When they arrived at the Banquet, the party was already in full swing. The performers took center stage at the center of the hall, and wowed the crowd with their amazing performances.
The moment William's name was announced by the Head Butler of the palace, all eyes went towards the main entrance to see him.
William walked confidently with Wendy by his side. The two of them looked like a perfect couple, which made the ladies and men sigh in admiration.
Fortunately, Rebecca wasn't at the party because she had already traveled to the Central Continent to start her training at the Misty Sect.
After their humiliating defeat, that was witnessed by the nobles of the Kingdom, the representatives of the Misty Sect left in haste in order to save what little dignity they had left.
Unfortunately, even though Rebecca wasn't at the party, Rebecca's grandfather, Lawrence, and her father, Duke Dillian, were there due to the King's summons.
Duke Dillian hatefully glared at William, not because he was escorting Wendy at the party, but because he felt that he had been slapped in the face due to the Misty Sect's loss under William's hand.
Lawrence, on the other hand, had a calm expression on his face. Originally he was thinking of having a one-on-one talk with William in regards to the rumors that were flying around about his relationship with Wendy.
However, he could tell with a glance that the beautiful young lady and the Half-Elf did have feelings for each other. The Old Fox sighed in his heart because he knew that William also had his interest at heart since he had not declared their relationship officially.
As long as the Knight Commander kept mum about his relationship with Wendy, even though their feelings for each other were obvious for everyone to see, no one could say anything unless William confirmed it himself.
William's and Lawrence's gazes met and the two gave each other a brief nod before averting their gazes. It was an understanding between gentlemen, and Lawrence had no qualms with William having Wendy as his "secret" fiance.
At the table reserved for the special guests of the Kingdom, Prince Lionel chatted with Princess Sidonie with a big smile on his face.
The Third Princess did her duty as expected of a Princess of a Kingdom and tolerated Prince Lionel's mindless chatter.
If not for Morgana telling her that the one she was waiting for had arrived, the Princess might still be chatting with Prince Lionnel about how the Hippogriffs give birth to their young.
< Well, he is indeed a looker. >
Morgana's voice sounded like a purring cat as Princess Sidonie gazed at the handsome Half-Elf that had just arrived in the banquet hall.
Seeing her attention was diverted from him, Prince Lionel frowned and followed her gaze. When he saw William and the beautiful blonde beauty accompanying him, the frown on the Crown Prince's face deepened.
Of course, this only lasted for a brief moment before it returned to its usual calm expression.
"He is the youngest Knight Commander of our Kingdom," Prince Lionel took the initiative to introduce William to Princess Sidonie. "His name is William Von Ainsworth. A country bumpkin and a slave who somehow managed to catch Father's attention."
Princess Sidonie didn't miss the contempt and ridicule in Prince Lionel's voice when he mentioned William's name.
"He must have done something exceptional if he was given the position of Knight Commander," Princess Sidonie said to test the waters in order to gain more information from Prince Lionel. "If not, he wouldn't be given such an important role at such a young age."
Prince Lionel chuckled as he reluctantly nodded his head. "This is true. However, only my father knows about this 'exceptional merit' that he did for the kingdom.
"Lord William was like a mushroom that suddenly popped out of the woodwork and surprised not only me, but all the nobles within our Kingdom. Are you interested in him, Princess?"
The question sounded so harmless, but there was slight tension in the air as Prince Lionel stared at the veil that was blocking his beloved's beautiful face.
"It is impossible for me not to be interested in such a young prodigy," Princess Sidonie replied. "I would be extremely grateful if his Highness would introduce me to your Knight Commander."
"Of course, Princess." Prince Lionel smiled and nodded his head. "As the host, it is our duty to grant the wishes of our esteemed guest."
Prince Lionel subtly clenched his fist under the table. His gaze landed on the smiling Half-Elf in the distance and wished that he could strangle him then and there. For William to be noticed by the lady of his dreams made Prince Lionel jealous beyond compare.
He then organized his thoughts to think of a way to humiliate the Commander of the Knight Order in front of the Princess. That is the only way he could calm the rage in his heart that was fanned by his jealousy.
Naturally, Princess Sidonie and Morgana noticed the subtle changes in the Crown Prince's mannerism.
Morgana giggled from within Princess Sidonie's Sea of Consciousness because she liked to drive the men around her "little sister" crazy. If not for the fact that she really cared about her, she would have already taken over her body and brought the Hellan Kingdom to her knees.
Sadly, she couldn't do that. For the time wasn't ripe. Princess Sidonie's full power would only be unlocked the day she came of age, and that was still two years away from happening. For now, she decided to just let nature take its course, as Princess Sidonie enjoyed her teenage years under her protection.
William, who was completely oblivious of the Crown Prince's jealousy, walked towards the tables that were designated for their Knight Order.
He was doing his best not to glance in Carter's direction, who was seated among the staff of the Royal Academy. The professor had finally broken his isolation and participated in the banquet for the guests of their Kingdom.
Since his senses were honed in the Professor's direction, he felt Carter's stare directed at him and Wendy.
William didn't know what the Professor was thinking at this point in time because the system was not omnipotent enough to do that. It could only monitor what Carter saw, heard, and the fluctuation of his emotions.
Right now, Carter was eyeing William like a wolf that had found its prey. He was observing the boy's expression and every gesture and imprinting them into his subconscious mind. That way, when he finally took control of William's body, he would be able to act the way he did and fool everyone around him.
'Three more days,' Carter thought. 'Three more days and I will have a new vessel.'
If possible, Carter wished that the days would pass quickly, so that the day of the Inter-Division battle would arrive sooner. The plan that he had painstakingly concocted from the shadows had already been laid out.
He had already placed a subtle command on those that were under his spell, and it would activate on the day of the welcoming ceremony. Carter's plan was really simple. Use the people that were close to William as the knife that would stab him from the back, and force him to make a difficult choice.
A choice that would make the Half-Elf regret that he didn't kill Carter sooner.