The families invited to the Duke’s residence began to arrive one after another.

The faces of children getting off while holding their parents’ hands were all filled with excitement.

Unlike such children, their parents’ faces were full of tension.

“Make sure to greet the Baron when you get there, alright?”

“Casually hand it over while saying it’s a small gift, and don’t forget to mention it’s prepared by the Rolls family!”

“Try to speak to the Baron as much as possible.”

In reality, what was being held today was closer to a simple tea party for children rather than a formal banquet.

However, regardless of that, being invited to the Duke’s private residence was an extremely rare occurrence.

Therefore, what the parents of the invited families emphasized to their children was generally the same:

‘This opportunity must not be wasted!’

So it was only natural that the parents accompanying the children had dressed up extravagantly from head to toe, as if they were the ones invited.

Contrary to their parents’ wishes, the children were simply captivated by the grand and spacious mansion.

‘Where is the training ground?’

‘I heard the Leviche Knights are stationed here!’

‘To think we’ll be able to see Baron Clemens!’

While some children were eagerly looking around the mansion with wide eyes, others were putting their socializing skills to use.

“Lady Messina, it’s been a while. You looked frail last time, but today your face is as bright as the full moon. I’m glad you seem to be doing well.”

“Is that so? You, Lady Grace, haven’t changed at all. You were worried about not growing taller, I suppose you still have many concerns.”

“Hohoho! Well, I’m satisfied? Besides, there are many pretty designs among high-heeled shoes these days.”

“That’s good to hear. I hope that Lady Grace’s worries will be resolved without any trouble.”

However, most children couldn’t help but have their expressions filled with excitement as soon as they entered the hall.

“Wow!”

The sparkling chandelier hanging from the dome-shaped ceiling caught their attention first.

Following the chandelier, their gaze naturally lowered to take in the marble floor covering the entire area.

The tables were generously laden with various desserts, and there were colorful toys placed here and there, as well as eye-catching musicians.

It was on a different scale from a typical banquet.

The gazes of the noble ladies and young ladies taking their seats guided by the servants were filled with tension.

Soon after, the eyes of several young ladies were drawn to one place.

“Oh my.”

“That person is…!”

The one who captured the attention of the young ladies at a glance was a gentleman strolling down the corridor in a splendid tailcoat.

He had striking long grayish-brown hair.

The noble ladies who had long been part of high society easily recognized his identity.

‘The Grand Duke Consta of the Balkandia Kingdom!’

The friendship between Grand Duke Consta and Duke Crustel was already widely known.

‘So they even invited the Grand Duke’s family.’

It was natural for thoughts to flow in that direction.

The noble ladies actually thought it was for the best. After all, the Grand Duke’s family was no less formidable than the tremendous Ducal family.

Although he was a Grand Duke of the kingdom, his origins were royal. Meeting such people could only be beneficial, not detrimental.

Moreover, just glancing at the clothes the gentleman wore, it was clear they were of a price range that they themselves could hardly imagine.

‘But isn’t he coming into the banquet hall?’

However, he only showed his face briefly at the entrance of the hall, seemingly with no intention of entering.

A servant guarding the hall tried to approach him, but before the servant could reach him, he hurried off somewhere at a rapid pace.

‘Where is he going?’

Though curiosity arose, it was soon naturally forgotten as time passed.

Not only did he no longer appear, but soon Clemens and the Duke entered the hall.

The blonde boy walking beside the Duke was no longer out of place.

Rather, in contrast to the Duke’s overall dark color scheme, the child appeared even more splendid.

He was now 11 years old. Moreover, he had not yet been officially declared as the heir.

Nevertheless, all the noble ladies and young ladies couldn’t help but focus on his every step as he ascended the platform.

“Thank you all for coming to my home.”

Even in his casual greeting, the words firmly establishing his position were present.

“As you all know, this is not a place for special celebration. It’s a place for socializing. Please enjoy yourselves comfortably without feeling burdened.”

A banquet held without a special theme, the manpower, food, drinks, and all the costs used for these few hours cannot be ignored.

Therefore, banquets were generally not held unless for the purpose of celebration or announcement.

Nevertheless, the Duke’s family always held a banquet whenever Clemens returned.

Once again, people realized this fact anew. That Clemens still had the full support of the Duke.

* * *

‘…It’s boring.’

After finishing greetings with acquaintances he knew casually, Clemens sighed as soon as he turned behind a pillar.

Clemens was sufficiently tired of it.

Preparing and holding a banquet right after returning from the academy felt like an annual homework assignment to him.

But it couldn’t be helped. If he didn’t do this, unnecessary rumors about him would circulate again.

‘They’d prattle on again about how an adopted child can’t become the heir to the Duke’s family.’

The fact that Clemens had been able to live as the eldest son of the Duke’s family until now was all thanks to the Duke’s full support.

