V4.C9 Banquet, Charmed Leo

Inside a spacious hall…

A small orb was hanging from the twenty meters high ceiling, the pure white walls of the hall reflected its light. Small tables sat all around the room. A hundred or so men and women dressed in elegant and refined outfits occupied the hall.

Strangely, with so many people the hall was silent except for a few periodic sounds. None of them spoke as if tongue tied by something and gazed in one direction.

In the centre of the hall stood a long dining table made of oakwood or it had the texture of oakwood with every kind of delicacy placed on it. More than a dozen chairs surrounded the table.

Crunch Chomp

Only a single young man sat there chomping down on the food. He seemingly lacked any shame and modesty and kept devouring the food in an uncivilized manner.

Plates after plates piled on the table, only stopping 10 minutes later. Everyone was rendered speechless by his appetite.

"Huh, amazing!"

Even after eating so much, there wasn't a single bulge on his stomach. He wiped his face with a handkerchief and picked up a glass of red vine and strolled toward the place where the leaders of Heiligh Kingdom were gathered.

"Hello."

He casually greeted the crowd looking at him and returned the priests and the pope hostile glares with a sneer.

"Why don't we start the banquet now?"

Liliana noticed the tense atmosphere between them and tried to stop them.

Banquet hasn't started, so I am the first to eat. Whatever...

He looked at Liliana and the blonde woman standing beside her. They resembled each other, they might be blood-related, he thought and noticed young women and girls dressed in luxurious gowns as if trying to show off while men wore traditional suits, all in all everyone was dressed formally.

Kouki's group was drowned by horde noble ladies, even Ryutaro wasn't spared as nobles buried him in questions.

Leo on the other hand was sticking out like a sore thumb with his black jacket with pants of the same color. He was the one dressed most casually here except Shizuku who was dressed in her usual white sleeveless top with jeans.

He shrugged his shoulders.

I've been wearing these for a while, maybe I should ask Yue to make new ones.

"Whistle~"

Loud whistles stopped his random train of thoughts. He turned back and caught sight of Eri and Irene entering the Hall, he was amazed for more than one reason.

Irene wore an elegant blue gown made of satiny fabric, long and loose. A semi-circular collar headed the ankle-length robe. The white skin peeking through might have mesmerized him… that was if he even looked at her.

His sight was stolen by Eri wearing a jet black silk dress. Her long hair tied up in a simple ponytail. She didn't wear any glasses, allowing him to see her beautiful face without any obstruction.

He moved toward her as she also noticed him and a dazzling smile appeared on her face.

Wrapping his hands around her slender waist, he pulled her closer and pressed his lips against hers.

He released her and smiled seeing her blushing face.

"I couldn't help myself."

She appeared to be embarrassed by his intimate action, maybe not being used to it and more so in front of others. She coughed softly and stared at him intently, trying to convey something.

Leo inclined his head in confusion and noticed Irene glaring at him, angry for being ignored. She tried very hard to doll up and still failed to catch his eye.

"Irene, you also look very lovely today."

He bit the bullet and praised her. She nodded with a red face.

"Thanks, you also look pretty handsome."

Her upturned moist eyes landed a critical hit on his heart. She was by no means short, standing at a height of around 162cm, she still had to slightly tilt her head to look him in the eyes.

He coughed dryly and averted his gaze from her, missing the little smirk on her face.

"As I was saying, tonight we are gathered here…"

Liliana stopped her speech midway as every head in the room snapped at the door.

Leo once again let out a gasp in awe and admiration.

Shea dressed in a light blue periwinkle dress that wrapped her voluptuous figure. She bunched her front hair in bangs while the back was tied in a simple ponytail, making her appearance cute and sexy at the same time.

Standing to her left was Hearst, clothed in a tight-fitting black dress, accentuating her perfect figure more than normal. Her loose silver hair draped over the black dress created a wondrous contrast, further increasing her loveliness.

The last one, Yue walked toward him in a pure white wedding dress. It opened up at the shoulders, decorated with lots of frills. Her golden hair was tied in a ponytail, fastened by a crimson hair ornament.

Her blood-red lips and pale white skin with the seductive look in her eyes captivated everyone including him.

Cough Cough

Liliana coughed unnaturally to end the dazed state of every man in the room. The women glared at the men for eying the women of some other man.

The atmosphere returned to normal as Yue, followed by Shea stopped in front of him. Eri and Irene glared at Yue in dissatisfaction.

Hearst quietly stood to his right.

"Fuuh~ Leo, how do I look?" asked Yue as she twirled to show every part of her dress.

He ignored the cold gazes of every man piercing his back and smiled gently.

"Cute and beautiful."

"How about me?"

"All right, you all look the best."

***

Liliana officially started the banquet with teary eyes, her mother seeing her, covered her mouth and giggled.

"Kouki?"

Shizuku called Kouki who leaned against a pillar and sipped his glass filled with wine while gazing at Leo chatting with girls.

"Kouki, I'm sorry for earlier... I shouldn't have slapped you," she peeked at his face, observing for any change in his expression.

Kouki shook his head and smiled radiantly.

"Don't worry about it, I was the one who acted like a jackass. I really deserved it, but it really hurt a lot."

Shizuku found something odd in his smile. She shook her head, thinking she was just exaggerating it.

"Say Shizuku, do you… nah, forget it…"

"What was that? Just speak it, no need to hide things between childhood friends, is it?"

"Childhood friends, huh."

Kouki muttered under his breath and walked toward the gate.

Shizuku gazed at his back before shaking her head.

He might need some time to digest it...

She then turned her eyes to Leo surrounded by beautiful women and let out a sigh. She took a sip of the sweet fruit juice, which tasted bitter for some reason.

***

Inside Eri's room, Leo sat face to face with Eri and stared in her calm eyes contrary to her flushed face. This aroused an awkward silence between them.

After the banquet ended, Yue and Shea dragged Hearst and Irene somewhere, leaving him and Eri alone. He nodded in appreciation when he understood their real reason. They didn't want anyone to intrude on his personal time with Eri.

Back in the room, Eri took the initiative and brought her head closer. A faint aroma wafting from her hair.

"You know how long I loved you? Eight years. You saved me like a knight in shining armor when I was ready to die... guess what I was thinking that day?"

He cupped his chin with one hand and deeply pondered. He gave up before long. Counting the stars in the sky was easier than understanding a woman's heart.

Eri smiled at his silence and continued, "Let's give this guy a shot, if he doesn't keep his promise I'll en…"

He put a finger on her lips, stopping her from saying anything. He knew the next words of her were really grating to both of them.

"Don't ever say something like that, I'll always be here for you. Because, you are very very very important to me."

"...Okay."

He hesitated for a bit before asking, "Are you really okay with sharing me with other girls?"

She was a modern girl from Earth not born in Tortus where Polygamy was as natural as breathing. It would be a strange thing if she accepted it so naturally.

A sigh left Eri's mouth before she buried her face in his chest.

"I couldn't see Maria nee-chan hurting herself over you, so I was already prepared for this on Earth... You both are the only family I have left."

Her open-mindedness warmed his heart. "I love you. I love you so much…"

She looked up with a gaze narrowed and licked her lips.

"I know, I also love you. Let's do this or someone might interrupt us."

He gulped his dry saliva as his heart sped up in nervousness. It wasn't his first time seeing her, but her face right now looked alluring enough to send him in a daze.

After a brief silence, he asked, "Are you sure about this?"

With a grin, she crawled on his lap. Her hands twined around his neck while her legs latched onto his waist. Her heart was a mess with all the emotions but that didn't stop her from saying,

"Yeah~ I don't wanna lose my position over some stupid fear~"