7. The Banquet Begins!
In his room, Mu’en lay on his luxurious bed, comfortable enough to move one to tears, carefully reviewing tomorrow’s schedule in his mind.
“First, appearance preparation.”
As the Duke’s son, and for Mu’en’s once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age ceremony, his entrance naturally had to dazzle everyone. He needed to stand out just by being present, drawing all eyes like the center of a storm.
Therefore, early tomorrow before dawn, more than ten experienced maids would specifically tend to his appearance, from head to toe, ensuring every hair was exactly where it should be.
To be honest, when Mu’en saw the lavish male ceremonial robe in the afternoon, adorned with precious metals and almost blinding him, he already felt deeply suffocated.
Tomorrow, his greatest crisis might not be Selicia, but rather that twenty-kilogram ceremonial robe.
“Next, greeting guests with Father.”
The coming-of-age ceremony was meant to announce to the entire noble class that Mu’en Campbell had officially entered society. As the Duke’s heir, he could now participate in and host various events, and even express affection toward a suitable noble young lady, forming a sacred engagement.
Of course, for Mu’en, who already had a marriage arrangement with the third princess, the latter part was automatically ignored. But tomorrow, the nobles of the entire capital would don their most splendid attire, bringing their most promising children to attend this grand event.
This wasn’t just a banquet, but a stepping stone to higher status.
All nobles would use lavish clothes as shields and smiles as swords, attempting to climb higher.
“Then, dealing with those nobles.”
This was the least concerning part. The instincts remaining in this body from the original owner should help Mu’en through this challenge.
Tomorrow, he only needed to smile.
“Finally… that.”
Mu’en’s hand unconsciously reached for the two bottles hidden under his pillow.
This was the main event tomorrow.
“First, I need to gain Selicia’s trust and be alone with her.”
This wouldn’t be difficult, because Selicia would never imagine that Mu’en Campbell would have the courage to drug her.
And with his fiancé status, asking her to drink privately should be simple.
“Next is drugging her.”
This was the most difficult step.
If discovered early, all efforts would be in vain.
“But there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Because this was how events should naturally unfold in this timeline. Heaven itself should help him achieve his goal.
He just needed to add the drug to her drink when she wasn’t looking.
“Finally, waiting for destruction?”
Mu’en smiled self-mockingly:
“A transmigrator actively seeking a bad ending—I must be the first.”
“I just hope nothing unexpected happens.”
The candle extinguished.
Outside the window, moonlight filtered through tree branches, casting mottled shadows on Mu’en’s handsome face, as unpredictable as fate itself.
The breeze picked up, making the shadows sway, as if praying for everything to go smoothly tomorrow.
…
The next day.
After enduring three hours of torture from the maids, Mu’en finally stood at the entrance of the banquet hall wearing that twenty-kilogram ceremonial robe, greeting arriving guests alongside his father, the Duke, who had the majesty of a lion.
His golden hair was impeccably styled, and his handsome face, slightly embellished, had shed some childishness for maturity. Paired with the absurdly heavy but extremely noble ceremonial attire, Mu’en was like a rising sun, emitting a dazzling light that, though blinding, naturally drew everyone’s gaze.
Today, looking in the mirror, Mu’en was struck again by his own handsomeness.
Unfortunately, despite being handsome beyond ordinary men, when the noble ladies came to pay their respects, they kept their heads down and eyes averted, as if afraid of being noticed by him.
“Sigh, the original owner’s reputation is just too bad.”
Mu’en sighed helplessly to himself.
The name Mu’en Campbell was synonymous with “unscrupulous bully” and “human stud” in the eyes of the noble young ladies.
That his name could overshadow the golden title of “Duke’s son” above his head showed just how terrible Mu’en’s reputation truly was.
“Hey, kid, look over there!”
While Mu’en was sighing, Duke Campbell, his convenient father, suddenly slapped him on the back, nearly knocking the wind out of him.
“Look who’s arrived.”
Without needing direction, Mu’en naturally looked over.
The nobles around Mu’en who had come to pay respects and offer flattery also looked over, as did the noble ladies who didn’t dare meet Mu’en’s eyes directly.
Everyone’s gaze turned at once, as if in a dark theater when a brilliant spotlight suddenly illuminates the stage.
In the light stood a young woman.
She had silky, immaculate silver-white hair like moonlight, and features as perfect as if carved from the finest ice, utterly flawless. Her eyelashes, dense and frost-like, were also silver-white, and beneath them, those blue eyes were as cold as a lake yet as deep as if they could draw away one’s soul.
The young woman wore a white ceremonial dress that wasn’t overly elaborate—simple yet noble. The moment she appeared, she became the new eye of the storm, attracting everyone’s attention.
“So this is… Selicia.”
The Oripot Empire’s Third Princess, the pure white child blessed by the Snow Goddess, the Ice Witch Selicia Leopold.
Also the source of Mu’en Campbell’s doomed ending—finally appearing in this moment!
“Indeed, words and memories cannot fully display a person’s beauty.”
Though mentally prepared, Mu’en was still stunned when he saw her.
In his previous life, as a faithful fan of Selicia, Mu’en often browsed various forums and had seen many fan art portraits of her. Some were high-quality works that made Mu’en immediately save the original and excitedly admire them for days on end.
But seeing her in person, he realized that even the finest artwork hadn’t captured even a tenth of Selicia’s captivating presence.
“It’s been a while, Young Master Mu’en.”
While Mu’en was distracted, Selicia had already gracefully approached him.
“It’s been a while, Princess Selicia.”
Mu’en immediately snapped back to reality, performing an extremely gentlemanly bow:
“You look particularly enchanting today.”
“Is that so? Thank you for the compliment.”
Selicia curtsied elegantly, pinching the corners of her dress.
Her etiquette was perfect, impossible to find fault with, yet carried a coldness that kept people at a thousand miles’ distance.
“It’s quite rare to hear such words from Young Master Mu’en’s mouth.”
“Haha, Princess Selicia must be joking. You make it sound as if I’m some ill-mannered lout who can’t control his mouth.”
But aren’t you?
A flash of confusion passed through Selicia’s cold eyes.