Chapter 7: Gala Conclusion

The Grand Ballroom of Falsbane was dead silent.

So many things had just happened, and none of the nobles knew where to start talking from.

You could even say it was a gossip’s paradise.

An ancient rainbow-class item.

In the current era of the Magic Continent, even a platinum-class item was enough to trigger a regional war between guilds or nations. Yet here was a supposedly "trash class prince" holding a relic that looked like it’d been pulled from the heavens.

The item in the box was a gold necklace with a blue gemstone that was surely the source of its rarity.

A court mage present squinted through his monocle before whispering with admiration.

"Is it possible Prince Adonis was the one who enchanted this rainbow-class item? Maybe his class isn’t—"

He got cut off by a haughty noble who sneered aloud. ℯ

"Please! We all know that the reason the [Enchanter] class is seen as useless is not because it is, but rather the average enchanter has very little to offer in terms of skill. They’re most ranked at gold-class these days, and even those are fairly rare! To think the Fifth Prince has surpassed that? HAH!"

"Silence! He is deemed useless by the crown, and we must not speak against the crown!"

All the surrounding nobles nodded as one.

Adonis closed his smile and closed his eyes to soak in everyone’s shock. Inside his mind, he calmly reminded himself that he had managed to enchant this yesterday after cutting a small piece out of the [Core of the Nereids]. It was a really valuable item, and cutting even a tiny chunk of it could damage its overall value, but it was still worth it for a stunt like this.

He nodded to himself, opened his eyes, and looked charmingly at Minerva, who he was offering the necklace to.

Queen Minerva was still too stunned to say anything, so Adonis smiled and asked smoothly again.

"My arms grow heavy, Your Majesty. Will you accept my gift? Surely something so beautiful belongs on your neck."

The nobles couldn’t believe his audacity.

Grand Chamberlain Hershant pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered under his breath—

"This boy simply refuses to learn..."

Then, he glanced over at the King.

King Falsbane was fuming at the sight of his disowned son trying to show him up using his own wife! An indescribable anger burned in the King’s chest. A part of him wanted to grab a sword and take his son’s head that instant, but a part of him was desperately waiting to see the loyalty of his wife. Not just him,but the entire ballroom wanted to see if the cold Fourth Queen would actually accept his gift.

Queen Minerva, who sat elegantly on her throne, slowly held out her elegant, sylph-like hand like she was reaching to take the necklace... and then abruptly shut the box lid.

Adonis blinked.

’Eh...?’

The entire ballroom immediately burst into laughter.

"Haha! Even with such a great item, she shrugged him off like the nobody that he is!"

"As expected of the Fourth Queen! She only has eyes for His Majesty, as it should be!"

The nobles cackled like wild animals, throwing out all sorts of jeers to ridicule him. Fourth Prince Bradley grinned viciously as he pumped his fist and barked.

"Bless mother for putting that bastard in his place!"

The King just smiled, leaning back as he thought why he was even worried to begin with.

Adonis, who was still kneeling on one knee with the wooden box in his hand, smiled coolly and got to his feet.

"Ah, lovely."

On the inside, however, he was screaming like a madman.

’HOW DARE SHE TURN ME DOWN LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF SO MANY PEOPLE—?! IT’S LIKE SHE DOESN’T KNOW I HAVE A FUCKING IMAGE TO PRESERVE, AND IT’S NOT MUCH CONSIDERING THE ENTIRE PEERAGE THINKS I’M A LOSER! DAMMIT I WANNA KILL MYSELF!’

Seeing the wrinkled, pudgy faces of those old nobles cackling almost made him break character right there. Being laughed at in public was enough to make a grown man cry.

Up on her throne, Queen Minerva softly tilted her head.

She rubbed her chin inwardly and sighed.

’These nobles... perhaps I didn’t choose the best approach. I have to make amends.’

While the nobles were still busy laughing, Minerva slowly got off her throne. Her silken dress glided and shifted down the majestic curves of her mature body. The high slit of her dress showed a bit of her plump thighs, which went well with the wide, pudgy buttocks carried by her full-figure hips. Such a sight left the surrounding young nobles blushing furiously. To look at the King’s consort so lustfully was a grave sin, but it was a sin worth dying for, perhaps.

