Chapter 11: The Lady's Banquet

Compared to the widely celebrated 'Bloody Rose' Lady Elizabeth, her husband, Marquis Dibia Knyushar, seemed relatively obscure. Felix knew very little about him, only vaguely aware that Marquis Dibia was the former "Silver Knight" and an exceptionally skilled painter.

Three years ago, the Titans Empire and the Saturn Empire clashed in the 'Vulture Plains Battle'. In this minor territorial dispute, the Titans Empire audaciously raided the Saturn Empire's hinterland with a mage squadron, successfully incinerating the enemy's food supplies and ultimately securing their victory.

Regrettably, during the battle, a knight regiment was encircled and entirely wiped out by the Saturn Empire's elite unit, "Axe of the Barbarians". It was in this conflict that Marquis Dibia met his end.

Lady Elizabeth rose to prominence in the year following Marquis Dibia's death. At that time, the Knyushar lineage was so thin that there were no direct heirs to inherit the title.

It was then that Lady Elizabeth stepped forward. She first used a significant amount of Caesar gold coins to influence the council. Following that, she adeptly won over a few of her deceased husband's comrades. In the end, with the identity of "Beloved of the Goddess of Love," Venus, she inherited the Marquis title, thus acquiring the designation of Marchioness.

After inheriting her husband's assets, Lady Elizabeth displayed unparalleled political acumen. She won over a faction of the military's emerging nobility who were close allies of her husband. Through cunning strategies, she constructed a base dominated by this new military nobility.

Beauty and wisdom were her prime assets. In just two short years, with ruthlessly efficient tactics, she garnered the support of the military elite. And finally, through her status as a close friend of Queen Angelina, she obtained the position of Financial Advisor directly from the emperor.

The meteoric rise of the 'Bloody Rose' has always been hailed as legendary.

.....

Felix hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to wear the finely tailored tailcoat.

It puzzled Felix that Lady Elizabeth had sent over her late husband's favorite attire. Unless Lady Elizabeth had a very poor relationship with her husband, she wouldn't gift his beloved clothing to a mere 'toy'.

"But the rumors say Lady Elizabeth had a great relationship with her husband..." Felix shook his head, dismissing the futile speculation. Women's minds are hard to fathom, especially the thoughts of a mature and intelligent woman which are ever-changing.

Wisely, Felix decided to abandon such a mentally taxing contemplation. While he was adept at analyzing situations, he was rather lacking in understanding women.

Being tall and slender due to his quarter-elven lineage, Felix had a very fair complexion. This even made Salma, who was helping him change, slightly envious.

Once dressed in the slightly oversized tailcoat, Felix looked somewhat comical. Regardless of his matured mind, his body was still that of a fourteen-year-old boy. Even if his physique was leaner and more elongated than other boys his age, he still couldn't match up to an adult male.

Ever since Felix donned the tailcoat, Salma's gaze towards him seemed peculiar, as if she wanted to laugh but was holding back.

The spacious hall was illuminated by fourteen deep red aromatic candles, a luxury item with a high price tag. Its soothing fragrance was much loved by wealthy nobles with refined taste.

What surprised Felix on the expensive goldenrod wooden dining table was an exquisitely appetizing large cake. Even from a distance, he could smell its tantalizing aroma, and the strawberry slices decorating its edges tempted him greatly.

When Lady Elizabeth's eyes landed on Felix, she appeared momentarily stunned before her lips curled into a captivating smile. The tall and elegant female knight sitting next to her, however, let out a spontaneous and undignified chuckle.

Despite trying to maintain composure, Felix inadvertently showed a look of annoyance when Catherine laughed. Perhaps due to his own conclusions, Felix harbored a slight resentment towards these two women who treated him as an amusing 'toy'.

Lonely men are inherently proud at their core; they loathe being belittled, especially by the opposite gender!

Felix took a seat to the right of Lady Elizabeth, bowing slightly in respect to the distinguished Marchioness. He then shot a disdainful glance at the tall female knight.

He knew this knight named Catherine was Lady Elizabeth's personal guard. Her status in the mansion was only second to Lady Elizabeth, so all he could do was express his displeasure with a glare.

The hint of amusement on Lady Elizabeth's slightly upturned lips shone in the dim light. Her face, both exquisite and charming, was enhanced by a misty allure. Her fair, delicate hands, covered in white lace gloves with silver trim and rose petal patterns, looked utterly regal.

Lifting her enamelled crystal goblet, Lady Elizabeth, regal as a queen, looked at Felix with hazy and enchanting eyes and softly said, "Happy Birthday to our charming little kitten."

"Kitten? Happy Birthday? Wait! Happy Birthday!?"

Felix was stunned.

"Me? Birthday? Today?!" The words of Lady Elizabeth brought back distant memories to Felix. If he wasn't mistaken, today, August 17th, was the birthday of the body he inhabited now, also known in legends as one's birthday.

A birthday for Felix was something from a very distant past. He usually spent it alone and most of the time forgot his own birth date.

In fact, since coming to this world, he had completely forgotten the concept of a birthday. He was just an illegitimate child, a mixed-blood product left by a half-elf female slave. No one cared about his feelings, let alone his birthday.

Even in the eyes of his father, Count Visak Fairmuth, he was just an unexpected result.

The cunning and ruthless "Glasses Viper" would only think about maximizing his usefulness but would never remember his birthday.

Felix felt warmth in his heart, the first time he felt such warmth since arriving in this world. Whether Lady Elizabeth was genuine or feigning, or if she simply wanted to tease the 'kitten' before her, it didn't matter. What mattered was that she did it, and Felix was celebrating his first birthday in this world.

Felix was inexplicably moved, an unfamiliar bittersweet feeling rose from his heart.

He took a deep breath, stood up with respect, and under the slightly surprised gaze of Lady Elizabeth, he took her delicate hand and gently kissed it. Then he said, "My lady, I apologize for my earlier speculations and I'm grateful."

After a brief moment of surprise, Lady Elizabeth regained her composure. She originally just wanted to comfort the poor little kitten abandoned by Fairmuth but did not expect Felix's reaction to be so intense.

A slight blush colored Lady Elizabeth's charming face. Perhaps it was because of Felix's sudden gesture or perhaps because he had guessed her previous thoughts and she was shy.

After instructing the servants to serve the delicacies, she quietly leaned closer to Catherine and whispered in a voice only they could hear, "Our adorable kitten is smarter than we anticipated. Don't you think such a delicious treat needs to be savored slowly?"

The outwardly cold but inwardly wicked female knight raised her exquisite eyebrows, suggesting, "Perhaps we can train him slowly..."

Under the dim candlelight, Felix couldn't see the beautiful eyes of Lady Elizabeth that shone with a peculiar glint. All he felt was an inexplicable chill...