Their delayed journey to the Autumn Kingdom was resumed without further rest as they were already behind schedule much to Damien's anxiety, as to what were the King of the Spring Kingdom and the Queen of the Aurore island were discussing diplomatically as this was the beginning of a major change in the entire plot.

Though the route to Palace gate has put them out of their estimated schedule, they successfully arrived at the Autumn Kingdom by nightfall.

They were welcomed by a delegation from Farel duchy who lead them to their lord's castle.

"Have you waited for long?" Duke Zadkiel asked the young finely dressed lady. She was pretty. Maybe in her early twenties, but her demeanor said otherwise, respectful and wise.

"Not much, my lord." She said. "I'm sure you've your reasons to be late." She didn't show too much facial expression, almost like trained and stoic, but she was pretty and he feared it. Feared his second son would try anything with this kid and make his and his friend's relationship in jeopardy.

"Yes, we were held back," he said. "So, how is the celebration going at the castle? I'm sure Blake is enjoying himself too much." He laughed thinking about his friend's stupid face.

"It's just as you suspected, my lord." She said. "Perhaps even more. After all, he favors the young lady too much."

"Mhmm... He might be drinking to hide his sorrow of sending little Belle away."

"Perhaps," she replied curtly.

The Autumn Kingdom was different. Very different.

If the Spring Kingdom was all green and luscious, Autumn Kingdom was all about redness and blood.

Unlike the usual white stone or brick castles, which made the Spring Kingdom a place of wonder and beauty, the Autumn Kingdom's castle was surrounded by dark red walls, which greatly contrasted the bright yellow light that shone from the sky.

It was a contrast against the clear blue skies, and it made the Autumn Kingdom even more ominous and foreboding.

"This is the Autumn Kingdom?" Damien said to himself, amazed. "It's so different from the Spring Kingdom."

So this is where the protagonist came from! I wonder if I would cross paths with him. Damien thought with a hint of foreboding as he was sure the next time Calen sees him, he will be abducted and might even be hanged upside down until he spills the way to Maleys's castle.

Be positive Damien, be positive.

He shook his head and enjoyed the scenery until they arrived at the Farel Castle.

Large banners of flaming cat danced in gales, and the whole atmosphere was rowdy.

They followed the servant girl and arrived at the main hall. The hall was huge and spacious, filled with tables and benches occupied by lords and ladies.

"Old friend." A drunk staggering man beelined towards them. "You finally came! I wash beginning to think shomething might have happened shu you." His voice was seemingly drunk, like him.

"Ah, I can assume you enjoyed the fine night with drinks." The Duke reluctantly hugged the drunk man, who flailed his hands the moment he saw his friend.

"I did, I did! And now I'm gonna celebrate the night away! I ain't got no wife and my daughter is going to go sho I got nohing to losh, so I'm celebrating! Hey, you, you there! How long you been here?" He pointed at a young boy who was carrying a tray of wine bottles.

"Hello, sir."

"Hey, get yourself a drink and bring it over here."

"Yes, sir!" He saluted and ran away.

"There's always someone getting drunk," Damien muttered.

"What wash that?" Duke Farel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing, nothing," Damien chuckled. "Just saying the party looks blast."

"Blast?" He looked confused. "No, no. We can't blast anything now, my daughter would kill me. We can do blashting after I shend her away." He winked at Damien, who cringed at the sight.

'Alright, blasting is a new word.'

"Enough talking!" A loud woman who was standing beside the table yelled. "Let's drink! Let's drink!" She bellowed.

Everyone cheered and clapped excitedly.

"Mhmm..." Damien nodded. "I can see why my father is so fond of this kingdom."

"Come, let's join the celebration!" The Duke gestured them to follow.

"Ugh, alright." Damien sighed. "But I'm not drinking."

"What do you mean? It's only proper for us to do so." Duke Zadkiel frowned. "This is your first time here, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't plan on drinking right now. I'd rather save myself for later."

"Ah... That is a good choice," the Duke said, scratching his chin.

"By the way, who's that lady at the table?" He pointed at the loud lady.

