BXBX NOVEL Chapter 69 Banquet
Lucia and Zayne left the mansion territory, heading for the banquet. Only Rea remained in the room, whose gaze was blank and lost.
After a while, the maid entered the room, she saw the broken plate and gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
"What happened here...?" The maid asked uncertainly as she looked at Rea.
Rea glanced at her with a pause saying, "Nothing much, just my hands shook and I couldn\'t hold the plate in my hands... I\'m sorry about what happened..."
The maid looked at Rea for a while before she nodded, "That\'s all right, I\'ll clean it up and get a new cake. Miss Rea, get some rest, I\'m sure a mage like you has a lot on mind."
Rea didn\'t know what to say, so she just sat on the couch while the maid cleaned up the mess and fixed the situation. Even when dessert was in front of her and the maid left, Rea\'s face didn\'t change, she just tilted her massive hat to hide her eyes.
"If power isn\'t the most important thing, then why..." Rea whispered in a sad voice that seemed to come out on its own as Rea was unable to hold back, "Father... Why were you doing this... were you lying to me...?"
Rea may have hidden herself from the world by covering her eyes with a hat, but the world could see her clearly, as well as the trickles of tears slowly flowing down her pale cheeks, blushing because of deep resentment.
...
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
The carriage rode over bumpy roads, occasionally bumping into bumps. In the far reaches of the Red Feather City, a nobleman\'s carriage would have attracted attention, as well as four white horses, but this evening, many carriages were headed for one place.
"Zayne, did you defeat the Terror Grade Monster with the same skill you used on Rea? That was mesmerizing!" Lucia exclaimed with sparkling eyes, looking at Zayne like he was her idol.
\'Agh... By the end of the conversation she was practically a regular girl, but after the incident with Rea, her gaze became like that again... I\'m beginning to get used to it, though it\'s strange.\' Zayne pondered before giving an answer, "No, I got this skill as a reward for my victory. It was Fate\'s Power that helped me kill the monster."
"I see, in that case, it\'s even more amazing." Lucia smiled, "You know, if I only knew you, I\'d think all Travelers were such capable people, but that\'s not the case at all."
"Hmm? Are you serious?" Zayne raised an eyebrow with a curious look, he was curious to know how the other players were progressing.
"Yeah, a lot of Travelers somehow made it to the city on the very first day, but they\'re just taking tasks from merchants and blacksmiths trying to get gear and other stuff. Pfff, they think that by doing something simple they can become great, it\'s just ridiculous." Lucia snorted as she shrugged.
Tsrkkkkkkkkkk!
The carriage suddenly stopped as bright light came through the windows from the many lanterns that illuminated the entire area of the Redfall Family Manor.
"Looks like we\'re here." Lucia looked away.
"Yeah." Zayne nodded and got out of the carriage, heading for the main gate of the manor.
"Ghm!" Lucia coughed, drawing attention to herself, which caused Zayne to turn around.
"Mr. Zayne, in another situation I would not have insisted, as in the case of the atelier, but I am afraid today you will have to take responsibility for me. After all, I am a lady, and we are at a banquet." Lucia said modestly, extending her hand.
Though Zayne had never been to such events, he knew what he had to do, it was all too obvious.
"Sure, I can\'t say no to such an interesting girl, can I?" Zayne smirked, taking Lucia\'s hand and helping her out of the carriage.
"Am I not worthy of a few comments about my appearance?" Lucia\'s mouth corners went up.
"Well, I was just highlighting the most important." Zayne narrowed his eyes.
"Heh, I guess so." Lucia chuckled.
The banquet was held throughout the whole of the manor, but the main event was in a special hall, under a massive stone dome that overlooked much of the city, especially its most beautiful parts.
Once inside, Zayne\'s eyes went wide with the number of people and the variety of their costumes, each one looking like a work of art. The number of wines and appetizers was just as great.
"Damn... What a strange feeling..." Zayne muttered.
"Is something wrong?" Lucia asked, not letting go of his hand.
"No, everything\'s fine. I just like it here... even though it\'s only been a few minutes."
"That\'s okay, after all, this is the Redfall Family, they know how to do banquets. Come on, let\'s go taste my favorite wine." Lucia smiled as she stepped forward, pulling Zayne behind her.
As they moved closer to the center of the hall, more and more eyes were on them. The nobles were surprised that Zayne was here and that he was with Lucia, whose face shone brightly with a charming smile.
"Here!" Lucia took two glasses from the tray and handed one to Zayne, "Taste it, it\'s always the best wine at banquets of the Redfall Family, especially if these banquets are hosted by Alden."
"Hmm? I thought the whole Redfall Family would be here." Zayne was puzzled.
pαndα,noνɐ1,сoМ Lucia shook her head, "As far as I know only Alden and his sister Kyla will be at tonight\'s banquet. By the way, there she is." Lucia looked away.
Zayne turned around and saw Kyla in the distance, who was standing sadly to the side. She was one of the few who didn\'t have a date, or rather practically the only one.
"I don\'t know what happened, but she\'s looked like that since yesterday. Was she so badly affected by the kidnapping by Warlock? I mean, she was rescued pretty quickly." Lucia said in a confusion.
\'Well, she doesn\'t know the whole truth, though it\'s for the best.\' Zayne inwardly muttered and shrugged, "I think we should talk to her, it\'s no good that she\'s the only one looking so sad." Zayne headed forward, holding Lucia\'s hand tightly.
Kyla couldn\'t find her place, she wasn\'t attracted to the appetizers or the alcohol, and she didn\'t seem to want to be here at all.
"Kyla! Hey! What are you standing here, away from everyone?" Zayne approached, waving his hand with a pleasant smile on his face.
"Mr. Zayne and Mrs. Lucia...?!" Kyla couldn\'t believe her eyes, "I didn\'t expect to see you here."
"Really? Well, after Veronika defeated me, she extended an invitation. It was unexpected, so I had to find a matching costume at a brisk pace." Zayne spread his arms apart as he glanced around his outfit.
"I see... So you and Mrs. Lucia are old acquaintances?" Kyla muttered.
Zayne and Lucia looked at each other, then he said, "No, we just met this morning. Anyway, Kyla, do you know where the others are? I don\'t know about you, but I\'d be curious to see who Roland came here with!"
"Hehehe, boy, you sure know what to ask for!"
Suddenly a powerful but familiar voice came from behind Zayne. He turned around and saw Roland, who looked very different today.
\'He really looks good in that suit...\' Zayne inwardly muttered looking at Roland\'s black and red outfit, which matched perfectly with his slicked-back blond hair and green eyes.