Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Tensions at the Banquet
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"I'm so tired..."
Ian leaned against the railing on the terrace at the edge of the banquet hall and muttered to himself.
They say old folks get chatty when loneliness creeps in with age.
Lühen Elder had kept talking to Ian nonstop, completely unfazed by all the eyes on them.
Drained by the elder's typical rambling style, Ian had slipped out for a quick breather.
'Finally, some peace.'
Or so he thought.
Glance. Glance!
The looks from those around him felt different from yesterday's banquet—or even just an hour ago.
Until then, he'd been treated like dirt underfoot, but after chatting amiably with Magic Tower's Lühen Elder, they seemed to think he was someone important.
It was obvious they were just waiting for a chance to approach him.
'No, more like they're angling to reach Lühen Elder through me.'
The Magic Tower was the organization every nation on the continent of Aegaea desperately wanted ties with.
They churned out precious strategic assets like magic scrolls and artifacts without end.
In some ways, even more useful than a martial clan—which was why so many kingdoms dreamed of cozying up to them.
But perhaps guilt held them back.
Everyone just watched warily, none daring to approach Ian directly.
Even reading the mood, Ian had no intention of playing nice with the nobles first.
He still hadn't fully grasped why Paon Marquis had sent him on this mission instead of Alex.
Better to observe and pinpoint the most logical reason than rush into alliances and misjudge.
Clack!
As Ian leaned on the terrace railing, ears open for intel, he heard footsteps approaching.
"Not enjoying the banquet much?"
"...?"
Ian turned with a baffled look.
Not because he didn't know who it was.
He just never expected her to start a conversation.
A woman with sea-blue hair and an air of nobility untouched by hardship drew near.
'Isabel Aslan.'
The only daughter and youngest child of the current king, Demure Aslan.
The princess known for lashing out at martial clans and the Magic Tower alike when things didn't go her way.
And the star of this royal event.
"Hahaha, no such thing. Lühen Elder was just too kind to me... I was only taking a short break."
Mystifying or not, he couldn't ignore a princess addressing him directly.
He gave a polite reply, hoping to wrap it up.
But Isabel had no intention of backing off so easily.
"Really? Lühen Elder isn't the soft type. He doesn't chat warmly with just anyone who falls short of his standards."
Her sparkling eyes pressed for more talk, which felt burdensome.
What could he say to someone who bragged about clashing with martial clans and the Magic Tower?
"Ahaha..."
All he could do was laugh it off.
'Why's she suddenly acting like this?'
Unaware or uncaring of Ian's confusion, Isabel slowly began to speak.
"Ian, Second Young Lord—tell me the truth. What exactly is your Lichtenauer Martial Clan plotting at this banquet?"
Her words carried utter conviction.
"...?"
What nonsense was this?
It hadn't taken Isabel long to snap out of it after seeing Ian converse with Lühen.
In fact, she'd started watching them intently.
And soon reached a conclusion.
'Ian Lichtenauer... Rumors painted him as just a half-baked disgrace to his clan. All lies.'
One glimpse tells all.
Knowing Lühen's character well, Isabel could gauge Ian's caliber just from how he handled the elder.
Lühen was bold and straightforward, untypical for a mage.
Meaning he wouldn't show that kind of favor to anyone unworthy, direct lineage or not.
With a shift in perspective, everything she'd observed before took on new meaning.
Staying quietly in the corner when nobodies didn't approach—wasn't low self-esteem.
Just ignoring the small fry.
'Maybe Ian, the Second Young Lord... didn't ride his eldest brother's coattails to get here. He earned it himself.'
If he was that exceptional, his calm demeanor chatting with a heavyweight like Lühen made sense.
In that case...
'Time to revise the plan.'
Instead of awkwardly approaching with pity or whatever, better to probe his intentions directly.
Why and what for had they come to this royal event?
Who knew.
If their interests aligned, he could be a strategic partner.
"...?"
"...?"
Ian stared blankly at Isabel's face after her question, leaving silence between them.
In the end, Isabel had completely misread the situation.
This was the blind spot of her royal upbringing.
No matter her insecurities, Isabel was undeniably the kingdom's prized jewel.
So she couldn't help overthinking the significance of her coming-of-age rite.
But Alex's reason for bowing out of this mission was entirely different from her guess.
His recent string of failures had sent him north to the Great Floods for self-improvement on a more critical task.
Plus, he'd already squeezed all the connections he could from Isabel's birthday in past years.
The faction support he'd gain heading north far outweighed any extras from a mere princess's party.
