Chapter 114: Chapter 114 : Grand entrance (2)

Rein leaned forward, folding his arms with a half-smile. “I’ll bet he won’t come alone. Five million credits.”

The table went still.

Alden gave a long, low whistle. “That’s a lot.” He raised a brow and smirked. “No offense, but mercenaries usually don’t throw around money like it’s candy. Am I right?”

Rein didn’t miss a beat. “Don’t worry about it. My old man isn’t someone you’d call poor. He’s the master of the Crimson Guard, the guild ranked third.”

There was a brief pause. A few jaws actually dropped.

A mixture of shock and amusement passed over the group.

“You could’ve led with that, you know?” Draven muttered, still stunned.

Before anyone could respond, another voice joined the fray.

“I’ll put one million on him coming alone,” said a calm, elegant voice.

Everyone turned to see Lilia enter the conversation, her expression as composed as ever. “If he does come, that is.”

A few amused chuckles went around the table.

“Well, well, Lady Lilia joins the betting pool,” Draven said with a grin.

Then, unexpectedly, a meek voice added, “I-I bet five million… he’ll come with someone.”

All heads turned to the source—Lorenzo D’Vaire. He looked more like he wanted to vanish under the table than bet, but he stood his ground.

Alden grinned. “You sure about that? Didn’t that guy make your academic life a living hell?”

Lorenzo clenched his teeth. “He… he asked for five girls, didn’t he? Won’t he come with at least one of them?”

The table erupted into laughter.

“You don’t know him,” Draven said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Seraphina just shook her head with a smirk. “Oh, this is rich.”

Draven leaned forward, voice low but filled with amusement. “Did you know the guy you’re talking about rejected two princesses on the spot? No hesitation. No stuttering. Just straight-up ’No, thanks’—and walked away.”

Lilia’s mouth dropped open. Ophelia blinked in disbelief. Even Isolde looked like she’d swallowed her drink wrong. Lorenzo stared like a statue.

Alden chuckled and looked directly at Lorenzo. “Wanna guess who those princesses were?”

Before he could answer, the atmosphere shifted.

Another presence made its grand entrance.

The ballroom lights dimmed ever so slightly, as if nature itself was making room for royalty. Silken fanfare filled the air as the doors parted to reveal the Elven Princess—Elaria Moonshade Lareth’Thalas.

Elaria walked in with her usual aloof grace, blond hair cascading like liquid sunlight down her back.

Her green eyes shone like emerald fire, piercing through the crowd with aristocratic disinterest. She wore an elegant, flowing gown made of enchanted moonweave—white and pastel gold, with soft floral embroidery that shimmered as she moved.

The gown split slightly at her leg, revealing white-gold boots inlaid with leaf motifs.

Beside her walked a brown-haired second-year elf—Elvis Dusk, a talented mage.

Elaria surveyed the ballroom as though the rest of them were beneath her. When she approached Ethan’s table, the chatter hushed once again.

She halted in front of Seraphina, gaze cool. “Where is that guy?”

Everyone knew exactly who she meant.

Seraphina tilted her head, voice smooth and amused. “He’s not here right now.”

Elaria clicked her tongue in frustration, then turned and walked further into the ballroom, her presence trailing behind like the shimmer of moonlight.

Before the crowd could recover, another stunning arrival brought the entire event to a standstill.

Lilith Noctis Bloodrose had arrived.

The Vampire Princess strode in like a storm dressed in midnight. Her black hair was long and straight, tumbling down her back like a shadowed waterfall. Her crimson eyes glowed faintly under the chandelier lights, impossible to look away from.

She wore a daring blood-red dress that clung tightly to her curves—silken, backless, with a slit rising up to her thigh and dark velvet roses embroidered around the edges.

A thin black choker with a crimson gem pulsed at her throat, as though warning those nearby not to step too close.

She was alone—save for her maid, Isadora Vale, who walked behind her with an air of dangerous grace.

A few bold noble heirs looked tempted to approach, noting the lack of a male escort.

They took one step forward—and then immediately stepped back.

The aura Lilith radiated was not one of invitation. It was of threat. Come closer and perish.

Without a word, Lilith glided toward the table where Alden and his group sat. Her red eyes scanned the crowd with disinterest before focusing on the group.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Seraphina raised a hand, her voice playful.

