Chapter 276: The Encounter (2)
The beginning of this incident can be traced back to a slightly earlier moment.
Poof!
Louis seamlessly teleported into the grand hall, using space movement to materialize at the party.
“Wow!”
His eyes sparkled at the dazzling spectacle unfolding before him.
As befitting an Imperial Court gathering, the hall was filled with guests adorned in vibrant, colorful attire. Some danced to the music, while others gathered in small groups, enjoying food and lively conversations.
Every corner offered a spectacle.
Even just observing the vibrant atmosphere was invigorating, so it was no wonder Louis, experiencing his first-ever party, felt exhilarated.
“So this is what a party is!”
Thoroughly thrilled by this novel experience, Louis eagerly scanned his surroundings, his eyes darting from one spectacle to another.
He casually glanced around, his movements fluid and natural, almost too natural.
But there was one glaring problem: Louis’s attire.
The Summer Continent’s climate dictated that party attire was generally quite revealing, yet extravagantly luxurious. In contrast, Louis’s outfit was strikingly ordinary.
And then there was another problem, a coincidence: his clothing closely resembled the servants’ uniforms—black trousers and a white shirt.
Amidst the dazzling array of colorful, elaborate costumes, his plain attire stood out like a sore thumb.
The attendants of the Imperial Palace, as well as the servants of other nobles, were all dressed in simple, uniform attire. It was easy to mistake Louis for one of them.
“Can’t you hear me?”
At first, Louis didn’t even realize someone was calling to him in the bustling hall. How could he have expected strangers he’d never met to address him? But when the call came again, Louis couldn’t help but turn around.
“Hey, white-head over there, are you deaf?”
The dragon’s exceptionally keen hearing, combined with Louis’s uncanny ability to instantly recognize insults, made him realize the voice was directed at him.
Louis turned around.
”…”
He stared intently at the person who had called him.
The man stood well over 180 centimeters tall, with bronze skin and short-cropped blond hair. When their eyes met, Louis pointed to his own face.
“Me?”
”…Me?”
At Louis’s repeated use of “me,” Second Prince Adolf wore an expression of utter disbelief.
“Did you just ask if I was referring to you?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah…?”
“Yep.”
Adolf’s incredulous stare clashed with Louis’s nonchalant gaze, as if to say, “So what?”
Louis’s brazen look left Adolf beyond disbelief, bordering on bewilderment.
Has this servant even received proper training? Can’t he recognize my face?
He hesitated, weighing whether to unleash his anger or let the matter slide. After a moment’s contemplation, he made up his mind.
It’s a festive day. I’ll let this pass for now. Consider yourself lucky.
As the Second Imperial Prince of the Empire, he couldn’t possibly stoop to brawling with a mere servant on such an auspicious occasion.
I’ll remember your face. You’ll pay for your insolence later.
Besides, Adolf was feeling slightly flustered.
Miss Tania definitely went toward the terrace…
He had long abandoned his ambitions for power, vowing to dedicate his life solely to pursuing martial excellence. Love, he had considered a frivolous distraction, yet this woman had captivated his heart completely.
She was breathtakingly beautiful today as well… Miss Tania…
The moment Adolf saw Tania wearing the dress he had sent her, he was once again certain that his love was real.
His mind was now consumed with the simple desire to grab two glasses of wine and have a quiet conversation with Tania on the terrace.
No, I can’t possibly let Miss Tania see me making a fuss over something so trivial.
With that thought, he reached out his hand.
”…I’ll let this slide for now. Bring me those two glasses beside you.”
Louis stood motionless, silent.
To onlookers, he appeared simply to be standing there blankly, but a fierce internal conflict raged within his mind.
What the hell is this guy playing at?
First, he calls me out of nowhere…
And to add insult to injury, he was now being ordered to run errands.
Louis, who had never been asked to run errands for anyone since his reincarnation as a dragon, couldn’t help but think,
Should I just punch him and see what happens?
The moment the thought crossed his mind, his fingers twitched.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
No, no… I should hold back, at least for today.
After all, this was Pablo’s Empire, a nation he had helped build.
And judging by the scale of the party, it seemed to be a significant celebration.
Right, no need to spill blood on such a fine day.
Louis nodded slightly to himself.
You little bastard, you have no idea how lucky you are.
Deciding to do a good deed for once, Louis picked up two glasses and handed them to Adolf.
Adolf accepted the glass that Louis had personally handed him.
“Go to Count Zoltan and ask for his finest wine. The type doesn’t matter. Just tell him to give you his best and bring it to the terrace. Mention my name, and Zoltan will hand it over.”
The moment Louis heard those words, his face twisted into a scowl, and the vein at his temple throbbed violently.
This little bastard…
He could tolerate it once, but twice was beyond endurance.
