Inside the Raeven manor’s wide grand hall, my family and I were taking our seats together around a white tableclothed, round table as we treated ourselves with red wine. There were tasty appetizers served, so we took a few bites of them.
As I was swirling the vinaceous liquor in my glass like a wine enthusiast, I scanned the area, and the congestion was significantly dense compared to when we arrived. The sounds of the guests’ graceful voices created a harmonious resonance throughout the hall.
It had been a few minutes since we had a conversation with Sophia and her mother. As of now, we were distracting ourselves with food and beverages as we waited for the star of the night to make her entrance. Until suddenly…
Cling! Cling!
Two clinks of metal on glass rang out of the hall, which halted the guests from conversing and curiously looked out for their source. Our eyes gazed to the front, and from there, we saw Uncle Steville and Aunt Dorothy, as Uncle was holding a Bordeaux wine glass and a silver teaspoon.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” My uncle began to speak; his voice filled the hall. “First, I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but can everyone listen to me?”
He paused for a while and glanced over the guests in the silent hall. When he was certain that everyone was paying attention to him, he continued his speech.
“Very well. I am glad that you spent your evening here in our manor. To my family and friends, I genuinely appreciate it all. Tonight, we are going to celebrate a very important moment of someone really dear to me. Now, I am officially starting the fifteenth birthday and the coming-of-age ceremony of my only daughter, Sophia.”
Soon after he finished his heartfelt speech, the guests stood up and gave him a round of applause before the orchestra finally started to play Over the Waves Waltz by Juventino Rosas. Of course, the piece was recomposed by myself.
Immediately as the music started, the double main door of the hall slowly opened. Behind those doors was a single figure standing; it was the star of this night, Sophia, who was clad in her beautiful blue gown.
As the music played, Sophia held her skirt as she graciously walked along the aisle of the red carpet. Coupled with her natural charm and beauty, her presence was so captivating that the guests could not take their eyes off of her.
“Such a beautiful lady…”
A female guest even wept upon seeing Sophia. Not only her, but many were moved by the grace of my fiancee. A moment later, she reached the spot where Uncle and Auntie were before she turned to the guests and took a bow.
“Ladies and gentlemen, my daughter, Sophia.”
“Good evening, everyone. My name is Sophia Raeven, and tonight is my fifteenth birthday as well as my official debut into society.”
She said that and then took a bow again. Sophia then took a glass of wine and raised it in the air.
“Everyone, I would like you all to enjoy this celebration. Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
The guests, including my family, gave her a round of applause accompanied by cheers. Afterwards, the celebration of Sophia’s fifteenth birthday began.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
After several minutes of introduction, which included the introduction of our family as the debutante’s future in-laws, the event peacefully proceeded with the dinner. The dinner was a full-course meal.
The appetizers were served before the dinner started with the main course, which was served directly to the guests’ tables. The guests could choose varieties of food from the menu, such as steak, salad, soup, fried foods, and more. But I was impressed that they served some of my recipes, like fried chicken and pasta.
Once the guests consumed their food, they could have a taste of delightful desserts, which were all served on a long table. Though the guests had to stand and pick the sweets of their choice by themselves,
Of course, the biggest dessert, the three-layer cake, was not absent from the table. The cake seemed to be becoming popular since its appearance on Big Sis’s debut and selling like hot cakes all over the continent.
A cake this tall needed a precise slicer. As the fiancé of the debutante, I was chosen to be the one to slice the cake into slices.
“Hundred Slice.”
After using the sword technique, I slashed the cake slice a hundredfold. With meticulous precision, the knife precisely cut through the cake at the right angle and direction, and I was able to slice the giant cake into hundreds of proportions in a matter of milliseconds.
“Whoa…”
“Did you see that?”
“I didn’t see his hands move.”
The guests gasped in awe as they watched me slice the cake with tremendous speed. All of them, except my family, could not follow my movements. I once again realized how powerful I had become.
Once the cake was equally sliced, I then took a small plate and served it a slice. I turned my back and handed the plate to Sophia, who was next to me.
“Here, Sophia.”
“Thank you, Raphael.”
She smiled lovelily at me as soon as she received the cake. It warmed up my heart, so I smiled back at her. After taking my slice, I then faced the guests and said,
“The cake has been sliced, ladies and gentlemen. You may now take your slice.”
After stepping aside, the guests with plates in hand began to swarm the cake to serve themselves a sweet portion of the magnificent, three-story confection. I picked myself a cupcake before we went to the spot where our family gathered.
“What a great performance, Raphael! I am truly impressed!”
Mark greeted us once Sophia and I reached them. His fiancee, Melissa, was with him, by the way.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Now then, Raphael.” Suddenly, Mark placed his right arm over my shoulders. “Mother told me that you got yourself a dungeon and you are planning to build a city on it. Would you care to explain the details to us?”
“Ho ho!” Uncle chuckled. “She said that you even plan to build a country. From the sound of it, it seems that it needs foundations. It looks like we had business talk here.” .𝙘𝙤𝙢
“Heh, as expected of businessmen, I would like to talk about it, but it’s not the right time yet. How about discussing it later, and let’s enjoy ourselves at the party?”
Afterwards, we set a meeting for tomorrow and enjoyed our desserts. After dinner, I played my original composition for Sophia, and the event ended without any problem.