After that, Lindon still didn't leave and tried to have a conversation with Cygnus but he acted shy and would always look at his brother for approval. Linius was becoming more and more uncomfortable because of what Cygnus was doing. He had told the man that he could do as he wanted but it was not supposed to be like this.
Seeing the actions of Rigel, the people who were in the banquet knew that his relationship with his brother was good and that Linius would indulge him. They had never seen the major this patient with someone which only means that he gave significant importance to this younger brother of his.
This time every pair of eyes were focused on the hosts of the banquet but even more so on the additional family members they have introduced. They kept him away for so many years and no one from the entire country nor the dukedom knew his name or saw his face so they wondered why they introduced him now. They were like wolves watching their prey as they continued to stare at them.
Linius couldn't bear it any longer so he decided to take his brother away in an excuse of making them rounds to greet the guests. "We'll be leaving first because we need to make rounds and greet the guests before the dinner starts." He did not wait for his cousin's answer as they walked away to where their parents were.
Lindon narrowed his eyes because he didn't believe that the man who they just introduced was really the major's brother. He could feel that there was something at work there but he couldn't put his finger on it. Yes, Rigel had similarities to the duke and duchess but that doesn't guarantee that he was their real son.
While walking to where their parents were, Linius sighed and looked to the side. "Why did you act like that? It almost made me nauseous," he couldn't help but comment.
Cygnus looked at his big brother and chuckled, "But it was effective, your cousin is trying to maintain that smile even though he is quite unimpressed right now. Didn't you know? I actually stole his limelight that's why he approached us in the pretext of giving his greeting just to bask in the spotlight he lost."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtLinius looked at the man and could only shake his head. After hearing it like that, it doesn't sound bad. Well, what could he expect from the man himself? He would not be surprised if the master creates a scene before the banquet ends.
"Here they are!" Linette gave his two sons a warm smile as she held Cygnus's hand. "How is the party going for you so far?" She gently asked.
"I'm a bit nervous, mother, but thanks to my big brother because he didn't leave my side." He smiled to ease his mother's mood and didn't make him worry during the banquet.
"Alright, that's good to know. Now, why don't you stay with me and your father so that he can introduce you to his friends?" Linette suggested as she also looked at Linius who remained silent on the side.
Linius nodded before he turned around and left since he needed to go and check the security of the banquet. He silently left the banquet for a while.
Cygnus joined the couple and got to know the people that the duke considered as an ally and who he considered as an enemy. If the person was an ally or a friend, he would be casual while speaking but if he was speaking with an enemy, he would still be casual and yet his smile was still polite and one could sense his wariness around them.
Well, he could determine all of this while reading their minds so he was sure. For people who weren't observant, they wouldn't notice these small details and those nobles were pretty dense to not feel the difference in treatment.
"Albert!" Cygnus was surprised at the sudden change in the duke's demeanor after he saw a man who was dressed in all black.
He had a serious look on his face which only meant that he was not a person who liked to smile. Even with the wide grin on the duke's face, the man was still frowning and instead gave the man a glare.
"Stop grinning like an idiot, where is your dignity as a duke?" The man scolded Ulysses and even narrowed his eyes towards the man.
"And stop frowning, you look like you are older than me because you don't know how to smile." Ulysses patted the man's back that Cygnus could hear the sound of his palm hitting the man's back.
"I'm glad to see you are doing well, Duke Blackwell," Linette stopped their childish bickering.
"Thank you duchess and I greet you a happy birthday and I've already given my gift to the butler," the duke bowed. Linette inclined her head and thanked the man.
"By the way this is my second son, Rigel, and Rigel this is Duke Galahad Blackwell, a good friend of your father." Cygnus took a step forward and bowed to the man.
Galahad Blackwell looked at the child although he also had his doubts, he couldn't ask them directly but he made sure to talk to Ulysses one of these days. He gave the child a curt nod and did not give him anymore attention.
Ulysses did not make a fuss on how the other brushed off Cygnus. He knew that even though he seemed to not care, the man had already taken note of his son.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmCygnus did not mind the treatment because seeing the odd pair was more interesting. He didn't know that Ginehart was associated with the Blackwells. He had heard stories about the Blackwell Dukedom, aside from how rich they were, their family was also known to use magic.
They were the only family who can call themselves mages even without registering to the Magic Tower. But throughout the generation, their magic slowly disappeared until the current head.
Galahad Blackwell has no mana at all but his understanding and researches about magic were brilliant and because their family had been established for a long time, even if they lost their magic, their family maintained their titles and their territory. Their story was interesting and it made Cygnus think, what if the reason why they lost their magic was because of a curse?
He was silently observing them when a man suddenly approached him. Cygnus was rudely pulled back and was slapped in the face. The people were shocked at what had happened while Cygnus was frozen with his face still facing the side.
This was the first time that he was slapped ever since he became an immortal. It stung and he could feel the throbbing pain and because of that he couldn't help but grin widely.
Everything happened so fast that the sound of the slap froze Nina and when she came back to her senses, she stomped towards the rude man. "How dare you!?"
Nina was ready to blast away the man with her explosion magic but before she could do it, she heard the master's cold voice. She stopped her fists and only glared at the man.
Ulysses and Linette stood on the side because they wanted to see what Cygnus would do. The other people watched the spectacle while they started to murmur.
"I commend you for having the guts to slap me, how would you pay for it?" He gave the man a wide smile. His face was still red from the slap but the anger in his heart did not dissipate.