Michael stood before his mirror, adjusting his old-fashioned suit. The well-fitted vest over a crisp white shirt and long coat gave him a distinguished look. A stylish tie, dark trousers, and polished shoes completed his appearance.
Nancy had specially chosen these outfits for Michael. With Michael's change in physique, his old clothes no longer fit, and Nancy seized the opportunity to refresh his wardrobe.
After getting ready, Michael went to the main hall, where Nancy and Lila were waiting. Nancy wore a graceful, full-length black dress with delicate lace at the neckline and sleeves. Her dark hair was styled in an elegant updo, highlighting her kind and expressive eyes.
Lila, on the other hand, wore a golden yellow dress and a blue hairpin, making her look very cute.
"Master Michael, the carriage is ready," said Jason. Since Michael opened the restaurant, Tom and Jason had started working as guards there.
At Nancy's insistence, Michael asked Jason to drive them to the Duke's Mansion in their luxurious carriage.
The well-fed horses' larger-than-average build made the carriage look even more impressive. It was a fitting display of the Ashbluff Family's status as a wealthy merchant family.
Nancy had already placed the gifts for her father into the carriage. Once everyone was seated, they set off toward Duke White's mansion.
Michael gazed out the window, taking in the noble's street. The striking difference between the lifestyles of the wealthy and the poor was impossible to ignore.
As they reached the halfway point, Michael spotted a carriage stopping by the roadside. A girl was waving frantically, asking them to stop.
Initially, Michael wanted to ignore her, but Lila shouted from the carriage, "Mom, look! That's Jessie, my schoolmate."
Michael asked Jason to stop the carriage and looked at the approaching girl, who had been waving her hands. The girl stepped closer to their carriage.
"Sir, can you please take us to Duke White's mansion? Our carriage is damaged," she asked, her voice tinged with urgency. She wore a simple but elegant green dress, her hair tied back in a braid.
Before Michael could say anything, Lila waved at Jessie. "Jessie, what are you doing here? Are you also going to the party?"
"Uh, we were going to the Duke's party, but our carriage's tyre got damaged. Lila, can you take us with you?" Jessie asked.
Before Lila could answer, Michael said, "Of course, you can come with us. After all, you are Lila's friend."
Seeing this, Sophie smiled with relief. Both sisters climbed into the carriage. "Thank you for helping us. My name is Sophie Cromwell, and this is my sister, Jessie Cromwell."
As the carriage set off, Michael learned that the two girls were daughters of a baron. Their father couldn't attend the party due to his poor health, so he sent his daughters to his place.
Their territory was in the western part of the kingdom, far from the capital city. Duke White invited all the nobles under his jurisdiction to this gathering, which allowed him to receive reports from them about their territories' performance.
After some time, they reached Duke White's mansion. The mansion was grand and refined, with tall, beautiful trees lining both sides of the path.
At the end of the path, a fountain with a fairy-like statue at its centre added to its elegance. Numerous carriages lined the route, and people stepped out of them one after another.
When Michael's carriage stopped in front of the mansion's main door, he and the others stepped out. As they approached the entrance, an excited voice greeted them.
"Welcome home, sister. How are you?"
Michael turned toward the voice and saw a man whose face bore a striking resemblance to Nancy. The man, dressed in a tailored black suit, had the same silver hair and kind, expressive eyes. This was Nancy's brother, Jonathan.
Nancy smiled at him. "I am fine, Jonathan. How are you?"
Michael and Lila also greeted Jonathan. Although Michael had a few bad memories with his cousins, his uncle was always good to him.
Nancy had a brief conversation with Jonathan before they proceeded inside. Jonathan still had other guests to greet.
"By the way, sister, you must go visit Dad. He is waiting for you and Michael." Nancy nodded, and they went inside.
As they entered the grand hall, they were met with a lively atmosphere. Guests were scattered throughout, engaging in conversations.
Some women wore their finest gowns, flaunting their figures, while musicians played slow-tempo music on one side of the hall.
The environment was just as Michael had imagined from stories about parties in his past life.
Sophie never imagined that Nancy was Duke White's daughter. She quickly thanked Nancy and excused herself.
Michael and Lila followed Nancy upstairs to Duke White's room on the first floor.
When they reached the room, they saw two guards standing outside the door. As soon as they noticed Nancy, they bowed and allowed them to pass.
Inside the room, a middle-aged man with a short beard stood before Duke White. He wore standard mage robes and held a book in his hand.
"Sir, although we don't have to fear those mortals, the mages born in mortal families are not easy to handle. With the current situation, the people will revolt if we don't act."
As Michael entered the room, that man stopped talking. Duke White initially felt irritation at the interruption, but his expression quickly changed to happiness when he saw Nancy.
He stood up and embraced her. "Nancy, my girl, I've missed you so much. Why didn't you come to see your father for so long? Have you already forgotten your father?" He started crying in front of them.
Duke White was an old man with a white beard. Despite his age, he showed no signs of aging beyond his beard. He stood tall and had a strong, muscular build. When he hugged Nancy, his large frame completely enveloped her.
Nancy's face turned red. "Dad, what are you doing? I am not a kid anymore," she protested but didn't let go of the hug.
"I know, my child. You are a mother now, but to me, you'll always be my little girl who used to prank me with her silly magic tricks."
After a few seconds, he released her and turned towards Michael. He approached him and hugged him in the same way.
"Michael, my boy, how are you? You know I am really mad at you. I heard that as soon as you woke up, you started working. Boy, you don't have to work so hard; take some rest."
"Grandpa, I already rested for a month, and that close encounter with death changed my outlook on life. Now, I won't keep myself confined. I want to live my life to the fullest," Michael said with a smile.
