It was the evening of the birthday ball. Vincent was dressed in an inconspicuous and diminished ballroom attire. He chose to go with a more conservative color of royal blue. It may not stand out, but upon closer inspection showed a hidden sense of sublime pride.

  When Vincent arrived, he was shown in after presenting his invitation. A butler was in charge of receiving gifts and took away Vincent’s gift. When Vincent handed over the simple wooden casing with the red ribbon, the butler showed a look of derision before hiding it and accepting the gift.

  Inside the ballroom, many people of stature had already gathered; they were busy socializing in their own small cliques. The people of high nobility talked amongst themselves and so too did the low nobility. Not only that, Vincent further observed the three distinct camps within the room. The Royalty Faction, Nobility Faction, and finally the neutral camp. People of their groups were shooting glares at their foes, doing very little to hide their discontent. It seemed that the tension between the two groups was higher than he imagined.

  At the far end was Duke Evergreen and Sophia; they were greeting various nobles of both main factions. She also saw him, her calm demeanor lifted up a bit, but he saw that she was busy, so he turned around and casually wandered about. When Sophia watched Vincent leave without going up to her, she felt a bit of disappointment and frowned.

  “Sweetie, what’s wrong?” Zenobia asked his daughter.

  “Nothing, Papa. I’m just a bit tired.”

  “Then why don’t you go take a break? You can resume greeting the guests afterward.”

  “Thanks, Papa!” She beamed happily and ran off in a direction in search of Vincent. How could Zenobia not have noticed the cool youth that had just arrived? He drew the attention of all the females wherever he went.

  Vincent didn’t like the posh and lavish display of wealth amongst high society, so he retreated to the gardens and rested on a bench. The sun had already set beyond the horizon, and the soft glow of the lanterns lit up in the garden; it was a beautiful sight and presented an air of ambiguity for its observers.

  “You came.” An elegant and feminine voice called out from the side. He looked over and saw Sophia walking over. “I didn’t think you would come, after everything that happened,” Sophia recalled the little hostility between William and Vincent. By now, she figured out that they weren’t on the best terms. Although she liked William, a strange part of her always thought back to this cold and distant youth. When she spoke to him, she wanted him to answer her along the lines of: “I came because I wanted to see you.”

  “I came because I received an invitation.” Vincent was impressed with the beauty of the girl beside him. A companion of the MC was no simple person! Upon hearing his response, Sophia felt a bit of disappointment, maybe it was because Vincent noticed it, but he continued, “I also brought a gift. Your butler should have it.”

  “A gift? For me?” Sophia’s eyes lit up. “What did you bring?”

  Vincent could tell that her mood was better now, so he replied, “I’ll let you find out yourself.”

  “Hm~ alright.” She squinted her eyes in pleasure and sat down next to him.

  “Don’t you have to greet the guests?” asked Vincent after seeing her casually sitting beside him.

  “I’m taking a break.”

  “Is that appropriate?” Vincent has never heard of the hosts taking a break from greeting the guests.

  “Do you think the daughter of a Duke has to give face? Everyone’s too busy pleasing my father, no one will dare question my actions.” She spoke with some authority. It reminded him that she was a daughter of high birth.

  “I forgot.” Vincent acknowledged his mistake and changed the topic, “How’s school treating you?” It was just a weak attempt at starting a conversation, for the most part, he didn’t particularly care.

  “It’s coming along as expected.” Sophia maintained her elegant posture as she recounted her days in the academy. They continued their conversation for a while longer before Vincent asked her about William.

  “William’s been training hard. I assume he wants to overtake me. What are your thoughts on this matter?” He wanted to find out how much William had grown since the start of the academic year.

  “W-why, are you asking about him?” Sophia lost her composure for the first time. Whenever the topic of William was brought up, she grew flustered. However, when Vincent was the person to bring it up, she felt some unexplained guilt.

  “I’m just curious.” Vincent shrugged, he tried to stay nonchalant.

  “There’s nothing going on between him and me if that’s what you’re wondering.” She guiltily explained. “And he has become stronger since the start of school. He’s scarily strong; strong enough that the instructors cannot teach him anymore.”

  ‘So it’s going along according to the plot.’ Vincent was satisfied with her words.

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “B-but you’re also strong… I think…” She misunderstood his words and tried to appease him. Her panicked expression looked lovely in the dim lighting. When Vincent saw her flustered look, he smiled and chuckled, stunning the panicked girl.

  “It’s alright. I’m not as strong as you think I am. I’m only asking because I can tell that William will go far in life.”

