Chapter 86: The Elaborate Display

The following day, a ceremonial vehicle of the Moore family arrived before Bliss’s private residence, emblazoned side-by-side with the distinctive crest reserved for direct descendants of the Moore family and the Swan family’s crest, signifying their role in the family’s ceremonial affairs.

“Lord Bliss Moore, you must take a separate vehicle.”

A woman bearing a striking resemblance to Arthur Swan politely halted Bliss as he moved to enter the vehicle beside Ethan, prompting Bliss’s lips to twist into a wry smile.

“Even when the royal family dispatched Arthur Swan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Guard, they didn’t put on such an ostentatious display of formality. Are the Elders truly intent on displeasing His Majesty?”

Five luxury cars, their pearlescent finishes reminiscent of fine pearls, arrived in a convoy, deliberately obscuring which vehicle carried the guest of honor.

The extravagant procession drew the eager gaze of Ashilton City.

Smaller gossip publications competed to report that the Moore family appeared to be holding an official gathering. Observing the movement from the private residence of the Moore family’s next head to the main family estate, they speculated, with surprising accuracy, that the meeting’s subject must concern Bliss Moore’s Guide, Ethan Prescott.

Morgan Swan, Arthur Swan’s twin sister, feigned guiding him to another vehicle, all the while whispering as they walked.

“The Elders and vassals are lying in wait, Brother. They harbor resentment towards the royal family for attempting to meddle in the Moore family’s marital affairs twice in a row. This elaborate ceremonial procession today is meant to convey that very message.”

The irony was that his own mother, Marchioness Annabelle Moore, who had entered the Moore family under royal marriage decree, applying pressure to the family, had actively fanned this resentment and gathered support.

“If it were merely about resentment, Mother’s instigation wouldn’t have worked. Stay by Ethan’s side, Morgan.”

When someone from within the family received the Swan family’s ceremonial escort, they were not permitted to bring personal guards. Bliss surmised that the Elders’ elaborate preparations for this procession undoubtedly harbored ulterior motives regarding this rule, and thus entrusted Ethan to Morgan.

Ethan swallowed hard as Bliss, who had intended to ride with him, was directed to a different vehicle.

‘He had contemplated visiting the Moore family’s main estate, where Bliss had been born and raised, but he had never imagined arriving in such a manner.’

‘Having to face all the esteemed elders of the family on his very first visit, his initial impression of the Moore estate was unlikely to escape the taint of ‘unpleasantness’.’

Click.

The door of the car, designed with a classic aesthetic, gently opened, and Morgan entered.

“I am Morgan Swan, Arthur’s twin sister. You may simply call me Morgan.”

“Twins?”

“I was born about six minutes after him. Mother often joked that Arthur and I were in a ’69’ position in her womb. I was the ‘9’.”

“S-s-sixty-nine…”

Ethan momentarily stammered at the mischievous joke delivered in such a refined voice.

She let out a hearty laugh, then, listening to a voice through her earpiece, signaled for the car to depart.

With a slight vibration, the car began to move smoothly.

“It might seem grand, but we’re only moving within Ashilton, so it won’t take too long.”

Thanks to her joke, Ethan, feeling his tension ease slightly, let his shoulders relax.

“It seems there are more people than I thought who aren’t pleased about Bliss gaining a Guide.”

Morgan’s eyes widened slightly. ‘Hadn’t he been described as a commoner?’

“…Everyone here has desperately awaited Lord Bliss’s Guide.”

Of course, this sentiment was only expressed due to their firm belief that his Guide would never appear, but there was no need to disclose the rotten, intricate internal affairs or relationships.

Just as the royal family presented an image of a harmonious household to the imperial citizens, all Aitoolian nobles were expected to maintain an outward facade of peace within their families. At least, outwardly.

Ethan offered a brief, understanding smile, then deftly changed the subject.

“So, are you also an Esper, Morgan? I’ve heard that sometimes twins manifest as an Esper and a Guide in tandem.”

“Our parents were quite disappointed that neither of us manifested as a Guide. I still have a young nine-year-old brother, but I hope he turns out ordinary.”

Welcoming the change in topic, Morgan replied lightly.

“You have such a young brother?”

Curiosity sparked in Ethan’s eyes. The age gap was nearly twenty years.

“Yes. And, of course, we are all full-blooded siblings, from the same mother. There are two half-siblings in between, but for some reason, Father later started doting on our mother, his legitimate wife, again.”

