Caesar could feel a handful of eyes land on his solitary figure; they deeply scrutinized him and tilted their heads in curiosity. None of this, however, was of Caesar"s concern. Instead, he was much more intrigued by a group of cloaked men in the corner of the ballroom.
He could feel their overflowing mana and incredible perception from across the room. They were the group of people he sensed when he had first arrived in Limbo kingdom. Sitting together, with all sorts of ale and delicacies placed in front of them, they didn"t pay anyone else much mind.
Caesar didn"t dislike their lack of interest and surveyed his surroundings. Not only were there royals from all sorts of kingdoms, but there were also bodyguards and adventurers. They were equipped with heavy armor, and blades that rested on their waists, prepared to defend their liege at any given moment. On the other hand, a few people looked at him with hostility swelling in their eyes.
This development brought much confusion to Caesar, who had been laying low until now. Under no circ.u.mstances, did he make enemies or insult another, besides the king, of course. In fact, he had been acting like quite the gentleman for a large portion of his stay, if he did say so himself.
The select few individuals who were clearly not thrilled by his appearance retreated to the back of the hall, indulging in alcohol. Caesar smirked and straightened the collars of his suit as he walked towards the blonde woman, who sat just a few feet in front of the king and crowned prince. He had long noted her squinted eyes and undesired attention, so he decided to approach her.
The divine energy that permeated out from her body had long irked him, but he was still intrigued by the woman. Her mana was more abundant than Ginger"s. However, it was also controlled, like a serene lake, just waiting to unleash its wrath.
Her eyes opened up wide in surprise as Caesar approached, she turned her head left and right, trying to figure out who he was approaching. Alas, her comical figure became even more confused once he stopped right in front of her, extending his hand forward. She couldn"t but state at this scene incredulously, the corner of her lips twitched as she hesitantly shook Caesar"s slender hand.
"It"s a pleasure to meet you, darling, I"m referred to as Mephisto Pheles, and you are?" he asked with a friendly smile on his face. The young girls face scrunched up awkwardly as she found it hard to find her words; she wasn"t used to talking with others, especially people like Caesar.
"N-nice to meet you, my name is Rais Quiteria," she replied with a stutter, and a mosquito-like voice, similar to how Ahri was when he first met her.
Caesar stared down at the awkward and flushed girl below him. Her appearance was nothing like how she acted and carried herself, so he was quite taken aback. He had initially thought she would be a stuck-up carp, but now, his first impression was washed away.
Even the king and the crowned prince were shocked. They had also thought she would be an arrogant la.s.s. The two were somewhat reluctant to talk to her, so they just kept their distance and judged her, like the cover of a book.
Intrigued, Caesar sat down next to the lone figure, leaving Joe behind at the door. He could immediately a.s.sume that her placid face scared off most of the men, so no one else joined her at the table. The corner of his lips curled as he began talking to her.
"It would appear you are quite distinguished in the hierarchy of the church, considering your appearance and personality," Caesar commented whilst sipping a gla.s.s of wine in front of him. It was extremely bitter, the flavor of wine that he most enjoyed.
In response, Rais shook her head hurriedly, "no, no, I"m merely one of the many saintesses. We are like a flock of geese, none of us are special—just devout followers of the Lord," she said briskly and looked down at her feet after, scared to look at Caesar in the eyes.
"Surely you jest, you should be compared to a graceful swan, not a meager goose. Your beauty, loyalty, and even power should be celebrated, cheered for. Don"t look down on yourself, sweetheart, you are much more important than you think," Caesar soothed elegantly and took another sip from his gla.s.s of wine.
The king and crowned prince gazed at Caesar as if he were some kind of manipulative snake. They were capable of hearing their entire conversation until now, and as men, they were quite aware of what Caesar was currently doing.
Rais raised her head and thanked Caesar with an energetic nod of her head. A smile blossomed on her face and seemed to seize the light and attention from the surroundings. It blinded those that saw it and singlehandedly destroyed the first impression she gave off.
A few men from the surroundings finally gained enough courage to approach the la.s.s, and Caesar"s main objective was complete. He had no intention of having a saintess constantly observe him from afar, who knew what she would be capable of sensing after a while.
This way, she would be distracted by the huge ma.s.s of bachelors and lascivious n.o.bles, and Caesar wouldn"t need to worry. After a few gentlemen arrived and introduced themselves, Caesar subtly departed from the table and returned to where Joe was.
Rais didn"t even notice his disappearance as she was busy talking to the group of men that abruptly swarmed her. On the other side, Caesar stood next to Joe with a small smile playing on his face, hiding behind a thick pillar.
Joe didn"t even bother speaking to him as they found a small table in the corner, full of refreshments and food. They sat down at the end of the table and gently sipped their wine, observing the rest of the guests.
The group of three men stayed relatively tranquil, not moving, nor acting weird. The saintess was still busy placating to the group of men, and the n.o.bles that had looked at Caesar with hostility were nowhere to be seen.
Now, the only thing left was to wait for the bride"s grand entrance and the wedding ceremony. However, his hopes were crushed when the king himself hopped off of his throne and walked toward Caesar with an amiable smile on his face.
Soon, the entire hall was concentrated on both of their figures, causing Caesar to heave a deep sigh. While Joe, being the genius he is, decided to stand up and leave to another table, leaving Caesar all alone.