  “You think so too?” She shook herself out of her stupor and leaned toward him with excitement. When she noticed how close they’ve gotten, their faces just inches away from each other. She could feel his warm breath tickling the corners of her face from the close distance. She shrank back in embarrassment, “Please excuse my improper behavior.”

  “It’s quite alright. I’m used to it.” Vincent casually dismissed her actions, making her a little angry.

  “What do you mean by that?” asked Sophia, but she instantly regretted her words.

  “It’s just there’s a girl that keeps clinging on to me. I know she’s only trying to tease me, so I think nothing of it.”

  “You’re talking about Aya Hana, right?” Sophia frowned.

  “Perhaps…” Vincent remained ambiguous, refusing to expand on the topic. After seeing the reluctance on his face, Sophia picked up the courage and started speaking.

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  “You must stay away from that woman. She’s not who you think she is.” She nervously gripped the hem of her dress. She didn’t know why she was saying these things. Sophia leaned in close, and in a voiceless whisper, she added, “Aya Hana has ties to the crown prince. She’s a dangerous woman.”

  “Hahaha.” Vincent leaned back and chuckled. How could he not know about Aya’s identity? He was sure he knew more about Aya than anybody else in the world. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I know what I’m doing.” He appeased the worried girl beside him.

  “Do you?” She felt like he was acting like a playboy again, toying with Aya and planning to throw her away after taking some advantages. Her mood improved a little. Just as she was about to say more, a maid entered the garden.

  “Milady, Master Zenobia wishes for you to return to greet the guests.”

  “I’ll be right there.” She turned to Vincent and said a few more things before reluctantly departing. Vincent sat there, enjoying the calm atmosphere for a while longer before a silhouette appeared beside him.

  “Are you trying to eat from two plates, Vincent?” The seductive voice asked, pulling at his heart. He turned to look and saw a gorgeous woman beside him. Aya was dressed in a maroon dress that displayed a sizeable portion of her cleavage. The back of the dress was bare, showing milky white skin all the way to her lower back. The dim lighting only helped to cast a soft glow on her healthy skin, even Vincent couldn’t help but gulp in anticipation.

  Aya was amused at his reaction and asked, “How do I look?” She crossed her arms, accentuating her assets. However, it only worked in opposition to her goal as Vincent calmed down.

  “You look great.” It was a very bland reply.

  “Is that all?” Aya frowned but didn’t dwell on it further and sat down in the spot Sophia had been sitting.

  “Is there a reason why you’re here?” asked Vincent, he was sure that she had overheard his conversation with Sophia.

  “I’m hurt, Vincent. Do I need a reason to be with you?” She sidled closer to Vincent.

  “Everything you do has a reason to it. Stop playing around. Shoot.” He gave her permission to ask what was going on in her mind.

  “Then I won’t stand on ceremony.” She giggled. “I never knew you were so interested in William. I thought you two were on bad terms with each other, but I guess that’s just my imagination.”

  “I guess you could say we are on bad terms, but just because we’re on bad terms I can’t be interested in him?” Vincent kept calm and continued speaking his mind, “He’s an impressive person. There are very few people these days with eyes as bright and clear as his. There are even fewer that are willing to voice their opinions against a greater authority. That’s why I think William is an impressive person.”

  “Is that so?” Aya’s eyes lit up. She also agreed with Vincent’s views; William was an upright person, a bit stubborn and gullible, but she didn’t dislike that type of person. However, she thought that there was a man more impressive than William. “If you think he’s so impressive, why do you antagonize him so much? Is it because he has what you don’t?” She teased.

  “You could say that.” Vincent was a bit envious of William’s strength, but he didn’t covet it. William has a considerable amount of responsibility, something that Vincent wasn’t sure he could handle. “To answer your question, Aya… It’s because I acknowledge his strength that I'm so harsh on that person.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Aya as she cocked her head to the side.

  “William is a stubborn person. He only sees things his way. That kind of personality is tough to teach and guide. If he’s led down the wrong path, he could prove to be a disaster. Therefore, it would be better to direct his contempt toward someone, a person that would grind against him, honing his motivation and goals. He’s like a heated and malleable piece of metal; you have to use force to shape him rather than gentle direction or else you’ll get burned.”

  Aya felt like she saw Vincent in a new light. He was willing to antagonize and draw the hatred of William just so that William will not become like him. But the thing Vincent didn’t know was that she didn’t see him as a bad person at all. After interacting with him in this short time, she could tell Vincent was underestimating himself.