The word “patience” didn’t exist in Louis’s vocabulary beyond the first instance.
Three times? What nonsense.
Even once was too much.
With a defiant sneer, he asked, “What’s your name?”
Louis’s voice, though quiet, cut through the air and struck Adolf’s ear directly.
Adolf slowly turned around and repeated, “What?”
“I asked, what’s your name?”
“Now…”
An ominous chill swept across Adolf’s face.
At that very moment, a furious roar erupted.
“What did you just say?!”
A stunned silence fell over the party as all eyes turned to the two figures. Among the crowd were Kendrick, Lavina, and the Twins.
“Huh? Teacher?” Lavina exclaimed, startled by Louis’s sudden appearance.
“Teacher Louis?” Kendrick echoed, equally surprised.
The Twins, meanwhile, watched with keen interest, wondering what mischief Louis would stir up next, as they casually stuffed cookies into their mouths.
The other guests flinched at the sight of Adolf’s enraged expression. Though he had distanced himself from the imperial succession, Adolf still commanded the loyalty of the Imperial Family’s warriors. More importantly, he remained a member of the Imperial Family. In his fury, one could easily find their neck severed without warning.
The onlookers held their breath, watching the scene unfold and sneering at Louis for his foolish blunder before the Second Imperial Prince.
Suddenly, Adolf’s roar erupted once more.
“Do you truly wish to die?!”
Any ordinary noble would have immediately dropped to their knees and bowed their head in submission.
But Louis was different.
Sniffle.
“Damn, this bastard’s got a loud voice.”
”…”
“And are your ears stuffed with cotton? How many times do I have to ask? What’s your name?”
Louis’s casual demeanor left the onlookers gaping.
They were certain of one thing:
The foolish servant’s chances of survival had dwindled to near zero.
Heh, what a lunatic.
He’s practically begging for death.
Where did this lunatic come from?
Just as the crowd anticipated, a murderous glint flashed in Adolf’s eyes.
“How dare you… Do you think you can insult the Imperial Family and live?”
“What are you talking about? When did I ever insult the Imperial Family? Oh, you’re part of the Imperial Family?”
Adolf fell silent.
“So what if you are? When did I insult anyone? Is asking for your name an insult?”
”…We’ll see if that tongue of yours still wags after I’ve severed your head.”
“Is this guy an idiot? How’s a headless corpse supposed to wag its tongue?”
Louis’s mocking remark silenced Adolf. Instead, the murderous intent radiating from him reached its peak.
Most of the guests at the party sensed the murderous intent radiating from Adolf.
Thud.
Adolf took a step toward Louis.
Observing the situation, the Crown Prince and First Princess frowned.
That brat…
He truly intends to spill blood.
They sighed, disapproving of their younger brother’s audacity in attempting to spill blood at such an important occasion celebrating the return of the great Conqueror King.
We have to stop him.
Even as an adult, he still can’t distinguish between public and private matters, always acting rashly.
They moved forward to intervene.
But someone else acted first.
“Stooooop!”
A thunderous voice echoed through the hall as a massive shadow burst through the crowd.
“Uwaaah!”
“W-what the?!”
The moment the people who had been bumped and jostled aside opened their eyes in surprise, they saw it: Conqueror King Pablo, sprinting faster than anyone else at an unbelievable speed.
Pablo charged forward with astonishing velocity.
“You little bastard!”
With a dramatic flourish of his cape, he launched himself into the air.
Thud!
His massive feet slammed into Adolf’s chest.
“Gah!”
Struck by the near-perfect dropkick, Adolf tumbled across the floor.
”…?!”
The unprecedented spectacle of a legendary ancestor, revered as a great hero, brutally kicking his eighth-generation descendant into the dirt left everyone present, including the other Imperial Grandsons, utterly frozen in stunned silence.
Oblivious to the commotion, Pablo landed gracefully and wiped cold sweat from his brow.
That was close.
If he had been even a fraction of a second slower, the banquet hall would have been stained with blood.
Of course, the blood would have belonged to his own descendant.
“Hoo…”
Pablo let out a small sigh and rose from his seat. The majestic expression he had worn moments before melted away as he turned to face Louis.
Bowing deeply, Pablo asked, “Ah, when did you arrive?”
“A while ago.”
“Ah, you could have given me some notice.”
The sight of the Emperor of Conquest bowing so deferentially, and Louis accepting it as a matter of course, was deeply shocking to anyone witnessing it for the first time.
Meanwhile, Adolf, who had been sent flying by Pablo’s dropkick, coughed and struggled to sit up. “C-cough… Wh-what in the—?”
Louis, observing Adolf’s still-dazed state, spoke. “Pablo.”
“Yes?”
“Is that bastard your descendant?”
“Indeed.”
