063. Dangerous Invitation
A few days later, at the mansion of Elle, Moden’s first wife.
Several round tables were set up there, laden with bottles of liquor and a variety of dishes. Numerous family members sat in circles, chattering away.
“Ah, this booze tastes great.”
“It’s all top-shelf stuff. Of course it does.”
“Let’s drink till our noses go crooked today!”
Clink! Nobles from other families, no small fries themselves, clinked their glasses.
The Bascon siblings were seated at separate tables as well. Second son Silva and third child Velvet at one table. Fourth son Willie, fifth son Billy, and sixth child Shirley at another. And the seventh, Bin, with his mother Danel at their own table.
They had all gathered to celebrate Elle’s birthday. Some came out of mere formality, of course…
In the midst of the lively atmosphere, Elle appeared on a low platform about knee-high. Her voluptuous figure and red hair matched Velvet’s. She scanned the room before speaking.
“Thank you all for gracing us with your presence. To ensure your steps here weren’t in vain, we’ve prepared a feast. Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest today.”
True to her word, not just the tables but the left and right sides of the mansion were lined with countless dishes—a lavish buffet.
The people at the round tables turned their heads, eyes widening. It was the first time in their lives they’d seen such an array of food on display.
Notably, the right side was filled exclusively with sweets, catering to Elle’s particular fondness for them.
Cheers and applause erupted at her words.
“As expected from Lady Elle—such generosity!”
“Happy birthday once again!”
“How about a song? Haha!”
Clap. Clap. Clap…
As everyone cheered for Elle, the door creaked open. Maidservants wheeled in a massive cake on a cart.
Two cakes, unlike any ordinary ones. One shaped like a giant bear, the other like a deer.
Gasps of admiration rose from the crowd.
“A bear and a deer cake…”
“Whoever made these has insane skills. Lady Elle really is on another level.”
“It’s so perfect… how could anyone even touch it?”
As the guests marveled at the cakes, Bin’s expression darkened at his table.
‘Of course you’d ruin the mood like this. That’s just like you, Elle.’
Bin examined the deer-shaped cake closely. Its right front leg was wrapped in bandages—an intentional jab at him.
‘A deer, huh… In the past, it was definitely a wolf.’
Bin remembered this day from before his regression. Back then, the target hadn’t been him but Willie, Silva’s rival.
On that day, Elle had slyly prodded Willie in front of countless people—including Moden’s second wife and Willie’s mother, Keron.
Keron couldn’t hold back and stepped in, only to end up covered in cake and humiliated, just as Elle had planned.
But now, the target had shifted. From Willie to Bin.
It was a cunning ploy to unsettle him before the centurion duel for the vice-captain position.
Elle gazed at the two cakes and spoke.
“Everyone, I’ll cut and share these cakes with you now.”
The guests focused intently as she finished. Then, eyeing the cakes, she continued.
“A foolish deer charging at a bear… Isn’t it just pitiful?”
She was right. The deer facing the massive bear had its eyes wide in defiance.
With every word from Elle, Danel beside Bin trembled, her pupils shaking. She had caught on to the intent as well.
‘Mother…’
Bin’s gaze turned to Danel. Her expression was far from good.
‘Elle…’
Bin shot Elle a sharp glare. Elle, meanwhile, glanced at Bin’s table with evident delight.
‘Hoo.’
The more Bin and Danel reacted, the higher her lips curled.
‘Know your place. What right does a stray stone have to dislodge the wedged one?’
Her eyes narrowing, Elle spoke again.
“Pitiful or not, what can be done? It’s the deer’s fault for not knowing its station. Like a serf lunging at a noble. And this dim-witted deer, in the end…”
Elle signaled a maidservant, who handed her a huge cutting knife. Elle raised it to the deer cake—specifically, the bandaged front leg.
She began slicing off the right front hoof.
“What sin did this poor deer commit? Was it fated to be prey from the start? Or did its parents fail to teach it its place…”
At that moment—
Bang! Danel slammed the table and stood.
“Enough!”
Her eyes sharpened, a far cry from her usual gaze. All eyes turned to her.
Undeterred, Elle smirked.
“Why the sudden excitement?”
