, before taking his hand and standing up.

“Have fun.” Grand Duke Kaltbrand said to me, grinning. “Don’t worry about holding back. Whatever happens, I’ll deal with the aftermath.”

Ah, so that was what he was up to. I had wondered about that. Divide and conquer. He would deal with the heads of the vassal families, while I dealt with everyone else. I was annoyed that he hadn’t warned me ahead of time, but only a little. After all, this was why he hired me in the first place: to attract everyone’s attention while he prepared things for his real heir.

Grand Duke Kaltbrand escorted Knight Commander Bardin out of the hall, followed by Count Wirner and the heads of House Kaltbrand’s vassal families. The moment they left, I felt dozens of eyes on me, their gazes full of malice and eagerness to tear me apart.

So, this was what it was like to face down a pack of hyenas. Ha. After facing down a horde of demonic beasts, dealing with a pack of hyenas was child’s play in comparison.

Rather than leave the head table right away, and be swarmed by the pack, I decided to remain seated for the time being. I didn’t want to seem too eager. Why not let them sweat for a bit? Servants carrying refreshments went about the hall, offering drinks to the remaining guests. I flagged one down and took a glass of wine for myself.

There wasn’t much mingling going on. Instead, the remaining nobles stood within their own little groups and whispered amongst themselves while keeping an eye on me. Many of them grew impatient, based on the expressions they wore, but none of them dared approach me first. I didn’t let this affect me at all and I enjoyed my glass of wine.

Ten minutes after Grand Duke Kaltbrand left with the others, I caught Lady Adelheid’s eyes. Unlike the others, she had already met me and pledged her support, so she didn’t share in their impatience. Instead, she wore an indifferent expression on her face. Despite that, I noticed a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes. She was enjoying this.

The moment our eyes met, I gave her a slight nod. She turned to a young man who stood next to her and whispered something in his ear. They looked similar enough that I could tell they were siblings. Was this Lady Adelheid’s older brother and the heir to House Gerhard, Lord Wilhelm Gerhard?

Yesterday, I sent her a message asking her to set up an opportunity for House Gerhard to publicly declare their allegiance to me. I thought this would involve her father, Viscount Dietrich Gerhard, but the grand duke’s actions made that unfeasible. No matter. We could adjust and adapt. His heir would do.

I stood up and I made my way down from the head table. A hush fell over the hall as everyone watched me, waiting to see what I would do. I ignored them and made my way towards Lady Adelheid and the young man who I assumed was her brother. Like his younger sister, Lord Wilhelm was a magician. However, he was an Adept, which was the level just below Sage. For a brief moment, I wondered if being a weaker magician than his younger sister bothered Lord Wilhelm. If it did, he didn’t let it show.

“Greetings, Lord Wulfe.” Lady Adelheid said, bowing to me.

Her brother followed her example and bowed as well.

“Greetings, Lady Adelheid.” I said, giving them both a nod. “I hope you are enjoying the banquet.”

“I am indeed, my lord.” she said, her eyes gleaming with undisguised mirth. “The hospitality of House Kaltbrand is unrivaled.”

Whispering broke out among the surrounding nobles, even those within House Gerhard’s faction. From the way Lady Adelheid and I greeted each other, it was clear that we were on friendly terms, or at least pretending to be. However, none of them figured out what that meant yet.

“Ah, but where are my manners?” Lady Adelheid said, gesturing to Lord Wilhelm. “This is my elder brother, though I will let him introduce himself.”

“I greet you, Lord Wulfe Kaltbrand.” her brother said, wearing a polite smile. “I am Lord Wilhelm Gerhard, heir to House Gerhard.”

“I greet you, Lord Wilhelm Gerhard.” I said. “It is a pleasure to meet you. Your sister has told me much about you.”

Which was true. Like Lady Adelheid, Lord Wilhelm endured a lot of mockery from the other northern nobles. Unlike his sister, he kept his anger to himself rather than lashing out. This allowed him to make connections with people he might have otherwise alienated. While he wasn’t as powerful a magician as Lady Adelheid, Lord Wilhelm was more adept at managing a domain than her, by her own admission. However, he was careful and conservative in his management. All in all, he was a competent, if not outstanding, lord.

“Thank you, my lord.” Lord Wilhelm said.

With the introductions out of the way, it was time to go in for the kill.

“Lord Wilhelm,” I said. “As embarrassing as it is to admit, tonight is my first foray into northern high society. I am unfamiliar with most of the people here. Might I trouble you to introduce me to everyone?”

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Lord Wilhelm’s smile became genuine and he gestured to the nobles who stood behind him, the members of House Gerhard’s faction.

“It is no trouble at all, my lord.” he said. “House Gerhard is a loyal vassal to House Kaltbrand.”

