Turning
chapter-324

Baron Willhem had prepared a sumptuous evening banquet in the spacious hall of his estate, and attendees were expected to include not only the Willhem family but also the day's guest of honor, Duke Peletta, the Cavalry that he had brought with him, and a few other members of the Peletta Knights, as well as several nobles. Most of them were long-standing residents in the west, people from ancient families who had been troubled by monsters appearing in the borderlands for some time.

Originally, the Baron had planned to go along with them, feigning praise for Duke Peletta to lighten the mood. But Willhem's mood was far from comfortable. He looked down at the ceremoniously prepared banquet dishes, recalling the news he had heard from the servants, news that he could hardly put in his mouth.

'Duke Peletta called one of the Cavalry members into his room in broad daylight... and it was a man at that.'

Baron Willhem's respectful suggestion had been ignored without even a response, and the Duke had pulled a young man into his arms in front of the servants and spent a long time alone with him. When the servants went in afterward to clean the room, they found the Duke lying on the disheveled bed, his clothes loosened, drunk. From the scattered bottles and wine-stained sheets, it was impossible not to guess what had occurred inside.

According to the servants, the man had been personally led to the annex by the Duke when he first arrived. His name was not yet known, but it was certain that his position was that of an assistant.

'How could such a disgraceful thing happen...? I've heard rumors that he’s lascivious, laying his hands on anyone, but how could he do such a thing with a commoner man here, right upon arrival!'

Baron Willhem speculated that this so-called assistant was likely nothing more than a catamite placed in his position to please Kishiar's eye. While there were nobles who were attracted to men, there was no precedent for someone doing it so blatantly. How could an imperial family member, with the blood of God, do such a thing? The mere thought made his stomach turn.

"My Lord, Duke Peletta and the Cavalry, along with the Peletta Knights, will be arriving soon. Please prepare yourself."

Baron Willhem forced his face to relax upon hearing the servant's whisper that Duke Peletta and the Cavalry were coming. In reality, the banquet should have started by now, but everyone had been waiting awkwardly due to their unexplained delay. The Baroness, dressed in her finest gown to receive the guests, was full of dissatisfaction and anger about the situation.

"My love, it is the first day, and we must show our gratitude, but you don't intend to let them stay in the annex the whole time, do you? For the sake of our children, we must not."

Between the Baron and Baroness Willhem, there were two daughters. The Baron, worried that the notorious rake Duke Peletta might inappropriately touch his daughters, had strongly warned them to be cautious. However, now that he knew the Duke's licentiousness was even worse than anticipated, he had no idea what to do.

He would have liked to ask Duke Peletta to leave as soon as possible, but the eye of Duke Tain and the opinions of those around him were against him. After all, the Cavalry were currently heroes, defending the west on behalf of the Tain family.

"...Duke Tain has asked us to keep a close eye on Duke Peletta and the Cavalry, and to plot accordingly, so there's no choice in the matter. Ensure that the children never approach the annex, and you too, be careful."

"But..."

"Others are watching. Be mindful of your words."

The Baroness, who was about to vent her dissatisfaction, caught sight of the other nobles watching them with curious eyes, and closed her mouth. At that moment, a voice rang out announcing the arrival of the Duke of Peletta and the Cavalry.

All the nobles rose from their seats and behaved with decorum. Many people had entered, but there was no need to ask who among them was the Duke of Peletta Kishiar La Orr; it was unmistakably clear. Watching the faces of the other nobles go blank at the sight of him, Baron Wilhelm momentarily forgot even the shameful behavior of a short while ago, thinking them all fools.

Nevertheless, it was indeed true that Kishiar was a breathtakingly handsome man. Looking at his neat attire and elegant smile, no one would guess he had engaged in such disgraceful acts just a few hours earlier. But Baron Wilhelm noticed Kishiar's slightly flushed cheeks and thought that the rumor of him being drunk was probably true. Suddenly, he felt nauseated, and the handsome face no longer seemed so appealing.

'Where is that assistant?'

Baron Wilhelm quickly shifted his gaze and found the man Kishiar had been dragging around since midday. The black-haired Cavalry member with a dark spot in one eye was standing silently right next to Kishiar, dressed no differently from the other members.

