"Young master, it is time for us to leave! We can't be late for Princess Juliet's event - The Maker's Night," Alfred urged him as he held the carriage's curtain wide open for him, just so he could get in faster.
"No worries, Alfred. Have you brought what I asked you to?" Valtherion said as he entered the carriage.
"Yes, young master, I have!" Sitting beside him, Alfred took out a mask and handed it to him. It was a lavishly made mask that left only his lips out, fully hiding his features. Putting it on, Valtherion asked for a mirror, which Alfred gladly passed to him.
'I can't cut my hair; I can't dye my hair because of my father, but surely, I could just use a wig, heh?'
Maker's night - this was an event organised by Princess Juliet, allowing people to introduce their inventions and gain sponsors. Valethrion was invited as her business partner; however, he was told to use a disguise. A lot of people would be there, from the imperial court, the military and so on. There could be something that could revolutionise the whole country.
Thankfully, he wasn't going there just to be a viewer; he had his own invention in mind - Soup Brick. It was awfully simple to make, as you'd just have to grind vegetables, dried herbs, and dried grains, which would then be mashed, pressed and finally - dried. Put it into water, and it becomes a soup.
Putting his wig on, Valtherion now had curly hair and wore a mask that was glittering with all kinds of flashing stones. This way, nobody would recognise him; he would only be a pompous noble, looking for profit.
Thankfully, tomorrow was Saturday; there was no school and only work, so he could enjoy the night fully.
It took them some time to arrive, but eventually they did. It was inside a building next to the Royal Bank, and thankfully, it was outside in the massive yard of the compound. Right now, it was bustling with people, and more were arriving by the minute.
"Alright, young master, I will be waiting for you here. Enjoy your night!" Alfred said as the carriage was parked, leaving only him and the driver, along with the horses.
"Alfred, make sure to eat and feed the driver. It might take me some time!"
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Entering, he was escorted to the yard, where many inventions were being shown. Some were ridiculous, others - not so much. A lot of skincare products were being displayed, which garnered quite a bit of attention.
At some point, he even made eye contact with Princess Juliet, who was welcoming only guests of high rank. He smiled at her as he saw the Princess's personal butler whispering something in her ear, causing her expression to shift from neutral to an 'ugh'.
"Excuse me, kind sir, would you be willing to come with me? Our miss would like to speak with you." Someone from the staff soon spoke with him and pulled him inside the main building, into a quiet room, in which soon, Princess Juliet came, in the flesh.
"Mograine! What is this outfit? Are you a clown now?" It did not seem like she liked his outfit, as the first thing she did was criticise it.
"I don't know, Your Highness. I only tried to be presentable for when you introduce me as your partner! Please, excuse my inability. Fashion...it is not really my strong side." Valtherion bowed as he spoke apologetically, smirking inside and laughing.
"No, absolutely not. Leave at once. You are not to be within 30 meters of me." The Princess had no intention to display him, and even told him to leave. It was all going according to his plan. Cause her annoyance, sell a patent, leave with money.
"Your Highness, apologies, but I have also come to introduce a product and sell its patent. You wouldn't kick a successful inventor such as me, would you?" Valtherion was enjoying every single moment of this, causing him to feel success, as if he had just graduated university once again.
"Fine! Stay! Not a single word about our Partnership!" The princess directly stormed out of the door, leaving only Valtherion as he snickered and soon went back outside. After so much talking, it was time for a beer.
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"Jenkins, what do you think of my daughter's event?" Alexander asked as he strolled around from hut to hut, exploring every single invention. Of course, he was wearing a disguise; at the moment, he was a black-haired man in his early thirties. Next to him was his right-hand man, Leeroy Jenkins, who had a similar look to him. Their attire was nothing flashy, just enough not to stand out.
"Alexander, the little lass is doing well. I can see that she would fill your treasuries; however, my throat is quite sore. How about we go have a drink with our Page? I see he is wearing a disguise...Oh my, a youngster heading for the bar?" Jenkins hinted at him as he saw a man with curly hair, around 1.70 meters tall, heading towards the bar.
Emperor Alexander's eyes glowed for a second, as his lips rose in a smirk and moved in fast paces with Jenkins, straight behind Valtherion, sitting exactly on his right side. The curly-haired man gave them a nod before tapping lightly on the bar plot, awaiting the bartender's service.
"Greetings, what would you like?" The bartender spoke as smoke was coming out of his mouth. It seemed like alcohol, tobacco, and other fun boosters would also be a part of this event...
"Heya. I would like something refreshing." The curly man said as he took out a silver coin and placed it on the bar.
"Alright, you will have it. What about you two gentlemen?"
Jenkins was about to order something that he liked, but Alexander was first "We would have what this gentleman here will. Here's the money."
The bartender left to prepare the drinks, as a quiet atmosphere settled in on that specific side of the whole bar. There was a variety of drinks, while tropical lights decorated the whole bar and its interior. The music was lively; most likely, this was some concept of a bar from a different country. The continent of Bale was wide, after all.
"Excuse me, mister. Are you here to invest or to introduce some invention? My name is Val; this is my brother, Tarion. We are investors." Alexander spoke as he extended a hand towards the curly man, smiling as he introduced his brother, who in turn had a smirk on his face.
Valtherion was genuinely shocked. What was the chance of two brothers being named like him? He hid his surprise to avoid any misunderstandings and cleared his throat, preparing to take on a deeper voice.
Shit, I forgot to come up with a name...improvise!
"Greetings, gentlemen, my name is Alaric. Alaric Dane. I am both an inventor and an investor. Anything grab your eye here?" Valtherion felt dumb for a second; introducing Uncle Dain was an ass move, but it was a name that just stuck with him. After all, that strange uncle had given him something extremely valuable.
Alexander smiled while pinching the hand of Leeroy, who almost burst out laughing. Thankfully, the noise from all of the conversations and music hid it well.
"So far nothing. It seems ladies will benefit the most here, a lot of skincare products. On a side note, what have you come up mister Dane?"
"Well, Mister Val, Mister Tarion, observe." Reaching into his pocket, Valtherion took out something and smacked it on the bar, causing a loud sound. Val and Tarion looked at it; nothing amazing...it was just a badly coloured brick. Yes, a brick.
"This is a soup brick. I know, it looks ugly; it is, in fact. However, place it into boiling water, and it will dissolve, and a soup will be made. A small brick like that is enough for a litre and a half. That could feed armies; meat could be added, and it's easier to transport. The reason for its ugliness is that it contains a lot of spices, grains and vegetables. I am here to sell its patent, though, aiming for someone from the military to buy it. Can't keep such a patent to myself anyway...'