Looking back, the face of his uncle came into view, watching him with an amused expression.
"You were going to take all of that without sparing this old man some? You already emptied the rest!"
Nolan said, his eyes sweeping across the bunch of empty barrels which laid cluttered all over the floor.
"Tch!"
Grey kissed his teeth, and rolled his eyes at his uncle's words.
"Brought your own cup?"
The discontent in his voice made the handsome middle aged man let out a hearty laugh.
"Of course, I did. It's your birthday Grey, we can't have you drunk before the actually party starts. Cheer up kid!"
He said, filling his cup with aged wine from the dusty barrel.
Bringing the cup to his nose, he took in a deep breath and sighed in satisfaction.
"Your father was really good at picking quality wine. To think you've been having this 100 year silver fire wine to yourself. You're one heck of a stingy bastard!"
He said, taking small sips of the wine.
Grey on the other hand, looked on with resentment, his face darkening with each sip his uncle took.
After watching the man empty the cup and serve himself another cup, Grey sighed and resigned to the situation, joining him in enjoying the last barrel.
"How did you even find me here?"
Grey asked.
"What do you mean? I've been looking for my brother's hidden stash for a while now and I just happened to spot you while you were trying to act all sleek and smooth!"
Nolan stated, like he was saying something obvious. His tone causing Grey's cheeks to redden and he gulped down more wine to take his mind off it.
"Come off it douchebag!"
"Why the hell are you hosting a party anyways? I didn't remember asking for one, nor do I look like I need one!"
Grey's eyes, just like his name, darkened with intrigue as he questioned his uncle.
"Oh c'mon. Have some faith in this douchebag! You're my nephew and it's your 18th birthday, you're finally leaving the nest and becoming a man. Your father, my brother would've done the same!"
"Hmmm.....can we not talk about...that"
Lifting the glass to his lips, he took a large gulp of wine, ignoring the sharp burn as it trailed down his throat. The sting did little to soothe his mood, but at least it numbed the feeling that sought to overwhelm him.
"Alright!"
Nolan said, feeling the subtle aura of loneliness around his nephew.
With that, silence washed over the room as both men let the burn of the wine distract them from whatever thoughts bothered them.
A few hours later, when the sun started to take its leave and the darkness showed its hands, Nolan peeked at the window outside and caught sight of some maids placing some lightning in the garden.
'They must be rounding up by now'
He thought, looking at Grey who was still lost in his thoughts, his finger caressing the edge of the cup. The only thing betraying the fact that they had been drinking non stop for the past few hours being his reddened cheeks.
"It's almost time kid. I'll be going off to get ready, you should do the same too. It wouldn't be proper to have a drunk young lord at the beginning of the party."
Nolan said this and took his leave, dropping his cup on the box besides Grey who was still quiet.
When he left, Grey looked into his cup which was still half filled with the silver burning wine and sighed deeply.
Although his cheeks were reddened and his eyes, a little lost, Grey had only drank enough to make himself feel a little tipsy. The effects of a silver burning wine that had aged for a 100 years wasn't something he could handle easily.
His uncle could shake off the effects, not him. He had literally been sipping on his second cup for the past few hours.
'He's right. I should get ready. The party is going to start in a while, just hope the halls turn out empty'
Grey thought, pouring back the contents of his cup back into the barrel, the wine was too precious to be wasted.
Taking one last look at the room, memories flooded his mind and sadness overwhelmed his figure.
"18th birthday? What a joke!"
He scoffed, walking away from the room. He had a party to be the centre of and a reputation to uphold. If they wanted a party. He was gonna give them one they weren't going to forget.
....
"Welcome to the Altharion house....."
It was early evening and the guests had started to arrive, slowly filling the grand hall of the Altharion household, one of the 5 high noble families of the Theo Race.
Music slowly filled the polished hall, giving the space a serene atmosphere. The halls of the household despite being inhabited by the only two remnants of the family, still shone with prestige.
Each immaculate piece of furniture, exhibiting the calm and unique tastes the family represented, a family that was well versed in diplomatic matters.
With time the halls got filled up, the small talk and chatter from the crowd slowly dispersing the lonely aura of the house, filling it up with liveliness, as the maids moved around serving drinks and tending to the requests of the guests.
The chatter died down as the attention of the guests turned to the top of the stairs where two dashing figures could be seen side by side.
On the left stood a middle-aged man dressed in a dark brown suit complimenting his bourbon hair. He wore a dignified smile aimed at the guests.
