Chapter 70
The celebratory banquet was grand, starting with the venue itself. It was held in the Imperial Banquet Hall, located at the heart of the upper district in the capital, Akbaran. Naturally, not just anyone could rent the Imperial Banquet Hall.
It was a choice that reflected the prestige of the current Commander of the Imperial Guard, Hemillas, and the long-standing reputation of the Custoria family.
Like being swept away by the tide, I moved according to my family's instructions. Since I was the protagonist of the event, I had to be mindful of my attire and familiarize myself with numerous details in advance.
"Luka, you've memorized the names of all the officials and officers attending, right?"
Giselle spoke. I nodded.
"No problem."
Throughout the banquet preparations, Giselle assisted me as if acting as my aide.
Imperial attire was generally practical, but banquet attire was a hassle to wear. There was even a set order for putting it on.
"And the brooch should be placed more to the left. No, I'll do it myself."
Giselle stepped closer and meticulously adjusted my outfit. As I looked down at her, our eyes met.
We held each other's gaze for a moment.
I kept my expression neutral. Giselle's face also remained devoid of emotion. Then, she moved her hands again.
She parted her red lips as if to lighten the mood.
"…Juppe must be incredibly nervous right now. Even though he knows how exceptional you are, he never would have imagined that a cadet would receive the 4th-Class Cross Blade Medal. Neither did I."
"I was just lucky."
"Oh my, I didn't realize you were the humble type."
It wasn’t humility. It was simply the truth. If it weren’t for Kinuan, I would be dead.
Seeing my indifferent response, Giselle continued speaking.
"Juppe will be pulling every string he has for this banquet. He’ll be trying his best not to be overshadowed by your achievements. It should be quite the spectacle."
Most likely. I had crossed paths with Juppe several times while preparing for the banquet. His words and actions betrayed his anxiety, which he failed to conceal.
Unfortunately for Juppe, he was ordinary. He wasn’t lacking, but he wasn’t particularly exceptional either.
'Even in a privileged environment, Juppe never managed to achieve much.'
A noble of the Empire couldn’t afford to be just average. They needed to possess something outstanding. Especially if they had a great father.
Nobles had to prove their abilities just the same. Their hurdles were merely lower, and their opportunities more abundant.
"Hmm, this should do. Now you really look like a noble young master."
Giselle took three steps back and remarked.
"So you're saying I didn’t seem like one before? Everyone in the lower district called me ‘young master.’"
"Those stuck in the middle are always treated as something in-between. They never truly belong anywhere."
A strangely cutting remark. I shrugged.
"I'll take that as advice."
"It's not advice. It's the truth."
Giselle spoke coldly. It reminded me of the first time we met. She was never the warm and friendly type. Neither was I.
Creak.
The waiting room door opened. Right on cue, Hemillas entered.
Sensing the moment, Giselle stepped aside. She passed by Hemillas and left. Now, it was just the two of us in the waiting room.
"Giselle is a sharp one. If she had the aptitude to be a soldier, it would have been ideal."
Hemillas spoke as he took a seat. He was a man like an ancient tree—solid and unshaken. There was no doubt he was more than capable of leading both the organization and the family.
"And she has ambition. She seems to want to become the head of the family."
"Haha, that would be difficult. She’s not a soldier. Traditions in a noble house are far stronger than you might think. The older the lineage, the stricter the rules. Even the shrewd Nikolaos struggled with those traditions."
I hated those outdated rules—traditions, customs, all of it.
"Still, Giselle is better than Juppe. Even at his age, he hasn't earned a single military medal."
"Haha, no one knows what the future holds. Tonight is about celebrating your achievements. No need to be so sharp-edged. Though, I suppose that’s part of what makes you who you are."
I glanced at the wall clock. The banquet would start soon.
"There's something I want to ask."
"Go ahead."
"Juppe and I will clash sooner or later. Regardless of my intentions, he already sees me as a rival. If this continues, I might end up destroying him. If you truly want your son to become the head of the family, say it now. Tell me to step back and let him win."
Nikolaos was dead. Now, I needed to know Hemillas’s true intentions. If he only saw me as a tool to push Juppe to grow, then this was where I would stop.
"…The head of a family is the one who leads and protects their kin and house. If you are prepared for that, then I don’t care who it is. But as I see it, neither you nor Juppe are ready. You are not someone who would lay down his life for the Custoria family. Don’t speak of becoming head so lightly with such a weak resolve."
Hemillas calmly stood up and patted my shoulder. With a faint smile, he left the waiting room.
Thud.
The door closed.
I mulled over his words.
He was right—I wasn’t qualified to be the head of the family. From the beginning, I had defined myself as an outsider. How could someone who saw themselves as an outsider be the center of the family? It was a ridiculous notion.
And yet, Hemillas had never treated me differently from his other children. On the contrary, he acknowledged my abilities more than anyone and kept me close.
…Now I just felt petty.
* * *
The banquet began.
Attendants moved gracefully through the hall, carrying trays of food. Well-trained as they were, they never obstructed the guests' movements. Even if someone staggered from drinking, they wouldn’t so much as brush against them.
"A pleasure to meet you, Lukaus Custoria."
A high-ranking officer from a distinguished family addressed me. He was the thirteenth notable figure to greet me.
My patience was being put to the test. There was still a long line of people I had yet to be introduced to.
