Alex walked up the carpet at the center of the ballroom, heading straight for the stairs that would lead to the first floor with Vanessa at his side.

As for Mira…

‘Ah, there she is.’ Muttered Alex as he saw Mira, using the entrance of the first floor, joining the student council members in the corner.

Mira was still not known as Vanessa’s disciple—it was something people would come to know about after the news spread throughout the academy. Vanessa didn’t want to make things hard for Mira by revealing that the girl was her disciple, so she tried to hide it for as long as she could.

For now, Mira was just a slave girl that Vanessa had picked up on one of her trips.

Tap-Tap-Tap

Walking up the stairs, his expression composed, steady, majestic, and unapproachable at the same time, Alex could feel a multitude of emotions from hundreds of gazes in the ballroom, many of them familiar while others unfamiliar.

But Alex couldn’t respond to all of them right now, so after glancing at the council members, smiling at them, his gentle gaze focusing on Zahara for a second before giving a nod of acknowledgment to the other members of the council, he turned to Maurice Drakathor.

‘Uncle…’ Sighing inwardly as the name Maurice wasn’t something he would associate with good memories, Alex respectfully nodded to the emperor, who returned the nod with a gentle smile.

To Alex, Maurice Drakathor was a good man who followed the teachings of the empire, a good uncle who cared for his family, and a man who looked for the best of his empire.

‘But the name,’ Alex sighed again. Yes, the name. Maurice’s name was a reminder of his past life’s betrayal, as the brother who had stabbed him in the back was also called Maurice.

Although it was true that Maurice Drakathor was nothing like the one from his past life, Alex couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable saying the emperor’s name. Until now, Alex had never really called out the emperor’s name, only calling him ‘uncle’ or ‘your imperial majesty’.

His gaze then moved toward Cassandra Drakathor, his aunt, making him smile at her. He knew perfectly well that she must have already made up and thought of a hundred reasons for him being late, but he didn’t blame her for that.

Cassandra was just like that—she was a bit hyperthinker. She usually overthinks things and sometimes says things she doesn’t mean, only to realize her mistake later. In reality, she’s quite good. Until today, Alex never had a complaint about her.

Cassandra was a regular visitor during their hard times—the period when Prakhar Drakathor had died. She cared for Alex—something Alex knew very well.

Seeing her return the smile, Alex’s gaze then turned to Vanessa, who was walking just a step ahead of him, her expression as cold as ever, making anyone who looked at her feel fear and respect at the same time.

Alex could also hear the whispers among the people he passed.

“He looks way more handsome in reality…”

“It must have taken him some time to select a set of clothes that met his level of handsomeness.”

“Yeah, pretty sure that’s why he’s late.”

“Madam Vanessa doesn’t look any worse; I would say she looks to be his mother in every quality.”

But as he focused on some, only to find them talking about their looks, he started to ignore them again. He did find out one thing though.

‘Us being late has become an issue,’ he noted, glancing at Vanessa, pretty sure she had noticed it as well, but from the looks of it…

‘She doesn’t seem to care,’ sighed Alex. But well, this was what made Vanessa who she was. She never really cared about rules, to begin with. She was a stark contrast to Maurice, probably the reason why both of them didn’t talk much.

Step-Step-Step

By the time Alex and Vanessa had reached the first floor, the people seated on the chairs there were already standing. Even those who didn’t care about Alex stood up, doing the courtesy of showing Alex some respect he deserves as the man of honor today.

Alex also knew that not all of them cared about him; most of them probably stood up in respect or fear of Maurice because that guy was strictly rule-abiding.

When they reached close to the dais, Vanessa stopped, not moving forward to even greet the emperor, as it wasn’t needed for her to do. She was a grand duchess, and although she didn’t exercise her power much, it was one of her rights to necessarily greet the emperor; the grand dukes and duchess are supposed to be family members of the emperor after all.

“You imperial majesty.” Reaching in front of Maurice, Alex bent his head a bit, greeting the emperor with enough respect to not seem disrespectful while also following the rules.

“That arrogance!”

“He dares not bend his knees to the emperor?!”

“What impudence!”

“Does he not respect the rules—?!”

Alex’s actions, however, weren’t taken nicely by the nobles of the empire, who didn’t have much respect for Alex but were supporters of Maurice. It drew murmurs of discontent from some of the nobles present.

Vanessa wasn’t someone they could speak up to; she had the right not to show respect, but now her son thought that he was above the rules as well?!

Not every noble though, some had their eyes widened in shock the moment they heard the words of those nobles, making them tremble as a chill ran down their spine.

But just then…

“Silence.”

A single word from the Emperor was heard. Just a single word that commanded respect as Maurice, with the smile wiped off his face, raised his hand.

“He is the rising star of humanity. I would suggest you watch how you speak to him.”

Maurice’s words echoed again, reaching the ears of every person in the ballroom, as Alex’s actions had made everyone go silent. Now, from Maurice’s words, they were reminded about Alex not just being an arrogant son of a grand duchess but also someone who carried the weight of all humanities expectations.

Alex wasn’t someone who could just bow his head, as right now he was the face of humanity, and even if he bowed to the Emperor of the Drakathor Empire, it would mean that he was making humanity from other empires lose face.

The nobles who spoke a second ago, scolding Alex for his actions, had now shrunk back as they realized that their words might cause Alex dissatisfaction, and if he got mad at them, he could even use it as an excuse to leave the Drakathor Empire and move to another Empire, making them the ones responsible for losing someone as valuable as him.

‘Good, you all lived.’ Maurice, seeing those expressions, nodded inwardly in relief.

He then glanced at Vanessa, who had her palm pressed against the hilt of her rapier, and seeing her grip on it loosen, he sighed again.

Maurice knew very well how his sister was, so the moment he heard those nobles’ words, he had guessed her response. They would’ve all lost at least one finger of theirs if he didn’t intervene.

Vanessa was someone who would even betray the Empire for her son; slaying a few nobles was a much easier task for her—the exact reason why some nobles were scared the moment they heard the emperor’s die-hard following nobles voicing out their dissatisfaction.

Their actions were trying to destroy Alex’s moment after all—the moment he deserved on his eighteenth birthday.

Then he turned to Alex, his smile returning as he spoke, “Happy birthday, Alex.” Those words were filled with familial warmth, as Maurice saw no difference between Alex and his own son. They were both princes of the empire.

“Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty,” Alex replied with a polite smile, though Maurice scoffed lightly. “You make me feel distant with such formalities.”

“Thank you, uncle,” Alex corrected himself, his tone warmer but his thoughts reflective. Both he and Maurice knew they had narrowly avoided a significant incident.

With a subtle exchange of nods, they acknowledged their mutual understanding: they needed to ensure Vanessa’s temper didn’t lead to unintended consequences. One sought peace for the empire, while the other wished to handle his challenges independently, without relying on his mother’s formidable presence.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep