Chapter 81

 

* * *

 

“Is this banquet really okay?”

Melody thought to herself, glancing at Ronny. However, he seemed to be worry-free, teaching Loretta how to fold a napkin again.

A few minutes passed.

Soon, Butler Higgins entered and conveyed to Ronny and the Duke, “He has arrived.”

The first to rise from his seat was Claude, with a hopeful look on his face, perhaps wondering if it meant Jeremiah had arrived.

The Duke led the way out of the front door, with the children following him.

“Jeremiah brother has come.”

Loretta held Melody’s hand and said so, as if she was certain of it.

“How do you know?”

“Yes, Loretta knows everything.”

The child spoke confidently and laughed brightly.

Upon reaching the entrance, they saw that the arriving carriage indeed belonged to the tower.

It had the same emblem as the one Jeremiah had arrived in recently.

However, the person visible inside the carriage was not Jeremiah but an elderly man, unknown to Melody, prompting her to step back.

Shortly after, the carriage came to a complete stop.

While a servant quickly placed a footstep, the butler politely opened the door.

A plain wooden cane was the first to emerge, followed by an elderly man with a bent back slowly stepping out.

The Duke moved forward to assist him, but the man declined with a shake of his head.

“Jeremiah has completely fooled me, Ronny.”

Claude murmured this in front of Melody, his voice mixed with admiration. What exactly had happened?

Unable to contain her curiosity, Melody slightly lifted her head to see.

“Welcome.”

The Duke was seen extending a courteous greeting to the elderly man.

“The master of all magicians, Magician Owen.”

Melody then realized why Claude had expressed admiration.

Ronny had invited a very distinguished guest to the banquet. The most excellent magician, the Tower Master!

Following the Tower Master, a small boy with a sulky expression stepped down from the carriage.

“My goodness, to use the Tower Master just to summon Jeremiah!”

This was as bold, no, as dangerous a move as summoning the emperor himself to call upon a lowly servant.

 

* * *

 

The night Ronny returned from the academy after meeting Claude.

He sought out the Duke to ask if it was okay to invite a new guest to the banquet.

“Who is this new guest?”

The Duke inwardly thought it might be Isaiah, Melody’s friend. After all, Ronny and that child got along quite well in their own way.

However, Ronny’s answer was someone the Duke hadn’t anticipated.

“Magician Owen, sir.”

“…?”

The Duke looked at Ronny, who calmly mentioned the name of the esteemed person.

“I know.”

Ronny quickly reassured the Duke, sensing his concern.

“He’s not just the Tower Master, but also someone who completely renounced the royal family’s name to pursue the path of magic.”

The Duke nodded slightly. Ronny continued.

“However, it’s true that noble blood runs through his veins, and he extremely avoids having private meetings with nobles.”

“Indeed.”

Being a Tower Master was impressive enough, but his background made many people desire his acquaintance.

Thus, he secluded himself in the old tower, allowing only knowledge and truth as his companions.

“He has no direct heirs either.”

Ronny somewhat understood why the Tower Master chose not to have a blood successor. It was thanks to his recent diligent studies in history.

“It’s probably because he dislikes conflicts.”

“You’re well-informed.”

“He’s Jeremiah’s teacher, after all. I naturally came to know these things.”

“That’s one of your strengths, Ronny Baldwin.”

The Duke, fading his faint smile, advised his son with a worried heart.

“He doesn’t like getting involved in the affairs of nobles. I’m concerned that our invitation might be seen as rude.”

“But.”

Ronny pulled out several letters from his pocket, all exchanged directly with the Tower Master.

“He always responds to my letters. Whenever it’s about Jeremiah, he always takes care first.”

Even though Ronny was young, he understood how significant it was to receive handwritten letters from the ‘Tower Master’ so easily.

“He must truly wish for the Baldwin ducal family and Jeremiah to be on good terms.”

It was clear from the effort he put into writing letters filled with things Jeremiah liked.

“Please let me invite him.”

Even though the Duke intended to respect Ronny’s decision, he couldn’t nod so easily. Despite having a magician son, the Duke had his fears about entangling with the tower.

