A Warning

Sebastian didn't sleep at all. The banquet would happen at night so he still had time to rest. That warning Blue Rose gave out wasn't something he could take likely, even if he wanted to.

"That third seat told me that they wanted to recruit me. If that was really what they wanted, then it'd only be natural that they wouldn't want any danger to befall me until I'm part of the organization. Are they just talking about Gilbert?"

Would he use an attack that 'accidentally' kills me?

"No, it seems far too simple for a warning..."

Sebastian racked his brains but couldn't come up with anything.

It wasn't until Martha asked him to go down and eat food did he return from his thoughts. He had a tendency to think for hours while forgetting his condition and situation.

Seeing as how he sat on his desk the entire early morning, Sebastian gave a dry chuckle.

"My behind is sore."

...

Sebastian went out of the house. He had wanted to find the Blue Rose's base but he had no time so he decided to keep the warning for later. For now, he had to meet with his father.

The hallway leading to Jonathan's office was empty. Sebastian knocked on the door twice before he heard his father's coolly voice as per usual.

"Father," Sebastian bowed once before walking over to the desk where his father was doing some paperwork.

Jonathan didn't respond to him but he was used to it. Sebastian sat down on the chair in front of Jonathan and waited.

He didn't have to wait long.

"Are you confident about your victory later?" Jonathan asked. It was only natural for him to ask that. He had invested his money into Sebastian and if he couldn't produce results, then the last three months of funding were just a waste.

Sebastian understood the reason he was asking but he didn't feel the need to lie, "no. Even if you gave me another month, I wouldn't be certain about being able to defeat him."

Jonathan was about to talk again but Sebastian spoke and cut him off.

"But even if I'm not certain about winning, I won't lose so easily."

Jonathan glanced at Sebastian once. The fire in his eyes burned ever so bright.

"...If you win, I'll help you finalize a marriage with the House of Luna's daughter. If you win and propose the marriage first, at least."

Sebastian's eyes widened.

He wanted to ask a lot of things but one thing came first. Sebastian stood up from his seat and bowed deeply, "thank you, father."

Jonathan gave him a groan of acknowledgment before sending him off.

"Bring my present to your mother, you can ask the butler in the room to the left."

Even though Sebastian had been interacting with Jonathan for sixteen years, he really couldn't tell what his father was thinking. His marriage with Clarice definitely wasn't because he would benefit, Clarice's family, the Wardes, were wealthy, but not enough to warrant a marriage from a major house.

Sebastian felt that it was because Jonathan truly loved Clarice but he could never tell for sure. He could count the number of expressions his father had shown him with one hand. Was Jonathan different when it came to Clarice?

Nevertheless, Sebastian never hated his father, only afraid. Jonathan had never once scorned him but the terrifying pressure he emitted caused them to drift apart.

"I will," Sebastian closed the door behind him and took the present home with him.

He had done all he could to prepare.

...

Once he arrived home, Sebastian slept until the afternoon. Then, he began to get dressed in a suit. He also brought a spare change of clothes for the duel. Although the major houses—save for the House of Leon—weren't nobility, it didn't mean that they were any lesser.

There were socialites, tea parties, women who loved gossip, and power struggles. The world they lived in was the same as nobility, except that power reigned supreme over wealth. Assassinations were frequent and though looked down upon, weren't grounds for a huge scandal.

Noblewomen loved to dress in trendy clothes and wear new accessories, and that culture was passed onto the 『Inheritors』 and those who wore old clothes were gossiped about. Though Amy didn't seem like it, she also fusses about the dresses she wears often and Sebastian, being the one closest to her, always gets dragged into it.

Sebastian chose one of the new suits that he had personally gotten altered at the tailor. Although he didn't have much time to spare during the month, he at least made sure not to make a disgrace of his family before the duel. Although the women were more fussy about clothes in style than the men, he couldn't just outright wear the same suit he's had for years.

"This should be alright," Sebastian fixed his cravat in front of the mirror one more time before heading out. This year, he was the sole person from his branch of the family to attend the banquet. Clarice was already three months pregnant and Jonathan forbid her from joining this year.

She was only three months pregnant and still had some leeway to attend a simple banquet but because of Sebastian's duel, she couldn't. She was one of the few people who didn't know.

"Young master, don't forget your invitation," Sebastian took hold of the invitation that Jonathan prepared for him and sucked in a breath. There would be no turning back after tonight. Whether he won or lost, his daily life and interactions with others, they would all change tomorrow.

...

Sebastian arrived later than the starting time but it was on purpose, there was no benefit to being eager. The duel would happen at the end of the banquet.

"...Sir Sebastian Sol, your invitation is confirmed. Please step in."

The look on the doorman's face when he saw Sebastian's name was as Sebastian expected. His name should be known around the capital as the person who challenged Gilbert, went missing, and then came back after causing a huge fuss.

As soon as he stepped into the venue, the people attending focused their gazes on him and began whispering. It wasn't of ill-intent, however. Everyone was naturally curious about why Sebastian was able to cause such stirs.

The first thing that Sebastian did was to find his father. He should have already arrived at the party.

There weren't many people at the banquet. The four major houses were in the end, just people tied by blood. Their numbers were nothing compared to the kingdom.

Sebastian found his father and greeted him. Until the banquet ended, he had nothing to do. Amy was most likely in the venue but as the successor to the House of Luna, she was definitely interacting with the other houses.

When Jonathan finished speaking with the man in front of him, he turned to Sebastian, "your weapons are going to be given to you when the duel starts. If you have anything else to use during the duel, then you should go prepare them now."

Sebastian looked at Jonathan in surprise. He hadn't told anyone about the potion or the bone under armor that he had. He had only given the black bow, knives, and light armor.

"Go to the end of the hall on the left and then open the door to your right, you'll find a man there who will get your items in without going through inspection."

It was possible for Gilbert to have planted spies to see if Sebastian had any trump cards. Sebastian also realized it. That was why he only sent his normal gear to Gilbert.

Sebastian nodded his head and followed his father's instructions. The hallway wasn't very dark but there weren't many people and when he reached the end, there were no people at all.

Sebastian opened the designated room and saw a man in a suit.

"Greetings," the man spoke. His gaze seemed to pierce through Sebastian's thoughts and into his soul.

Sebastian hesitated. Who wouldn't?

But, he still decided to go through with it. He trusted Jonathan. Although his father was terrifying, not once had he ever harmed Sebastian and Sebastian believed that he wouldn't start now.

"Take this and bring it to the carriage. All of the things I need are inside a bag, it should be the only one there."

Sebastian handed the man his crest. It signified his authority as the son of the house head. Being in the crest's presence was the same as being in front of Sebastian. Although it sounded extravagant, his crest really didn't serve as anything other than to prove his identity.

"It will be in this room right before the duel. The door will be left unlocked so you may come to pick it up."

The man bowed his head and Sebastian turned around to leave. Just as Sebastian was about to go away completely, the man spoke again, "do understand the letter's warnings. This banquet isn't as harmless as you think."

"You-?!" Sebastian turned his body as fast as he could but what he saw was an empty room.

Was he connected to Blue Rose? Did that mean his father was connected as well?

Sebastian's mind spun looking for answers but because he knew that it wouldn't prove useful to find out at this point in time, shook his head and put his thoughts to the back of his mind. He had to focus on the duel.

Sebastian headed back to the room his father was in. The party would last for four hours at most.

—You seem calm about the duel.

Four hours until my fate is decided.

"Calm? Do I really?"

Four hours to see if I'll be separated from my light.

Sebastian shrugged his shoulders, "it's because I have something to protect."

And, four hours until I have to kick Gilbert's ass.