Make things difficult

A group of people came and left in great numbers.

Apart from Irene's parents and her uncle's family, the rest were mostly distant relatives who depended on them. It was common to seek refuge with noble relatives in both Faustian and Aomar.

A few servants took Locke's luggage. Apart from Irene's and his personal belongings, there were also gifts that they had jointly bought for their relatives. After all, it was Locke's first time meeting Irene's parents, so it wouldn't be appropriate if he didn't bring some gifts.

Irene's parents were very happy that Locke had bought them gifts. There weren't many people like him these days who were polite and had a good temperament.

Locke didn't know anything about temperament. It was a subtle influence from spending time with Angelina, Glace and the others. At least after arriving in Aomar, no one who knew him would associate him with a commoner.

As for the gifts, Locke could only say that he didn't spend a single cent on them. Irene had bought them all on her own.

Uncle Bessel glanced at Locke, who was chatting happily with Irene's parents. He didn't say anything else and followed behind the crowd.

They were staying at Irene's castle. Although it was only a small town, the castle in the middle of the town was exquisitely decorated.

It was a castle that was very different from Faustian's castle, which had a strong cultural atmosphere in Aomar.

Locke couldn't help but compare this castle with Cardoj's castle that he had visited in Faustian. He came to the conclusion that they each had their own merits. Although the simple and crude castle suited him, a more comfortable castle like this seemed to be a better choice.

The banquet was held in the castle. Irene's parents seemed to want to throw a grand welcome party for their daughter, and on the other hand, they didn't want to neglect Locke as a guest.

Locke's mood wasn't affected by the singing and dancing in the salon, as well as the endless stream of pastries and tea served by the maids. Whether it was in the royal capital of Faustian or at Joaquin's house, these gatherings were much better than this.

However, Locke preferred the comfortable atmosphere here. There were no nobles to bother him, and he didn't have to socialize. All he had to do was eat and drink for himself.

"Young man, do you often attend these kinds of parties?" Baron Bissell came over with a glass of rum.

"Yes, but I prefer the relaxed atmosphere today." Locke raised his wine and clinked glasses with the old man.

Aomar's specialty was rum, and he preferred a sweeter wine. It would be better if there was ale, but unfortunately, that was exclusive to commoners. Ale was rarely seen at noble gatherings like this.

The appearance of ale meant that the host of this banquet was a destitute noble, which would attract the ridicule of other nobles.

The white rum and the red grape wine glasses clinked in the air. The old man and the young man smiled at each other and downed the glass in their hands.

Locke could stay idle and keep a lookout, but Bishop Bissel couldn't. Apart from him and his brother, there were also many lords and knights from the fief. There were even barons from neighboring fiefs who came to attend the gathering, so the brothers needed to keep them company.

He nodded at Locke and left with his glass of wine.

Looking at the old man chatting happily with the nobles, Locke couldn't help but think of Cardoj from Faustian, who used to be his superior. They were the same kind of person. Locke sighed.

"Why are you sitting here?" Irene appeared in front of Locke in a white dress. "Aren't you going to get to know the young talents here?" she teased.

Locke was stunned at first, then he shook his head. "I'm not interested." It was his first time seeing her in such a dress, so he couldn't help but stare at her for a while longer.

Unlike Locke, who could keep a low profile, Irene was one of the focuses of the night. Before she could say a few words to Locke, several groups of young nobles came over to talk to her.

Judging from how Irene was conversing with them, they seemed to be familiar with each other. Most of them were nobles in the area.

Although Locke tried his best to keep a low profile, he still attracted the gazes of the people around him. They wanted to see what was so special about this young man who came down from the same carriage as Irene.

Unfortunately, they were disappointed. Locke wasn't ugly, but he wasn't handsome either. His eyes were bright, giving people a feeling that he was full of energy. Because he had been in the army all year round, his physique was much stronger than these young nobles.

The atmosphere of the banquet was still relatively casual. A gathering of local nobles couldn't be compared to the imperial capital, so there were always some rules. Locke was more relaxed and comfortable since the beginning of the banquet.

Until...

"Oh, I heard that Miss Irene is back from the imperial capital!" A middle-aged man's voice came from the entrance of the banquet hall. A middle-aged noble with a cold expression and an aquiline nose strode in.

Behind him was a skinny young man, and a large group of nobles followed behind them. From the looks of it, there were more of them than the nobles present at the banquet.

The originally empty banquet hall suddenly became a lot more crowded, and the atmosphere became a lot weirder.

"Viscount Shimak, welcome!" Baron Bissell put down his glass of rum and hugged Viscount Shimak warmly.

He then smiled at the skinny young man next to him. "You must be Veron. I haven't seen you for a long time. You've grown taller and stronger," he said as he patted the young man's shoulder.

Shimak had heard that Irene had returned, so he brought his son along to meet his future wife. He didn't expect to hear that Irene had returned with a young man. Shimak had a bad feeling about this.

Furthermore, he heard that the young man had come back in the same carriage as Irene. His face darkened even more. The nobles behind him weren't his subordinates. Many of them were just there to join in the fun and make fun of him.

It was said that one shouldn't hit a smiling person. Baron Bissel smiled and chatted with him and his son, so Shimak couldn't keep a straight face.

There were too many nobles around. Shimak looked around the banquet hall for a long time, but he didn't see Locke, who was sitting by the window.

"Uncle Bissel, where's Irene? Bring me to see her," the skinny young man said to the silver-haired elder. Although he'd never seen Irene before, he'd admired this talented student from the imperial capital for a long time and had long wanted to meet her.

"Irene, come and meet Veron." The silver-haired elder smiled and waved at Irene, who was standing behind his parents.

After Irene walked over reluctantly, Shimak asked casually, "Where's Irene's classmate from the imperial capital? Bring her out and let me see her. I've never seen another student from Princeton Academy apart from Irene."

Before Shimak could finish his sentence, the nobles in the banquet hall subconsciously turned to look at Locke, who was sitting by the window. Of course, Locke had heard Shimak's words. He had to step up at this time.

"Hello!" Locke stood up and walked over from the window, extending his hand to greet Shimak.

Shimak didn't take Locke's hand. Instead, he squinted his eyes and stared at him for a long time before saying, "You're a noble?!"

Everyone was shocked when they heard this.