{12} Empresses Banquet! [3]

"Business partners?" The Earl repeated out of shock.

"Haha, relax Earl Louis, people might begin to look over if you're going to raise your voice often!" Leon warned cheerfully, maintaining his joyful exterior appearance.

Cough* Cough*

"Forgive me, I was just caught by surprise by your remark!" The Earl spoke slightly embarrassed, his cheeks even flushed slightly red.

[So this always serious looking dude, has this side to him as well!] Leon smiled even brighter at the fact that the Earl was still capable of showing emotions even if he tried to hide it behind a cough. He had seen way too many people in his kind of situation close themselves off to the world and resort to the worst version of themselves, cold ruthless men.

"Nonsense, now shall we talk more about my proposition before the banquet livens up?" Leon spoke as he got back to the business at hand.

Truthfully, he was pushed for time since he knew the Empress would catch his actions as soon as she entered the main hall.

"Hmmm, yes, of course, I can imagine that your circumstances call for that!" The Earl catching on nodded and preceded to listen attentively.

"Well my proposition is simple, I wish for you to become my number one guy in the capital merchant association!" Leon spoke calmly and confidently, almost as if he hadn't truly put much thought behind his current actions.

Earl Louis Coventry widened his eyes to the nonchalant comment the youngest prince had just casually mentioned. He wanted to shout out that the prince was playing a prank but having to be mindful of his situation he just remained quiet, meanwhile his mind was thrown into utter chaos.

"Believe me, Earl, this deal will change your life. That's how much confidence I have in my capabilities. And although it means that you will have to work for me, I hope you can make your decision based on the 'prince' before you as opposed to the rumours you hear."

"And if you really do wish to accept that fact, then we can speak about the details over tea in private! My only hope is that you give the matter some serious thought."

Finishing all he needed to say, Leon just stayed silent and locked eyes with the Earl. He wanted to create an impression of how serious he was about this whole situation and make sure that was something the Earl picked up on too.

After all, this step of his plan could be called relatively insane. However, Leon was forced into a corner at the moment and he needed a way to break down the walls around him. The only thing he could come up with was to take a gamble on the Earl taking a liking to him and choosing to work with him without any ulterior motives.

Since if this step backfire and say the Earl chose to reject Leon's proposal and 'accidentally' leak this conversation. Well, it could cause his life to grow even more difficult. Still, it was a chance that Leon had thought about and decided to take...

The Earl stayed silent for a few breaths of time as he inspected the youngest prince. Many thoughts passed through his mind. Initially, he wanted to outright reject the prince as him being a foolish child. But, the more he gave the situation some thought, the more he began to grow a liking to the prince's character.

Close to 14 years of age and already has this much maturity...

Ability to scheme and hid so deeply under everyone's noses...

After adding everything up, Earl Louis Coventry came to one conclusion, the youngest prince is a hidden dragon that almost everyone is unaware of.

And when he realised that fact, he couldn't stop a smile from blooming on his almost always deadpan expression. "It seems the youngest prince is going to have to invite me to tea at another date!"

Hearing the positive reply, Leon exhaled in relief before replying "Hahaha, well the Earl doesn't have to stay so formal in the future, just call me Leon! And as for the tea, my butler Ren here will be in touch!"

The Earl restored his serious expression and nodded to express his understanding before he excused himself. "Good day my prince, enjoy the rest of the banquet!"

They had already spoken for a few minutes more than they should have and if they didn't separate soon the rest of the nobles would begin to question their relationship.

*****

Ren and Leon were left next to the drinks station as Leon took the chance to pick up a glass of refreshment in the form of juice. He could drink alcohol like the others since there weren't any regulations against it but his master always said that alcohol made you slow, so Leon had grown used to not drinking it often.

And in this sort of situation where he was practically at 'war', he definitely wouldn't.

"Ren, make sure you send a letter of invitation privately to the Earl when we return to the palace later! Make it dated for tomorrow or the day after if possible..." Leon spoke in between sips as he made his way back to the centre of the main hall.

Ren didn't reply out loud but he heard the young master and noted his words down to complete later on.

[Now with step one out of the way, I can just wait for my sister to arrive before having fun for a while!] Leon looked refreshed after one of his main goals of the night had been achieved. It was definitely the hardest one and the most difficult to complete successfully. So getting it out of the way so quickly was a weight lifted off his shoulders for sure.

And if by on queue, as soon as he mentioned waiting for his sister, the royal band ceased their playing. Everyone noble realising this fact, grew silent as they finished their current conversation.

A man approached the stage of the royal band, he was dressed in fine clothes of silk and cloth. His clothes also held the insignia of the royal family showing that he had some affiliation with them. He confidently took the centre of the stage and spoke loudly for all to hear, "Please welcome the main guests of the evening! The Emperor and the Empress!!!"

After he finished speaking he bowed deeply towards the top of the grand staircase on the opposite side of the main hall, drawing everyone's attention. The royal band played their welcoming music proudly as the grand doors opened.

A group of people exited the doors at the top of the stairs but what was noticeable was that two individuals were at the front leading the people behind.

These two were the Emperor and the Empress.

As soon as the nobles saw their appearance they followed the social etiquette and performed a bow. They didn't even raise their heads until the Emperor himself told them otherwise.

Leon was also performing this etiquette even though he was royal family. Since nobody was of higher status than the Emperor. Still, he didn't bow as deep as others to show his standing clearly.

The Emperor took this chance to scan the entire room and look towards the number of 'subjects' that attended. He also took this chance to discipline the nobles as he left them bowing longer than normal. Nothing too major as that would cause problems at the Empresses Banqeut.

After a few seconds passed, he spoke with a majestic aura, "Be at ease, everyone is here to attend the Empresses banquet, so relax and enjoy your time here at the main palace!" His speech was short but it expressed his stance towards this occasion. He wasn't looking for anything too special to happen today. It was the Empress's choice to throw this occasion and not his, so he wasn't in the mood for showing off. And finally, the fact that he called the Empress, 'the Empress' instead of 'my wife' showed the subtle distance between the two of them.

Of course, nobody would be stupid enough to speak about these hidden meanings amongst themselves but they were definitely perceived.

[That man is way too boring! Seriously does he not know how to take a day off?] Leon scoffed inwardly while looking at his father at the top of the grand staircase.

His father had bright blonde hair and blood-red eyes. A trait of the royal family by the way. His face although looking slightly tired still showed his youthful appearance. He was a man of middle-age and had a large psychical build, clearly, he had learned the path of a Knight since young. His robes and suit were golden and extremely expensive, but he wore the clothes like they were normal. It was obvious he had the demeanour of a king!

As for the Empress next to him, she also heard the speech from the king and was angry at the choice of his words but didn't dare to show her true feelings. Instead, she chose to smile and inspect the room for people she knew and controlled.

Seeing the many high-class nobles she was overjoyed, this would surely be a chance for her son to increase his social status for his goal of succession to the throne!

However, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something that put a damper on her high spirits. And she couldn't help but mutter underneath her breath, "What is that boy doing here?"

She was looking straight towards Leon!