  “That still doesn’t explain why you’re doing this. Why, William?” Aya asked the first question that popped up.

  Vincent didn’t say a thing and just smiled back mysteriously. How could she understand that William was the MC and destined to a life of glory and adversity? Therefore, he remained silent. However, the silence only gave Aya more questions. Her curiosity was threatening to devour her as she began to itch from holding back her curiosity.

  “Please do me a favor and help guide William down the correct path.” His words held hidden meanings when he spoke to her.

  “Another favor? You’re going to owe so much, and you still haven’t repaid that last favor.” She pouted and crossed her leg, revealing a sizeable portion of her thigh from the slit in her dress.

  “Then what do you want from me?” Vincent asked as his eyes were trying hard not to dart at her exposed thigh. She really was too damn seductive, even his usual aloofness cracked with every action she made.

  “Hm~ I wonder~.” Aya grinned evilly and looked all over his body.

  “What?” Vincent frowned.

  “Nothing~.” She leaned on his shoulder. “One day, I’ll make sure to recoup all the favors you owe me, and at that time you can’t refuse.” She whispered.

  “Naturally,” Vincent answered back before distancing himself once more.

  “I’ll keep an eye on William. Don’t worry.” Aya laughed and sat back up. Vincent felt relief when he heard her promise. He relaxed a little as his cold expression softened. Then he asked her about the progress with the Church of Light.

  “Have you found out anything about the elf princess?”

  “You always get straight down to business. Why are you rushing so much?” She complained slightly before saying, “The elf princess will be taken to the world tree to perform a pilgrimage rite next month.”

  ‘November? I guess the church decided to move at this time in the novel due to the monster attacks. Then the fallout of this event was what lead to the Emerald Forest Disaster.’ Vincent thought to himself.

  “I’m not too familiar with their customs. What do you mean by pilgrimage rite?”

  “Well, every decade elves have to return to their world tree to perform a ceremony to receive the world tree’s blessing. If they don’t, their strength will wane, and they will die. I heard this would be the first time the elf princess will be going through the ceremony ever since the Church of Light took her into their custody 17 years ago.”

  If that was true, then the elf princess has been deprived of her blessing for nearly a decade. An elf cut off from their blessing from the world tree was like a bird without wings. He couldn’t imagine the mental damage this would’ve caused to her psyche. He felt even more resolute to rescue her, this time, not just for himself but for her own good.

  “That’s so cruel.” Vincent voiced his opinion.

  “Why? They were corrupted when their world tree fell to darkness. Why do you care so much about a dying group of dark elves?” Aya probed.

  “Even so, do you not feel pity for a girl that lost everything she had? Locked away by the people that took everything from her?” Vincent’s word struck a memory Aya had hidden deep inside of her; she remained silent for a long time.

  “You’re going to rescue her, aren’t you?” She finally asked.

  “…”

  “Why would you do that for someone you don’t know?” Aya asked while studying him with emotional eyes.

  “Because I’m a fool,” Vincent answered after a long while. “Please don’t tell anybody else about this.”

  “Yes, you are a stupid fool!” Aya berated him, momentarily losing her composure. “I don’t know why I’m even getting emotional about something so stupid.” She violently blinked, trying to control herself.

  “It just shows that you also care, otherwise why would you shed tears for someone else?” Vincent took out a handkerchief and handed it over to the teary beauty.

  “That’s not it. I’m not crying!” Aya denied his words but still took his handkerchief. When she settled down, she said, “The church will form a convoy next month to travel to the northern bastion of Eidolon, Northgard. That’s all I know. What you do with that information is your matter.”

  “Thank you, Aya.” Vincent got up to leave. Now that he had a direction to walk in, he was going to busy himself.

  “Wait!” She called out to him.

  “What is it?”

  “Don’t forget. I’ll make you repay every favor you owe me with interest when the time comes. You better not refuse me at that time.” Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

  “Naturally,” repeated Vincent; he nodded and left.

  After greeting the guests, Sophia ran back out into the garden only to see it bare and devoid of life. Where had he gone? The person she wanted to see, could he have left already? She wanted to ask him for the first dance. She looked dejected as she searched everywhere in the garden.

  “Sophia?” A handsome youth walked up behind her. “You father was wondering where you have disappeared to. He asked me to come to get you.”

  “I understand, Alec. I’ll be right there.” She resigned herself and angrily clenched her fist before returning to the ballroom. She returned to the crowded room full of empty smiles.