Meanwhile, Kai had just entered the house's main hall where the event would happen. The place was bustling with people. It was similar to what he saw in the Red Velvet Auction House albeit a little bit more amicable.
People were here with only one single goal in mind: to be able to get on Mikayla's good side and that required them to show their best side. All that is left is to get the opportunity to talk to him.
A few seconds later, Sebastian walked out and stood in front of the people before he said.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It's an honor to see all of you here to celebrate Master Mikayla's 120th birthday. 120 years ago on this day, Master Mikayla was born, and along with him, came an era of greatness for the Raullot family unseen before. 120 years of prosperity, an endless list of achievements, and a great legacy that nobody before him had ever achieved."
Everyone listened quietly to Sebastian's speech.
"However, Master Mikayla's pride has been and will always be the sword. He had dedicated a good part of his life to pursuing perfection in the blade. That's one of the reasons why I admire Master Mikayla. He is a man who would pursue one goal till the end no matter how hard it is. That trait of his is apparent in his sword style. It's relentless, graceful yet stronger than anyone else."
Kai looked at Sebastian's face as he sipped his drink.
"Ehem, anyway, I only have a few minutes before the birthday starts so I wanted to share a small word with everyone. Now, what everyone has been waiting for, Master Mikayla!"
Sebastian then stepped aside and he started clapping. Everyone else also started clapping as Mikayla appeared in front of everyone accompanied by Kaya.
He looked around as he nodded his head. The claps increased in volume as everyone's face radiated with joy and appreciation.
"Thank you, everyone. I'm glad everyone is here for this old man's birthday. I thought I was already too old for such things but apparently, people still love to attend such events." He said with a casual smile.
However, Kai could read the underlying message that the old man wanted to say. He could only sigh at Mikayla's antiques before he turned to look out of the window.
He can already sense the presence of the Black Cat Bandits around the house. They occupied the roofs of buildings and the empty rooms inside of them. They all were ready for the show to start. They were waiting for the moment when the lights were turned off and the cake was brought for Mikayla to blow off the candles.
'Soon everything will unravel. Would my guess be right?' He wondered quietly. If his guess is right, then things will become messy in this place.
As he was like that, Kai heard someone's voice coming from the other side of the room.
"Now, if everyone is ready. We shall receive your gifts."
"I will be the first to give him my gift." Suddenly, Charles, who was standing in the middle of all the high-status individuals stepped forward with a smile before he made eye contact with Mikayla.
The latter simply stood there silently. He can't outright refuse his blood-related son's gift in front of this many people.
No one knew of their animosity toward each other so all they could see was a son giving his father a gift. It was a wholesome site.
"To the best father anyone could ask for. I really want to thank you for clearing my eyes to the real world and teaching me to be able to rely on myself. Those are valuable lessons that you made sure to engrave in me since I was young." He said as he tapped his father on the shoulder.
The latter looked at him with a hidden glare. Kaya noticed the sparks between them and she could only pray that Mikayla wouldn't do anything stupid.
"I thought about giving you an expensive gift like everyone else behind me," Charles said with a smile as he looked at the people in the room.
An awkward silence filled the room as everyone eyed each other. They knew that they all went for the most expensive thing they could find as a gift and so Charles' sarcastic remark was like a jab to the stomach for them.
"But, ehem, I decided to go for something different. Something… special. Well, anyway, I know that you won't open the gifts now so I will tell you what it is. It's a red handkerchief."
When Mikayla heard that, his eyes widened slightly. Sounds of confusion reverberated across the whole room. Nobody understood why Charles would gift his dad such a weird object.
"For context, to those who don't know. My dad used to have a red handkerchief when I was young. He always used it to wipe his hands no matter what he was doing. Well, let's say its red color is a special one since the handkerchief wasn't red when he bought it."
"Thank you for the gift, son." Mikayla quickly cut him off as he received the gift with the best smile he could muster.
However, in his head, it was chaos. He knew why Charles gifted him such a thing. After his wife's death, Mikayla completely lost any shred of love he had for his son and so whenever the latter made a mistake or did something bad, he would beat him up till his fists were bloodied.
Each time that happened, he would wipe that blood with the same handkerchief. With time, the handkerchief lost its white color and turned into a weird shade of red. Even with constant washing, it remained red.
Now, Charles gifted him the same red handkerchief as if he was mocking him and what he did in the past.
"Ah, well, thank you for everything, Dad. I really love you." Charles finished his words with a hug before he walked down the stairs and back to where he was before.
That's when people started clapping again. They were truly touched by Charles' heartfelt words. What an amazing father-son relationship! They all thought to themselves.
After that, the guests stepped forward and handed their gifts. Jewelry, cars, and even houses. They gave the most expensive gifts along with sugary words to try and make Mikayla like them. However, the latter was too bothered with what Charles did to even remember what they said.
Kaya could only cover for him with comments here and there that made the guests smile. She didn't want anyone to suspect what happened between Charles and Mikayla.
Eventually, it was Kai's turn as he walked to Mikayla and handed him a simple gift he bough on the same day. It was a good-looking watch he saw in one of the stores in the city.
Kaya gave him a meaningful look and Kai returned immediately. She then nodded her head secretly. She understood what Kai had told her through his eyes.
'The plan is going perfectly.'
She was relieved of that fact, especially with how unpredictable Charles had been since the start of the event.
"Please, bring the cake." Sebastian finally said as a group of maids walked out with a giant birthday cake.