Julian subconsciously held his breath for a second, his grip on the wine glass tightening. This was indeed his first time seeing his father, but what was with the pressure?
The way his father gazed at him, made it seem like he wanted to squeeze his body like crumpled paper and shove him inside his wine glass.
'This is intense,' He thought, and finally let out the breath he was holding.
He bowed his head.
"Father,"
The Marquis's eyes swept over Julian's glass of wine and then at him.
"You've been standing in this corner for twenty minutes staring at nothing. Have you finally lost the few wits you were born with, or are you planning to embarrass the family in front of the Princess?"
Julian felt the old Kim Jowoon instinct kick in—the teacher who had to handle angry parents and rowdy principals with simple words.
However, this was not the time to act like a teacher. This man was someone who could spell death for Julian if he so wished.
His eyes fell on the staggering translucent affection level above the Marquis' head and nearly clicked his tongue.
It was the highest level of positive affection he had seen in this house, no, in the world as a whole, and yet it was still a crushing disappointment.
'How can a father feel so little for his own blood?' he thought. 'It's no wonder everyone else scorns Julian.'
Julian straightened his back, his face settling into a mask of polite, distant elegance.
"Neither, Father," he answered smoothly, his voice low. "I was simply observing the room. It's a fascinating study in... loyalty."
The Marquis's eyebrows shot up. The affection gauge above his head flickered.
[Affection: 15% -> 16% -> 15%]
The little improvement fell back to the stagnant fifteen and Julian couldn't tell why.
How in the world was he supposed to improve his impression on these people who only know how to scorn him?
"Don't try to sound clever, Julian. It doesn't suit you," the Marquis hissed.
'So that's why. He felt a bit impressed but then thought I was showing off.'
"The Princess is moving around the ballroom. If you have any sense, you'll stay out of her path. A fourth son has no business in the sun."
The Marquis turned and walked away, leaving Julian alone with the hovering quest window.
He stared at the quest for a while and then gulped down the rest of the wine.
'If I can't find the plot, I'll go somewhere the plot doesn't exist.' he suddenly thought. 'I don't want to be near these hypocrites either.'
Julian turned on his heel, slipping through the arched exits toward the silent gardens without anyone realizing.
It was easier than he expected. He thought someone would try to stop him but no one did.
The system pinged,
>[Quest completed]
>[Reward: 15 survival points granted]
>[Bonus reward: Skill 'Calm mind' Passive]
'Hm? What's this?' What did calm mind do? He wondered and checked it out while heading towards the carriage.
>Calm mind: helps the host stay clear-headed even in an alarming situation, in order to make sound judgment that can guarantee survival.
"Oh, it's pretty good." He mumbled out loud. "I didn't even know the quest gave skills like this. And with this, I don't have to worry about losing my mind under pressure.'
It was nice.
He sat in the carriage, rested his head, and said to the Coachman.
"Let's head to the mansion."
But just as he said that, he fell asleep.
Julian left the ballroom early, so he had no idea the commotion that had happened afterwards.
A man in the midnight-blue suit—the exact same suit Julian had worn—who stepped onto the grand staircase where only royalty walked on, wearing a white porcelain mask.
There was a sudden, sharp silence in the ballroom, all eyes on him.
He stood there, like he was about to put on a show but he said nothing. Then, whispers erupted, each wondering who it was that dared to wear a mask and conceal their identity in the imperial ballroom.
It was a disrespect to all the nobles present.
And then, he started walking down, his strides long and firm, until he got to the door of the stairs and his gaze, presumably, was fixed on the princess's direction.
This alerted the knights, who were itching for action.
"The Princess!" a voice shrieked. "Protect the princess!"
But the masked man did not stop walking until he stood before the knights with his hands up in surrender, ignoring the knights and addressing the princess.
"Our lovely imperial princess," he placed one hand on his chest and the other behind his back to bow. "I've come to congratulate you on your coming of age."
The princess was confused but maintained composure.
"Who are you?" She asked. "Reveal your identity at once. Do you not know that this is an insult to the imperials?"
"Of course I do," he said and raised his head.
"And you intend to commit it regardless?"
"Well, why not?" He grinned within his mask, his voice sounding cunning and amused. "I came here today to congratulate you on your coming of age, as well as..." He tucked his hand in his coat, alerting the knights.
"Don't move." They ordered, thinking he had a hidden weapon of some sort but he did not stop and brought out clips of photos he had gathered himself.
"...my present to you, as well as all the socialists in this room. So they know who you truly are, and the kind of schemes you play."
The princess frowned, her body tensing up.
"What?"
The masked man gave her no room to give orders and flung the pictures into the air, spreading them around for all to see.
Each of the pictures had the princess in it, and beside the princess, lying next to the princess or kissing the princess, was a man. Different men in all pictures.
The princess who just had her coming of age was already so active in the debauchery that it was hard not to see a single young nobleman who had not lain with her.
And most were already engaged too, causing a ripple of pain to the young noble ladies whose fiancés were involved in these scandals.
The princess trembled, her entire body tensing and her teeth grinding into her bottom lip in rage.
The chaos was already ignited and there was no way to put out the fire that was burning fiercely in the heart of the empire.
And amidst all this chaos, the masked man walked back the way he came. No one stopped him, and no one knew who he was.
Who was this masked man?
"We have arrived." The Coachman announced and Julian opened his eyes.
They were back in the mansion.
As Julian made to step down from the carriage, a notification from the system pinged in front of his eyes.
"Huh?"
> [NEW QUEST: 'The Safest Sanctuary']
> Condition: Accept the position of Tutor for the House of Duke Alaric.
> Reward: Extraction to the Northern Territory.
> [Do you accept? Y/N]
The quest was so sudden, but it brought a smile to his lips.
He wanted to get away from the heat of the empire and be far away from the plot so this was actually an opportunity.
And it was handing him a job that was his specialty too. How convenient.
"Yes," Julian whispered, his eyes widening in a sense of relief. "Accept."
He would do anything to get away from the plot.