"Alright, Michael, do whatever you wish. Remember, your grandfather is a Duke of this kingdom," Duke White replied.
He then turned to Lila and gently brushed her hair. "Lila, I have brought your favourite sweets. Do you want them?"
Lila pouted, "Grandfather, don't mess with my hair." Duke White laughed it off.
The middle-aged man remained silent, but he, too, was smiling. Nancy noticed him and said, "Hello, Danny. How are you?"
He smiled and bowed slightly. "I am fine, miss."
Nancy then turned to Michael. "Michael, go attend the party. I have a few things to discuss with your Grandpa."
Michael nodded to Duke White and left the room along with Lila. Duke White watched Michael's back as he exited.
Once Michael was out of earshot, Duke White turned to Nancy and said, "Nancy, now remember, whatever I told you, you must keep it a secret from everyone, even Michael and Lily."
Michael came downstairs and sat on a chair. Meanwhile, Lila ran off towards Jessie to play with her. He called a waiter and took a golden goblet. As he lifted it and took a sip, his face immediately twisted in disgust, and he spat the drink out.
"Yuck, what is this?" Michael exclaimed, using his eyes of truth to examine the drink.
>> Crimson Velvet Wine: A wine made from grapes with high alcohol content. Tastes very sugary.
Michael was taken aback. Although he had never tasted alcohol before, he knew it wasn't supposed to be this sweet.
When Michael was tasting the wine, a dwarf sat down beside him. The dwarf had dark skin, brown hair, and a short build typical of his kind.
However, unlike the robust and muscular dwarves Michael was used to, this one looked lean and frail, almost human-like. His half-sleeved grey shirt revealed weak muscles, and he appeared completely drunk.
Seeing Michael spit out his drink, the dwarf laughed. "Kid, why don't you try those red berry juices for kids? Leave this wine for us adults. Seeing you wasting a wine like this is hurting my eyes."
Michael's face twitched. This dwarf didn't look much older than him, yet he dared to call him a kid.
"Whom are you calling kid? Also, do you call this thing wine? If you want to taste real wine, come to my restaurant. From next week, I'll be selling it there."
With disdain, Michael looked at the goblet and returned it to the waiter.
"Ho ho. Big words, kid. Do you even know this wine comes from Durinholm Kingdom? Their Kingdom is known for selling the best wine. Do you think you can make better wine than them?"
"Call me kid again, and I'll show you who I am," Michael retorted.
After their argument, both of them fell silent. As time passed, Michael grew bored. With nothing to do, he checked his system for something to pass the time. He purchased a Rubik's cube, took it out of his pocket, and began playing with it.
In his previous life, solving the cube had been his favourite pastime. It had always helped him forget his problems while he played with it.
Unbeknownst to him, the dwarf who had been arguing with him was watching with a shocked expression. Michael felt a burning glare, and when he looked up to see who it was, he found the dwarf staring at him intensely.
"Kid… I mean, Sir, where did you get that thing? Can you show it to me for a moment?" the dwarf asked him.
Michael ignored him, not wanting to engage. He stood up and moved away when the dwarf grabbed his hand.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said. But please, can you show me that thing in your hand?"
Michael looked at his hand and realized the dwarf was talking about the cube.
"This." Michael looked at the cube in his hand and realized something. He activated his Eyes of Truth and scanned the dwarf; the results shocked him.
>> Name: Charles Branca
>> Age: 20
>> Race: Dwarf
>> Level: First Tier Mage
>> Talent: - Low Grade Mage Talent, Low level Engineering Talent(upgradeable)
>> Lifespan: 130 Years
>> Favourability: 10
[Charles is the only son of Derek Branca, a distinguished dwarf mage and the current head of the Blacksmith Guild in the Yearwood Kingdom.
Due to his lack of mana, Charles could not forge magical equipment, making him an outcast in his dwarf family that primarily relied on selling enchanted items. Refusing to give up, he focused on creating inventions that could benefit mortals.
Unfortunately, none of his creations had practical applications, and even those that did were too expensive for mortals. When his father discovered his pursuits, he rebuked him and demanded that Charles focus on managing the family business.
Now, Charles attends high-profile parties to network, but his heart still longs for the world of inventions.]
"Now that's awesome," Michael's excitement was palpable as he spotted Charles.
He knew Duke White's party wouldn't have ordinary guests, so to find talents to help him in his ventures, he had upgraded his Eyes of Truth skill that morning. However, he never expected to encounter such a person so quickly.
"But this guy's favorability towards me is just 10. Well, that's understandable since he doesn't know me. Before recruiting him, I need to improve this," Michael thought.
Charles shifted uncomfortably under Michael's gaze, feeling like all his secrets were bare before him.
Michael smiled at Charles and handed him the cube. Charles was wary of Michael, but his fear melted away as soon as he got the cube.
He began rotating the sides of the cube, and within minutes, he understood its mechanism and even solved one side. Michael attempted to ask him something, but Charles was so engrossed in the cube that he ignored Michael's words.
Michael was about to take the cube from Charles when he noticed Duke White descending the stairs, followed by Nancy and Jonathan.
Duke White's demeanour had completely shifted; he now exuded an air of authority. Although he was smiling at the guests, his smile demanded respect.
Duke White went to the sitting area, and all the guests approached one after the other to greet him. Michael saw Sophie and Jessie among them, wishing the Duke a happy birthday.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming to celebrate my birthday. You can ignore this old man and continue enjoying the party," Duke White announced.
After everyone had been sent away, Michael approached Duke White with a box in his hand. "Grandfather, Happy Birthday. This is my gift for you."
Duke White took the box from Michael with curiosity, but when he opened it, he was shocked.