"It is an honor to meet you. Your reputation, General, is…"
I had no idea what I was even saying anymore. Meaningless words spilled from my mouth, a stream of preprogrammed pleasantries flowing through my throat and past my lips.
"Hearing that from you makes me feel like I still have some worth left. But in the end, I’m just an old man past his prime. You, on the other hand, are the young blood of the Empire…"
Even though they knew my words were insincere, the nobles I spoke with feigned exaggerated emotions. The theatrical display was so artificial it was nauseating.
Forcing a smile made my head ache.
This wasn’t suited to my temperament. I would have preferred to line up all the people who wanted me dead, arm them with guns and swords, and let things play out. That would have been much simpler.
Tap.
Hemillas placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered softly.
"…Tonight, you are the face of Custoria."
I had to endure this night.
‘This banquet isn’t for me.’
It was for the Custoria family. If I truly wanted to be part of it, I had to do what was necessary—even the things I despised.
Hemillas stood by my side for over an hour, personally introducing me to high-ranking nobles.
‘Hemillas is a soldier and a warrior by nature.’
I had seen him fight once. He reveled in battle, as if breaking free from chains that bound him. He missed the battlefield.
‘To fulfill his duties as both the Commander of the Imperial Guard and the head of the family, Hemillas has spent decades doing work that doesn’t suit his nature.’
I followed Hemillas toward an elegantly designed terrace.
Even from a distance, the lively laughter of men and women filled the air. On the terrace, nobles stood, enjoying the night breeze and their amusements. Even without checking any background information, it was obvious—they were accompanied by women who were not their wives.
"Oh, the Commander of the Imperial Guard has arrived."
A man dressed in blue showed no sign of deference, even before Hemillas.
Vmmm.
In the man’s palm, a luminous mineral glowed faintly.
‘Hollistone.’
I only knew that it was a resource with immense military and economic potential.
"Director Jin, this is my son, Lukaus."
Hemillas introduced me with respect. I recalled the man’s name and title—he was one of the key figures at this banquet.
‘Jin Gaw, Director of the 4th Imperial Research Institute.’
The Imperial Research Institutes conducted various studies under the direct command of the Emperor. The machine beast Ilay had captured was likely being held in one of their facilities.
"So, you're the star of the banquet. Ah, never mind that—take a look at this."
Jin Gaw’s reaction was different from that of other nobles. He didn’t try to win my favor. He spoke in a curt, indifferent manner, as if he barely cared.
Some might have found his attitude offensive, but after enduring the attention of so many others, I actually welcomed it. His uninhibited and straightforward demeanor was far easier to deal with.
Hemillas merely gave a faint smile, unbothered by Jin Gaw’s casual treatment of him.
In truth, there was nothing strange about his attitude. Jin Gaw had been the director of his institute long before Hemillas was even born.
‘A major figure in the Empire, yet a recluse with no children, entirely devoted to his research.’
That was how people described him.
Whirr.
Jin Gaw opened his palm, displaying the Hollistone. He tossed it into the air and caught it repeatedly.
I didn’t even know why the mineral was called Hollistone. Ilay would probably know.
"Fascinating, isn’t it? Even a piece this small can generate enough energy to power a spaceship."
"Keeping unshielded raw ore nearby is dangerous," Hemillas warned, maintaining a cautious distance.
"It's fine. I applied a thin layer of a newly developed shielding film. Unlike before, it's in a liquid form, making it easier to process and more versatile to use. Well, since it's still in the testing phase, some energy might leak out, but brief contact won't cause any issues."
Upon hearing Jin Gaw's explanation, the surrounding nobles paled and subtly stepped backward. Jin Gaw chuckled before rising from his seat.
"Bringing a prototype from the research institute outside isn't a wise decision. It’s practically a state secret. If there were Corite or Bellato spies in this banquet hall…"
"Oh, don’t be so rigid for someone so young. Hemillas, if we manage to extract energy stably from raw ore, everything will change—everything. And I guarantee you, this research will become a joint effort between all three nations. Do you know why?"
"How would I?"
Even Hemillas let his irritation show. He seemed thoroughly fed up with Jin Gaw’s unpredictable behavior.
"Because I want to see the results before I die!"
"…Seeing how healthy you look, you’ll probably live another hundred years."
"Not at all. I won’t even last another fifty. I know my own body. My mind is starting to decay. I'm not the same as before."
"Even I feel like I’m not the same every time I wake up in the morning."
Jin Gaw laughed so hard his shoulders shook.
"I get what you mean, but that’s not it. I’m contaminated. Ah, my girlfriend's here. Anyway, it was nice seeing you, Hemillas, and… Lukisith?"
"It's Lukaus."
I corrected him. The mention of contamination piqued my interest, but I didn’t get to hear more. Jin Gaw’s lover had approached from behind.
"I'm back, darling. The automatic cleaning system in the restroom here is incredible. My thighs feel so fresh and dry right now—you’re gonna love it when we—"
A sultry voice teased from behind me. Startled, I snapped my head around.
…The voice was very familiar. It made sense why.
A woman in a dress stood with a light grip on a wine glass. She had a sly smile—until her gaze landed on me. Her eyes widened slightly.
Both of us were caught off guard.
Neither of us expected to run into each other here.
Martina Diva from La Vie en Rose.
Jin Gaw's lover was her.
"Don’t waste your efforts on that again. I prefer a little scent over being completely fresh."
Jin Gaw pushed past us and pulled Martina into an embrace. He slipped his hand deep into her dress.