Eventually, after a night of thorough contemplation, the Duke finally told Ronny it was okay to send the invitation.

And the Tower Master’s acceptance to the invitation came back that very afternoon.

 

* * *

 

The Duke led the Tower Master to the banquet hall’s place of honor.

“This is strange.”

But the Tower Master tilted his head slightly at the allocation of seats and smiled warmly at Ronny.

“The invitation from the host of this party only mentioned ‘Jeremiah Baldwin’s teacher.’ It’s clear I’m not someone who should sit in a higher position than the duke of a country.”

“Uh….”

Ronny was momentarily lost in thought. The Tower Master, accustomed to waiting, kept silent until the boy reached a conclusion.

“Then.”

Ronny quickly glanced at the other seats, thinking if the guest felt uncomfortable in the place of honor, he should offer a more comfortable seat.

But at that moment, he locked eyes with Jeremiah, who had a terrifying look.

It seemed as if his gaze was saying, ‘If you don’t offer the highest seat to my teacher, I won’t even speak to you.’

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

Ronny straightened up and smiled properly, adopting the “elegant posture” he had practiced several times with his etiquette teacher.

“Indeed, this seat would be best. My father would also want to show respect to the teacher of his children.”

Ronny looked up at his father with a ‘Right?’ which led the Duke to also respond, “That’s correct.”

“Then it can’t be helped. I’ll sit in this esteemed seat, though it’s quite presumptuous of me.”

Once Owen took his seat at the place of honor, Jeremiah finally breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly turned his head away the moment his eyes met Ronny’s.

Now, everyone who had agreed to attend the banquet had gathered.

Ronny looked around the table with a proud expression. Of course, the problems had not yet been resolved. Jeremiah’s sulky face and Claude’s stiff expression were still issues.

This could hardly be called a ‘banquet’ in such a state.

Thus, as the host, Ronny still had work to do to turn this gathering into a real feast.

“Excuse me.”

Ronny carefully stood up.

“Thank you for attending the Baldwin family’s banquet.”

As he spoke on behalf of the host, everyone clapped their hands lightly.

“Today’s banquet celebrates three occasions. One is for my respected brother Claude.”

Ronny turned his gaze to Claude, who slightly nodded.

“He achieved top honors at the academy. Receiving praise from the professors. And then.”

His gaze then shifted to Jeremiah on the opposite side.

“My precious younger brother has finally become ‘Magician Baldwin.’ And lastly.”

Ronny looked at Loretta and Melody sitting side by side.

“We’ve finally formed a perfect family. But, you see.”

Despite talking about happy matters, Ronny’s expression was incredibly cautious.

“In fact, I have something to apologize for to all of you.”

What could he be talking about? As curious glances poured his way, Ronny lifted a note he had brought beforehand.

“Actually, at today’s banquet, I planned to surprise everyone with dishes reflecting each person’s tastes. I wanted to make it enjoyable for you. No, that’s not it….”

Ronny paused his story, shook his head, and then shared his honest feelings.

“Actually, I wanted to receive praise and be happy. Embarrassingly, I am… the only person at today’s banquet who doesn’t have anything to be celebrated for.”

His voice, lacking confidence, slightly retreated, and he quickly cleared his throat and raised his head.

Now was not the time to be disheartened.

“Anyway, I’ve given up on the praise. I ended up choosing the menu very selfishly.”

The chef, who had been serving the ducal family for a long time, was also perplexed by Ronny’s suggestion.

Even though a course meal consists of various dishes, it ultimately exists for one harmony. But to give up on that.

“Perhaps a dish with a flavor you’re not used to enjoying might appear in front of you. The degree of cooking might be different from usual, or a completely unexpected dish might come out. But that is….”

Ronny gripped the note he was holding tightly. The moisture that had built up in his palm was fully absorbed by the old paper.

“Somebody here might really like it, or it might contain precious memories. So, please.”

Ronny bowed his head to all the attendees.

“Even if the dish doesn’t suit your taste, I hope you’ll at least try a bite.”

…Maybe you’ll end up liking it.

Ronny wanted to add this, but it seemed like too much to hope for, so he whispered it only in his heart.