Chapter 44
Seeing them off.
The Third Princess left.
There was no time to breathe a sigh of relief.
Suddenly...
A neat, powerful sound of footsteps echoed toward them.
Shaya looked up leisurely and widened her eyes in curiosity.
Wow\...
——All golden-haired!
Ahem... by "golden-haired," it referred to the group of young men and women walking over in a cluster. All of them had blonde hair. Standing together like that, it was quite a sight!
This hair color was very close to Xiarette’s golden hair, but Xiarette’s was clearly even more dazzling.
" Tsk, tsk, tsk... We haven’t even seen the cake yet, and so many things are happening... Who are they now, Xiarette?"
"People from the Wright Family, my cousins."
"Whoa, quite a formation. I just wonder how many cakes they can eat in one bite."
45. Jealous?
These relatives coming over in a large group to congratulate you on your birthday—at the end of the day, it was all about convenience.
Think about it: instead of each one coming individually to give their wishes, it was better to form a group. Those who could talk well would lead those who were less eloquent, and those less eloquent would lead the quiet ones. This way, everyone’s blessings would seem heartfelt\~
One had to say, the Wright Family’s genes were quite strong.
These people were all handsome men and beautiful women. In their movements, besides the trained grace required of nobles, the matching white outfits with gold-trimmed cuffs gave off a sense of solemnity forged on the battlefield.
A group always needed a leader.
At the very front of the group was a golden-haired young man with messy bangs, smiling with his eyes half-closed. He was likely the eldest among their generation.
Before they approached—
——Xiarette silently grasped Sheffy Harl’s small hand.
"Xiarette?"
"It’s fine. Just hold my hand. Once we see them off, I’ll take you to eat cake."
"Heh, no rush, no rush! As long as the cake isn’t all taken, it doesn’t matter if it’s sooner or later! So... the cake won’t all be taken, right?"
"It won’t. Tonight the cake is unlimited."
"Then it’s settled! I have loads of patience!"
Just moments ago, Miss Shaya had been pacing anxiously. Upon hearing this, her mindset suddenly strengthened!
As the family formation neared...
The golden-haired man at the front slightly spread his palm, and that half-smile on his face turned even brighter.
"Oh oh...! Cousin Xiarette! The star of this banquet, you’ve finally arrived! You really kept us waiting!"
With that as the starting point, the other family members behind him also began speaking one after another. The voices rose and fell in a chaotic chorus, making it impossible to tell who was who.
"Happy birthday, cousin."
"Congratulations, congratulations!"
"Triumphant return and birthday together—our Wright Family has been blessed with one good thing after another lately!"
"......"
With a dozen or so people speaking at once in such a noisy manner, an ordinary person might have been overwhelmed by the sheer momentum.
But Xiarette remained calm. After slightly nodding to these relatives to show her thanks,
she only spoke to the person leading the group, which served as a response to the entire party.
"Cousin Karl, thank you for bringing everyone here. I truly appreciate your kindness. I also wish all of you success in everything."
"Haha, then thank you, cousin Xiarette, for your blessings! We shall partake in the good fortune of your birthday too!"
Karl Wright was the eldest son of Xiarette’s uncle.
Xiarette’s father, the current Head of the Wright Family, ranked second in age within the family. Her uncle was the eldest, and Karl Wright was his son—one of the older members of their generation.
Upon hearing this, Karl Wright’s smile remained flawless. He finally opened his half-closed eyes, revealing sharp blue glints within.
Judging by his expression alone, he seemed somewhat troubled.
"Indeed, success in everything... When you think about the matters of our family, isn’t it about defending the kingdom and improving our strength? Alas... it is a shame that this burden has always fallen on you, cousin. We brothers and sisters have long been left far behind, unable to catch up and share your burdens. We’ve been feeling guilty about this all along."
Wow, this guy is so fake!
That was Sheffy Harl’s immediate judgment after hearing his words.
