In front of the Harvestead main house, several carriages arrived one after another, each dropping off important figures known not only throughout the capital city but across the entire Gravantia Empire.
Most of these guests came to attend the party out of curiosity about the important announcement hinted at in the invitation. Coming from the Harvesteads, such a matter was bound to be significant.
Inside the lavishly decorated main party hall, guests mingled and chatted, displaying impeccable manners while subtly boasting about their recent successful business ventures.
And, of course, they speculated about the possible content of the announcement that had prompted the Harvesteads to host such a grand party.
While the guests enjoyed fine wine and enchanting melodic music, an imposing and well-known figure among the elite made his entrance, accompanied by a male servant clad in a butler's outfit.
They quickly drew the attention of everyone in the party hall.
Every well-informed guest immediately recognized the figure and started making their way toward him.
With a slight bow and very polite words, the first person greeted, "Hello, Mr. Jasir, my name is Edgar Meltibore. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, Mr. Edgar," Jasir responded with a disinterested tone.
Edgar wasn't offended by Jasir's indifference; instead, he simply smiled, bowed again, and stepped away while wiping the sweat from his forehead. The man's presence was overwhelming.
Jasir Harvestead was a figure of immense importance and mystery, wielding incredible influence throughout the empire.
No one with a functioning brain dared to be impolite or act impulsively toward this man. He had the power to dismantle an entire small merchant family in a day with little effort, leaving only noble households capable of withstanding his full wrath.
Even so, they would face serious collateral damage, as anyone who dared to confront The Dealer would not escape unscathed.
After all, Jasir could make money as effortlessly as he breathed, and his ability to make others lose money was equally astounding. Therefore, crossing him was never a good idea.
Surrounded by people trying to engage him in conversation, Jasir found himself trapped and unable to greet his dear nephew. But fortunately, there was already someone who could do it better than him.
While this scene unfolded inside, Raziel and the girls arrived in front of the main house and quickly disembarked from the carriage, having arrived just a little late to the party.
As they entered the house, a servant approached Raziel and bowed. He informed Raziel that before joining the party hall, he needed to follow him to another location.
Raziel felt a bit doubtful about the servant's request but couldn't refuse, thinking it might have been arranged by his father. With that in mind, he told the girls to go ahead, and they nodded in understanding before leaving.
A few minutes later, after following the servant, Raziel found himself sitting on the couch in a familiar room often used by his father to meet with important guests.
The reason for being guided to this place remained a mystery, as the servant left without saying anything further.
As Raziel began to speculate on a possible reason, his eyes were suddenly covered by smooth, delicate hands, startling him.
"Guess who it is?" a delicate voice from behind asked.
His mind raced to process what was happening until he remembered that this exact situation had occurred before.
"L-Liliane, is that you?" Raziel stammered, recognizing the familiar voice.
"Correct! I knew you'd get it right, dear older brother~" Liliane said, uncovering his eyes and standing in front of him.
She struck a ladylike pose and asked, "So, what do you think? Am I pretty?"
Liliane was indeed a stunning girl, just as Raziel remembered. Her appearance easily rivaled that of the most beautiful heroines.
The girl had long, flowing hair, a striking mix of dark brown and blonde, cascading down her back. She wore a charming, elegant black gown that left her shoulders bare, exuding a subtle grace. Her brown eyes, so much like Raziel's, sparkled with a lively, captivating light.
Her petite frame was both enchanting and delicate, radiating an innocent yet captivating aura that evoked a deep, instinctive urge to protect her.
"Of course you are!" Raziel said, admiring the cute appearance of his cousin.
His sincere praise made Liliane break into an enchanting smile that could melt anyone's heart. She then sat beside him and explained that she had sent the servant to bring him there.
Liliane mentioned that she wanted to spend some time with him before they headed to the party hall, saying they hadn't had a proper chat in quite a while.
He found her motive adorable and agreed, which made Liliane beam with joy. They started chatting happily, with Raziel interacting with her naturally.
After a few minutes had passed, Raziel and Liliane walked together toward the party hall, with the girl clinging to his left arm. The sensation was quite different from when Eve did the same, as Liliane's bosom was still undeveloped.
Of course, he would never dare say anything out loud.
As they entered the party hall, almost all attention briefly shifted to them before the guests resumed their activities. While some guests gave Raziel mocking glances, no one dared to openly mock him, especially not in his own home.
Raziel really didn't care about these people and continued walking around with Liliane. However, he soon noticed a group of men surrounding Clarice, persistently inviting her to join them. Despite her polite refusals, they continued to disturb the poor girl.
Clarice felt helpless against their persistence until she spotted Raziel and rushed to cling to his right arm, causing the men who had been harassing her to retreat.