“Can I fold him in half? I’ll only do it halfway.”
”…Forward?”
“No, backward.”
Pablo stared in horror at Louis, who calmly suggested bending his descendant’s back completely backward. “Ah, no! You can’t!” he cried.
“Why not? Is he the eldest grandson?”
”…He’s the second son.”
“Then it’s fine. The eldest grandson can carry on the lineage.”
“P-please, show some restraint! If not for him, then for my honor!”
Desperate to protect his descendant’s spine, Pablo clung to Louis and pleaded desperately.
Louis frowned, clearly displeased. He turned and began walking toward Adolf.
At that moment, five shadows dropped from the party hall’s ceiling—the Hidden Blades of the Imperial Family, sworn to protect the Emperor and the Imperial Family. They drew their swords and blocked Louis’s path to the Second Imperial Prince.
“Tch.” Louis clicked his tongue in annoyance but continued to advance.
Thud.
With each step Louis took, the people surrounding him instinctively recoiled, bewildered by the unseen force.
Thud.
The warriors guarding the Second Imperial Prince knelt before him.
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
A crushing pressure forced their upper bodies downward, as if they were bowing in homage to Louis.
Thud.
Louis took his final step. He casually tucked his hands into his pockets and fixed his impassive gaze on the Second Imperial Prince, who lay crumpled on the ground.
“I asked you something,” Louis said.
”…”
“What’s your name?”
His detached gaze treated the prince as if he were an insignificant speck of dust. Under Louis’s piercing eyes, which seemed to penetrate his very soul, Adolf found himself compelled to speak.
“A… Adolf Quan Frenche.”
“Good, you little runt. Listen carefully.”
”…”
“If you want to act foolish, go ahead and act foolish to your heart’s content. Just don’t do it in front of me.”
”…”
“If I catch you acting foolish again… even Pablo won’t be able to stop me from bending you backward until your spine snaps. Got it?”
The oppressive aura that gripped his entire body left Adolf speechless.
Louis turned away from the mute prince and started to leave.
And just then…
“Huh? Teacher?”
Tania, who had gone out to the terrace and was now belatedly returning, spotted Louis and dashed toward him.
“Teacheeeeer!”
Her crimson dress and fiery red hair swirled around her as Tania, as vibrant as a scattering of crimson petals, fluttered into Louis’s arms, nestling against his chest.
“When did you arrive?”
Her radiant smile, like that of a bride welcoming her long-awaited groom, was dazzlingly bright.
Even amidst the chaotic situation, Tania’s radiant smile captivated numerous young men, leaving them breathless and blushing.
Louis, however, who faced the smile directly, reacted coldly. “I just arrived,” he muttered, brusquely pushing Tania’s head away. Then, as if utterly disinterested in the party, he turned and left.
“Wait for me!” Tania called out, scurrying after him like a needle following its thread.
Adolf watched them go, dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, the Emperor, who had been observing the scene, spoke. “Zoltan.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Take Adolf away.”
“But… if we leave like this, the dignity of the Imperial Court…”
“Enough,” the Emperor waved dismissively. “It’s fortunate enough that he’s still alive.”
”…?”
The Emperor, showing no further interest in Count Zoltan’s bewildered expression, closed his mouth.
Count Zoltan turned his attention to the Second Imperial Prince.
As he did so, he watched Louis’s retreating figure.
An enigmatic young man who had made both the Late Emperor cautious and the current Emperor wary.
Who exactly is he…?
It was a question shared by everyone at the party.
The social circles will be abuzz for some time.
Louis’s audacious behavior at this gathering of nobles would undoubtedly fuel countless conversations and speculations about his true identity. The social circles would be abuzz for weeks to come.
As Louis turned to leave, many found themselves unable to tear their gaze from his retreating figure.
Among those gazes were eyes burning with intense emotion.
“Ah…”
First Princess Eiren.
She couldn’t take her eyes off Louis’s back.
The moment she witnessed the Hidden Blades of the Imperial Family kneeling before him, she was overwhelmed by a sensation she had never experienced in her life.
Thump-thump-thump.
The frantic pounding of her heart echoed in her ears, and her vision became completely filled with the sight of the man before her.
As she watched him, a fierce desire to grant him anything he wished surged within her.
Eiren gently placed her hand over her pounding heart.
“This…”
She tilted her head, muttering softly, “…is this love?”
She had met countless men before, but she had never experienced such intense emotions. Her cheeks flushed slightly.
So this is what they mean by falling in love at first sight…
Soon, even her ears turned bright red.
Ah… so this is love!
If Pablo could have heard the Princess’s inner thoughts, he would have cried out in horror:
No! That’s not love! Run away!
…It seemed the First Princess had inherited Pablo’s blood most strongly after all.
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