If you were truly concerned, you wouldn’t be saying all this. You’d be off training deep in the mountains to improve your strength! Yet here you are, coming to fight over cake—how pretentious!
Xiarette had no idea about Sheffy’s rapid-fire mental commentary.
But upon hearing Karl’s words, she too felt somewhat uncomfortable.
"You exaggerate, cousin," Xiarette gently shook her head to correct him. "If I hadn’t..."
If she remembered correctly, hadn’t cousin Karl already broken through to the ninth rank? Back when the king invited the court officials to a celebration banquet, cousin Karl hadn’t attended—he had been stationed on the northern polar border, defending against raids by the Demon King’s Army Fourth Division. With such accomplishments, how could he claim he was unable to share the burden?
"Haha... hahahaha! Cousin Xiarette, you’ve certainly grown this past year! You’ve become even more sharp-tongued!"
Xiarette couldn’t be bothered to respond to that.
Calling her sharp-tongued simply meant this was the proper way to respond.
And that also meant even Karl himself was admitting that his earlier claim of "guilt" was nothing more than empty pleasantries—essentially telling Xiarette not to take it seriously.
After laughing, Karl glanced back over the others, then turned forward again and continued speaking.
"Ninth rank is still not enough. Look at us—we’re older than you, yet most of us are stuck at the sixth or seventh rank with no progress. Unlike you, cousin Xiarette—still so young, yet already reaching the tenth rank and shouldering the role of Hero. Ah... oh, right! I just returned to the Royal Capital and heard that you single-handedly captured the Demon Clan Princess—is that actually true?!"
"It is, it is, cousin Karl!" someone from the family line behind quickly raised a hand to confirm. "A few days ago, cousin captured the First Demon Princess on the battlefield. Now everyone in the Royal Capital knows about it! Cousin Karl, you’re way behind on the news!"
"It’s actually true...! Cousin, I truly must congratulate you! Such an achievement is no joke—it will surely go down in history. No Hero of the past has ever accomplished what you have! Thinking about it now\... it feels all the more natural that the Holy Sword chose you as Hero. Wouldn’t you all agree?"
This time, the question only drew a few wry smiles from those behind him.
Yet the atmosphere didn’t make Karl feel awkward; he continued smiling brightly.
"If I ever get the chance... I’d love to spar with that legendary Six-Winged Demon Princess. Even if the odds of winning are slim, the chance to battle such a top-tier opponent would be an honor in itself."
At that moment—
A slightly abrupt female voice suddenly interjected into the conversation.
"Carl, there’s no need to be so cautious, is there?"
"Nona?"
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the back of the formation.
A golden-haired young woman, a bit younger than Karl, was leaning casually against the wall.
She turned her head aside with a look of disdain, paying no attention at all to etiquette or politeness.
Nona Wright, Karl Wright’s full younger sister, couldn’t help feeling somewhat annoyed upon hearing her brother speak like that.
Moreover, Nona had reached the eighth rank at the age of nineteen, enough to be called a genius.
"If you ask me, it’s nothing special. Compared to Karl spending years stationed at the border, Xiarette has been staying comfortably in the Royal Capital’s safe zone all this time. Maybe the Demon Clan Princess isn’t nearly as terrifying as the rumors say? It’s just the Holy Sword in her hand. If I were given the chance to face that Demon Clan Princess myself, who’s to say I couldn’t beat her down!"
Hmph, seriously...!
So that’s it—this was why Xiarette had been holding my hand!
This little brat, after eating a few pieces of cake, now dares to spout nonsense. Never mind who would beat whom—how about competing in eating capacity first?!
Karl Wright turned back and looked at his sister, shaking his head helplessly.
He then turned back to Xiarette and apologized.
"Sorry about that, cousin... Nona’s just like that. Even though she’s only one year older than you, technically your peer, she’s always reckless and lacking in composure. Please don’t take it to heart."
"It’s fine. We all contribute to the kingdom—words are of little importance."
