Chapter 45: Blanc Family Meeting
The room was quiet.
It was luxurious, yes. Befitting of a Noble Family that was heralded as one of the only six in the entire Vampire State. It had a backdrop of lustrous white, like a land of snow, with diamond and marble carvings that gave it a shimmering allure.
Gold and hints of black provided sharp contrasts, creating an atmosphere of pure majesty.
Within its vast expanse was a large rectangular dining table, with pristine chairs arranged on either side. At the head of the table, occupying the seat of honor, was a man with lustrous white hair and gleaming golden eyes.
He seemed to be carved from perfection itself.
His noble demeanor and the way he ate his meal were elegant beyond description.
The same could be said about the woman who sat to his right, occupying one side of the vast table. She had sparkling pink eyes and skin so delicate it felt like you could scoop it up and eat it like cream.
These were the Blanc Family Head Couple.
— Lord Karl Ernix Von Blanc and Lady Melissa Dinah Vi Blanc!
These two were cousins, but to preserve their bloodline—as was a common practice among Nobles—they decided to get married.
They had imagined that this union would give them the most powerful Blanc to exist in recent history. However, the Ancient God of Eternal Night must have chosen to give them the opposite, so they ended up with Richard Lamperouge Von Blanc.
Speaking of Richard, he was at his father’s left, seated exactly opposite his mother.
This was the first time such a thing had happened.
In fact, he was quite nervous.
’I’ve never had breakfast with my parents in such proximity before. Even the few times we ate together, I would be at the furthest end of the table...’
Richard had many thoughts going through his mind, so he barely touched his meal.
Instead, he glanced suspiciously at his parents.
’Fuck, they’re so beautiful!’
Just why wasn’t he born with their more dominant genes?
It simply wasn’t fair!
He was like an ugly duckling in their midst.
Even though he had tried very hard to be presentable for this meeting, putting on his most luxurious outfit and even donning accessories that he didn’t really prefer, it still felt like he was a commoner in their presence.
’But Neia said I look great, so that has to count for something, right?’
Richard had to wonder about that.
His only friend in this world was Neia, but sometimes she could be too enthusiastic. Even if he told her not to be biased, she would still rate him very highly.
He couldn’t rely on her assessment.
’Oh well...’ Richard sighed as he absentmindedly played with his fork.
"Is there something wrong with your food?" His father’s calm, but deep voice suddenly graced his ears. "You’ve hardly touched it."
For a moment, Richard shivered.
He wasn’t expecting such a direct question before—especially from his father.
"E-erm, nothing is wrong..."
He began to scarf down the meal in order to prove his point, but nearly choked and had to slow down because of it. His parents watched this strange behavior with calm expressions, but they shook their heads a little—most likely in disappointment.
’I guess I wasn’t exactly acting like a Noble, huh?’ He grumbled in silence. ’But I had to show some excitement, else they would fire the entire staff responsible for this meal. Image is really important to Nobles, which means they will not tolerate any insult to the meal.’
By doing this, he had saved the jobs of these workers.
Unfortunately, they wouldn’t be aware of what he did for them.
That wasn’t why he helped them, though.
’Why did they suggest this breakfast? I’m guessing they heard of my accomplishments in the Rouge Family’s Naming Ceremony five days ago. They now see how awesome I am and have decided to treat me like their son, is that it?’
Richard felt a kind of disgust welling up in his heart.
Unlike Neia, who absolutely despised her own Noble heritage, Richard couldn’t say that he hated his parents or even wanted revenge for how they treated him.
He didn’t like them either.
However, he recognized that he needed to freeload on them until he could stand on his own.
Once he could be fully independent, he would abandon them with no second thoughts. He would act the same way they did, by sparing them no consideration.
Although Kin Recognition told him that they were his parents... he didn’t accept it in his heart.
The only real parents he had were on Earth.
And now they were gone.
"I’m sure you’re wondering why we called you to have breakfast..." His father proceeded after concluding his meal, setting it aside while dabbing his barely oily lips with a napkin.
Richard didn’t speak.
He simply nodded, his gaze as calm as possible.
"For one, we’d like to congratulate you on your achievements in the Rouge Family’s Naming Ceremony. Words of your exploits reached our ears, so we’ve decided to reward you, as is the standard of nobility."
’Reward me... with breakfast?’ Richard almost blurted out.
"Naturally, it took some time to prepare the reward, which is why we had to wait five days before it could be procured. However, in that time, some developments have occurred, and we thought it best to let you know." Karl stared blankly at Richard while speaking.
His tone didn’t waver for a moment.
It remained deep, authoritative, and filled with Noble grace.
Richard almost felt overwhelmed by just how polished his way of speaking was.
He was determined to mimic it when he returned to his room.
"For one, we’ve been given quite a few engagement offers from various families. The most attractive offers are from the Noir Family, the Jaune Family, and the Bleu Family."
"W-what? Am I not already engaged?"
"You can be engaged to multiple people, though you’ll have to choose one in the end. This is common Noble knowledge. I’m surprised you don’t know about it."
’Maybe it’s because you people didn’t give me the appropriate education?’
Richard kept his thoughts to himself as he maintained silence.
He knew other Noble families home-schooled their children—placing special emphasis on their heirs—before they went to the Academy. However, none of such consideration was shown to him. Everything he had learned was due to his own efforts, as well as the help of the maids who practically raised him since he was an infant.
’Speaking of those maids, I have no clue where they are now. Did they die?’
Setting aside those thoughts, he returned to the conversation.
"S-so the Noir Family sent another engagement invitation? Does that mean my engagement with Selica has been annulled?" Richard asked, a slightly relieved smile forming on his face.
Unfortunately, his father shook his head.
"Your ’Main’ will still be Selica Magicula Vi Noir, but you’ll also be engaged to her older sister, Mira Uriel Vi Noir. In addition, you’ll be engaged to Liliana Winifred Vi Jaune as a way to take responsibility for the humiliation you dealt to her in the ceremony. Finally, the Bleu Family has also stretched out a friendly hand by offering their second-oldest daughter, who is currently a first-year student in the Academy. Her name is..."
’The Bleu Family,’ Richard suddenly frowned upon hearing those words
’That will be a problem.’
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