With that, Lord Wilhelm made good on his word and started introducing me to the nobles loyal to House Gerhard. The mood in the room shifted as everyone here realized what had happened. It was common knowledge that Lady Adelheid had arrived at Kaltbrand Castle early, though no one knew much beyond that. However, it was clear from the little play that Lord Wilhelm and I put on that House Gerhard had aligned themselves with me.

Now they were no longer the weakest faction in the north. Instead, they were the first ones to pledge themselves to the next Grand Duke, changing the entire political landscape. It wasn’t four factions vying for power, it was three. With support from House Kaltbrand, House Wirner, and House Gerhard, I was an even match for either of the remaining two potential heirs. However, that guaranteed nothing. If they ended up working together, they could make things very difficult for me.

As Lord Wilhelm introduced me to everyone, I kept an eye on the other two factions to see how they would react. House Arbeit’s followers gave me and House Gerhard’s followers ugly looks. House Steuben and their people seemed more ambivalent, making it more difficult to get a read on them.

I also kept an ear on Lady Adelheid. While her brother introduced me to everyone, she told the story of how she and I first met to a group of younger nobles.

“…despite our best efforts,” Lady Adelheid said, putting on a dramatic performance. “The assailants caught up to us and surrounded us. If Lord Wulfe hadn’t arrived when he had and driven them all off, we would have been killed for sure.”

Her audience gave the appropriate reactions.

“Oh my!”

“How terrible!”

“Thank goodness Lord Wulfe was there to save you.”

One of the younger ladies leaned forward, her eyes filled with anticipation.

“That sounds so romantic!” the lady said. “In your position, why, I might have fallen in love with Lord Wulfe right then and there.” She fanned herself, as if imagining herself in that same situation. “What happened between you and Lord Wulfe after that?”

The other nobles who surrounded Lady Adelheid leaned forward as well, as if eager to hear her answer. It was clear that they thought romantic feelings had blossomed between Lady Adelheid and I. Maybe they even thought that Lady Adelheid and I were now engaged, which would explain why House Gerhard supported me. Not that I blamed them for their assumptions. Marriage was one of the surest ways to forge alliances.

I caught Lady Adelheid’s eyes and gave her a warning look. The last thing I wanted was for rumors to spread about our supposed engagement. If Lina ever caught wind of such rumors…I shuddered to think of what would happen after that. Lady Adelheid stiffened for a brief moment and gave me a slight nod. She opened her mouth to answer. However, before she could, someone else spoke up first.

“Do you really expect us to believe that nonsense?” a man said, his voice loud and grating.

I glanced over to find a young man in his early to mid twenties marching towards Lady Adelheid, followed by a group of cronies. He was tall and muscular, with pale skin, dark brown hair, and blue eyes. He had a handsome face. However, his expression and his body language made him seem more like a thug than a noble. He had the mana signature of an Aura Expert. If I wasn’t mistaken, this was Lord Ulric Arbeit, one of my rivals.

“Excuse me, Lord Ulric,” Lady Adelheid said, narrowing her eyes at him. “It is rude to thrust yourself into a conversation you aren’t a part of.”

Lord Ulric sneered at her.

“Like I care about that.” he said. “Do you really expect us to believe such a tall tale?” He scoffed. “One man chasing off a group of Aura Experts? If it were Grand Duke Kaltbrand or his knight commander, I might believe it. A whelp like him? What nonsense. If you were going to lie to make him look better, you should’ve made it more believable.”

Lord Ulric’s cronies snickered at that, while the other nobles broke out into whispers. Beside me, Lord Wilhelm’s expression turned ugly and he looked ready to challenge Lord Ulric to a duel right then and there. However, he swallowed his anger and maintained his composure. I gestured for him to continue introducing me to people. It wasn’t time to react just yet. Lord Wilhelm hesitated for a moment, before complying. I kept an eye on the situation brewing between Lady Adelheid and Lord Ulric.

“My my, Lord Ulric,” Lady Adelheid said in a heated voice. “You were always rude and vulgar, but I never expected you to have the audacity to accuse me of lying. I suppose we should add stupid to that list.”

Lord Ulric gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He stepped forward, until he was just a few feet away from Lady Adelheid. He loomed over her, trying to use his height to intimidate her. The nobles who previously surrounded Lady Adelheid moved out of his way, but stayed close to her, giving her their silent support.

“Oh?” Lady Adelheid said in a mocking tone. “Did I hit a nerve?” She let out a scornful laugh. “Maybe if you weren’t such a brute, I might have something more complimentary to say about you, my lord.”

Against my expectations, Lord Ulric didn’t fly into a rage. Instead, he smirked.

