The duo entered the hall and observed the many guests that had arrived so far, none of them barons, as those had not arrived yet.
"Let us split and socialize a little with the guests tonight, it is not every day that so many nobles are gathered at the same place" Marek suggested.
"Sure, you take the left, I got the right and we switch later, deal?" William responded.
After agreeing, both split up and made their way to their respective sides of the hall. Before William went ahead and made his way to the nearest group of gathered nobles, he first consulted with the master of ceremonies, which was basically a glorified title for the person who shouts the names and titles of those who arrive at the hall.
Because of the nature of his work, he was very knowledgeable about every guest, their titles, names, and overall basic information; all of which was of vital importance to William, who was severely lacking in this aspect.
After covering the basics with the mc, William headed to a small group of gathered nobles to socialize with. It was made up of three men, all of whom were viscounts, according to the mc.
He picked this specific group precisely because of their rank, which will make it far easier for him to approach them, contrary to higher-ranking nobles such as earls or counts, the presence of which could make for quite the awkward and potentially stressful conversation.
"Gentlemen! Allow me to extend my sincerest welcome to all of you for attending this event. I hope that the trip was not difficult." William expressed once he had come close enough to the trio.
The three stopped their conversation as they turned around towards him. It took them but a few moments for one of them to recognize William and respond.
"Lord William! Thank you for your kind words, it is our pleasure to be here; as for the trip, it has been without incidents, thanks to your father's recent actions."
William noticed the delay between them turning and finally recognizing him; he did not take this to heart, as he knew that the previous William did not exactly make himself very available or memorable to others.
"Well, I am glad to hear that, after all, it is our house's duty and responsibility to take care of such troubles." William responded, and before the uncomfortable silence could set in, he changed the subject.
"So, are your families doing well at the moment? Ooh, this reminds me" William said as he came closer to the trio and stated with a voice that only they could hear. "There is a surprise waiting for all of you during this celebration so look forward to it, it will help your territories immensely in the near future."
William continued his casual conversation with the trio while evading any inquiry about what this surprise might be. He did this to add a bit of mystery to this whole ordeal and make sure that Soap would have the biggest impact on them once it was introduced.
William went on from one group of gathered nobles to the other, making sure to at least spend a few minutes with each one to exchange some pleasantries, as well as spark their interest in what was to come.
About thirty minutes later, William had conversed with most of the guests, including the barons who had arrived as well, and were happy to be given attention by one of the sons of the marquis.
"Attention ladies and gentlemen." The master of ceremonies spoke with a raised voice that all could hear, drawing the attention of all those present as they ceased their conversations and paid attention to himself.
"The host and sponsor of this evening's event shall make his entrance. May I present to you, Marquiss Ulric of house Blackwell." The Mc proclaimed.
Upon finishing his statement, the marquess made his entrance through the large ark-shaped door of the hall. He was wearing simple but requisite clothes for this occasion, the color black being very present in his attire as it contrasted with the white making for a harmonious blend.
Upon seeing the marquis, the guests started lightly clapping as he made his way towards the center of the hall. He strode with confident steps as he immediately became the star of the show.
Once he reached the middle of the hall, the clapping stopped, and so did he. He looked around at those present as he exclaimed.
"Fellow members of the nobility, it is my great pleasure to have you as guests in Landow. Thank you for answering my call to this event, and indeed what an event it is." He paused for a few moments before continuing.
"Today we celebrate the eradication of the pests that had plagued our trade routs for a time, today we celebrate their end as well as our prosperity. So and without further ado, my guests, drink, chat, socialize and laugh, I wish you a wonderful time and thank you for coming to share this achievement with me."
Upon the end of his speech, the guests once more started clapping, this time much more enthusiastically than before at the marquis; before long though the music started and the gathering of nobility returned to their conversations, the highest-ranking of which made their way to the marquis to socialize and deepen their connection.
As William watched this whole thing play out from the sidelines, with the entrance, the speech, the nobles and their dresses, the music, the lights, the servants going around to offer drinks and snacks, something hit him.
It was a strange moment that he could not explain; he felt like he had witnessed a traumatizing event some time ago and just now was getting hit with the shock and realization of its meaning and consequences.
' This is an actual noble celebration... in an actual castle... hosted by a high ranking noble who happens to be my father... in a different country and world.' William, though.
He was mesmerized, stuck in place as he looked at his surroundings. Just as he started seeing all white and feeling like he was about to have a panic attack or worst, to just straight up pass out; he shook his head strongly as he closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing.
William understood that somehow the realization and the processing of the consequences of his new reality had never truly happened in his mind; that he mostly just buried it or hid it using humor to deflect the ever-increasing dread he felt deep down.
It was only moments like these, that were so fantastical, so movie-like, that forcefully broke the dam that he so tirelessly built and forced him to face and think of the prospect that he would probably never go home again, never see his family or friends, few as they were.
To think about the odds of waking up in the body of the son of a noble, to never worry about food or shelter, to be protected all the time by guards, to have that very noble he now became the son of be so.... kind for a lack of better words.
The very thought that he could have found himself in the body of a poor child, a slave, a criminal that was forced to steal to survive, the potential of getting caught and executed, maimed, or raped. It made him feel deep dread, gone was the security, stability and prosperity of earth, gone was the familiar to never return, forever and ever.
"This is not the time to deal with this William, push it down, just push it down." William thought to himself, he took a deep breath to steady himself and went ahead to start a conversation with someone, anyone, as long as it took his mind off of his internal thoughts.