Chapter 283: What the Hell?
If some shadowy syndicate or rival noble house thought they could simply steal my intellectual property, duplicate my hard work, and push me out of my own market without facing any consequences... they were badly mistaken.
But before I could steer the conversation with Matthew any further, a sharp chime echoed across the grand ballroom.
Aldric Raith stepped onto the raised pedestal at the head of the hall.
"Honored lords, ladies, and esteemed guests of the Empire," Aldric announced, his chest puffed out with a textbook display of aristocratic pride.
"Today marks a momentous occasion for the House of Raith. We gather tonight to celebrate the coming-of-age of my son, Jin Raith, who has not only reached his eighteen years but has also brought immense honor to our lineage by securing the second rank among the elite prodigies of the Royal Academy!"
A polite, thunderous wave of applause rippled through the crowd. I walked up to the pedestal on cue, keeping my facial expressions completely flat and perfectly controlled.
Yeah yeah, bloat all you want.
The customary ceremony proceeded like clockwork. The cake was wheeled out, the formal cuts were made, and toasts were raised in my name.
The moment the official mandatory proceedings concluded, the rigid structure of the banquet immediately dissolved.
The music swelled back to life, and the hundreds of attending nobles fractured into smaller, tight-knit circles, eagerly returning to their hushed gossips, political bartering, and social maneuvering.
I stepped away from the pedestal, looking for an opportunity to slip back toward Mathew’s section of the floor. But before I could even turn around, a sharp, irritated sigh cut through the air nearby.
I glanced over my shoulder.
Cassandra was walking away from a large, suffocating cluster of young noblemen, women and high-ranking socialites who had clearly been fawning over her every word.
She looked breathtakingly regal, completely dominating the visual space of the ballroom.
She wore a stunning, form-fitting evening gown made of heavy, midnight-black silk that pooled elegantly around her ankles, contrasted sharply by an intricate silver corset that mirrored the sharp lines of her icy personality.
Her cold, pristine silver hair was partially pinned up with hairpins, leaving a few sharp strands to frame her flawless, pale face.
She paused near a passing waiter, smoothly lifting a goblet of wine from the silver tray, her movements carrying the natural, unbothered arrogance of a true apex predator.
I blinked, momentarily caught off guard, before violently shaking my head to clear my thoughts.
Why the fuck am I spacing out and analyzing my own sister’s appearance?
Right on cue, as if sensing my gaze, her piercing grey eyes snapped over and locked directly onto me.
"Oh, you finally decided to step down from your pedestal," Cassandra said, her cool voice cutting through the nearby chatter as she walked directly toward me.
She stopped just a foot away, swirling the amber liquid in her glass. Her icy gaze slowly dragged from my polished boots all the way up to my high collar, examining my tailored doublet with a critical, heavily judging eye.
Before I could even formulate a dry response to her judging gaze, the ambient noise in our immediate vicinity suddenly dipped.
The dense crowd of nobles near the center of the ballroom began to part like a synchronized wave, clearing a wide path.
Walking down the center of the opening was a young man with sharp, golden hair and an meticulously tailored cream-colored military dress uniform pinned with imperial medals.
He was flanked on both sides by a small entourage of high-ranking noblewomen, all of them giggling and vying desperately for his attention.
It was Prince Leonard, the third prince of the empire.
He had a polished, effortlessly charming smile plastered across his face, but his eyes held the distinct, calculating sharpness of a royal who knew exactly how much power his title carried.
He stopped directly in front of us, smoothly dismissing his flock of admirers with a casual wave of his hand.
"Lord Raith’s shining stars," Prince Leonard greeted, his voice rich and perfectly projected as he offered a polite, shallow nod.
"Happy birthday, Jin. Your sudden rise at the Academy has caught the attention of the palace. It seems the House of Raith hides its truest weapons deeply."
"Your Highness honors me," I replied, dipping into a flawless, perfectly calculated aristocratic bow.
Leonard’s eyes lingered on me for a fraction of a second before shifting entirely over to Cassandra. His smile widened, turning noticeably warmer, though his gaze remained predatory.
"And Lady Cassandra... as breathtaking as always. The ballroom practically freezes in your presence."
Cassandra didn’t flinch. She merely raised her crystal glass, her expression remaining completely unbothered, like a glacier looking at a puddle.
"Your Highness is too kind."
"The music is perfect tonight, and it would be a personal tragedy to let it go to waste,"
Prince Leonard continued smoothly, stepping forward and extending a white-gloved hand toward her.
"May I have the honor of the first dance, Lady Cassandra?"
The nearby nobles held their breath, practically waiting for her to swoon at the royal request. It was a massive political statement.
Instead, Cassandra didn’t even glance at his extended hand.
Without a single second of hesitation, her cool, silk-gloved fingers suddenly shot out and firmly gripped my right hand, her fingers interlacing with mine with surprising, unyielding force.
"I am deeply honored by the offer, Your Highness," Cassandra said, her voice smooth, level, and utterly dripping with a polite, absolute frost.
"But I’m afraid I am already taken for this evening’s opening arrangement."
Before Prince Leonard’s charming smile could even finish freezing on his face, Cassandra sharply pivoted on her heel.
Using her tight grip on my hand, she forcefully yanked me sideways, dragging a thoroughly baffled and utterly stunned me straight out of the royal circle and toward the less crowded edges of the ballroom.
I didn’t say a word as my boots clicked rapidly against the marble to keep up with her sudden, aggressive stride. Internally, my brain was short-circuiting.
What the hell is she playing at?