“Better to be a brute than someone who opens her legs for a filthy bastard.” he said.

A shocked silence fell over the hall at the insult. Even the musicians in the corner stopped playing. Lord Ulric’s cronies looked uneasy, but didn’t stop their lord. Lady Adelheid’s jaw dropped. She stared at Lord Ulric for a moment, before she closed her mouth and stared at him with such hatred, that I was surprised he didn’t fall over dead right then and there. She wasn’t the only one either. Her brother looked ready to kill Lord Ulric as well.

“Lord Wulfe.” Lord Wilhelm ground out.

While I shared in his anger, I pretended nonchalance.

“Lord Wilhelm,” I said in a soothing tone. Despite this, I pitched my voice to carry, so that Lord Ulric would hear me. “You must learn not to react every time a dog barks.”

Lord Wilhelm's eyes widened.

“What did you just call me?” Lord Ulric demanded, turning towards me.

I ignored him and continued to speak to Lord Wilhelm.

“Such creatures think that the louder they are, the more ferocious they seem.” I said, a polite smile on my face. “When in reality, they’re nothing more than pups acting tough.”

“I’m talking to you!” Lord Ulric said, stomping towards me.

I continued to ignore him, acting as if I didn’t hear him approaching me. I waited until he almost reached me, before I turned around to face him.

“I don’t care who you think you are,” Lord Ulric snarled, reaching a hand towards me. “But if you think I’ll let some bastard insult-…”

Just before his hand touched me, I stopped hiding my strength and hit him with my pressure. Lord Ulric froze in place, unable to move. Sweat beaded on his forehead, before dripping down his face. Despite this, he wasn’t able to speak. The crowd around us let out sounds of surprise and astonishment.

“An Aura Master!” someone said.

“I heard the rumors, but I didn’t believe them.”

“He’s so young too!”

I ignored them and continued speaking to Lord Wilhelm.

“However,” I said in a soft and gentle voice, as if admonishing a child. “When a dog misbehaves, you need to teach it a lesson so that it learns some proper manners.”

I increased the pressure on him.

“Otherwise, it may end up biting the wrong person.” I continued, speaking in the same soft and gentle voice. “If that happens, you’ll have no choice but to put the dog down. I think we can all agree that something like that should be avoided, if at all possible.”

Lord Ulric’s cronies, realizing that I just threatened their lord, rushed towards me to rescue him; rather, they tried to. The moment they stepped towards me, I turned my attention to them. Unlike Lord Ulric, they were all merely Aura Warriors. It took little effort on my part to keep them at bay with just my pressure.

“Now then, Lord Ulric,” I said, addressing the man directly. “You tarnished the honor of House Kaltbrand with your crass words, and almost ruined a perfectly fine evening.” I gave him a soft smile. “You should have received etiquette lessons as a child, unless your family is far more incompetent than I realized. So, you should know the answer to this question. What do you do after you wrong someone?”

I eased the pressure on him, just enough to allow him to speak. Lord Ulric glared at me with such hatred in his eyes.

“I’m going to-…” he started to say, but I cut him off by hitting him with the full force of my pressure.

Lord Ulric’s legs buckled. To his credit, he remained on his feet for a few more moments before he fell to his knees. Up until this point, I held back to allow him to preserve some modicum of dignity. It seemed that my consideration had been wasted on him.

“Wrong answer,” I said. “Try again.”

I eased up on the pressure again. Lord Ulric clenched his jaw. For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t listen, but then he opened his mouth and spoke.

“I apologize for my crude behavior, Lord Wulfe.” Lord Ulric said, speaking as if he forced each word out.

“There,” I said. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” I paused. “However, I’m not the one who you need to apologize to.”

I gestured for Lady Adelheid to join me. She complied and stood before Lord Ulric with her arms crossed.

“Go ahead,” I said. “Apologize to Lady Adelheid.”

Lord Ulric clenched his fists and his whole body shook. He remained silent for much longer this time around.

“I apologize for my vulgar words, Lady Adelheid,” Lord Ulric said. “You didn’t deserve them.”

Lady Adelheid glared down at him for several long seconds, before she nodded.

“I accept your apology, Lord Ulric,” she said. “Make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Lord Ulric nodded without saying a word.

“Excellent!” I said, clapping my hands together. “I suggest you retire to your chambers for the rest of the evening, Lord Ulric.”

While I worded it as a suggestion, my tone made it clear that it was an order. I stopped pressuring him. As soon as he was free, Lord Ulric jumped to his feet and marched out of the banquet hall. After a brief moment, his cronies followed suit. However, just before he left the hall, Lord Ulric threw a glare my way. His eyes told me that I would pay for tonight’s humiliation.

Good. Things were going exactly as I planned.