Soft orchestral music drifted through the grand hall of House Velcrest.
Golden chandelier light reflected across polished marble floors while nobles continued moving gracefully between conversations, wine tables, and political circles hidden beneath elegant laughter.
Beyond the crystal windows—
Snowfall continued silently beneath the northern night.
Meanwhile—
Near one of the quieter sections beside the massive frost-glass windows—
Kel and Aria stood calmly observing the gathering.
The area itself remained less crowded compared to the central ballroom.
Silver lanterns illuminated the space softly while moonlight filtered through frozen glass patterns resembling blooming winter flowers.
Kel held a wine glass loosely in one hand.
Untouched.
His other hand rested inside his coat calmly while the black cloak over his shoulders moved slightly whenever cold wind entered through nearby opened balcony doors.
Beside him—
Aria quietly watched the gathering.
But honestly—
Peace lasted only a few minutes.
Because eventually—
The nobles began approaching.
First came younger heirs.
Then noble daughters.
Then older nobles pretending coincidence while attempting to observe House Rosenfeld's returned heir more closely.
And slowly—
The quiet corner became surrounded.
"Lady Aria, you look radiant tonight."
One noblewoman smiled elegantly while slightly bowing her head.
Another immediately followed.
"Young Master Kel truly resembles Duke Aktaris."
A third nobleman laughed softly.
"No, perhaps even calmer than the Duke in his younger years."
The surrounding nobles chuckled politely afterward.
Meanwhile—
Kel remained calm.
Too calm.
His crimson eyes quietly observed each speaker carefully while Aria silently watched him from beside.
Another noble heir stepped forward afterward.
Tall.
Well-dressed.
Overly confident.
"Young Master Kel, I heard you recently returned from isolated training."
Kel nodded once.
"Yes."
The noble heir smiled wider.
"Then the rumors must be true."
Kel calmly asked:
"Which rumors?"
"That you removed your curse through sheer willpower."
Several nearby nobles subtly listened harder now.
Because honestly—
Everyone wanted details.
Kel however simply replied:
"If sheer willpower could remove curses…"
A faint pause followed.
"…the world would contain fewer tragedies."
Silence.
The noble heir froze slightly afterward.
Because the response sounded calm.
Reasonable.
Yet impossible to argue against.
Meanwhile—
Several older nobles nearby quietly nodded internally.
That answer carried maturity.
Not childish arrogance.
The young heir awkwardly laughed afterward.
"Y-yes, of course…"
He stepped back slightly.
Another noblewoman smoothly entered the conversation afterward before awkwardness settled.
"Young Master Kel must have suffered greatly during those years."
Her voice sounded soft.
Sympathetic.
Yet carefully probing.
Kel looked toward her calmly.
"Suffering shapes people."
The noblewoman smiled faintly.
"And what did it shape you into?"
Now—
Several nobles nearby sharpened attention instantly.
A dangerous question.
Especially publicly.
But Kel simply answered:
"Someone who values peace more than comfort."
Silence briefly spread again.
The noblewoman herself blinked slightly afterward.
Because honestly—
That answer sounded far deeper than expected from a fifteen-year-old.
Meanwhile—
Inside his mind—
Sairen laughed softly.
"You speak like an ancient philosopher."
Kel internally replied:
"They asked philosophical questions."
The spirit sounded amused.
"You make people feel undereducated."
Kel ignored her.
Another older noble stepped forward afterward.
This one sharper.
Experienced.
The type who measured people carefully through conversation rather than titles.
"Young Master Kel."
The man smiled politely.
"I heard House Asheville recently published the Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts."
Kel quietly nodded once.
"Yes."
The noble continued smoothly.
"Some say it may redefine aura combat entirely."
Several nearby younger knights immediately listened more attentively.
Meanwhile—
The older noble suddenly smiled faintly.
"Though…"
A pause followed.
"…I wonder whether the creator truly understood the full implications of spreading such knowledge publicly."
A subtle test.
Not openly hostile.
But probing.
Trying to see whether Kel possessed depth or merely talent.
Aria quietly observed Kel afterward.
Curious how he would answer.
Kel calmly swirled the untouched wine inside his glass before speaking.
"Knowledge itself is harmless."
The older noble narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
Kel continued.
"The person using knowledge determines whether it becomes wisdom or disaster."
Several nearby mature nobles visibly reacted positively hearing that.
