“That was quite an entertaining story.”
Count Copperhead remarked with a satisfied expression as Damien finished his tale.
“Excuse me, but I need to step out for a moment.”
The Count said, looking slightly embarrassed. It seemed the drinks had finally caught up with him.
As the Count hurriedly left the tent, Damien took a moment to catch his breath.
‘This is exhausting.’
Damien wasn’t used to entertaining others in this manner. If it weren’t for Abel, he would have walked out, even if the guest had been a king.
“Is he doing alright?”
Damien glanced over at Abel.
“I’ve always wanted to see the wheat fields of the Haxen estate.”
“Oh, really? Then perhaps in the fall, I could, um, extend an invitation…”
“That would be wonderful.”
It seemed Damien’s efforts weren’t in vain. The relationship was progressing nicely.
‘Good job.’
Abel and Lady Olivia had grown closer, and they had even won over the biggest obstacle, Count Copperhead.
So far, everything was going smoothly.
“When I visit the Haxen estate, I should greet Lord and Lady Haxen. What kind of gifts do they like?”
“Oh, there’s no need to worry about that. Your visit alone would be a delight.”
Damien watched the two with a contented smile.
Sophia Russell couldn’t take her eyes off Damien Haxen, who was seated next to Count Copperhead.
‘An exquisite bow made by August? He never gave me anything like that, yet he just hands it over?’
The bow crafted by August was a remarkable item, enough for the Count to seat Damien beside him without hesitation.
But Sophia’s irritation wasn’t just about the bow.
‘Didn’t he have any lingering feelings for me?’
Sophia was convinced that Damien still had feelings for her. But now, that certainty was wavering.
‘It looks like he’s here to court Olivia…’
Sophia glared at Olivia Copperhead with eyes full of jealousy.
‘What’s so pretty about her… well, she is pretty…’
Even blinded by jealousy, she couldn’t deny Olivia’s beauty. And it wasn’t just her looks; she had the powerful backing of the Copperhead family.
‘But I have a better figure.’
Sophia glanced down at herself. Unlike Olivia’s slender frame, Sophia had a more voluptuous presence.
While Sophia was seething with jealousy, Count Copperhead excused himself and left the room.
Left alone, Damien watched Abel and Olivia.
‘Why isn’t he talking to Olivia Copperhead?’
For someone supposedly here to propose, there seemed to be a distance.
“When I visit the Haxen estate, I should greet Lord and Lady Haxen. What kind of gifts do they like?”
“Oh, there’s no need to worry about that. Your visit alone would be a delight.”
While Damien remained silent, Abel was getting closer to Lady Olivia.
‘Could it be… he’s trying to set up his brother with Olivia?’
It seemed like a plausible guess.
“Phew… so that’s what it was? I was worried for nothing.”
Sophia sighed in relief, then suddenly remembered.
‘No, stop thinking about this nonsense. I have Jackson.’
Sophia shook her head vigorously. Then, she accidentally locked eyes with Damien.
Damien was looking directly at her.
Her heart skipped a beat.
‘Out of all these people, he found me…?’
It was clear Damien still had feelings for her. Realizing this, her face flushed.
Sophia tried to avoid Damien’s gaze, fanning herself to cool down.
While Damien observed Abel and Olivia’s conversation, he felt an unpleasant gaze from the crowd.
If he were an ordinary knight, he might not have noticed. But Damien’s senses had long surpassed the ordinary.
‘Who is it?’
He turned to find the source and spotted Sophia Russell glaring at him.
‘What’s her problem?’
Seeing her face slowly soured his mood.
Damien no longer had any feelings for Sophia. In the past, he might have been infatuated, but now there was neither love nor hatred.
Yet, thinking of the insults his family had endured made his blood boil.
‘I’ll deal with her later.’
For now, Abel’s romantic endeavors took priority.
Damien decided to leave it for another time.
Jackson Carter watched in a daze as Damien Haxen sat beside Count Copperhead.
The gift he had offered was long forgotten.
Both the Count and the guests were singing Damien’s praises.
‘Damien… Damien Haxen…!’
If it weren’t for Damien, that seat would have been his. He wouldn’t have lost the Count’s and the people’s attention.
‘That scoundrel… how dare he humiliate me like this? I’ll make sure he pays for this disgrace…!’
In that moment, Jackson vowed to make Damien feel even greater despair than he had.
Like his pupil, Jacques Noir was also watching Damien Haxen.
‘To think he brought a bow made by August.’
Jacques had no intention of offering the elixir of vitality. He needed as much of it as possible for his own ambitions.