He was unmistakably masculine, and taller than expected. When he first came to the mansion, Wilhelm thought he looked repulsive, but now he didn't seem so bad. In any case, what was certain was that he did not look like someone who had played with men, unlike the Duke of Peletta. Although the shadowed, long eyes, pale lips, and pale neck visible through the collar somehow stimulated a feeling of decadence, that was all there was to it. If Baron Wilhelm had seen him without any prejudice, he would probably remember him as a tolerable commoner youth.

Then, the man seemed to notice Baron Wilhelm's gaze and turned his head, causing the Baron to hastily look away. He approached the Duke of Peletta, praising his extraordinary appearance, and led him to the head seat.

As the other invited nobles greeted the Duke of Peletta, thanking him profusely for the great favor through this occasion, the Duke smiled as though extremely pleased. The fact that he was a licentious man with unnatural affections was truly repulsive, but everything was going according to plan, so it was fortunate. Baron Wilhelm took a deep breath and began to speak to Kishiar, who had started his meal.

"As you requested, we've prepared a traditional capital dish. Does it suit your taste?"

"It's not bad. But for a traditional capital style, you should have applied spiced oil both inside and outside while roasting the duck. This one's only applied on the outside, so the crispiness is a bit lacking."

The Duke of Peletta's face, smiling as though a new experience was acceptable, seemed to mock Baron Wilhelm as a country bumpkin. Wilhelm, with a trembling smile, made excuses that he had given proper instructions, but the chef must have forgotten. He felt the eyes of other nobles, smirking subtly, and anger welled up within him. He resolved to whip the unfortunate chef later and ordered a precious bottle of wine he had prepared in advance.

"Then please have this. It is a special Lyung wine from the West, made 15 years ago during a particularly good year. It's one of only a few bottles. How is it?"

"I've heard of the fame. May I drink something so precious?"

"Of course. In the west, when drinking Lyung wine, a little sugar and salt are dipped into the glass. It's a good combination that makes the taste even cleaner."

Baron Willhem had just failed, and was determined to make amends by pouring the alcohol directly into the glass. Kishiar took a sip and praised it as a drink worthy of its name. But what he did next was something no one had expected.

"Yuder, will you try it? The taste is quite good."

The black-haired man sitting right next to Kishiar, his assistant, raised his head. He had been quietly eating, so the other nobles, who had paid him no attention, were taken aback by the sudden focus on him.

"I'm fine."

"I've already confirmed that there's no poison by drinking it myself. Don't refuse, come on."

Despite the refusal, Kishiar shamelessly held the glass to his assistant's lips. It would not have been surprising if he had been told to serve with separate glass, but offering a drunk glass to someone was a very secretive and hot act, something done only in bed. Even Baron Willhem had never done so, even with his wife! It was clear from the looks of the surrounding nobles, their expressions irrepressibly changed, that they were also in no condition to manage their shock.

He quickly ordered someone to bring another glass before the black-haired man could drink it and make the situation irreversible. In no time, the precious drink, of which there was only one bottle in Baron Willhem's house, was placed before the commoner.

"Your Grace seems...to value your subordinates greatly. Speaking of which, I've heard that there is a brave Cavalry member who defeated a gigantic monster all by himself. Where is he?"

"Ah. I almost forgot to tell you, that's this man right here."

Baron Willhem, who had opened his mouth to defuse the situation, doubted his ears for a moment.

Everyone's eyes turned incredulously toward the black-haired man. The man said nothing. Instead, Kishiar once again broke the silence with a cheerful opening.

"Allow me to introduce him. My assistant, whom I adore and cherish, a promising talent in the Cavalry, who single-handedly defeated a gigantic monster, the bright future of the Cavalry - Yuder Aile."

'What?'

That black-haired man, who was he?

Baron Willhem felt a dizzying sensation from the consecutive shocks. He wanted to say something, but his parched mouth seemed to be clogged with sand, and no sound came out. Other nobles quickly asked questions on his behalf.

"Oh, Aile... So you have already been bestowed a last name from His Majesty the Emperor?"

"No. The last name was received not long after the Cavalry was formed. When I return this time, he'll probably get a bigger reward."

"Ah, that... I see. You must be very pleased to have such an outstanding subordinate."

"Pleased or not, I have quite a few people I favor."