The Queen walked right past the steps, straight over to Adonis, and hugged him closely like a teddy bear. His face squished directly against her soft chest, and she gave him a tiny, audible kiss on the right cheek.

"Thank you, dear..."

She made sure to announce it publicly for all to hear.

The room of nobles all lost their jaws as they screamed.

"WHAAAAATTTT—?!"

Down in the crowd, a satisfied Mariella bit her tender fingertips with a crazy, lovesick smile.

’I’m no longer engaged to Adonis, and yet it feels like I’ve been cucked... umph~ ♥️ This feels so good!’

Leander gave her a sharp side-eye, and she quickly cleared her throat, slapping on the stiff, graceful act everyone was used to.

Minerva was still hugging Adonis closely, whispering softly in his ear so only he could hear.

"Not here. Come see me in my chambers later today. We can have some tea and talk... if you’re fine with that, wrap your arms around my waist this instant."

Adonis was too dazed by the whole thing to process it logically. The inner workings of an older woman were certainly confusing, but it was also special in so many unexpected ways. Blinking softly, Adonis slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, which made the Queen’s pale neck instantly burn red. Seeing this normally demanding, cold woman become so vulnerable like a high school girl in love made him feel different about her.

He nodded to himself.

’Perhaps I judged her too quickly.’

Ding!

[Target "Queen Minerva" Volatility: 40% -> 12% (Perfect Stability Zone)]

[Affection Level: 45% -> 60% (Deep Fixation)]

[System Note: The target’s desire to destroy the kingdom has been temporarily replaced by an overwhelming urge to lock the Host in her bedroom.]

Adonis’s face went deadpan.

’Perhaps not...’

With Adonis’s head still resting against her breasts like they were plush pillows, she gave him a soft, affectionate pat on the head, turned around, and casually returned to her throne, ignoring the murderous stare of the King and the stunned expressions of her fellow consorts.

Down in the ballroom, Leander looked like he’d just swallowed a live toad. The gift meant to humiliate Adonis had been utterly dwarfed by a treasure that could buy this entire nation five times over, and the older woman he’d discarded for Lady Mariella had just acted like she didn’t even know he existed.

Furious, Leander pointed a shaking finger and shouted.

"Adonis! You dare court my father’s—"

"SILENCE!"

The King’s voice boomed terrifyingly.

His third son wouldn’t dare speak again.

It wasn’t like Minerva had done anything you could specifically call definitive infidelity... she had just accepted a gift and hugged a family member, after all. So to act like a jealous madman in front of the peerage and foreign nobles from the alliance would make him look like an insecure, pathetic man-baby.

Minerva thought this out well.

And, maybe, so did his son, Adonis.

Still, that didn’t change the fact that the maids, minor noblewomen, and even the usually emotionless ladies-in-waiting were all staring at Adonis with flushed, infatuated looks. Since when was the Fourth Queen ever so expressive?

The King’s ego was bleeding profusely.

"The gala is adjourned!"

King Falsbane briskly got up from his seat with a dark face and marched away with his consorts behind him.

As she walked past, Minerva gave Adonis a gentle wave followed by a playful wink that was unlike her.

Adonis tucked his hands behind his back and smiled.

Before he could take a single step, a system window appeared right before his eyes.

[Heroine ’Mariella Soron’ has begun questioning the protagonist’s value. Losing heroine conversion is imminent!]

Adonis blinked. Before he could even process the warning, a second system prompt rapidly replaced the first, glowing with urgent red text.

[The next arc of the story will begin in a few days. Your success will be determined by whether you can defeat the Dunamis family. Everything is dependent on charming Prussia Dunamis before any of the other princes, as the one who charms her will get closer to the throne.]

Adonis’s brows raised high above his eyes.

He let out a dry, incredulous chuckle.

"That makes no sense. Even me? How special is this chick?"

[The Dunamis family are one of the fiercest noble houses in the Magic Nation alliance. They can lay waste to the Falsbane Kingdom if things were to ever go awry. Every prince will be working to charm Prussia.]

Adonis rubbed his chin with a light smirk.

"Shouldn’t be too hard."