Chapter 10: The Birthday Ball [Part-2]

The ball was perfectly staged. Below, the nobles waited, sipping their drinks and chatting about everything from current politics to the latest gossip surrounding the Duke’s family.

Finally, the guards positioned below announced their entrance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome His Grace, Duke Cassian, accompanied by his esteemed wife Duchess Sylvia, and along with both of them, tonight’s star, Young Master Neo!"

Everyone’s attention shifted instantly to the top of the sweeping staircase. The Duke’s family descended together, draped in luxurious clothes. Between them, holding their hands, was an adorable little boy. They looked like the perfect picture of a happy family. Everyone’s eyes were immediately drawn to the cute kid in the center wearing a small, stylish suit. Even though he was just a child, his striking beauty already told them that he would grow up to become one of the most handsome figures in the future.

"Oh my, look at that. How perfect do they look together?"

"Yeah, look at those adorable eyes on the young master! He looks like a prince from a storybook. Hehe, I just want to squeeze his cheeks!"

Neo suppressed a groan. Everyone was already targeting his cheeks before the ball even properly started. He had to make sure to protect his face tonight at any cost. He really didn’t want his meticulous makeup, which the maids had spent hours applying—to go to waste.

Neo walked perfectly between his parents.

The murmurs of the crowd still buzzed around him, but Neo kept his chin up and his eyes focused forward.

’Just smile, wave a little, and don’t say anything weird. That’s the plan. Simple.’

His father’s hand rested warm and steady on his shoulder, guiding him down the last few steps. His mother walked gracefully on his other side.

As they reached the bottom, the crowd split apart like water, forming a wide, clear path straight toward the raised platform at the far end of the grand hall. Ice sculptures shaped like majestic dragons and phoenixes lined the walkway, glittering brilliantly under the enchanted chandeliers.

"Stay close, Neo," Cassian murmured, his voice pitched low enough that only Neo could hear. "If anyone tries anything funny tonight, your father will handle it."

Neo glanced up at him. For a split second, the terrifying Demon of the Battlefield was gone, replaced entirely by a regular dad who looked genuinely nervous about his son meeting a bunch of strangers.

’Handle it how? By glaring people to death? Please don’t cause a incident at my birthday party, Dad.’

They reached the platform, and Cassian lifted Neo up onto it with one arm like he weighed nothing. Sylvia climbed up right after, smoothing down Neo’s crisp collar one more time out of habit before finally taking a step back.

The entire hall fell into a heavy hush.

Hundreds of nobles stood below, dressed in luxury that probably cost more than entire farming villages. Neo scanned the crowd, searching actively for anyone who looked like trouble. His eyes eventually landed on a small cluster of people standing closest to the platform. They were dressed in colors far too extravagant to belong to regular nobility.

Gold trim. Deep purple robes. A glowing crest with a roaring lion wrapped around a crown.

’There they are. Right on schedule.’

The Royal Family.

At the very front stood a boy who looked maybe seven or eight, dressed in a miniature version of the royal robes. His nose was tilted up in the air like he was already bored of the whole event. Beside him stood a woman with an elegant, practiced smile plastered firmly on her face—the kind of smile that never quite reached her eyes.

Neo didn’t need to search through his memories to know exactly who they were. The Second Prince, and his mother, one of the Emperor’s many cunning consorts. In the original anime story, this exact family had been the ones pulling the hidden strings behind the curtain, desperately trying to marry their daughter off to Neo just to lock the Draven dukedom firmly under their control.

’Not gonna happen this time. Sorry, Your Highness, but I am not falling for the political marriage trap.’

Cassian cleared his throat, stepping forward slightly and raising his hand. The crowd’s murmurs died down completely.

"Thank you all for coming tonight to celebrate my son’s fifth birthday," Cassian announced. His deep voice carried effortlessly across the massive hall without him even needing to shout. "As many of you know, the Draven family doesn’t throw parties often. So please, enjoy the food, enjoy the drinks, and please, try not to start any political arguments tonight. Or else, I myself will have to step forward to mediate, and you may have already heard from the rumors about my methods of solving things...."

Silence filled the whole banquet hall. No one dared to speak, and the nobles’ voices simply died down in sheer nervousness.

Cassian suddenly felt a warning glare from beside him, coming from none other than Sylvia. He pursed his lips quickly and pulled back.

Sylvia stepped up next, resting a gentle hand on Neo’s head.

"And now, if it pleases everyone, we’ll officially begin with the Cake Cutting ceremony!"

*CLAP-CLAP!*

With a light clap of her hands, the heavy doors opened. Two servants stepped in, pushing a grand trolley carrying a giant, towering cake of several tiers. It was beautifully adorned with chocolates and rich cookies shaped like small, cute dragons.

But what truly attracted Neo’s attention were the two small dragon projectiles floating and circling around the cake. They emitted a large amount of familiar mana, which was, of course, made specifically by his mother.

Neo stared at the cake in sheer speechlessness. He couldn’t even describe what he was seeing. It was his very first time seeing such a grandiose cake made specifically for him. It couldn’t help but make him feel incredibly loved by his family.

He looked up at his mother, who just nodded softly after catching his amazed gaze. She raised her hand gracefully, using her wind magic to make him float up in the air for the cake cutting.

’Awesome, I like floating like this. But I also really want to eat the cake first. Hmm... If it were my old world, I would have eaten everything by myself for days. But alas, I can just eat a little bit here...’

He picked up the ornate knife and sliced the cake calmly. The claps in the crowd grew louder as everyone cheered happily for him. He looked back at his parents, who were both looking at him with immense pride.

