Another feast was held that night, making Adrian wonder just how much food the Earl had stored.
‘He’s got to be running out by now, right?’ Adrian thought idly, sipping wine with his only free hand. His other hand was wrapped in bandages, resting against his chest, though a physician had checked it and declared it otherwise fine, only needs time to fully heal.
“Are you truly well, my lord?” Dexton asked, standing slightly behind him.
“I am… just tired, of course.” Adrian responded, sighing inwardly.
Earlier, he had passed out from using his gift against the corruption on his chest, only to be awakened by Dexton knocking on the door to tell him to prepare for the feast.
He had only a brief moment to examine his condition, but relief washed over him when he saw that the black spot had completely disappeared!
He didn’t have enough time to inspect himself properly before the feast began. He had contemplated skipping it by feigning illness, and with how pale he looked, he easily could have gotten away with it.
However, a thought occurred to him, this might be his best chance to talk to the elves about what they had witnessed, the monsters and the corruption. When it came to such matters, especially corruption or dark magic, the elves undoubtedly knew far more than humans, unless Earl Winthrope was hiding something.
With that goal in mind, Adrian joined the feast. Yet, still mentally and physically drained, he couldn't bring himself to enjoy the banquet before him.
Try as he might to hide behind a pillar, he was soon noticed by the other lords and ladies.
“Lord Harrow, how was the hunt?”
“Lord Harrow, what can you tell us about it?”
“Lord Harrow, I am-”
Adrian kept his best polite smile in place. Perhaps because this might be his possibly last night in this place, he found himself far more amiable to socializing. He laughed with the guests and even praised a lord who had participated in the horse race, despite only coming in fourth place.
“Are you alright, Lord Harrow?” Asked a lady in her mid-twenties who had been trying to catch his attention, giggling at almost everything he said. Seeing him grab another cup with his uninjured hand, his fingers trembling, paired with the paleness of his face, she and the others grew concerned.
“I am fine, just haven't had the chance to fully rest. You’ll forgive me if I don’t dance.” Adrian said, directing the subtle refusal to the ladies around him. Their faces fell slightly, but they understood.
‘When did I get so popular with the ladies?’ Adrian couldn’t help but be sarcastic to himself.
As for the shaking of his hand, that was on purpose.
“Oh, Lord Harrow is known for his physical tenacity, he called Indomitable for a reason. To be so exhausted, it must have been quite the challenge.” Lady Thea spoke up among them. Mischievous by nature, her lips nearly curved into a smirk.
Adrian resisted the urge to glare at her and gave only a perfunctory response. Out of all the lords and ladies surrounding him, perhaps because they had… done it, he felt closest to her, which, now that he thought about it, wasn't saying much, considering he barely knew the others around him.
He couldn’t even remember some of their names when they had just introduced themselves.
“I am very much looking forward to enjoying my winnings and returning to my territory. While this has all been fun, the south calls to me.” he chuckled.
The mention of his winnings seemed to light up the small crowd around him.
“With thousands of gold, I wouldn’t know where to spend it. Fortunate as I am to have my territory, I wouldn’t see that much coin unless I saved for a long while. Lord Harrow is truly blessed in the tourney.” said the lord who had taken fourth place in the horse race.
“I wouldn’t call it blessed, he simply has the skill to triumph over everyone who participated in the joust.” A lady replied. She was accompanied by her teenage daughter, who remained silent but looked at Adrian with a pure, bright smile.
The conversation turned to his earnings for a bit, how and where he planned to spend the money, as Adrian generally outlined his intentions. Then, Lady Thea spoke up.
“You had no more problems on the way here, Lord Harrow?”
Adrian looked at her, raising an eyebrow slightly.
One of the lords seemed to recall something. “Come to think of it, we heard tales of a lord’s unsightly behavior, witnessed by Lord Corvus. He was with you, I presume, so you witnessed it as well, right?”
Adrian was surprised. ‘That got turned into gossip already?’
“I did.” And if he could drag Lord Cedric’s name through the dirt for what he had done, he certainly didn't mind partaking in a little gossip.
“Ah, so is it true then? Did Lord Cedric wantonly beat a child for no reason? Lord Thomas was preaching about it earlier, calling his behavior disgusting.” one lord said.
“Quite strong choice of words, too. He was very adamant about it,” someone else added.