“He’s not here. Not yet, at least.”

Lilith paused, then nodded once. Surprisingly, she didn’t leave.

Instead, she pulled out a chair and gracefully sat down at their table, her maid standing beside her like a silent specter.

Everyone stared.

Draven leaned toward Lorenzo with a slow smirk. “You saw those two dangerous princesses, right? Elaria and Lilith. He rejected both of them in a heartbeat. Didn’t blink. Didn’t stutter. Just ’No.’”

He chuckled. “And you think a sane and normal guy would do that?”

Lorenzo gulped hard, the weight of everyone’s teasing finally settling into dread. Sweat beaded on his forehead as the implications hit him.

’Just… who the hell did I try to mess with?’

Before anyone could poke fun at him again, another voice rang out across the table, clear and smug.

“I bet twenty million he will find a partner.”

Heads turned. All eyes shifted to where the voice came from.

Ophelia Sinclair sat with one leg elegantly crossed over the other, swirling her glass of sparkling nectar with a mischievous smirk playing at her lips.

Her eyes locked onto Alden as she added, “Who knows if he’ll find someone—or if someone will find him.”

Alden felt a chill run down his spine, though he kept his face composed.

’Why do I feel like I just got cursed?’

Charlotte’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Okay, now this just became much more interesting.”

Isadora blinked, visibly confused. “Wait… what are you guys betting on?” she asked, her curiosity mirrored by Lilith, who arched an eyebrow.

Lilith’s ruby-red lips parted with intrigue. “Yes, what’s this about?”

Alden answered casually, not bothering to hide it. “We’re betting on whether Alex shows up to the ball alone or with someone.”

Lilith’s mouth twitched, her eyes glimmering with something unreadable. Then she smiled—a slow, seductive smile that made even seasoned nobles feel a sudden pressure in their chest.

“Fifty million credits,” she said, voice smooth as silk. “He’ll come alone.”

A collective gasp echoed through the table.

“Fifty million!?” someone whispered in shock.

Ethan leaned in toward Alden, a grin tugging at his lips. “Looks like we’re going to make a killing tonight.”

Alden chuckled. “I’m telling you, after what big sis did to him, there’s no way he’s showing his face tonight.”

Ethan smirked. “You sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.”

Charlotte leaned over the table. “By the way, where is big sis Alicia, Alden? Is she not coming?”

Alden shrugged. “She doesn’t really like balls. The only ones she ever attends are the ones where she has to come with me… or the ones where she beats up every noble who tries to hit on her.”

Charlotte laughed. “Honestly? That sounds about right.”

Then Seraphina turned to Ethan with a curious look. “What about your sister? Is big sis Evelyn attending?”

At that name, a stillness came over Ethan. The smugness on his face only grew stronger, but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. He leaned back in his chair like a king on a throne.

“Of course. As perfect as she is, no one matches my sister’s beauty. She’s beyond comparison—more stunning than the Goddess of Light herself. And I swear on my name, I’ll kill any man who approaches her without my approval.”

He clasped his hands together reverently. “If it were up to me, I’d start a religion in her name.”

Everyone at the table paused.

There was a single, unified thought shared in silence:

’SISCON.’

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Even my brother got rejected by her. Repeatedly. Both of them are obsessed with her.”

Ethan clicked his tongue. “Rejection is better than death. And with my sister, you never know which one’s coming.”

The others just stared at him, expressions blank, as if questioning how far gone he truly was.

Then, suddenly—everything changed.

The atmosphere of the ballroom shifted.

Like a ripple through water, silence began at the far end and swept through the entire hall like a spell. The music stuttered, then stopped entirely. Conversations died mid-sentence. Glasses paused halfway to lips.

Seraphina was the first to notice. She turned her head slightly, eyes narrowing.

“…Why did it get so quiet?”

Charlotte, frowning, looked toward the balcony. Her brother stood there, unmoving, jaw slightly open, eyes fixed on something below.

“What the…” she muttered, before turning her gaze toward the entrance of the hall.

And then her mouth hung open.

Ethan blinked. “What’s going on?”

Alden stood halfway up. “What the hell are you all looking at?”

They both followed everyone else’s gaze, turning toward the entrance.

And what they saw—made their world freeze.

—

A/N:

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