Ian was much the same.
He'd only taken Paon Lichtenauer's mission suspecting some hidden agenda.
In short:
Neither Alex nor Ian had given Princess Isabel a second thought.
Of course, Ian didn't spell this out for her.
But at that moment, Isabel clearly realized she'd badly misjudged.
Ian's eyes brimmed with utter bafflement, as if he'd never even considered such a thing.
"...Ha."
Isabel let out a hollow laugh, not hiding her deflation.
"...Sorry for that. Forget what I said. Enjoy the rest however you like."
She turned coldly and left the banquet hall.
Ian was no longer of interest.
"Damn, damn...!!"
Even heading back to her room, Isabel's face burned red as she grumbled nonstop, her anger unrelenting.
Humiliating.
Until now, she'd believed her constant objections to martial clan and Magic Tower events had bolstered the royal influence.
So she'd assumed they avoided her because they'd realized the crown wasn't to be trifled with.
But moments ago, Ian's gaze had filled her with unbearable shame.
There was zero 'interest' in Isabel there.
Even the eldest son Alex's slights wouldn't have stung this much.
"Not even the eldest, but some halfwit calls me irrelevant too...!!"
Grind!
The sound of her grinding teeth leaked through the door all night.
"Hmm... this is a problem."
Ian scratched his cheek awkwardly and muttered.
A few days back, on the second night's banquet.
Had Lühen Elder's chat helped that much?
Unlike the first night of total snubs or the second of polite retreats,
Today—Isabel's actual birthday—he'd started building ties, bit by bit, with people approaching him.
Yet Ian couldn't smile.
Paon Lichtenauer.
The clan's absolute ruler wouldn't send him here just for casual networking.
'Of course. If it were mere socializing, Paon wouldn't have assigned me in the first place.'
If Alex were firmly heir apparent, maybe. But with succession undecided, Paon would pit them against each other till his dying breath.
After three days of close watch, the most likely task was the request from the Holy Kingdom and Pang Kingdom.
But certainty lacked.
It was from another continent, foreign powers.
No matter his rising status in the clan, Paon wouldn't casually dispatch him for that.
So what remained?
As Ian pondered, yesterday's brief exchange with Isabel flashed in his mind.
—What exactly is your martial clan plotting at this banquet?
On the surface, a throwaway line from a spoiled princess.
Easy to dismiss.
But Ian saw it differently.
A princess openly questioning an envoy from one of the kingdom's pillar houses.
Could it be mere provocation?
Ralph's words entering Shuraton also resurfaced.
—Frankly, they owe their comfy lives to us Bestrika folk, right?
Not overt, but hinting at royal discontent.
Ian couldn't help thinking:
Relations between the martial clan, Magic Tower, and crown
Were festering worse than outsiders knew.
Then perhaps Paon's true goal with this mission was
'Mending ties with the crown.'
Shifting focus inward, no other reason explained sending him over Alex.
Alex's notoriously bad blood with Princess Isabel was kingdom-wide gossip.
Sending him would've sabotaged things at best, yielded nothing at worst.
Realizing this, Ian had planned to approach Isabel today, slowly rebuild bridges.
Especially since she'd initiated yesterday—seemed easy.
But what now.
Since that second-night chat, Isabel had vanished from banquets, as if it never happened.
Even today, her birthday.
When she finally appeared, she treated Ian like furniture.
Just like she did Alex.
'...No clue why. I don't recall being rude.'
Just one baffled look at her weird question—that offensive?
Ian would die clueless.
That very bafflement had deepened Isabel's shame.
'Not good.'
Ian sipped his wine, face grim.
So close to cracking Paon's hidden intent,
Only to clash with the princess.
'In trouble. This stalls royal progress...'
Isabel Aslan was Demure Aslan's cherished daughter, key to the rift.
Without mending that, crown relations stayed frozen.
He hadn't anticipated things derailing before even starting.
'Ruined.'
As Ian inwardly burned, the banquet heated up with time.
At its peak.
Bam-pa-ba-ba-bam!
The band's music shifted, captivating the crowd.
With all eyes gathered, perhaps.
The emcee on stage slowly spoke.
"We sincerely thank our distinguished guests who traveled far to celebrate Princess Isabel Aslan of our kingdom coming of age today."
Bowing briefly in thanks, the emcee turned to the curtains behind and proclaimed.
"Enter His Majesty, King of Aslan Kingdom, who relentlessly subjugated the barbarous Great Floods! The great sage king who finally stabilized this land! His Majesty Demure Aslan!"