Rahey turned around to see a tall man. He wore a shirt made of blue silk and a long black coat. He didn't seem like a local judging by his eccentric hairstyle which reminded Rahey of the excessive gel some guys in his college used.
"What?" The man said sounding offended but in a way that made it seem like he anticipated it. "Don't you remember me?"
"I do." Rahey answered quickly.
Judging by the man's ring and the way he put more pressure on the consonants than the vowels, there was only one person he could possibly be- Azil's uncle thrice removed.
"It's nice to see you again uncle."
"Just uncle?" The man seemed a bit more appeased but there was still that glint in his eyes that made it seem like he was ready to pounce at any moment.
"Uncle Rouler." The man's lips quirked upwards, impressed at his swift response.
"Hmm...you seem different, Azil." Rouler gave him a observatory glance. "The last time we met you couldn't look me in the eye and didn't know who I was either."
"Really? I have to apologize for that then. I must not have been feeling well."
Rouler had gradually changed his approach over the course of their conversation. Rahey could tell at once that he was the type of guy who liked to make fun of people's weaknesses. The previous young master must have been a nervous, socially anxious kind of person which would have led to him being picked on more by the menace before him. It was a good thing then that Rahey was perfectly compatible with such people.
"Are you just here to watch again or do you plan on actually buying something?" Rahey spoke with a bit of snark, trying to elicit more reactions from the man.
Rouler whistled softly. "You're impressively cold today, aren't you? And no I'm not here to buy anything but I will if something catches my eye. Actually the reason I'm here is..." He stopped there in infuriating manner and then smiled, "Why don't you try and guess?"
"How could I possibly guess? I don't know that much." Rahey replied steadily, still him in the eye.
"I'll give you a hint then." The glee in Rouler's voice was apparent. "It has a little something to do with a rumor- a certain person coming back early if you know what I mean."
Rahey almost laughed but managed to cover it up as a cough. "Oh you mean that. Well, there's not much anyone can do about that."
"Do you even know what I'm talking about?"
Rahey didn't answer at once, using the same infuriating method that Rouler had a few seconds prior.
"If my uncle does return on time then I'll be happy to see him." He couldn't contain the slight satisfaction in his tone but he tried hard to make his statement sound as innocent as possible.
Thankfully, Rouler took even his sharper words as a jest and seemed to have a high favorability towards him.
"You seem pretty interesting now, Azil. If you need to then come find me during the auction."
And so he secured his first proper ally at the venue.
"Thank you uncle. I'll be sure to remember it."
With that, Rahey slipped out of the large room. Some people were milling around in the hallway, reaching for condiments from the wooden table in the waiting area or idly evaluating some paintings hung on the walls. Rahey continued walking and headed to the stairs outside when his father finally noticed him.
"Where have you been?" The lord didn't seem too pleased by his disappearance.
"Sorry father. I just wanted to take a look at the room."
Standing beside his father, was an elegantly dressed woman who had her hair loose, pooling around her shoulders. She wore a violet dress and had a large white shawl which was draped around her.
"You must be Azil. Your father told me about you."
Rahey frowned, "Haven't we met before?"
The woman looked shocked. "I didn't think you'd remember. You have a tendency to forget so I thought it was polite to re-introduce myself."
Rahey nearly gritted his teeth out of frustration. He knew he was insufferable but the old young master was another level of unbelievable. It turns out that most people didn't even expect him to remember them and with Azil's personality, those who liked him must have liked him solely for his innocence and honesty. However, Rahey wasn't the previous young master. He wouldn't make expressions that weren't calculated and he would remember as many people as he had to if it meant getting his way.
"Madam Eloya. How could I forget you? Your perfumes are known throughout the province."
Eloya laughed a twinkling laugh. "Well now, you sure are full of surprises."
The lord stared at him with furrowed eyebrows as if he had just committed a crime of sorts but Rahey ignored his blatant reaction and put all his focus on Eloya. He noticed that in the world he was in, there was an underlying chauvinism similar to that of the past but Eloya was a unique case. She had used her father's wealth to set up her own store and became known as an expert perfumer. It was equivalent to creating a brand in the modern world without much publicity or trust from the masses. Moreover Eloya had never hidden her influence which made her an easy ally so long as he was courteous.
"I'm a big fan of your work, Madam Eloya. I actually spent a lot of my time in nature as a child so I'm very attuned to scents and what they can convey."
"Is that so?" She seemed to be enjoying herself, "Then I'll be looking forward to what purchases you make- you seem to have such good taste."
"You flatter me."
Eloya was then called away by an old acquaintance, leaving him alone with the lord. The lord turned to him and looked at him properly for the first time since starting the journey.
Rahey felt a twinge in his heart- an unpleasant sensation that made him want to get away from there. Back in his old world, nothing he did could have received praise from his parents.
His own father had been a person who emphasized countless times the importance of appearing polite and well bred. In response, he had tried his best to fit in and to create a good social image for himself.
Of course, that was foolish. If he could go back to his old world and to that time period then he would punch his child self for being stupid enough to think that his father would accept him if his mother wouldn't.
'Please don't.' He almost said aloud as Azil's father opened his mouth to say something. Whether it was praise or criticism- Rahey didn't want to hear it.
Fortunately, they were intercepted by more guests arriving and were quickly guided into the room from earlier.
The real show was about to begin.