Raza, his friends, and his family continued their conversation into the night. Most of the conversation was geared toward their first week at the academy and their entrance exams. Alden and Vivian weren't too worried about Raza's academic performance so they didn't ask too many questions about Raza. And he did not mind that one bit.
"Drifa, we are thankful that you are willing to befriend our son," Vivian smiled. "Please apologize for this rude question, but what about Raza attracts you? We only recently became marquess," Vivian asked.
This question shocked not only Drifa but Leora as well. Leora thought that Raza's family was beginning to like Drifa more than her. Drifa on the other hand never thought about the question before. She thought for a moment.
"It's fine, Lady Vivian… If I had to answer…" Her cheeks had a very subtle blush on them. "I feel safe with Raza like I can be myself around him."
Everyone was taken aback by how pure and innocent this scene was. Drifa, of course, meant in the context of a friendship, but everyone else had a different idea. Raza was proud because he thought that he could continue to be friends with Drifa, and in return, he could continue to come home on the weekends.
'This woman is cheating!' Leora gritted her teeth.
Alden leaned towards Raymond, who did the same. The Angovo family was bilingual since Vivian spoke a different tongue in her home country. Naturally, the married couple taught their children both languages.
"Raymond, what do you think of Drifa," Alden spoke in a hushed voice.
"She's pretty cute. Definitely a better fit for Raza than Leora," Raymond rubbed his chin.
"I agree. That reaction of hers can't be faked that well. She gave a genuine answer to the question. I am so proud of my son!"
Ahem!
Alden and Raymond turned around and saw that Vivian was giving them a cold smile. Chills shot down their spines as they realized their mistake.
"Care to share that with everyone?" Vivian unconsciously switched to her native tongue.
Raza saw what was happening and sighed. Leora and Drifa were confused, so they looked to Raza to explain what was happening. He stood up.
"Mother, Father, I believe it is getting late. I will take Drifa and Leora home," Raza spoke up.
"Huh? Alright," Alden said.
"Leora, you can stay the night. I was going to meet up with your mother tomorrow, so you can tag along," Vivina offered.
Leora was going to deny this request, but she suddenly had a very important thought.
'This is my chance to get closer to Raza!'
"Thank you Lady Vivian for your offer. I will accept," Leora bowed.
'She's definitely planning something,' Everyone in the room thought simultaneously.
After saying their goodbyes, Drifa and Raza left. The two of them took the carriage after Drifa told the driver her address. When they sat down in the carriage, Drifa began speaking.
"I already told my father that you saved me once, so you can't use the same excuse as you did earlier," She revealed.
"Very well," Raza sighed. "I didn't plan to hide it from him, to begin with."
"Really?" Drifa looked up. "Why did you lie to your parents then?"
"They wouldn't like the fact that I killed two men nor would they like that I used my prototype weapons. Though I do plan to tell my father at some point, I do not wish to worry my mother," He explained.
"That was a prototype?" Was all Drifa could muster.
The destructive power of this device called a gun was unheard of. If that was a prototype, Drifa was afraid to see the finished product!
The two of them rode the carriage in silence. Drifa was nervous about introducing Raza to her father since he was a strict man. She only saw him smile a handful of times. In a lot of ways, Raza and her father were similar, but there was one striking difference.
Alfred Montgomery, Drifa's father, was a cruel man. Most people did not know that he ran an underground syndicate. This was mostly used to gather information for selling or blackmail, but it wasn't uncommon for Alfred to directly "handle" people. What Drifa didn't know was that Raza felt a nostalgic sense of belonging with this kind of crowd.
When the two friends reached Drifa's home, she told the guards at the front gate that she was home. She lived in a huge manor that was surrounded by gates and guards. The two of them were escorted into the building and were told to wait in the living room.
"Is this what most Duke's homes look like?" Raza looked around, specifically at the books on the shelves.
"No, even among Dukes, my family is rather wealthy," She explained.
"Explains why you were targeted earlier this week," Raza sighed as he sat back down.
After a moment, a tall and slender man walked into the room. His hair was beginning to gray, and he wore a suit just to greet his daughter and her friend. He carried himself in a dignified and powerful way. This man knew the amount of power and influence that he held.
"Hello, my dear Drifa. And this is who I assume is Raza?" The man said.
"Hello, Father," Drifa hugged the man. "And yes, this is Raza Angovo."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Montgomery," Raza extended his hand.
However, Alfred smiled and embraced Raza, which made him uncomfortable. Above everything, Alfred was Drifa's father first. Showing his gratitude for the man before him precedented before everything else.
"I thank you for saving my daughter. I don't know what I would have done if she was taken from me," He said with a warm smile.
Drifa was surprised at this. She never saw Alfred's smile spread so wide. She realized that despite his cold demeanor, her father truly loved her.
"I didn't do it for free. She had to become my friend in exchange," Raza said.
"Yes, yes, of course," Alfred let him go. "Come, sit."
'Drifa said that he rarely goes out of his room. He must have requested her friendship in case he needed connections. A naive request, but I am in his debt nonetheless,' Alfred thought to himself.
Drifa sat next to her father while Raza sat across from them. Raza prepared himself for an unnecessarily long conversation about nothing. He only wanted to drop Drifa off and leave. However, the next part was unsuspected.
"Tell me, Raza Angovo, who is your father?" Alfred's face grew serious.
Raza subconsciously tensed up. This was a sudden question. He only had one answer, but if word got out about his origin, his family would be targeted. Not only that, but it would cause a national uproar since the kingdom's so-called good king committed such a crime.
"Alden Angovo," Raza answered without hesitation.
"Don't lie to me, boy," Alfred waved his hand.
The butler and guards immediately understood what this meant. They left the room and closed the doors behind them. Drifa was confused and felt like she shouldn't be here. When she was about to get up, Alfred motioned for her to stay.
"I am in your debt, but I will not tolerate disrespect. I will ask one more time. Who is your father?" Alfred frowned.
"Alden Angovo," Raza repeated himself.
This angered Alfred, but right before he could speak, Raza continued.
"Though if you are asking who my biological father is, then it is Gannon Karam," Raza revealed.
Drifa's eyes widen in surprise. She looked at her father, but he didn't show any reaction. It was like he was suspecting this from the beginning. Wait, why would Alfred even ask such an obvious question to begin with? It was because he knew!
"You do know what this means, right Raza?" Alfred leaned forward.
"It means that your debt is suddenly paid. This is a national secret, and my family is at risk now," Raza coldly answered.
Raza thought about the chances of him being able to kill everyone in this building and escaping before anyone found out. If this was Earth, his chances was high, but there was one important factor. Raza didn't know how skilled they were with magic.
"Fear not, I do not intend to share your secret. As to how I found out about it, it's best if you didn't ask," Alfred smirked.
Raza knew that was bullshit. The king himself used his influence to cover up any evidence and promoted Alden's family in order to keep an eye on them. There was onely three ways this man could have found out about Raza's past. One, he was involved in the clean up with the king.
That didn't make sense because Alfred was a Duke. Based on the impression that Raza got, Alfred was a power hungry noble. Why would he not take advantage of this secret before? It was because he didn't know. That would also rule out the option that someone in his family told him.
The last option was that he was part of a ring of information. He must have had access to some sort of illegal trade of info, and he looked into Raza after Drifa told Alfred about him. This meant that Alfred's hands were dirty.
"You must be part of some sort of ring of illegal trading," Raza frowned.
Alfred smiled for the second time. Drifa was shocked by how fast Raza came to that conclusion.
"Bravo! You are as smart as you are strong. Now, let me ask you a question," Alfred leaned forward.
"Do you want to be king?"