Ch.8585. Looking at your clear face, you must have spent quite a bit of money.

“Selden, you’re here!?”

Rohan Bricks was the first to spot me, waving his hand cheerfully.

I raised my hand slightly in greeting and spoke.

“Where are Sophia and Lina?”

“They haven’t arrived yet.”

“Weren’t you supposed to come together?”

Rohan shook his head with a sigh.

“Ugh… going anywhere with Sophia and Lina is a real ordeal. Women always take forever to get ready.”

“Haha! That’s true.”

“But you came alone too?”

I had originally planned to enter the imperial banquet hall with Princess Sairine, but was politely rejected.

Apparently, if she entered alongside me, it would draw unwanted attention from others?

I don’t particularly care about others’ gazes, but I decided to respect her wishes and entered the banquet hall alone.

Swoosh-!

I looked around the banquet hall, moving my head attentively.

Crystal chandeliers sparkled on the ceiling, and fragrant flowers decorated throughout the venue filled the air with their scent.

Gentle, elegant music pleased the ears while guests swayed lightly to the rhythm.

It was a scene that naturally brought a smile to my face.

After being possessed for over a year, the scenes I had only imagined while reading the novel were finally unfolding before my eyes.

Well, after becoming accustomed to the same environment in exile every day, it’s natural to find this fascinating.

By the way.

Where on earth did Leonard go?

Even though we’re brothers and I wanted to enter the banquet hall together, who knows where he’s wandering off to…

I just hope he doesn’t cause any trouble.

“Rohan, I don’t see the Etherian Princess anywhere?”

“The Princess will probably arrive a bit later. The protagonist always makes a late entrance, you know.”

“Ah, but there aren’t as many people as I expected.”

“Did you think the imperial banquet hall would be like a marketplace?”

“I just thought it would be more crowded.”

Rohan carefully scanned the surroundings and whispered quietly.

“Too many people can cause problems.”

“Problems…?”

“The succession dispute in the imperial family is fierce. With too many people, you never know when incidents might occur.”

I hadn’t known this since there were no banquet scenes in the original novel.

To think she has to worry even about her own birthday…

I felt sympathy for the Princess while also thinking how fortunate I was to be born a noble rather than a prince.

“…It must be hard for the Princess.”

“Still, those who’ve aligned themselves with Princess Etherian must feel much more at ease.”

“Are you also on Princess Etherian’s side?”

“I was invited to the imperial banquet, but not to that extent. Among us, only Sophia is close to the Princess, and her family has deep connections.”

I slightly furrowed my brow at Rohan’s loose lips, though I’d already heard this from Sophia so it wasn’t a major issue.

“Should you be freely discussing such important matters without the person involved?”

“What are you talking about? We’re friends. Besides, Sophia already told me she talked to you about her family.”

Was it Sophia who had loose lips?

I cleared my throat repeatedly in embarrassment.

“Ahem! Ah, I see.”

Rohan, who had been looking at me with a bewildered expression, suddenly seemed to recall something and gave me a mischievous look.

“By the way, what did you do with Sophia when you went out?”

“We just talked?”

“Come on, you expect me to believe you just talked for hours?”

“Sophia seemed curious about many things about me.”

“Pfft!! Two drunk people of opposite sexes just talking late at night… that doesn’t make sense!”

Rohan grinned broadly and nudged my side with his arm.

What’s got him so excited?

I shook my head at Rohan’s excitement.

“Then what did you do with Lina while Sophia and I were talking?”

I teased him back, nudging him with my arm, and Rohan raised his voice with a reddened face.

“W-what are you saying!! Lina and I have been just close friends since childhood!!”

They say it’s easier to see others’ romantic interests, don’t they?

At the very least, Rohan seemed interested in Lina.

“Selden!!”

While bickering with Rohan, I turned my head at the familiar voice to see Leonard waving his hand, looking quite full of himself, having come from who knows where.

“You’re here?”

“Ahem!! Do you know who your brother just met?”

“Who did you meet?”

Leonard put his hands behind his back and stared at me arrogantly before patting my back.

“You’d better be nice to your brother from now on. I’ve made some impressive connections.”