’Sigh... Am I really deserving of all their love? At this rate, I will really get spoiled by them...’

After the cake cutting ceremony was done, Neo was seated on the raised platform upon a small, luxurious throne.

"And now, if it pleases everyone, we’ll continue with the gift ceremony!"

Neo’s ears practically perked up at those magic words.

’Finally. Let’s see what kind of loot I’m getting this year.’

One by one, the nobles began stepping forward. Each carried beautifully wrapped boxes or was trailed by servants offering their grandiose gifts directly to him. A wealthy Marquis presented an ornate sword perfectly sized for a child, its hilt made entirely of real diamonds. A Countess gifted a small, fluffy white puppy-like creature that Neo was fairly certain was actually a baby wind spirit in disguise. Another prominent family presented an entire miniature carriage, complete with two specially trained ponies.

Neo kept his expression polite and grateful the entire time, bowing his head slightly to nod after each gift, exactly like his mother had taught him. But internally, he was doing backflips.

’A wind spirit puppy?! Are you kidding me?! This is way better than any of my birthdays back on Earth. Back then, I was lucky to get a five-dollar gift card. Now I’m getting a baby spirit and live ponies! It seems it is really beneficial to be born as a high noble in a fantasy world.’

Just as the long line of noble gift-givers began thinning out, the crowd shifted again. The Royal Family stepped forward, and the entire hall seemed to hold its breath.

The Second Prince’s mother stepped forward first, her smile widening as she reached the base of the platform. Right behind her, a loyal servant carried a long, elegant velvet box.

"On behalf of His Majesty," she said sweetly, her voice as smooth as honey, "please accept this precious gift for young Lord Neo. May his future shine as bright as the Empire itself."

The servant opened the box, revealing a small ceremonial dagger. Its blade was forged from some kind of shimmering silver metal and visibly enchanted. It was a beautiful piece. Almost too beautiful and dangerous for a five-year-old.

Neo eyed it carefully. Beautiful gifts from scheming people with hidden intentions who wanted something in return never came without a price.

’So here starts the drama. The simple political trick which will ultimately place the whole political burden right onto my parents’ shoulders.’

The woman’s gaze flicked briefly toward the young prince standing beside her before returning to Sylvia and Cassian with that exact same practiced smile.

"It would be wonderful if our two families could grow even closer in the coming years. Don’t you think so, Duke Cassian?"

And there it was.

Neo felt his fists clench tight at his sides. He kept his face carefully blank, the exact same way he’d practiced a thousand times in front of the mirror. But inside, massive alarm bells were screaming louder than a war drum.

’Nope. Absolutely not. I did not reincarnate into this crazy world and train in secret for years just to get sold to the Royal Family and bring the very first wave of trouble down upon the Draven family. Think of something fast, Neo, or this transmigration will mean nothing!’

Cassian’s easy smile didn’t waver, but Neo, who had spent five years studying every single twitch of his father’s expressions, caught the faint shift in his eyes. A sharp flicker of something dangerous, gone as quickly as it appeared.

"Closer, you say? Of course. The Draven family always welcomes stronger ties with the crown."

Sylvia’s grip on Neo’s shoulder tightened just slightly.

"Though, my son is only five years old. I think there’s plenty of time before anyone needs to start talking about closer ties, don’t you agree? Let the boy enjoy his cake first."

A few nervous chuckles rippled through the crowd, breaking the sudden tension. The prince’s mother’s smile twitched, just barely, before smoothing right back into place.

"Of course, Duchess Sylvia. I’m not directly rushing for a sudden marriage. I’m just saying it’s time to start thinking of his bright future. It would be quite nice if young Lord Neo gets engaged to the Princess. I’m sure you have already heard the rumors about my daughter and how brilliant she really is..."

Sylvia’s smile didn’t waver as she replied smoothly.

"Ofcourse, I have already heard many good things about the Second Princess. But it feels far too soon for Neo to even consider getting married, especially when he has just recently started making friends."

The Second Prince’s mother casually swung her fan, replying with a honey-sweet voice while narrowing her eyes.

"Oh, come one, he can make friends all his life. I was simply suggesting it would be wonderful if the young master could personally meet the princess first and then decide whether to form a relationship..."

Sylvia pursed her lips, unable to speak further. It was a pretty good, underhanded strategy to push this whole thing toward a casual ’meeting.’ Because, of course, later when the meeting actually happened and the Duke’s family refused to let their son marry the princess, their social standing would plummet, and whatever good relationship they had with the throne would vanish.

Sylvia stepped back toward Cassian, whispering something quickly to make sure he didn’t have an angry outburst right in the middle of the birthday party.

Knowing she had practically set up the room, the Second Prince’s mother stepped forward boldly. Her eyes turned toward the small kid sitting on the throne as she shifted her target directly to him.

"Oh, I want the young lord to decide what he chooses. It’s good to meet you, young Lord Neo. Are you interested in meeting the Princess? I’m sure she will become a very good friend of yours. She is also just as pretty as you are, so what do you think?"

The murmurs among the crowds halted entirely. Everyone looked up at the stage, desperately waiting to hear if Neo would speak or if he was too intimidated by the royals.

Cassian couldn’t help but glare at the Second Prince’s mother, wanting to step forward immediately to save his child from the trap. But Sylvia’s eyes held his own firmly; for some reason, she stood calmly without any worry on her face.

As everyone waited for him to speak, Neo finally opened his mouth. He put on his best, most innocent childish voice, the exact one he relied on during the peak of his pretense.

"No, I can’t marry the Princess! I already like Nora, and I’ll only marry her!"