Wuthering Waves: I Was Hired by Carlotta Montelli

"The banquet starts at eight o'clock tonight."

"You'd better not be late, got it?"

Carlotta's crisp voice came through the communicator before the call cut off.

Ray set the terminal gently back on the table and let his gaze wander around the living room, Anby was sprawled across the coffee table, wolfing down a bag of potato chips with its cheeks puffed out like a little chipmunk's.

Phrolova sat quietly at the other end of the sofa, eyes lowered as she turned the pages of her book, utterly indifferent to the world around her.

And Ciaccona? Unable to stand being cooped up, she had slipped out as soon as it was light.

Ray had invited her to tonight's banquet earlier, but all he'd gotten in return was an awkward, sheepish laugh and a scratch of her head.

"A banquet? I think I'll pass, haha. I'm really no good at handling all those stiff formalities."

"And besides, the Fisalia family and the Order are on pretty close terms. Someone there might just recognize me so if I went, wouldn't I just be walking right into the lion's den?"

She had a point. After all, Ciaccona's identity was rather… unique. It was best not to let her show up at that sort of occasion.

In that case… Should he invite Phrolova to come along?

"I'm not going."

But before he could even voice the thought, Phrolova, still looking down at her book, answered him quietly.

Ray could only sigh in exasperation. "I hadn't even asked yet."

"You were just about to," Phrolova replied.

"Why not come along? Don't you find it stifling, staying home all the time?" Ray pressed, unwilling to give up.

Phrolova's slender fingertip traced lightly over the cool page, and she turned it. "Not interested."

"Then tell me, what are you interested in?"

"What am I interested in?" At those words, Phrolova paused briefly. She gently closed the book, then lifted her head to look at him. "Yes, what am I interested in? Why don't you take a guess?"

"You guess whether I'll guess."

"You guess whether I'll guess whether you'll guess."

"…" Ray let out a long sigh and asked, "So, have you decided yet? Where do you want me to take you to clear your head?"

A thoughtful look crossed Phrolova's face. "Mm, I suppose I've more or less decided. This time, you won't stand me up again, will you?"

"Are you kidding? When have I ever stood you up? Anyway, I'll be waiting for your word then." Ray stood up and looked over at Anby. "It's about time. Let's get going, Anby."

"Eh, we're heading out already?" Anby floated up from the coffee table and rubbed its little tummy. "I'm so hungry right now. Can I grab something to eat before we go?"

"Still eating? Didn't you just wolf down all those snacks?"

Anby clasped its little paws together and declared with righteous indignation, "Snacks are snacks, and dinner is dinner! You can't lump the two together!"

"You little…" Ray rubbed the bridge of his nose, then said, "Relax, there'll be plenty of food at the banquet. You can eat as much as you want."

"Really? Hehe, then I'm really looking forward to it!"

…

…

Lights intertwined.

The banquet was held in the city's grandest main hall. Though it was a gathering hosted by the two great families, the Order had still seen fit to send a representative as a third party.

The Order had no desire to see a genuine reconciliation between Fisalia and Montelli. They needed Fisalia's power to keep the ever-expanding Montelli in check. If these two major forces were to truly join hands, it would inevitably shake the Order's deeply entrenched rule over Ragunna.

"Young Miss, I've arrived."

"Mm, you go ahead and do what you need to do. I'll take a stroll around on my own first."

Ray put away his terminal, his slender fingers smoothing out the faint creases in his formal attire.

He lifted his gaze toward the brilliantly lit main hall, where the glow of the crystal chandeliers scattered into a myriad of shimmering points across the polished floor.

Lilting string music and the fragrance of champagne drifted through the air, yet beneath all this glamour, unseen currents were silently stirring.

Hopefully, tonight's banquet would go off without a hitch.

With that, he stepped forward, calmly and unhurriedly melting into the dazzling bustle around him.

The atmosphere of the banquet was not as charged with tension as Ray had imagined.

Perhaps it was because not everyone in attendance belonged to the Fisalia and Montelli families, other influential factions in Ragunna had also sent their representatives.

Guests clustered in small groups, conversing in hushed tones, the crisp clink of crystal glasses punctuating the air from time to time.

The long table was laden with exquisite dishes, yet almost no one paused to partake. Everyone's attention was fixed on the banquet itself, if the two great families truly managed to reach a reconciliation, it would inevitably reshape the power structure of Ragunna. The factions that had attached themselves to these major houses had no choice but to begin making their calculations early.

"Yummy! This is so good!"

"Hehe, the pastries over here are even better!"

"So fragrant, so fragrant…"

Anby was clutching a plate bigger than its own body, blissfully drifting through an ocean of culinary delights.

Ray sat to the side, watching the little creature wolf down its food, and couldn't help but shake his head with a chuckle. "You little… look at the way you're eating. It's so undignified. This is a banquet, everyone here is civilized."

"What do you mean?!" Anby retorted through a mouthful of roast chicken drumstick, its cheeks puffed out to bursting, words muffled and barely coherent.

"This is the greatest respect you can show good food! Look at those people, all prim and proper, they don't know how to appreciate anything. The chefs worked so hard preparing all these delicacies, how sad would they be if they knew no one was tasting them? That's why, I'm the most civilized one here! No, wait, the most civilized Acheron!"

"You're pretty good at sophistry, aren't you?"

"It's not sophistry! It's the truth!" Anby declared. "Respecting food is the most basic form of courtesy a person can have!"

"Alright, alright, you're very courteous, happy now?" Ray shook his head in amused exasperation, his gaze discreetly sweeping across the banquet hall.

Quite a few people had indeed tried to strike up a conversation with him over the course of the evening, after all, his relationship with Carlotta was already an open secret in these circles. Many were hoping to use him as a bridge to the Montelli family, but he had tactfully and inconspicuously turned them all away.

"Lord Ray."

A steady voice suddenly broke in.

Ray looked up to see Sebastian, dressed in a crisp butler's uniform, standing before him, he hadn't even noticed when the man had arrived.

"What is it? Has Cantarella summoned me again?"

"Precisely so." Sebastian inclined his head slightly, his manner as elegant and impeccable as ever. "The Matriarch wishes to have a word with you in private before the banquet officially begins."

This feeling… Why was it that every time Cantarella sought him out, it always felt like she had laid some kind of trap, just waiting for him to walk right into it?

Then again, she was a truly wonderful woman.

Ray thought it over briefly, then nodded in agreement. "Alright, I understand."

With that, he turned to the little creature still locked in combat with its roast chicken drumstick. "Anby, want to come with me?"

"Not a chance." Anby waved a paw without even looking up. "There are still so many delicacies here awaiting my royal favor!"

Ray shrugged helplessly and turned to Sebastian. "Then I'll trouble you to keep an eye on Anby here. Just tell me where Cantarella is, I'll go see her myself."

"As you wish, my lord."