"Lord Valentine, Lady Valentine, Young Lord Jael Valentine, and Lady Silvia Valentine of House Valentine are entering the hall!" The usher announced as a group of four vampires, all clad in elegant, dark red garments entered the hall. And only after a few seconds the other members of lower standing in their house entered the hall.
Unlike the dangerous aura House Thorne made others feel, the members of House Valentine gave off a graceful yet pleasing aura. Each one of them seemed like they were friendly to approach and seemed quite relaxed.
All of them had bright red eyes and ruby hair. And on their garments, there was the symbol of a three-headed snake.
Asher's eyes landed on the gorgeously handsome man, looking in his early forties with a clean-shaven face and long ruby hair, tied at the end.
He was the one leading his family with a pleasant smile on his face, making the others bow to him and his family with amiable smiles. His gait was perfect, and he looked the most groomed compared to anyone else in the hall. One can't even find fault with his dress or his style.
The presence of him and his family brought some color and life to this hall compared to the gloom and deathly atmosphere House Throne brought in.
Kookus saw how Asher seemed curious about these guys and said, "Your Highness, that is Lord Vernon Valentine and his family. Their family specializes in making you see things that do not exist. That is why their house is also known as the House of Shadows and their Lord as the Lord of Shadows."
"Illusion magic?" Asher asked with one of his brows raised. In his life as a Hunter, he had come upon notable people jumping to their deaths with a happy smile or similar eerie stories. It was said that these people did not suicide on purpose but because they were living their dreams which felt like reality. And when it came to Hunters he had seen some suddenly becoming hysteric and attacking their own friends. All this was said to be caused by demonic illusions and now he knew where such magic was originating from.
Now he realized why these three Great Houses were said to be indomitable and feared greatly. Despite how friendly they looked, Asher knew he can't underestimate any one of them.
"Wow, Your Highness knows about that?" Kookus asked with a look of surprise.
Asher didn't expect this guy, who looked dumb, to catch on to these things and casually said, "I just referred some books. I should catch up on things I missed out on all these years."
"Ah, yes, yes. You are so smart, Your Highness. Even Kookus has to admit defeat before you. And back to what I was talking about, Lord Vernon Valentine is quite a cool guy, to be honest, and when you talk to him, you definitely would feel good about yourself for getting to talk to such an awesome and powerful man. He and his house are quite vital for our kingdom since they control the borders and make sure our lands are protected from our enemies. Without their constant watch, we wouldn't be able to sit still."
"You talked to him?"
Kookus winced as he said, "Uhhh, no. I am just saying based on what I saw. I mean, I could have, but why should I impress him for no reason. Anybody I talk to usually sighs and leaves, feeling overwhelmed by my charisma."
Asher rubbed his forehead, hearing his words, and then looked at the graceful, pretty woman walking beside him, looking in her late thirties. She had a lovely smile and looked pretty enough to liven up the air wherever she walked.
"She is his wife?"
"Oh, Lady Naida Valentine? Yeah, she seems quite friendly as well but…"
"But what?" Asher asked with a squint.
"Ahh, I don't know how to say it, but to talk to her, you would feel like you can't make a mistake before her. Not out of fear but for the sake of not disappointing her. Seems weird, but that is the kind of charm she has," Kookus said as he blew air through his lips.
"That must be his eldest, right?" Asher asked as he looked at the tall man looking in his late twenties and with good enough looks to make him stand out from the crowd. He had a simple smile on his face, though his eyes seemed quite focused as if he was deeply thinking about something.
"Yes, yes. That is Young Lord Jael Valentine. He may look like an easygoing fella, but in reality, he is quite the workaholic. I am serious when I say that this dude doesn't know the meaning of rest and constantly takes on whatever quests come his way, even the ones that might endanger his life. Because of this, rumors say that his mother keeps a constant eye on him since how could they risk anything happening to their dear, eldest child? Haa…I don't know if that dude got guts of steel or stupidity of a pig," Kookus sighed with a head shake.
Asher had been noticing for a while that his so-called loyal servant actually didn't even seem to hesitate to openly speak about such powerful people who could destroy him with just their eyes.
Of course, Kookus was talking only to him based on his orders, but generally, no servant would openly speak so truthfully about such powerful figures just to be on the safer side.
And to make it more puzzling, Kookus was a refugee and a werewolf, coming from a race that were sworn enemies of this kingdom. Yet this wasn't deterring him at all.
He found this a bit interesting, though that was the only thing about him that piqued his interest. Or maybe it could be that this guy was really just dumb.
"But because of that, he is quite strong and experienced. Nobody in their sane mind would go up against him, even if he invited them with a smile," Kookus said as he took a deep breath.
"He must be," Asher briefly said before his gaze landed on a a petite figure just like her short height, 5 feet tall. She was a beautiful young woman who had really long, voluminous ruby hair that reached till her ankles and was styled into pigtails that had ornaments wrapped around them. Her garments were quite flashy, just like her hair, and she had a bright smile on her face while her gait seemed like she was dancing and walking at the same time.
She was wearing a dark red gown that wrapped around her attractive slender body, and her bust was small.
"That cheery woman is their daughter, huh?"
"Eikes, Lady Silvia Valentine? She…I am afraid is a bit loose in the head and quite a headache to deal with. She might seem sweet and all but…Haaa…Your Highness will understand if you personally interact with her," Kookus said as he wiped his forehead.
Asher could at least guess that this woman had an eye for shiny things.
The royal steward escorted Lord Valentine and his family to their seats.
After sitting down, Lord Vernon Valentine raised his gaze and squinted his eyes upon seeing the royal consort, "Interesting. He seems to have changed a lot more than expected. Don't you think so, Naida?"
Naida caressed her husband's hand with a pretty smile as she said in a pleasant voice, "You are right, darling. But a blind sheep who regained its vision wouldn't make any difference, would it?"
"You have a point, love," Lord Vernon said with a smile as he held her hand lovingly.
"Mother, how long do we have to stay for this boring celebration? Can I go back early? I might miss out on a few quests and potentially great rewards," Jael said in a restless tone while maintaining a respectful expression. His hands were continuously tapping against his knee as if he couldn't wait to run out.
"Don't be rude, son. For 14 years since he came here, the Soulless Consort slept like a baby. Now, we should show our manners and congratulate the queen now that he has finally opened his eyes. You can also observe him and see what has changed," Naida said with a certain glint in her eyes.
"I will do it, mother!" Silvia said and added, "And then maybe I can talk to him and make him give me some gifts that I can take home. As the husband of our queen, he must be able to get his hands on pretty things, right?" She asked with an excited smile.
"That is not right, Silvia. We are here to congratulate him and not take things from him. Besides you already can get anything you want," Jael chided her as he patted her head, making her look at him with a pout.
"Ha! This young lady has never left a celebration empty handed. If the worst comes to worst, he will easily fall for my charms and do anything I say," She said as her lips arched into an impish smile.