"Ahahaha... very true, very true."
Hah... Cousin Xiarette truly had grown sharp-tongued.
Karl could hear it clearly—his cousin was saying, "Actions speak louder than words; words alone mean nothing."
For some reason, it seemed that ever since the topic of the Demon Clan Princess had come up, Cousin Xiarette appeared quite upset...?
Ugh, the more Sheffy Harl looked at this group, the more fake they seemed.
Clearly, they were just jealous, weren’t they?
Miss Shaya kept shaking her head repeatedly.
Even this Karl Wright—he clearly had known about Xiarette’s achievements long ago. It wasn’t as though military reports didn’t reach the border. He knew, and yet deliberately acted all surprised... so dishonest! If you’re upset about it, why not just have a good fight and settle it!
Sigh... that’s why humans, honestly, are not as straightforward as my Xiarette.
Of course, Karl Wright had noticed the little girl holding Xiarette’s hand.
He hadn’t thought to ask earlier.
But seeing her repeatedly sighing and shaking her head, Karl frowned, his blood pressure rising without him realizing it. At last, he couldn’t resist asking.
"By the way, cousin... who is this little girl? Could you introduce her to us? She looks like an unfamiliar face."
46. Fairness
See? I knew it—no matter where I go, I can’t avoid getting dragged in.
Really, couldn’t you all just chat among yourselves? Why focus on poor Shaya, whose mind was entirely on eating cake?
Thus, after Karl Wright asked the question, the little girl in front of him began shaking her head even faster!
Xiarette still held Sheffy’s small hand, but now she slightly raised their clasped hands and began introducing the little one who accompanied her.
"Her name is Shaya. She has no family name and is an orphan."
"Oh? That’s quite... But cousin Xiarette, today’s occasion includes only specially invited nobles and the royal family led by His Majesty. It is, essentially, a family banquet. Why did you bring this knight... young Shaya along?"
"Haah... Please don’t take it amiss, cousin. Shaya is my subordinate knight. She follows me to learn and assist whenever needed, so I brought her along."
"Subordinate knight...?"
"Yes. Shaya is a probationary knight personally appointed by His Majesty. She has great potential and talent. Currently, I am responsible for guiding her."
Miss Shaya looked pitiful, not daring to step forward to greet anyone, instead hiding behind Xiarette and nodding shyly in greeting—or at least, that’s how it appeared on the surface.
In fact, it wasn’t just Karl Wright who let out a somewhat surprised response.
Many of the younger family members behind him were also murmuring among themselves to varying degrees.
But Karl Wright’s surprise lasted only a moment.
Soon, he raised his hand—hardened and strong from years of battle in the Northern Region—and the chatter gradually died down.
"Let’s quiet down, everyone. It’s cousin Xiarette’s birthday. We should simply offer our wishes and express our goodwill. Here’s the thing, cousin Xiarette—Second Uncle is over in the side hall thanking the guests who brought gifts. When you have a chance, do go greet them. We’ll wander around for now. With such fine food and drink, it’s a rare visit—on cousin Xiarette’s birthday, we ought to enjoy ourselves to the fullest!"
"Understood. Thank you all, cousins."
The "Second Uncle" referred to the current Head of the Wright Family—Xiarette’s father, Eclight.
At Karl Wright’s word, the Wright Family members dispersed in small groups, chatting as they went in various directions of the banquet hall.
"Off we go, off we go!"
"Alright, alright. Drink plenty tonight! You’re always stuck at the border and never return to the Royal Capital. Watch me get you drunk tonight—no leaving sober!"
"Don’t drink too much! After the banquet I still have to lead a patrol with the Knight Order. Not all of us are so free."
"What’s there to fear? I have to head to the Theocracy’s border to guard those brats tomorrow morning! Yet here I am drinking—no problem at all!"
It could be said—they came in a rush and left in a rush.
Xiarette politely called out, "Safe travels, cousins," and after the group had moved a fair distance away...