Even a mad dog would stay quiet for a few days after being beaten to dust, but how does this guy show no signs of intimidation after being beaten just three days ago?

Was he simply born without the capacity for thought?

As I was sighing, Rohan looked curious about who it might be.

Though I wasn’t keen on introducing them, what could I do?

No matter how pathetic he is, he’s still ‘Selden Alphonse’s’ brother.

I turned slightly and spoke.

“This is my fourth older brother, Leonard Alphonse, and this is Rohan Bricks, whom I recently met.”

Rohan scratched his head and bowed.

“Pleased to meet you, sir. I’m Rohan Bricks, and I’ve become friends with Selden.”

“Oh! The Bricks family, I know them well! Aren’t you famous for iron ore?”

“Haha! Not famous enough to say that.”

“Come now, excessive modesty is troublesome. Anyway, I never expected Selden to make such a good friend. That’s surprising.”

Rohan tilted his head at Leonard’s words.

“Selden…?”

“He’s a bit more mature now, but he used to be such a delinquent that he had no friends at all. He only knew women who worked in pleasure districts.”

“Haha!! I’ve heard a lot about Selden being a delinquent.”

For some reason, Leonard’s nose was held quite high.

Then, after looking around, he whispered to Rohan and me.

“Let me tell you both something special. Today is not only the Princess’s birthday banquet but also an excellent opportunity to build connections.”

He was right.

Even within noble families, the connections you make can determine the outcome of succession disputes and the revival of your family.

In any business, connections are highly valuable, which also means there’s a lot of corruption.

I nodded slowly.

“Have you made many connections?”

“Of course! Do you know how hard I’ve been working for the past two days?!”

No wonder I hadn’t seen him around. I was worried he might have caused trouble, but it seems he didn’t.

Connections are necessary for the family’s sake, after all.

I’m also planning to introduce Leonard to Seri Familia, an excellent prospective match for his future.

“So what kind of connections did you make?”

“Don’t be surprised, but it’s someone who has a very close relationship with Princess Etherian.”

“…What?”

I blinked in confusion, and Leonard laughed heartily.

“Haha! What would you know about imperial politics? You probably wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”

Rohan glanced at me and scratched his head.

“Doesn’t Selden also have a connection with Princess Etherian?”

“He just has a slight connection, which is why he was invited to the birthday banquet. By that logic, everyone here has a connection with the Princess, right?”

“…Haha, I suppose so.”

Rohan, who had directly witnessed my meeting with Princess Etherian two days ago, seemed confused, his pupils darting around.

Just then, someone forcefully wrapped their arm around Leonard’s head.

“You bastard, you said you’d be right back, so why are you so late?”

It was Reagan Strom.

When he raised his head and our eyes met, his eyelids trembled.

“Y-you are…”

Leonard, released from the headlock and still not grasping the situation, looked at Reagan with an awkward smile.

“Ah… this is my brother. The youngest son of the Alphonse family. He’s quite famous as the delinquent from the eastern edge of the continent.”

It was a difficult situation, not knowing what to say.

Leonard cleared his throat again and continued speaking to me.

“And this person is someone I recently met at the royal—”

“H-how have you been, sir?”

Unlike Leonard, Reagan Strom immediately bowed at a 90-degree angle, perhaps remembering the beating at the tavern.

Even the guests invited to the imperial banquet began to whisper due to Reagan’s unusual behavior.

Of course, Leonard was the most bewildered.

-Did Reagan just bow?

-Impossible… which family’s son could make the arrogant Reagan so nervous?

-A family’s son? Seeing Reagan act like that, he must be royalty.

-Is he a relative of Queen Liana Silonia?

The banquet hall suddenly became noisy.

Ignoring it, I nodded at Reagan.

“Your face looks fine, so you must have spent quite a bit of money.”

Understanding my meaning, Reagan touched his face and continued with a stiff expression.

“…Yes, I found a good magician.”

“As my brother said, I’m in exile because of my delinquent behavior. When my exile ends, can I visit your family?”

“O-of course, it would be an honor. If you let me know in advance, I’ll make proper preparations.”

Leonard, unable to believe the situation, backed away in confusion.

Just then, someone shouted in a voice that seemed about to tear their throat.

“Princess Etherian is entering!”