Because unlike idealistic answers—
This one acknowledged reality.
Meanwhile—
The older noble smiled deeper now.
"And what if weaker households rise because of such teachings?"
Kel's expression remained composed.
"Then stronger households should improve themselves instead of fearing growth."
Silence.
Sharp silence.
Several younger heirs looked visibly startled hearing such a direct answer.
Meanwhile—
A few experienced nobles quietly smiled.
Because the statement itself reflected confidence.
Absolute confidence.
Not in one technique.
But in House Rosenfeld itself.
The older noble softly laughed afterward.
"Well answered."
He stepped back respectfully afterward.
And slowly—
The atmosphere around Kel shifted again.
Because the mature nobles began realizing something important.
The young heir was not merely intelligent.
He understood how to speak.
How to answer without revealing weakness.
How to sound composed without arrogance.
And most dangerously—
How to make people think.
Meanwhile—
Not everyone handled the conversation equally well.
Another young noble suddenly stepped forward afterward.
Overdressed.
Loud.
Trying far too hard.
"Young Master Kel!"
His grin looked almost forced.
"I heard you traveled anonymously for two years!"
Kel nodded once.
"Yes."
The young noble immediately laughed loudly.
"How exciting! I myself once spent three whole days traveling without servants!"
Several nearby nobles immediately looked awkward.
Aria nearly looked away.
Because honestly—
That sounded unbelievably foolish.
Meanwhile—
Kel simply stared at him calmly.
The silence itself already became uncomfortable.
Then finally—
Kel politely asked:
"…Did you survive?"
The surrounding mature nobles instantly covered smiles behind wine glasses.
The young noble froze.
"W-what?"
Kel calmly continued.
"Traveling three days without servants sounds difficult."
Another pause followed.
"I'm relieved you returned safely."
Silence.
Then—
Several nearby noblewomen quietly laughed.
Not mockingly.
But unable to stop themselves.
The young noble's face reddened completely afterward because now he realized how ridiculous his earlier statement sounded.
Yet—
Kel never insulted him directly.
That was the terrifying part.
Inside his mind—
Sairen sounded delighted.
"You destroyed him politely."
Kel internally answered:
"He embarrassed himself."
The spirit laughed uncontrollably.
Aria meanwhile quietly watched Kel from beside him.
And honestly—
The more conversations unfolded—
The more obvious the difference became.
The mature nobles grew increasingly charmed by Kel.
Not romantically.
Intellectually.
Politically.
His words carried weight.
Precision.
Awareness.
Meanwhile—
Those who only understood shallow flattery or empty boasting unknowingly made themselves look foolish beside him.
Because Kel never competed for attention.
And ironically—
That made attention naturally gravitate toward him.
Then—
Another noblewoman stepped closer afterward.
Older.
Elegant.
Experienced.
The kind who observed carefully before speaking.
"Young Master Kel."
Her eyes carried quiet amusement.
"You handle noble conversations remarkably well for someone absent from society so long."
Kel answered calmly:
"I spent years observing before speaking."
The woman smiled slightly afterward.
"A rare skill."
Kel replied:
"Most problems become visible when people speak long enough."
The noblewoman softly laughed.
"And what problems do you see here tonight?"
Now even Aria became curious.
Kel glanced quietly across the ballroom afterward.
Young heirs boasting.
Nobles building alliances.
Smiles hiding calculations.
Then calmly—
He answered:
"Everyone wants something."
Silence.
Simple words.
Yet overwhelmingly accurate.
The noblewoman slowly smiled deeper afterward.
"Dangerous observation."
Kel replied quietly:
"Only if spoken carelessly."
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly sighed.
"You're terrifyingly suited for noble politics."
Kel internally answered:
"That's unfortunate."
The spirit laughed again.
Meanwhile—
Across the hall—
More and more nobles had quietly begun observing the conversation circle surrounding Kel.
Not because he acted loudly.
But because people kept reacting strongly to him.
And slowly—
Without realizing it—
The returned heir of House Rosenfeld became the center of the gathering.
Not through status alone.
But through presence.
Through words sharp enough to impress the wise and expose the shallow.
And beneath the crystal chandeliers of House Velcrest—
The nobles of the North unknowingly began understanding something terrifying.
The heir hidden for years beneath rumors of curses and sickness—
Had returned far more dangerous than anyone expected