“…”

Ethan’s mouth fell open in a daze. ‘The more he asked, the more questions arose, yet he felt compelled to stop, fearing what other shocking revelations might emerge.’

****

The grand estate of the Moore family bore a resemblance to that of the Cloud family. Upon entering, the sight of numerous buildings encircling the main house, akin to a small village or city, was similar, yet its scale was grander, and every structure exuded an imposing majesty.

The sight of Baroque-era architecture, seemingly plucked from ancient texts, was enough to create the illusion of time travel, but the seamlessly integrated, state-of-the-art systems barely managed to dispel such fantasies.

Still inside the moving car, even after passing through the main gates, Morgan kindly offered an explanation.

“The estate in the capital allows vassals and key branch families, whose own territories are far away and who conduct business in the capital, to use individual annexes as their temporary residences, with the head of the family’s consent.”

“Ah… So that’s why official meetings, like those of the Elders, can be arranged relatively easily.”

While prominent families like the Swans possessed their own separate residences, the frequent presence of heads and key personnel from geographically distant territorial families at the Ashilton estate inevitably boosted efficiency.

As Ethan stepped out of the car, Bliss, who had evidently arrived in the leading vehicle and was already waiting, reached out and took his hand.

“Nothing will happen.”

“That sounds more like ‘something will happen’.”

Ethan watched Bliss, who, while feigning to speak to him, subtly winked at Sawol and Mangnyang, who had appeared a little earlier, and let out a faint sigh.

While it was a relief that Bliss, now able to see ghosts, wasn’t startled by them, it was the fact that they got along so well that Ethan found himself struggling to adapt to.

‘Had they perhaps promised him an entire cow’s liver?’

With a guess bordering on certainty, Ethan narrowed his eyes.

He put down his tablet, underwent a body search, and then a vein scan. Sawol’s task was to ensure that, despite these rigorous security procedures, any unauthorized cameras or recording devices that might have been secretly installed inside the meeting room were utterly destroyed by any means necessary.

Upon entering the meeting room, Bliss swallowed a scoff that threatened to escape.

Esper barriers were activated, layering themselves around the highest seat, reserved for the family head. This was the very seat he was to occupy today, in place of the absent Marquis Douglas Moore.

Finding it pathetic that they were so afraid he might lose control merely by sitting on the elevated dais, much like a king, that they had wrapped it in layers of Esper barriers, he frowned slightly as he took Ethan’s hand and began to ascend the platform.

“…Where is Ethan’s chair?”

The family head presides over everyone from the dais. Below the dais was a large oval table where the Elders sat. Vassals were seated in rows on either side, but nowhere was there a chair for Ethan.

“Oh dear, I seem to have forgotten.”

From the section reserved for direct family members, excluding the family head and their spouse, Annabelle idly fanned herself and gestured to a busy servant who was pouring tea and arranging refreshments.

When the servant brought a chair and placed it in front of where the vassals were seated, the arrangement made it seem as if Ethan was being treated like a criminal.

‘Even the power struggles of those they called nobles were no different from commoners.’ Ethan entertained such thoughts idly, and then glanced at Bliss.

‘What are you going to do?’

Bliss, who had been closely observing his mother’s every action, let out a short laugh. His mother, who had given birth to him, seemed genuinely uninterested in him, believing she could control him with the Esper barriers diligently layered around the dais. Enjoying the persistent gaze of his Guide, he ascended the platform and took the family head’s seat.

*Whoosh—*

“Gasp!”

“Ack!”

Tea instantly surged from the teacups before each person, coalescing into a single form. The moment Ethan realized the yellow tea was forming the head of a dragon, he stifled a laugh and subtly lent a little power.

Ilwol, Ethan’s mischievous gwi who commanded blizzards and snowstorms, let out a soft snort and prowled around the meeting room. As the intricately controlled, rather magnificent dragon’s head opened its maw, an eerie chill permeated the air, causing the temperature in the room to plummet.

The tea-formed dragon’s head, having roared once, then separated back into individual drops, returning to their respective teacups as cold tea.

Bliss, having decisively crushed the first power struggle with an overwhelming display of ability, sat cross-legged on the dais with an arrogant air, and gestured with his chin towards those below.

“The chair. Next to me.”

*Gulp—*

The sound of someone swallowing echoed unusually loudly in the hushed meeting room.

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