“Do you not know what that cake means? It symbolizes Silva and Bin, doesn’t it?”
Danel bit her lip, speaking deliberately. Her demeanor was bold. After all, her only child was being mocked before a crowd. She couldn’t stay silent.
But Elle shook her head, feigning innocence.
“Not at all. What are you talking about?”
Her eyes feigned confusion—a brazen act.
Soon, she sneered.
“Why so touchy? Well, with such a scrawny kid, it does look like a deer.”
“Lady Elle, isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“Haha, did that sting? I must’ve let it slip while drunk. Don’t misunderstand. Relax—don’t ruin the cake sharing over this.”
Clack. Clack. Elle approached Danel, placed a hand on her shoulder, and guided her.
And then, as expected, it happened. Elle tripped Danel’s foot.
Trip. Danel’s body tilted toward the cakes.
“…!”
Danel’s eyes widened in shock. Elle sneered at her, snorting derisively.
‘Heh. What a sight. Shameless wench—go bury yourself in the cake.’
As all eyes fixed on Danel, Bin watched clearly.
‘Change.’
In that instant, black smoke billowed from Bin’s bandaged right arm. And something astonishing occurred.
Danel’s and Elle’s positions swapped as Danel fell.
Elle’s eyes bulged as her own body tilted.
“…!”
No wonder— the cake was now right in front of her, drawing closer.
Splat! Elle’s face and body plunged into the cake.
The crowd’s pupils dilated in shock.
“…!”
Bin had foreseen it all. The solution he devised after racking his brains was Hobas’s magic.
Through trial and error, he’d mastered using the power dwelling in his arm via Luminare’s activation. He’d preemptively cast a black barrier outside the mansion.
Moments later, maidservants pulled Elle from the cake. But her face, clothes, and body were smeared in white cream.
Ptooey. Elle spat out cake from her mouth.
‘How the hell…’
Her heart raced, refusing to calm. She couldn’t comprehend it.
Shame kept her from lifting her head.
‘What an embarrassing mess…’
Caked in whipped cream, she resembled a snowman—utterly ridiculous.
But it didn’t end there. Sticky cream and jam clung everywhere, even inside her undergarments, making her skin crawl with irritation.
As the maidservants wiped her cream-covered face, she snapped irritably.
“I’ll do it myself!”
As eyes converged on Elle, Silva appeared, using his massive frame to shield her. He bellowed,
“The party ends here. Please leave. Thank you.”
“What? We haven’t even had cake yet…”
An oblivious guest spoke up, only for Silva to glare. His fierce eyes silenced him instantly.
“…”
Finally grasping the situation, the guests hurriedly gathered their things and prepared to depart.
Surveying them, Silva added,
“Families with magic users, please stay a moment.”
A few nobles bowed their heads at his words. Silva eyed them suspiciously with his bulging gaze, but found no hostility. Most were Elle’s allies anyway.
He gritted his teeth, pondering the situation.
‘What the hell just happened…’
Drunk hallucination? Someone’s scheme? Every possibility swirled in his mind.
And one suspect stood out: Bin.
Danel had been falling—then Elle did. Circumstantially, he was the prime candidate.
Another thing: his eyes. Others looked panicked or shocked. But not Bin’s—cold and unflinching.
As Bin prepared to leave, he approached Elle.
“Auntie, maybe ease up on the drinking?”
Silva’s eyes narrowed at the words. He seized Bin’s wrist.
Grab!
“Bin Bascon, what did you do?”
Bin didn’t flinch at Silva’s aggression.
“Do what? Don’t accuse the innocent without proof.”
Bin and Silva locked eyes, tension thick enough for weapons to clash any second.
Then, Vice-Captain Herion stepped between them.
“Enough, young masters. If grudges linger, settle them honorably in the upcoming vice-captain duel.”
Silva nodded at Herion’s words.
“Then, Bin Bascon, I’ll make you see your place.”
Bin wasn’t one to stay silent. Shaking off Silva’s grip, he retorted,
“If you can.”
“…”
Silva’s face soured at Bin’s confidence.
Their glares clashed—Silva’s fierce, Bin’s icy.
‘I’ll make you pay for this humiliation.’
‘I’ll repay the insults from my past life.’