The banquet hall on the 30th floor slowly began filling. It was nearing the time that Ayato needed to be on stage.
There were around 220 people in the banquet hall. The majority were from the Kyouya Family while the rest were from other families. This banquet would be held twice, although, only the Kyouya Family could participate in the one on the third day.
"Oh, so you're the fiancé of that trash?"
A group of Kyouya boys approached Yukina. She was with Retsuya and Ayaka. Arashi was guarding her father, who came separately from her.
She glared at him. The boy flinched with a nervous grin.
"Ah, I misspoke. Perhaps I should call him a piece of shit."
They all laughed at Keita's joke. Retsuya wanted to punch him but Yukina laid out her hand to stop him. Keita leaned in, leaving barely an inch between his and her face.
"Hey, when I kill him, I'll become the heir. Get ready to spread those two pretty little legs for me, okay? What'd you say?"
He whispered with a delighted look.
'Such scum...'
Yukina mentally breathed.
"Who do you think you're talking to like that?"
She asked, disgusted.
"Huh?"
The girl spat in his face before raising her leg. With her high-slit dress, her underwear—more like her skin-tight shorts—shamelessly revealed itself. Her leg cut down like a guillotine, smashing Keita's head into the ground.
"What?!"
"Keita!"
His siblings shouted but he couldn't respond. He was still conscious but his face was in the floor.
"You dare talk to me, the next head of the Shirogane Family, like I'm some sort of whore! You're lucky that I'm not in the killing mood, so rejoice. However, if I ever hear you utter a word in my presence, I'll kill you."
Everyone heard Yukina's threat. It was quite daring since she was a part of the only outside family. In spite of this, nobody moved. The only person who rushed over was Arisu, the woman from the meeting room.
"Keita! Keita!"
Yukina removed her foot in a huff as Arisu held Keita in her arms.
"Ayaka, rub my foot with a handkerchief."
"Uh, right away, ma'am."
She took off Yukina's high heel and began rubbing it with a disposable handkerchief. Ayaka blushed and drooled while rubbing her foot.
"The boss lady's foot..."
"Don't drool on her foot, Ayaka. You'll get her even angrier."
Retsuya sighed.
"Right!"
"You!"
The woman roared at Yukina with tears in her eyes. She released a "hm," as she turned to her, apathetic.
"You'll pay for kicking my son! I don't care if you're the heir to the Shirogane Family, you'll pay! I don't care who you are, you will pay!"
Keita did seem to be severely injured. Since the ground underneath the carpet was wood, the broken slabs stabbed into his face. Yukina narrowed her eyes.
"You know, that should be my line."
"What?"
"I don't know who you think you are. From the looks of it, you're his mother, correct?"
"So what?"
"Then you have no authority bossing me around."
Ayaka put her high heel back on. Yukina knelt and stared into Arisu's eyes as if staring into her soul.
"Your son disrespected me by calling me a whore, not knowing that's what his mother was."
"Say again!"
She provoked her. It was because there were other concubines in this room. If Yukina were to insult her again, it would be like insulting the others.
"You're a whore, miss."
But it didn't work. Yukina was specific in her identification. Sure there may have been some concubines who reacted but it didn't matter.
"If you think that you're influential because you're one of the patriarch's many wives, then you're wrong. You may be a lustful slut but I'm the heir to the Shirogane Family. If you decide to mess with me, I won't be afraid to eliminate you. Tread carefully, woman."
Arisu couldn't handle it any longer. She wanted to blast Yukina in the face with magic but it was pointless if she didn't make the first move. That was why she wanted others to join her.
She wanted to kill Yukina. That pure desire of hatred burned in her heart. Arisu bitterly gritted her teeth as she stared at Yukina's prominent figure.
"What's going on here?"
But to everyone's surprise, Kiara Kyouya arrived in a beautiful stellar dress. She was accompanied by Masaki Kyouya. Arisu took her chance.
"She assaulted Keita!"
"Yeah, I did. He started treating me the same way he would treat a prostitute. He was stepping beyond his boundaries."
She said with full confidence. The girl swatted her hair arrogantly. Kiara inspected the situation with her eyes. She made a decision.
"You went too far, Miss Shirogane."
Masaki said.
"No, she didn't."
Kiara disagreed. Masaki stared at her with a puzzled expression. Masaki was doing what he could for the Kyouya Family to save face. Kiara didn't care about that.
"But, Princess—!"
"Silence, Masaki."
Kiara demanded. Unlike the others, she didn't care about the honour of the Kyouya Family.
"What Keita did was unacceptable. That's the end of it."
"But, Kiara...!"
Arisu was desperate however Kiara disregarded her opinion.
"What? So just because Keita belongs to the Kyouya Family he can get away with disrespecting others?"
"Ah, no..."
"So, Arisu, tell me what I should do. Should I gift unfair punishment simply because you're upset?"
"Well..."
There was no room to object. Now, Arisu was simply the item of gossip among the nobles in the room. She was too conceited. It was simply because she was a concubine of the patriarch. Her arrogance was baseless.
There was an ear-tearing screech. Everyone turned to the stage, where Ayato stood with a microphone in hand. People threw out complaint after slur as Ayato mockingly gestured at listening.
[Okay, okay, I was playing.]
His voice reverberated over the microphone. He could've used magic or a voice amplifier but he chose an item from an older century.
[Anyways, let's talk before the official start of the Midnight Banquet.]
He insidiously smiled at the crowd. Most of them voiced their objections but Ayato didn't care.
[First, about my life story.]