In reality, the Duke treated Clemens like a real son, so Clemens felt no lack in his relationship with the Duke.

If his family had been of ordinary noble status rather than a great noble like the Duke, the position of heir would have already been his.

However, in the case of great nobles, each family had vassals they served. The consent of all the vassals was necessary when deciding on an heir.

‘Those stubborn old men.’

Clemens, who had been rolling his eyes in annoyance, composed his expression again.

Soon, he returned to that familiar expression he always wore and blended into the crowd of people.

“Hey, Clemens!”

One of the young lords called out to Clemens familiarly.

The faces of the young ladies who saw Clemens nearby visibly brightened.

Clemens gave the people the usual smile they were accustomed to.

Among those invited were some who had taken academy classes together.

Thanks to this, noble young ladies who had already become familiar with Clemens at the academy also greeted him cheerfully one by one.

“Hey, how did you get the top score again this time? I heard you took the exam first and came back early this time!”

“Clemens, I heard there’s a training ground inside the mansion! Let me take a look at the training ground!”

“The exam this time was so difficult, wasn’t the level of questions insane?”

It was a casual demeanor unbefitting of the heir to a Duke’s family. The appearance he had shown on the platform earlier was nowhere to be seen.

However, this was only possible as long as Clemens maintained the boundaries he had set. No matter how friendly they acted, the other children knew how different their position was from Clemens’.

Only the tone was casual, but all the children’s attention was focused on every gesture and expression of Clemens.

“By the way, I heard you got a new sister recently?”

Then, by chance, that topic came up. A topic that no one in this hall had brought up.

The one who brought up this topic was young lord Vito, who often took the same classes as Clemens at the academy.

It was a topic that everyone knew about but deliberately didn’t mention.

The social world had been buzzing for a while about the fact that a biological daughter had appeared.

There were even articles giving lengthy speeches about who would become the Duke’s heir and how Clemens might be feeling now.

To be honest, Clemens was just curious about the fact that he had a sister, but had no other thoughts.

He was only trying to take the position of heir because his father wanted it, not to wield the entire family to his liking.

But when Clemens read the newspaper that Philen had brought yesterday, he became very upset.

It had called his newly befriended sister and himself competitors.

He remembered that newspaper company well. They would probably go bankrupt within the year.

“Vito.”

Clemens called his name in a low voice. Vito was a talkative child.

Pleased by the fact that he had elicited a reaction from Clemens, Vito continued speaking.

“The rumors have already spread throughout high society, haven’t they? I attended Paul’s birthday party last time. There was a lot of talk about the daughter the Duke had found then too. Later, Paul told everyone to stop talking about it. He said something about how it’s better not to talk about others, but in my opinion, I think he just didn’t like the attention being focused on someone else at his own birthday party.”

Clemens took a sip of the tea he was holding. He spoke quietly.

“What did they say about my sister?”

If Diane had been beside him, she would have immediately realized that Clemens was in a bad mood, but unfortunately, Diane wasn’t there, and there was no one else who could read Clemens’ emotional changes as quickly as Diane.

“Well, most of the talk was similar. They said she speaks well for a 4-year-old and is very cute.”

However, the words that came out were unexpected. Clemens momentarily stiffened.

A small change occurred on his face, too subtle for others to notice.

“She’s not here at this gathering? Is she in her room now?”

“Yeah, she’s still young. I thought she might find a place like this boring.”

“Is that so? That’s a shame. I’m really good at playing with young kids. Bring her along next time. This elder brother will play with her until she’s completely worn out!”

Seeing Vito speak confidently, Clemens replied with a smile still on his lips.

“We might have the opportunity to see her later.”

Though that opportunity probably won’t come to you.

Encouraged by Clemens’ gentle response, other young ladies excitedly joined the conversation.

“Did she cry a lot when she came to the Duke’s house? Actually, when I first heard about it, I thought it was a really good thing. It’s such a touching story, isn’t it?”

“That’s right, to find a biological daughter after several years. I only found out this time that the Duke had been earnestly searching for his daughter all this time.”

“They say he searched for several years, how much he must have missed her.”

There’s always a story behind fast-spreading rumors.

The truth of the matter wasn’t important.

Therefore, the fact that his father never had a real daughter, and even if he did, he wouldn’t have cared, was thoroughly hidden from people.

Only elements that would catch people’s interest and excitement, along with just enough facts necessary for his family, spread to complete the rumor.

‘Everyone’s still as interested in other people’s stories as ever.’

While they’re paying attention to other people’s affairs, wouldn’t their lives improve if they paid attention to their own?

Clemens continued his thoughts indifferently. Then suddenly, the topic of conversation changed again.

It was a topic that immediately caught Clemens’ attention.

“Come to think of it, I don’t see Oliver.”

“Didn’t Oliver come this time?”

“Yeah, hey Clemens! Is Oliver sick? Why didn’t he come?”