The girl saw them leave and quickly apologized for the disturbance. Raziel simply replied that it was fine. He added that if they bothered her again, she could present herself as his personal maid.
"Older brother, you're really kind," Liliane said with a smile.
Upon hearing Liliane's words, Clarice bowed her head respectfully. Despite their limited prior interaction, she was well aware of the key figures in the Harvestead household.
With a slight smile, Liliane reassured her, "There's no need for formalities. As my brother's personal maid, you're considered part of the family." Her sincere smile and words made Clarice view her in a more favorable light.
After the trio walked together for a while, they found Eve in a situation similar to Clarice's earlier. However, the killing intent emanating from the orange-haired girl was enough to deter anyone from insisting.
Some guests even referred to her as the "Demon Queen" due to the cruel, cold gaze she cast at the male guests who dared to invite her to join them.
When Eve saw Raziel with the girls, she walked over and greeted Liliane with a warm hug. Liliane, somewhat surprised, asked, "Who are you?"
"Oh, Lili, you know it's me, your older sister," Eve said with a smile.
These two had been very close friends since they were kids. Despite Eve being a servant, Liliane had always viewed her as an older sister, a bond that made their relationship deeply special.
They knew almost everything about each other, and Liliane was very aware of Eve's dislike for dresses and overly feminine clothing.
"Sister Eve, y-you're wearing a dress!?" Liliane exclaimed, her face a picture of disbelief. But then she added, "Wait…"
Liliane noticed the embarrassed expression on Eve as she shyly looked at Raziel. Immediately, she guessed the reason behind this miraculous change.
She knew about Eve's long-time crush on her dear older brother and had even tried on several occasions to bring them together. Sadly, Raziel had been blinded by the white snake and had never paid any attention to this poor creature.
That's why, to prevent her dear older brother from marrying the white snake, who never cared about his love, Liliane asked her father, Jasir, to convince Raziel to become her husband. Unfortunately, that plan also failed, leaving Liliane feeling very frustrated.
Of course, such feeling quickly vanished when Liliane discovered that Raziel had accepted her date proposal. With the added news of the white snake's infidelity, she now had everything she needed to make her plan work
'Hehe~ I see now... Oh, my dear older brother, this time you're going to be ours~' Liliane thought, winking three times at Eve, who understood the message.
This was their secret code to start the operation: Happy Family Ending.
Clumsily, Eve clung to Raziel's right arm, pressing it against her alluring bosom. The blonde-haired boy ended up feeling a bit stimulated and decided to take a seat at one of the vacant, decorated tables.
The girls imitated him and took their seats: Liliane on his left, Eve on his right, and Clarice beside Eve.
While Liliane engaged in conversation with Raziel, who was now drinking a glass of wine elegantly, someone unexpected sat at their table, causing everyone to stare at the new arrival.
The group fell silent, gazing at the beautiful girl clad in a luxurious black kimono. With a long ponytail and bright, light brown eyes, she stared directly at Raziel, just as she had in the afternoon.
"Eh... do you need something, Miss Kazenari?" Raziel asked politely, noticing the girl's sharp glare.
"Yes, I want to know why I can feel aura traces inside of you, wizard," she answered seriously.
"Pfftt! Cough, cough." Raziel spat out the wine he had been drinking while waiting for her answer.
"Old Brother!" Liliane quickly tried to help Raziel, who was coughing uncontrollably.
Eve and Clarice exchanged wide-eyed glances, both aware of his secret. Eve was the most surprised, as even she couldn't sense his aura.
It was only possible to detect his aura when he actively used it, a fact Eve had confirmed days ago by analyzing his energy flow. Detecting his aura in its current dormant state should have been impossible.
If she hadn't overheard his conversation that day, she would never have guessed that Raziel could use aura.
"I, I... I think you're speaking nonsense, Miss Kazenari. It's impossible for a mana user to use aura and vice versa. You know that no one can use more than one primary class," Raziel said, recovering from his shock and trying to dismiss her suspicion.
"Hm, I know, but still... since the day I took you to the infirmary, I've felt something wrong with you. It's as if there's aura inside you for some reason," Nozomi said, glaring towards his heart, trying to see something.
"It was you who took me to the infirmary that day?" Raziel asked, surprised by the sudden revelation. It seemed that Nozomi was the mysterious person who had helped him.
Nozomi nodded slightly, still staring at his chest. Raziel then remembered that this girl possessed Sensibility, a hereditary ability from her clan that made her five times more sensitive to sensing any of the three energy types.
Raziel had truly forgotten to include this girl on his list of people to avoid, alongside Anya. Just being near anyone associated with the pink-haired girl seemed to bring him trouble.
Right now, to escape Nozomi's suspicion, he would use his most fearsome skill: The Art of Bullshit.