Perhaps it was some pride at stake. He wanted to try to explain his viewpoint. He desperately hoped he was wrong.
"Um, cough, I hope you don't mind me being honest…"
"Young Master Shantire, do you really expect to not be honest with us, Prince and Princess?" Sperenza giggled.
"No, no, no, that wasn't what I meant."
Sydney toasted Christopher with his pink teacup while Sperenza simply rolled her eyes and grinned. Christopher trembled, but this time, he felt a fiery determination in his heart. He looked at Samantha, who gave him a small smile. He clenched his fists tightly underneath the table before speaking again.
"I do not agree that commoners should not be allowed to use magic simply because they do not appreciate the intricacies of magic. Commoners simply had no access to magic before—"
"A rightly choice," Libitina said.
"Any viewpoint they have on magic is not a result of what they experienced, but what has been told to them, that it is only for those with enough money or status. It is natural that magic has been affiliated with those ideas!"
"Which is bad!" Sydney cried.
"But, that is the result of a system and not the people!" Christopher felt the blood rush to his head as he answered to the different opponents.
"Would the passing of the Bill not entrench the idea that magic is about money again? After all, placing magical artefacts on the market means that magical artefacts get reduced to a mere commodity, like," Libitina looked around at her friends, shrugging. "A toothbrush, or an apple."
"Yes, I believe that is true, but only to a certain extent…However, I believe more strongly that the proliferation of magical artefacts will allow more people to learn more about how great magic is. Commoners…have a right as much as the aristocracy to use and learn about magic. Only when they have access to it, can they gain an appreciation."
"What if commoners are inherently superficial, hedonistic, or instinctively inclined towards money? The proliferation of magical artefact will then not be a noble spread of knowledge but a degradation of magic into a tool for profiteering," Sydney frowned deeply as he twirled his hand in the air.
"I do not believe that commoners are innately greedy towards money simply because of their origins," Christopher firmly said.
"How will you know? You are not a commoner," Speranza laughed gently, but to Christopher, it was the devil's cry.
"The Shantire fief prides itself on serving the so-called commoners. They are not beneath us! We believe in treating people equally, not just because of their status or wealth or…"
Slowly, Christopher's words trailed off as his face paled in fear. Sperenza, Sydney and Samantha all had different expressions of amusement on their faces, although Samantha's was tinged with a small piece of pride.
"I am sorry."
Libitina opened her fan and gently waved it. After letting the tension sink in for Christopher, she said, "Origins do matter, but I think we all do agree that how one's character is shaped is also important. Young Master Shantire, how close to bankruptcy is the Shantire fief?"
Christopher looked down at his tart, his heart jumbled into a mess. His breath had stagnated after the ordeal and he returned to his stutter. "W-We do not have any liquid a-assets at the moment. In other w-words, very close."
"Well," Libitina said, "Are you pleased with him, my friends?"
Sperenza grinned, "Pretty principled for a poor, young man."
Sydney chuckled, "I like him. He did stay honest."
Samantha hugged Christopher's arm and laughed, "I knew he could do it!"
Libitina sighed and closed her fan. Christopher has performed well. "Then, let us introduce ourselves properly."
"Hello, I am the First Princess Sperenza, your host for today's tea party and one of the shareholders of Zephyr Corporation."
"I am the Second Prince Sydney, pleased to meet you. Shareholder and Co-founder of Zephyr Corporation, and of course, the man behind Eleanor Constructions."
"I am Samantha Josephian, the true owner of Demeter Industries and shareholder of Zephyr Corporation.
"I am Libitina Merveille, please call me Libitina. I am the leader and co-founder of Zephyr Corporation and major shareholder of Demeter Industries.
"Welcome to the group."