I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 612

Chapter 160: Those Who Understand, Understand

In theory, nobility’s socializing should follow age distinctions, with young people hosting their peers.

But these guests were so significant, dealing with the future survival of the empire’s borders, that no noble dared to be arrogant. They rushed to personally raise their glasses, fearing that some unruly young lord or lady might inadvertently offend Charlotte and the others with their uncontrolled hormones.

Actually, this was overly cautious, since life at the Magic Academy had already made the young masters aware that their differences with Charlotte and the like were like night and day. Even if they harbored feelings, no fool would embarrass themselves by making a scene.

The same went for the young ladies. Standing alongside an absolutely gorgeous girl only made them appear more drab. Even when a handsome black-haired boy was nearby, they could only hide their admiration and maybe throw a little flirtatious glance.

Of course, Roy himself didn’t dare respond to the young ladies outside. Moreover, he hadn’t even noticed that with Charlotte and the others around, his standards had inadvertently risen. Ordinary noble ladies hardly left a special impression on him, and he felt a bit face-blind toward anyone.

But even seasoned nobles weren’t all-powerful.

Who to toast first was a serious issue.

The unspoken rule was to toast the most esteemed guest first. But there were very few banquets that gathered so many distinguished guests at once.

The princess of a nation, the likely heir to the kingdom—needless to say. The nightingale of the Verdant Assembly carried an unbroken lineage of pure golden blood, making her even more noble than royalty in some sense.

The chief archmage may seem a bit lesser than the first two at first glance, yet he was indeed heavyweight.

Leanna had previously repelled demon races and was rumored to have caught the favor of the Sage, making her a rising star among her peers that even overshadowed the other two princes of the same generation.

Moreover, rumors in the street said the competition among the young ladies backstage was quite fierce.

No matter who they chose to toast first, it would degrade the others.

If one of those noble girls felt slighted, they simply couldn’t afford the consequences!

A bunch of scheming old nobles was sweating bullets over a single toast.

Ultimately, they all agreed to sidestep the issue.

“Let us toast to Miss Xue Nuo’s beloved disciple, the Oath Knight of the Lionheart Kingdom, the Iron-Blooded scion of the Ainbrad family, and our empire’s most reliable ally at the borders, Roy Ainbrad!”

Under the lead of the old count, the black-haired boy became the focus of the banquet.

At first glance, the status of a marquis’s son seemed a bit lacking, but Roy had gone toe-to-toe with princes and demons alike, not leaving anyone out; in terms of achievements, he was beyond reproach.

Barley’s praise truly wasn’t exaggerated.

Just fighting the Demon King’s four generals— even if it was just a projection—was enough to earn such accolades. Half of the nobles present had participated in the battle at Xuefeng Castle, paying their respects with wine to a battle-hardened comrade and a benefactor in desperate times was simply the right thing to do.

Most importantly, Roy maintained decent relations with various factions.

As the old count had predicted, at the high table, all the young ladies, including Miss Xue Nuo, had no issue with the order of toasting and even seemed quite pleased.

Once they confirmed the first toast was for Roy, the rest was more casual.

But that put Roy in a bit of a bind.

From noble lords to young ladies, everyone lined up to toast him, like they were trying to catch some divine blessing during a church service.

And the imperial banquet didn’t serve red wine or champagne; besides Xue Nuo drinking milk tea, even the young ladies were pouring pungent spirits.

Even with Roy’s iron gut, downing glass after glass of strong alcohol made his stomach churn, and he felt stars dancing in his vision.

He suspected these nobles might have a problem with him; why else would they target him so relentlessly with their toasting?!

Damn it, what’s the point of this bureaucratic socializing?

Don’t think flattery gives you the right to drown me in drink; believe me, I could get Miss Xue Nuo to trip you up!

【Reputation +10000】

【Title】:

【Hope of the Empire’s Borders】: You led the empire’s borders in defeating Prince Winter Rose, crushed the invading demon army, and have become the crucial link between local forces and foreign powers.

Enduring oppression from the royal family and harassment from demon races, the border forces finally see hope for a turnaround, thus setting aside differences and uniting under Xue Nuo Andweisi, yearning for your help in restoring justice for the grievances the borders have suffered and making the imperial royal family pay the price.

This gives you 10,000 reputation points at once, equivalent to ten consecutive draws.

Leaving feelings aside, this is a hefty gift!

The long-awaited reputation interface shocked Roy, making him beam with joy, raising his head to toast to the crowd.

What’s a little drink? Cheers, cheers! It’s not every day you get such enthusiasm from the old boys of the empire; I can’t spoil the fun!

Roy’s enthusiastic response stirred up another round of excitement, until the night grew late and even the empire’s drunks were too tipsy to stand, concluding the banquet splendidly.

“Tonight, we haven’t drunk enough!”

“Come, come, come! Let’s have two more cups together!”

“Master, wait, wait… yikes!”

In the hallway, a little maid was pressed against the wall by Roy, face to face, whining in frustration.

Passing nobles couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking even the boy who faced off against the Demon King’s four generals could have such a messy young side.

However, Charlotte only needed one sentence to wake Roy up from his drunken stupor.

“Don’t leave just yet. It’s time we talked about Xue Nuo.”

Crap!

I almost forgot about that!

The fun from the banquet vanished instantly, and Roy quickly sobered up, releasing the maid he had been holding.

Unlike the harmony displayed at the banquet, Nia and Leanna were now standing on either side of Xue Nuo, clearly maintaining their distance.

Noticing the serious atmosphere, the nobles speculated that the following conversation would be about the future of the empire’s borders, a topic they couldn’t meddle with, so everyone swiftly excused themselves.

But that didn’t stop them from being curious.

“Lord Barley, what do you think Miss Xue Nuo and the others will discuss tonight?”

“Is it a counterattack against the royal family? Or some hidden danger regarding demons? Are we officially going to ally and smash the royal family’s heads?!”

The old count opened his mouth but hesitated, dark lines of worry forming on his forehead.

You can’t say it’s a secret; the ladies’ closeness to the boy was practically written on their faces. Yet it’s not something to casually proclaim either, given the complexity of their feelings.

In fact, any experienced noble could have already sensed the nuances between Roy and the young ladies. But due to emotional intelligence and self-preservation instincts, no one had actively brought up this topic.

Faced with the naive yet sincere looks of several single nobles, the old count could only smile wryly.

“All I can say is, those who understand, understand.”

The young lads scratched their heads, but no one could decipher the old count’s deep implications.