Chapter 16
Unlike the cool night air outside, the banquet hall, bustling with people, was filled with a rather intense heat.
Ariel peeked her head out of the basket and scanned the hall.
“Oh my, Ian Kadellion is holding a white basket!”
“The way he’s wearing a white suit and using a white basket as an accent—that’s something I never even imagined!”
“Wow… I was startled by someone shining from afar the moment I walked in.”
“I should buy a basket in advance. Seeing it like this, it’s clear that baskets will be at the center of this trend.”
“How can such a fashion look so good?”
‘It’s not that it suits him; it’s that Ian’s face makes it look good…’
How could a white suit and a basket match so perfectly?
Amid the murmurs, the anthropomorphic attendees inside the hall were a mix of all sorts of attire and styles.
Some frowned at seeing others in overlapping outfits, and those who frowned subtly avoided each other.
‘At this point, “subtly” isn’t the right word—it’s blatant.’
Showing displeasure so openly couldn’t be good.
I clicked my tongue at a fellow who passed by with a grimace.
‘Well, at a social event in a place like this, overlapping outfits would be fatal.’
With so many attendees, each of their situations varied greatly.
“Do you have time tomorrow? If not—”
“Uh, no!”
‘What are you saying? You were supposed to attend Lily’s tea party tomorrow.’
‘Quiet. I’m going to cancel that.’
“But… why are you asking…?”
“Ah, then, would you possibly join me tomorrow during my time?”
“Oh my, that sounds wonderful.”
Some men and women were blushing as if their feelings had just started, while others were already drunk, laughing and treating each other like lifelong friends.
“Hey, you, unknown genius!”
“Come on, we’ve been talking for three hours—shouldn’t you remember me by now?”
“I don’t know about that, but I do know that we really suit each other!”
“Why did you call me?”
“Do you remember where we were supposed to meet tomorrow?”
“You’re telling me for the tenth time that we should meet at the Apron tavern in the Central City.”
“Haha!”
The most entertaining thing here was undoubtedly the love quarrels.
‘The way they tease each other…’
If I had popcorn, I’d be popping it in the basket, munching while watching.
Especially the triangular relationships or power struggles among the nobles were beyond words, whether it was one woman with two men or one man with two women.
“Sweetheart, are you two back together?”
Basically, it was like a full-blown soap opera.
A young lady with light brown hair pressed her eyelids as she spoke in a voice full of tears.
“How can you look at him that way? Didn’t you say it was completely over?”
“No, it’s really completely over.”
‘Wow. That is not a look of someone whose relationship is over.’
The man linked with the light brown-haired lady looked at the woman in front of him with lingering attachment.
‘At least look at the light brown-haired lady’s face, you man.’
Ariel’s eyes, cooled with disappointment, turned to the man.
“Hmm. Is it really over? Us?”
A woman with fiery red hair added meaningfully, and the edges of the ears of the man who had said “it’s over” turned red.
‘What?! That is not “completely over”!’
Watching all this, I felt sorry for the light brown-haired lady.
“Break up, you two!”
Ariel, looking frustrated, dug enthusiastically at the basket and peeked her head out further.
“Our…”
The light brown-haired lady spoke in a trembling voice.
Good. Keep going.
‘You can do it. Break up.’
I silently cheered her on as she continued to speak.
Then, someone walked over, bringing a new face into the scene.
“We promised to be together forever; it’d be disappointing otherwise.”
‘What?!’
A man with navy hair and piercings in both ears gave off a striking impression.
‘Wait, what’s going on?’
The red-haired woman had a boyfriend too?
And now she’s having an affair with the light brown-haired lady’s boyfriend??
‘Tsk tsk. This world’s going to hell.’
After that, the light brown-haired lady I was rooting for spoke again.
She directed her gaze not at the man linked to her arm but at the new face.
“You said that to me too, didn’t you? And now you’re saying it to her?”
Uh…
‘Uh, uh?’
Huh?!
The light brown-haired lady clenched her fists.
“You really… you… shameless…”
‘If you’re broken up, it’s over—what more do you want?’
Maybe the light brown-haired lady I was rooting for wasn’t exactly in the right state either.
Without a moment’s pause, tears welled in her eyes.
No longer holding back, she stopped pressing her eyelids and shot rapid-fire words at the red-haired woman.