The young man beside him was the star of the show, Grey Altharion, young lord of the Altharion house. Donned in a grey suit which matched his unique eye color, he flashed a charming smile, making the ladies who stared at his direction blush.
'He seriously doesn't try, does he?'
His uncle, Nolan thought, rolling his eye as he cleared his voice, preparing to address the crowd.
"Ahem!"
"Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen. after so many years, the doors of the Altharion house are finally open. A rare occasion well received by your presence here."
"Today, we celebrate the coming of age of our young lord, Grey."
Nolan spoke in a clear voice, reaching the corners of the room, as he gestured to Grey beside him.
"Today, we feast and forget about other trivialities. Welcome to the house Altharion!"
He ended the speech in style, the crowd bursting into chatter the moment he finished talking, giving the signal to start the banquet.
The crowd didn't even wait for the main man to say a few words as they all dived into the activities of the banquet.
Nolan, knowing his nephew, understood that there couldn't have been a more desirable outcome than this for him.
Glancing at Grey from the corner of his eyes, he saw the mischievous look on the young man's face as he took slow steps down the steps, vanishing within the crowd.
'Just what is he up to again? Oh well, his reputation can't possibly get worse than it already is.'
"The playboy trash. Who came up that name? Haha!"
Nolan let out a small chuckle, uncaring of what the others thought of his nephew or how they addressed him behind his back.
He also decended down the steps, approaching several important guests he hadn't seen in a while.
Grey who had successfully mixed into the crowd had one goal on his mind—To have fun!
He didn't want the party, but he might as well take full use of the opportunity and party hard, taking the noble out of these men and bringing out the party in them.
It was probably the last time he was going to have fun in a long time anyways, so why not just say, 'fuck all!'
Grabbing a few drinks from the tray of a maid who passed by, he approached a small gathering of ladies, handing each of them a glass.
"Good stuff!"
He nodded, taking small sips while maintaining eye contact.
The ladies smiled, easily accepting his company.
One could tell that this wasn't the first time they had interacted with Grey, who just happened to be quite popular in the city and in the noble cirle.
"You really didn't disappoint with the party, Grey!"
One of the ladies said, flashing him a sweet smile.
Grey seeing this, returned the smile with a wink, spending a few more minutes before he left the circle.
'Tch! Seriously, why the hell do they all look so bland to me today?'
'There's got to be one at least!"
Grey kissed his teeth, dropping a glass whose contents he had just gulped down, his eyes scanning across the several groups of beautifully dressed young ladies, like predator searching for a suitable prey.
His eyes narrowed as he caught onto a shadow from the edge of his eyes.
Looking back the figure came fully into his vision.
A figure in a green ball dress which not only matched her lush green eyes, but also complimented her pale, milky skin which have off an inviting feel.
As of sensing his eyes on her. She turned her face his his direction revealing what could only be described as a delicately carved face; full pink lips with a slightly high nose. The slight blush on her cheeks enhancing her beauty.
As Grey stared at the lady whose figure couldn't be hidden fully by her slim ball gown with a high slit, his expression went from enthusiastic to freezing.
"What the fuck is she doing here?"
Grey muttered, waking up to the lady who had locked eyes with him, throwing him a small smile that would've been considered seductive to the vast majority of guys present. But not Grey.
"You need to leave!"
He said straight up after taking a shot of whatever he had picked up on the way there.
"Why? Doesn't the young lord of house Altharion want me here?"
She asked, taking a step into his personal space. Her voice just as enchanting as her appreance.
"Drop it, Aria! Why the fuck are you even here"
Grey questioned, but before he could get a reply, he continued.
"But if you're here, that means that stuck up bastard is here too!"
Grey controlled the urge to facepalm and said almost pleasingly.
"You need to leave Aria!"
"No way I'm missing your day, Grey. Deal with it!"
Aria said, raising her delicate hands to pat his shoulders in a way that appeared intimate to the onlookers.
Almost instantly, Grey could feel several pairs of firery eyes latch on to him. If looks could kill, his empty coffin would've been six feet under by now.
Especially one pair which contained more than just jealousy.
"Haa. Of course he also had to show up too!"
Grey sighed, feeling like his night was about to get ruined.
"Well, if it isn't our young lord. Haven't seen your face since the start of this...party. Gone woman hunting again?"
A voice full of mockery rang out, attracting the attention of several others.
Grey turned around to face the source.
"Alex."