The main venue of the first prince's birthday was a wide hall within the Royal Palace.
A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. A myriad of fire spirits spiralled around it to light up the entirety of the hall. Below it, groups of nobles were gathered.
The nobles were all dressed very extravagantly. The men wore large rings with their family crest and clothes with gold linings. The women wore detailed dresses that were decorated with various accessories.
There was an elevated platform at the end of the hall. On the platform was 3 different thrones. The first, middle one was the largest. It appeared to have been sculpted out of gold with many gemstones embedded into it. The seat itself was a red pillow as well as the armrests.
The 2nd throne was to the right of the 1st. It was structured in the same style as the first but was platinum in colour. There were fewer gems on it and it appeared to be less impressive overall.
The 3rd throne was to the left of the 1st. It was in a different style than the others and looked plain compared to the others. It was made of bronze and had very few decorative gemstones.
In a different section of the hall, there was an area to be seated. Several dozen round tables were placed and they were marked by noble rankings.
One section for the higher ranking nobles like Dukes and Marquesses. Another section for middle and lower-tier nobles like Counts, Viscounts, Barons, and Knights.
When Earl and Ari arrived, they immediately attracted many eyes. Ari's dazzling beauty smitten all the noblemen. As soon as she stepped into the hall, many noblemen began to stand more straight and wore a smile on their face in hopes of attracting her attention.
Following behind her, Earl and his slave maids received their fair share of attention which was mostly curiosity.
"So the rumours were true!"
"That's Courtmage Ari's son?"
Whispers went around the nobles for a moment. The chance for nobles to interact with each other was usually at events like these. Today would mark Earl's official appearance in the upper noble circle.
The stares from the nobles were intense but Earl was an experienced man. Such pressure was nothing to a man like him. Aria was also able to take it effortlessly due to her maid training. Her facial expression was calm and composed, still as water. However, things were different for a young girl like Lily. She took a step back from all the stares.
Ari took notice of this and stepped in front of Lily before staring back into the crowd of nobles. With a faint smile on her face, she let her gaze linger on the nobles, immediately dispersing all the unneeded attention.
The pressure was put off Lily. To further reassure her, Earl took her hand and held her close.
"Lily likes it when master holds her like this," Lily told Earl as she held onto his hand tightly.
Earl could feel that her hands were slightly moist. This small event was enough for Earl to see the nobles in a negative light. Yes, his slave was beautiful, but didn't they know it was rude to stare?
After the brief event, the crowd made way for a noble family.
An old man was leading the party. His stature was tall and straight. His salt and pepper hair was combed back neatly. His face was pale and wrinkled. His eyes were a deep purple colour. He wore a simple black attire and held a simple silver cane in his hand.
Following the old man were two people, a lady and a young boy. The lady was beautiful, to say the least. She had shoulder-length orange hair and a pair of bright green eyes. She was Talia. The in-law to the Roth family.
The young boy took after her. He looked to be around 12 years old, approaching his teens. Like his mother, his hair was orange and his eyes were green.
"It's been a while, Ari." The old man said. His voice was deep and pleasant.
"Indeed, it's been a while, uncle." Ari nodded simply.
Her answer gave Earl all the answers he needed. Ari's mother was a runaway noble. If she was not the successor, she must have had a sibling to act as heir for the Roth family. And this old man was exactly the person. He was Ari's uncle, Earl's grandmother's brother. In other words, this old man was Earl's granduncle, Lyle Roth. He was the current head of the Roth family. It was Earl's first time meeting him.
"Won't you introduce me to this little guy?" Lyle gave a sideways glance to Earl and his girls.
"My name is Earl, granduncle. A pleasure to meet you." Earl introduced himself before Ari could act.
"An eloquent little guy, huh? A pleasure to meet you, Earl. To think it took me this long to realize that I had another grandson..." Lyle sighed then pointed his cane to the orange-haired teen.
"This is your cousin, Dylan."
"Hello!" Dylan said per the cue of his grandfather. His words were directed to Earl, but his eyes were somewhere else and his mouth was practically watering. It was on Lily and Aria.
Earl sighed at this reaction. To deal with someone at the peak of their puberty was the most troublesome thing to deal with. He did not mind his women being looked at, but it was a different case when there was a chance of something happening to them. He gave his cousin a courtesy nod and proceeded to ignore him.