Chapter 11: The Birthday Ball [Part-3]

A hush fell over the banquet hall for a split second as everyone felt surprised by his bold declaration. Almost immediately, the nobles began to murmur among themselves.

"Who is the girl named Nora? I have never heard this name before."

"From the rumors I heard, she is the daughter of Count Liam. He is a famous businessman all around the world, known for his incredible wealth."

"Oh, you mean the Valentina family? I never knew the Count even had a daughter. Were they hiding her for a long time? Did they hide her because they were already bound to the Duke’s family?"

"Well, I don’t know, but it is surprising that Young Master Neo suddenly declared his love interest just like that!"

"He is just a child. He might just like her as a friend, so we can’t jump to conclusions."

Neo sat calmly on his throne, glancing at the whispering crowd before pulling his eyes back to the woman in front of him. He had just declared his intentions in public right to the Second Prince’s mother. Since he was just a child, no one would lift a finger at his words. Even the royals couldn’t do anything about it. If he had been a teenager and spoken such words in front of royalty, it would have been quite the dangerous political play. But now? No one would find it truly rude. Who would take a five-year-old’s babbling seriously?

’Hmm, it seems my strategy might actually work. If I can’t get out of trouble, then I will just marry the biggest trouble!’

’Well, it’s not like I really have to marry the villainess. No one will value a child’s word, and this will just push the current problem away.’

Just as the guests continued to gossip around the banquet hall, Sylvia stepped forward. She smoothly blocked Neo behind her as she faced the Second Prince’s mother.

"I apologize for Neo’s answer, but I think we should give him time to think and make his own decisions as he grows. We don’t want to force an engagement on him. So, I think it would be better to end that topic and focus on enjoying the birthday ball."

The Second Prince’s mother’s lips twitched as she held back her rising anger. Her eyes glanced back at Neo, a trace of annoyance appearing and vanishing just as quickly before she pulled back.

"It is fine, Lady Sylvia. He is just a child, so there is no rudeness in his words. He is just saying that because he has made a new friend. If he met the princess later, he might like her too. Now, if you will excuse me."

She turned around and walked away without glancing back. The Second Prince backed away right alongside her, though he stopped to glare once at Neo’s figure before following his mother.

After they were gone, Sylvia walked back to Neo’s side. The gift ceremony continued, and the remaining nobles stepped up to offer their presents.

As most of the gifts were cleared out, the Valentina family finally walked through the crowd. Neo couldn’t help but feel awkward after seeing them approach. He felt like digging a hole and burying himself right there, but he had to maintain his composure.

’Damn, I didn’t think this through. Now I have to face her gawking again. What are her parents thinking about me? Are they angry? Are they going to complain to my parents about what I said? Sigh... It seems they are going to scold me quite a bit.’

But contrary to his internal thoughts, Nora’s parents walked through the crowd and stopped in front of him with relatively calm faces, acting as if the earlier incident hadn’t even happened.

Neo looked up at Elara. She looked down at him with a softened expression and a warm smile curled on her lips. Neo couldn’t help but feel thoroughly bewildered. He had not expected this reaction at all.

Elara turned her eyes toward Nora, who was staring blankly at Neo. She patted her daughter’s back, signaling her to go forward.

Nora stepped up with a blank face. She held a wooden box with an imprinted rune on it.

Neo couldn’t help but feel tense as she neared. She stopped just a few feet away from him and opened the box. Inside sat a silver bracelet shining like a star, with an azure crystal resting right in the center. Neo felt instantly attracted to the bracelet. He could sense the massive amount of pure mana contained inside the crystal. This wasn’t any normal gift.

Neo nodded to her, though he couldn’t take his eyes off the shining artifact for a few seconds. Finally, he looked up at her blank face.

"Thank you."

Sylvia walked up from behind him, accepted the gift box, and gently patted Nora’s head.

After Nora returned to her parents, Neo felt incredibly curious about what that bracelet originally was and what its use might be. He could sense it was a powerful artifact.

’Well, I will check that out after the birthday party.’

With the gift ceremony finished, the banquet resumed. Music played, people danced, and the nobles enjoyed the luxurious dishes made specifically for the event.

Neo finally got to eat a huge amount of cake, which his mother surprisingly allowed for today. She usually never let him eat excess cookies and chocolates, strictly banning him from eating too much sugar because she didn’t want him facing any health issues.

After the grand birthday ball concluded and most of the guests had gone home, Neo finally got a little time to relax. He slumped onto a soft couch in the quiet hallway. But that peacefulness didn’t last long. Both Sylvia and Cassian walked over and sat beside him, staring at him with serious faces.

Neo couldn’t help but feel tense. The moment of his scolding was about to fall on him.

Just behind his parents, Nora and her parents walked up and joined them. Neo was certain that today was the day he would face his doom.

’Let’s gather every ounce of patience inside me.’