Theos and Alice walked around the mansion with their hands intertwined. The nobles were curious about the couple, both because of their extreme beauty and because of Theos himself, who looked like a unique individual with unique features such as completely black hair and a crimson red eye.
However, the nobles did not try to approach the couple, mainly because Count Rasforh treated them with the same respect as a prince.
Theos' eyes roamed the room, taking in the endless meals: turkey in the oven, stews, soups, light meals.... He approached the food and devoured it one by one with total elegance and care, without making a sound.
"The tortilla stew is heavenly," Theos commented softly and contentedly. He hadn't eaten since his transmigration, so his hunger was no joke.
Alice watched him silently. "He's quite cute when he eats," she thought without realizing it, as she moved to taste the stew Theos had mentioned.
"Delicious," Alice said, surprised by the taste of the food.
"Yes, they have an excellent cook here, but I don't think he's superior to you," Theos said with complete sincerity.
"I prepared it with a lot of love; it would be an insult if you didn't like it," Alice replied with an angry expression, but inside, she was happy about the compliment. How long had she waited for a compliment from him? She served him every day, but all she got was a cold, indifferent look.
"Forgive me if I have offended you, my lady," Theos said jokingly with a slight smile, feeling equally happy in his heart. He felt that the sudden change in their relationship would be extremely awkward, as she had previously considered him her master. Fortunately, she seemed to adapt quickly to their new situation, and most importantly, she did so happily.
Alice rolled her eyes and did not react to his jokes. After all, it was a gathering of nobles, she couldn't playfully argue with him in such a tense atmosphere.
Theos understood this and did not insist.
His eyes continued to scan the hall, recognizing several nobles mentioned in the novel, but what caught his attention was a group of young men standing in a corner.
In reality, the nobles were separated from the young men along with the lords, but normally the group of young men would not be so active or conversational. Looking at them more closely, Theos recognized the figure who was perhaps the most important character in the plot... The protagonist.
He had golden blond hair, sky-blue eyes, white skin, and a slim but toned body. His appearance and charm were well above average; he could be considered a handsome person.
Surrounding the young man were dozens of young girls, mostly pretty, who were secondary female characters. But Theos recognized them at a glance.
Theos' face became impassive again, unlike his inner self, which was full of laughter.
'More main characters means more negative mana' Theos concluded, holding Alice's small hand tighter. "How about we go that way?"
Hearing Theos' suggestion, Alice didn't hesitate and nodded in agreement. After all, she had no reason to refuse, except for the fact that these were young people her age, or close to it.
Theos approached the group, who noticed her immediately. How could they not notice such dazzling and outstanding figures? Ever since Theos and Alice entered, everyone couldn't help but look around.
In particular, neither he nor she greeted any nobles, and that would have been considered disrespectful, but Rasforh acted with total respect in front of him, which meant that he was not someone simple and did not intimidate anyone. But who? No one had ever seen this man at a gathering of nobles.
But everyone had a hunch. Who is the only young man of high status who has never introduced himself in public? That's right... The young master and heir of the Great Fallen Family, the Fallen.
Such a possibility made everyone's hair stand on end and their skin crawl. His appearance is not so different from that of a princess, and even superior.
"Hello, guys, it's nice to meet you," Theos introduced himself with an indifferent and cold, yet elegant and magnetic voice, making all the young men lose themselves in his voice for a second.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you too, my name is Alan Roy, of the Roy family," the first person to emerge from the hypnotic state of Theos' voice introduced himself politely.
'Of course, the first one to introduce himself is the protagonist' he thought amusedly. He didn't want to talk to him too much, so he just nodded and ignored him.
"Hey, what's your name?" asked Alan, a bit annoyed, because he didn't like Theos; after all, he was much better looking, so it left a bitter taste in his mouth. And if that wasn't enough, there was a certain natural animosity between them.
Hearing the contempt in Alan's voice, Theos raised an eyebrow. 'I understand that I ignored him, but that voice of contempt and slight hatred shouldn't just be for that? Maybe the protagonist naturally felt some enmity or hatred towards the villain?' this possibility circulated in Theos' mind, but he ignored it without giving it much importance.
Yes, Alan is the protagonist, but .... So what? Besides, the more hate and negative emotions, the more negative energy Theos will have. It's like winning without doing anything.
"My name?... Call me Ark for now; in a few days, you'll know my name," Theos answered directly, walking past Alan.
"What?" question marks filled Alan's mind; he couldn't understand what he had heard. In a few days, I will know his name. How does he know I will know his name in a few days? A flood of questions began to circulate in his mind.
Theos had no intention of answering his doubts, so he turned his attention to a young girl sitting apart from the other youngsters.
'Bingo!'
~