Adrian, meanwhile, was thoroughly confused. ‘Lord Thomas was speaking against Lord Cedric? Weren’t they both in on it’
For a second, he doubted his own memory, until Lady Thea spoke up. “They were traveling together when it happened. Did you see this, Lord Harrow?”
“I saw them together, yes.” Adrian said, still bewildered by the shift, until he remembered the terrified look on Lord Thomas’s face when he had spotted Lord Corvus.
“I am somewhat familiar with Lord Cedric, but Lord Thomas I am not. Who is he?” Adrian asked the group, though his eyes lingered a bit longer on Lady Thea.
“Ah, Lord Thomas is the son of a baron from the west…” One of the lords responded, giving a brief history of the family. What caught Adrian's attention, however, was his concluding remark.
“Indebted to the Night family?”
“Yes. I’m not clear on the details, but apparently the debt has been standing for twenty years now…” the lord said.
“Huh…” Adrian uttered, taking a sip of his wine as the pieces fell into place. He now understood why Lord Thomas had so readily thrown Lord Cedric under the bus, speaking out so harshly against him despite Cedric being the son of a viscount.
“And what does Lord Cedric have to say about this?” Adrian asked, his gaze settling back on Lady Thea.
She responded with a knowing smile. “Look over there…”
Adrian followed her gaze, as did the others. Right on cue, like a drama unfolding, Lord Cedric’s faction was confronting Lord Thomas’s group. They could see Lord Cedric, frowning deeply, spatting something at Lord Thomas, who responded with a tight smile, though his tense posture betrayed his nerves.
Seeing the spectacle unfold, Adrian’s lips curled, and he felt an immediate urge to step closer and eavesdrop.
And once there, he wanted to find a way to stoke their conflict and ignite the fire. It would certainly provide entertainment now that the tourney was over.
He was pulled from his musings when a servant approached him.
"Lord Harrow, My Lord Winthrope invites you to the private room."
Adrian set his cup down on a passing servant's tray and nodded, bidding farewell to the surrounding lords and ladies, some of whom looked at him with open envy.
Because Lord Tuckstone had briefly mentioned this possibility, Adrian wasn't surprised and followed the servant, his knight Dexton trailing behind him.
Soon, he was led down a grand hall and through a set of double doors, where his presence was announced.
Stepping inside, he found a fairly large room, spacious enough to hold a hundred people with ease, though the actual occupants were less than that.
It seemed he was one of the last to be invited, as most of the participants from the hunt earlier had already arrived. Also present were Earl Winthrope's family and children, and he even spotted Lady Serrella.
‘Wasn't it said she was at the capital?’ It seemed she had only just arrived.
There was also the royal family's delegation, along with Lord Jayson, the son of a duke, and Lord Corvus.
However, the most eye-catching group of all was the small party gathered to the side.
Fair, pale-gold hair, with one displaying striking amber locks, and unlike the few times he had seen them before, their faces were now completely exposed.
Handsome and beautiful could only be the words to describe them, men and women alike.
Though "men" might not be the most accurate term, given the distinct, pointed ears proudly displayed and no longer hidden by their hair.
He must have stared too long, as a few of them began returning his gaze. He swiftly averted his eyes, turning instead toward the highest-ranking nobility in attendance and stepping forward to approach them.
Seeing the group, Prince Oscar, Lord Jayson, Earl Winthrope, Lord Bennet, Lady Skylar, Prince Oscar’s twin sons, and Lord Corvus, he felt a subtle wave of nervousness wash over him.
He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at himself. He could face monsters and a horde of enemy soldiers, yet here and now, his nerves were put to the test simply standing before a room of lords.
Perhaps he had never truly outgrown his commoner mindset. But deep down, he knew it wasn't just that.
He was simply built differently from them. He had been raised among common folk, despite his parents pushing him to learn to read and calculate numbers. These nobles, however, were raised with the ingrained belief that they stood above everyone else.
It was a vast gulf between his background and theirs.
And, well… they were simply higher ranking than him.
"Lord Harrow, my servant mentioned he had trouble finding you initially." Earl Winthrope spoke, stepping forward to greet him.
Adrian bowed and offered his greetings to the group before answering the Earl.
"I was near the perimeter conversing with a few lords and ladies. It is completely understandable."
The Earl laughed and gestured for him to join the circle, where Adrian smoothly fell into their conversation, maintaining a steady demeanor and a polite smile, all while wondering how he was going to approach the elves.