Chapter 36
Chapter 36: Snickers
Compared to the relatively peaceful atmosphere at Roy and Charlotte’s homes, the dining table at the birthday banquet hosted by the Raymond family was a whole different world.
Old Raymond, sitting at the head of the table, had a brown beard and a notable potbelly that bounced slightly with his suppressed grunts. Especially when he looked at his son, there was no trace of kindness or pity—just pure anger and dissatisfaction.
Meanwhile, the young blonde master, Rayan Raymond, with messy hair and an unkempt outfit, sat with his leg casually crossed, showing nothing but disdain and impatience toward his old man.
“Kid, I usually don’t care what you do, but don’t you dare mess things up at next week’s banquet!”
Old Raymond’s worries weren’t unfounded.
With Rayan Raymond and Roy Ainbrad, these two had become the most notorious rascals in the kingdom, nearly ruining old Raymond’s reputation.
Although people mocked ‘useless rascal’ Roy more, old Raymond believed his own son was even worse.
Rayan wasn’t useless.
At 18, he successfully awakened the【Steel Bowl】extraordinary bloodline—not bad in terms of talent, really.
It was precisely because of this power that Rayan became more unruly, bullying others and committing all sorts of misdeeds.
He had plundered villages and even targeted the daughter of a baron.
Honestly, if any of old Raymond’s soldiers dared to do that, he would have had their heads rolling in no time.
However, like Karl, Rayan was the child of old Raymond’s deceased wife.
Being his own flesh and blood and the only memory of his late wife made it impossible for old Raymond to harden his heart.
“Ugh, so annoying…” Rayan muttered under his breath but didn’t dare confront his father directly.
He cast a glance at the graceful woman beside him, feeling increasingly uneasy.
Unlike Karl, old Raymond had married a second wife who was now pregnant.
This threat to Rayan’s inheritance rights made him incredibly agitated.
In his frustration, Rayan’s hostility began to intensify.
Yet old Raymond was at a loss; scolding would only deepen the rift between them, so he simply advised, “You can ignore others, but you must treat two people well.”
“Tch, I got it already! This young master will respect Charlotte!” Rayan wasn’t stupid; while he would oppress the weak with power, he wouldn’t dare mess around in front of the royal family.
“After all, she’s going to be my future wife,” Rayan licked his lips, the corners of his mouth twisting into a wicked grin.
In fact, he had already shown a respectful attitude during their previous matchmaking meeting.
Though he was rejected back then, Rayan wasn’t worried.
After all, she was probably just shy, right? No worries, he had sincerely proposed, and even a princess could lose her composure and be flustered, right?
“I said two people,” old Raymond repeated tiredly.
“Huh?” Rayan was somewhat confused and even more displeased.
As the duke’s son, he could lower his head to the royal family at most, but who else deserved his respect?
“The kid from Ainbrad’s family is also coming to the banquet; you’d better treat him well and don’t be rude!”
Old Raymond wasn’t afraid; he valued the friendship with Karl.
Years ago, like Karl, he was one of the eleven knights who first answered the call and went to battle.
These eleven knights were later known as the【Eleven Knights of the King】.
It was also these knights who followed the Lionheart King, Robert, to the end and faced the Bloodfire Dragon Balagath in the final showdown.
This battle, which set the course of history for the kingdom, is famously known as the【Flames of Fury Battle】.
That was the closest old Raymond had ever been to death.
His gaze turned dark, seemingly transported back to those glorious days, confronting the dragon flames that fell from the sky.
“If it weren’t for Karl standing in front of me back then, if Robert hadn’t killed that beast, I would have been dead long ago. I owe them this.”
Old Raymond exhaled a heavy breath, and in the next moment, his eyes sparkled with determination as he said, “I’ll warn you only once—if you dare to embarrass them, don’t blame me for being merciless.”
His presence was as heavy as a mountain, pressing down on Rayan, making it hard to breathe.
But at that moment, the young man’s pride inflated; he lifted his head defiantly and feigned nonchalance: “Hmph, your old grudges have nothing to do with me!”
“And what’s Roy but a useless rascal? Every noble in the kingdom looks down on him—what reason do I have to be polite? No, that guy should be the one wagging his tail at me!”
As another well-known rascal in the kingdom, Rayan looked down on Roy, believing him to be too spineless.
Unbeknownst to him, in his father’s eyes, he was the far worse, more shameless brat.
Old Raymond couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of helplessness.
Going down the wrong path, the stronger one was, the further they’d go in the wrong direction.
Especially since not everyone would remain on the wrong path forever.
“Put away your arrogance. I’ve heard Roy has been getting along pretty well with the princess lately.”
The moment those words left his lips, Rayan’s expression changed instantly.
“What did you say?”
“Didn’t you hear? The princess went on a matchmaking session with Roy before; although she didn’t attend the banquet, they chatted for a long time and seemed to have a good rapport,” old Raymond said meaningfully.
He knew Rayan’s obsession with Charlotte, and he had intentionally said that to provoke him, hoping Rayan might turn his life around through love.
Unfortunately, he was bound to be disappointed.
“Hmph, just some rumors! How could Charlotte even like a useless person?” Rayan sneered.
That proud princess could never be interested in a worthless guy.
It had to be that Roy had used flowery words to deceive her—yeah, that definitely had to be it.
If that’s the case, then I’ll be the one to expose this useless guy’s true nature.
Rayan sneered internally, eagerly anticipating the banquet’s arrival.
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As night descended, the once blue sky was drowned in twilight. The mansion in the mountains was ablaze with light, and many exquisite tables and utensils were set up on the lawn by the lakeside. The entire estate was filled with the aroma of food and the fragrance of wine.
This was Duke Raymond’s private estate, also the venue for his birthday banquet.
It was still early, yet many nobles had already arrived, chatting outside the estate.
Nobles didn’t attend banquets solely for the festivities; the real priorities were to gossip about power shifts, identify friends and foes, and grab benefits.
However, for the younger generation, it was more about enjoying the spectacle, meeting faces, and chatting about gossip.
“The emblem of the Sun Leopard? That’s Count Patel!”
“Looks like the Leian household is here too!”
“I’ve heard that the twins from the Leian household are stunning!”
They gathered in clusters, enthusiastically discussing the otherwise seldom-seen noble families, really broadening their horizons.
However, when a carriage adorned with a blood-red sword and shield appeared in view, the atmosphere turned oddly stiff.
Amidst the murmurs, someone suddenly let out a snicker.