Yet, he had given it to the Count to win favor for Jackson Carter.
But Damien’s offering was so extraordinary that it stole all the Count’s attention.
‘This is troublesome. Very troublesome.’
Jacques had entered the jousting tournament to lay the groundwork for his ultimate goal.
His ambition was to reach the rank of Master.
A Master.
A level of true superhuman prowess.
Reaching it would etch his name in history.
To achieve that, he needed the knowledge left by Master-class individuals and a lot of elixirs.
And to acquire those, he needed a substantial amount of money.
Jacques had committed all sorts of illegal acts to gather the funds.
He had fled the Mandarin Kingdom after a major incident.
Jacques had come to the Apple Kingdom, far from the Mandarin Kingdom, to escape his past.
In the Apple Kingdom, he sought to gather funds through more legitimate means.
But he had no intention of working under another family.
The meager salary wouldn’t get him anything he desired.
So Jacques chose to use marriage as bait to swallow a wealthy family.
He took Jackson Carter as his pupil for this very reason.
With his decent looks and talent, he was a desirable son-in-law for any noble family.
Jackson’s relationship with Sophia Russell was orchestrated by Jacques.
Thanks to this, Jacques received full support from the Russell family.
But the Russell family, despite its wealth, was too small for his ambitions.
To fulfill his dream, he needed to devour a larger family.
That’s why he set his sights on the Copperhead family.
Winning the jousting tournament was a step towards securing a marriage alliance.
‘But with Damien Haxen around, it’s going to be tough.’
Even Jacques could see that Damien was superior to Jackson in every way.
Not just in skill, but in reputation, looks, and even wealth.
‘But I can’t just let the Copperhead family slip away.’
From Jacques’ perspective, the Copperhead family was an enticing prey.
If he could devour it, he’d be one step closer to his dream.
‘I need to be more proactive.’
Though it was a bothersome task, it was better than losing the Copperhead family.
‘At least it’s not a total loss.’
If he could take over the Copperhead family and seize the opportunities Damien had, it would be a profitable venture.
‘Damien Haxen, you’d better be prepared.’
Jacques’ eyes glinted ominously.
The banquet finally concluded late into the night.
“Let’s call it a night. Everyone, return and prepare for tomorrow’s jousting tournament.”
The nobles left the banquet hall and headed to their lodgings.
Damien and Abel did the same. As soon as they reached their tent, Abel collapsed onto his bed.
“Ahhh…”
Abel let out a deep sigh, finally feeling at ease.
“Were you that nervous?”
“Of course. It was Lady Olivia, after all.”
Abel replied, lifting his head.
“So, what did you think of her?”
“She was truly beautiful… lively… and delightful.”
Abel said, his face turning red. It seemed he had fallen even more for Lady Olivia during their conversation.
“Think about what story you’ll tell tomorrow.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“Aren’t you planning to meet Lady Olivia tomorrow?”
“I want to, but… tomorrow’s the day of the jousting tournament… and there’ll be so many people around her… I doubt I’ll get a chance to speak with her…”
“Come on, you boring fellow. If there’s no opportunity, you make one.”
Damian said, sounding exasperated.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get your chance.”
Damian’s voice brimmed with confidence, leaving Abel looking puzzled.
“You’ll see tomorrow.”
With that, Abel sat quietly, watching Damian. Damian clicked his tongue briefly.
“Are you sulking because I won’t tell you? Do you really have to pry…?”
“Thank you, brother.”
Damian paused at the unexpected gratitude.
“For getting me a gift… and setting up this opportunity… I don’t know how to repay you.”
“Why are you suddenly being so sentimental?”
“It’s just… I feel sorry. I’ve said a lot of harsh things to you.”
Of all the family, Abel Haxen had disliked Damian the most.
Even after Damian’s transformation, Abel would still blame him whenever something went wrong.
But it wasn’t really Abel’s fault. It was all because of Damian Haxen.
He had been incompetent, disappointing his younger brother time and again. Abel’s frustrations had simply reached a breaking point.
“Don’t worry about it.”
After all, if you weighed the wrongs, Damian’s were far heavier.
In a past life, Damian had killed Abel with his own hands.
He could still vividly recall the sensation of the blade against Abel’s neck.
“It’s only natural for a brother to look out for his sibling. So just focus on proposing to Lady Olivia.”
“Yes, I will!”
Abel replied loudly, and Damian gave a faint smile.
Seeing Abel’s happy face made Damian feel as if he was being forgiven, even if just a little, for his past mistakes.