"That's Katherine Farel, She's Blake's little sister." He said. "She's like him, she won't be able to control herself once she gets drunk."

Damien looked at the lady, who was talking loudly and boisterously. She was prosperous in all aspects, but she was... damn too loud.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," she announced. "It's my dear niece's 'Before celebration' and you're not to leave here without having at least a drink. This is a tradition in the Autumn Kingdom and one you shouldn't ignore. So...here you go!" She grabbed a bottle of wine and bite the cork open before spraying it all over the audience.

The crowd erupted in large cheer and laughter.

The entire castle was filled with maniacs. Laughing, singing, and chugging large bottles of wine in one simple motion.

"Aren't the lords worried about their faces?" Damien asked loudly to the Duke, though the sound was supposed to be loud for the entire hall to hear, it was underperformed by the dominant cheering and rowdy voice.

"No," The Duke roared back. "Not really. There are only Blake's confidants and vassals. The official party is the day after tomorrow, where the King and the Queen along with the other lords participate. You should enjoy tonight."

"I will." He nodded and disappeared through the crowd.

There wasn't a single person he could recognize from the mass. Everyone looked strange and...drunk.

Dancing to the beat of the music, casually sipping wines overlooking the balcony, playing some strange card games and even having fierce political debates between some old dudes at a round table, puffing from their cigars and pointing at everyone they could see.

'No better place than some drunk to collect news and information.' He slowly walked towards the group of men, grabbing a glass of wine or some alcohol from a butler, and stood near the balcony.

He wasn't going to interfere with the older men, he was just simply there to observe and gather information.

He noticed that one of the men was opening his mouth loudly, and decided to pay attention to him.

"Wooow, look at that babe!" He said, waving his cigar while pointing at a beautiful woman on the dance floor. "She's gorgeous!"

His voice was so loud, Damien could hear what he said clearly.

???!!!

"Sure she is," another man said. "I bet she's got some good meat on her bones."

"Yeah, I bet she does," The speaker nodded. "She's got a nice rack."

"Oh, come on, don't say such things." Another man protested. "Can't you see she's a lady?"

"Who cares?" Another one jeered. "Looks are deceiving."

"Exactly, that's why we should just rip them off."

"Wait, what do you mean?" The speaker asked, shocked. "Rip them off? Like...rape them?"

"No, no, nothing like that. Take them back to our room, tie them up, and..."

"And what else?"

"Take turns fucking them."

"That's sick...and illegal!"

"Oh come on, it's just a joke." The man shrugged. "We're just talking about hypothetical situations, right?"

"Absolutely," The smoker said.

'Wow, so much for politics,' He thought, watching them smoke, drink and talk about women. 'Seems like I've stumbled upon a club for cultured men.'

He quickly moved away from the conversation and observed the crowd around him.

People were dancing, drinking, and laughing.

A lot of people were wearing dresses and skirts, showing their legs, while others wore coats and suits.

"Aren't you joining them, young master?" He heard a familiar voice. He turned to see the servant girl who escorted them to the castle, swirling glass of wine in her hand.

Now that he got a good look at her, she was gorgeous. She adored high-end noble cloth unlike previously when she received them. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, which made her look sexier. She had smooth skin and a milky complexion. She was filled perfectly on every angle.

"I will join them later," He grinned. "First, I need to find something interesting."

"Oh? Prey tell, young master, what're you looking for?" Her cheeks were having redness on them. "Prey, is it something fun? Or something romantic?"

He laughed at her words. "Something romantic huh?"

"Don't tease me, young master." She pouted, crossing her arms. "Please, prey tell."

Drunk. She's just wasted. I could take her and fuck her but it won't be the same.

"I was looking for the bride," he said. "Haven't seen her at all."

"Bride?" She stopped drinking and stared at him with wide eyes. "You want to meet the bride?"

"Yes," He smiled. "Why?"

"Because the bride is my younger sister," She answered.

Oh, wow! That's nice, real nice.

Damien's demeanor changed as he grinned his signature smile.

"Tell me, my lady," he said. "Are you married?"

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