“I trusted you as much as I trusted my ex-boyfriend, so I introduced you to him without any burden. And since that meeting, we’ve met often, had fun together, and spent time together—that’s all it was!”
She took a brief pause and continued.
“How could you do this to me?!?”
Even though she had tried to steady herself, tears filled her reddened eyes.
“How could you do this!”
Her expression looked as though she had experienced true betrayal.
The red-haired woman flinched, shouting back defensively, though the noise of the hall muffled it.
“Well, isn’t that true for you too? I introduced you as well, but somehow you and my ex-boyfriend became a loving couple!!”
The red-haired woman’s unexpectedly loud voice drew the attention of nearby nobles.
‘Oh, it’s a disaster.’
…The piercing guy and the light brown-haired lady were exes. The red-haired woman and the cheating man too.
And they were close enough to introduce each other’s boyfriends.
‘Now, their boyfriends… have switched, right?’
Moreover, the cheating man was having an affair with the red-haired woman again.
When did this turn into such a catastrophe?
Oh my, I need popcorn.
‘Ohhh, got the light brown-haired lady’s champagne.’
Champagne time.
Even without food in my mouth, I kept my focus, peeking with just my ears and eyes. Ariel’s triangular ears perked up as she strained to listen to their conversation.
“Greetings, heir of Kadellion.”
Just as I was deeply engrossed, someone greeted Ian.
Ah. The flow is interrupted. I need to see how this drama ends.
Why greet him right when I grabbed the champagne?
I reluctantly ducked my head back into the basket.
Starting with that man, people began flooding toward Ian. Many came to discuss business, others with political ties.
Among them were numerous women flirting or seducing him, the air thick with pheromones.
‘Ah, my head hurts.’
It felt like being trapped in a room with layers of strong perfumes.
Maybe because I’m not human, I felt overly sensitive to pheromones.
Feeling suffocated, I lifted the basket lid to get a better look. As Ian started talking with others, no one paid attention to me.
Looking around, finger foods, cocktails, and wines were all laid out.
‘Should I jump down? I want a drink.’
I glanced at the floor and surveyed my surroundings. Still, no one was paying attention to me.
‘Well, with someone as handsome as him right there, why would I matter?’
Definitely not.
Being next to someone strikingly handsome makes anyone else look insignificant.
Unless Ian literally held me in his palm, the situation wouldn’t change.
Luckily, he seemed busy enough that he didn’t notice me.
I assessed the height between the basket and the floor.
Okay. This is my chance. There are lots of people around. This height is enough to jump down. I’ve practiced enough.
Normally, I’d be too scared to jump, but seeing the alcohol made it feel trivial. My desire for it was that strong.
‘I can handle this much now.’
I remembered the taste of alcohol from my past life.
I stood in the basket, adjusting my stance for the best jump.
The sounds of Ian and others talking didn’t matter to me now.
I took a deep breath.
Ready. Jump. No—fly.
Like a butterfly, strike like a bee.
“One, two.”
“Three!”
“I’M FLYING!”
I leapt from the basket with eyes tightly shut, legs spread, aiming for the drinks below.
I felt my fur pressed down as I fell. Oh, it was higher than I thought.
‘I hope I don’t die…’
Still, drinking alcohol I normally couldn’t have seemed a fair enough sacrifice.
Even if I got hurt, I’d recover eventually, but there’s no guarantee I’d get another chance to drink.
I braced for impact, but my body didn’t hit the floor.
Instead, it felt like I was rising higher…
‘Huh, what?’
A foreboding energy crept up my spine.
‘I shouldn’t be rising this high.’
A low voice sounded in my ear.
“Ariel, what are you doing?”
A voice I shouldn’t hear.
He had grabbed me, lifting me into the air.
I opened my eyes slightly to meet Ian’s piercing blue gaze.
The predatory obsession of a beast that found its prey flickered in his eyes.
He curved the corners of his eyes elegantly.
“I told you, escape isn’t possible.”
Through his glasses, that curve seemed to carry deep irritation—was it just my imagination?
The longer I stayed silent, the brighter and deeper his smile became.
It was like a flower in full bloom, filled with venom.
Beneath it, the beast in his blue eyes flashed.
“Explain yourself.”
Ah. I’m doomed.
