Hastur followed Hibbert to meet quite a few people, all of whom were nobles who were relatively close to Hibbert.
Faced with Hibbert's intentional invitation, Hastur could only go along, exchanging greetings and chatting about topics commonly discussed within noble circles.
After making a round, Hastur no longer had any desire to interact with other nobles. Right now, he wanted the banquet to end as soon as possible so he could return home and spend the New Year that belonged to him alone.
Fortunately, Maric and Sharon both understood that, as a noble, he always had to attend certain necessary social engagements. Otherwise, he would have felt embarrassed about making his guests wait too long.
Tonight's desserts were naturally exquisite, but Hastur did not sample much of them, merely tasting a little. He was saving room to eat back home.
Now, he only needed to greet Audrey after her coming-of-age, and then he would prepare to leave the banquet ahead of time.
However, at this moment, many nobles were gathered around Audrey. Seeing her elegant, poised, and composed manner in handling them, Hastur did not step forward to join the crowd.
He was certain that Audrey must be very tired inside right now, even though she was already accustomed to such occasions.
Taking out his pocket watch, he checked the time. It was just past nine.
There was still plenty of time. He aimed to head back around ten.
To avoid unnecessary socializing, Hastur went for a walk in the back garden and saw quite a few young men and women together.
Fortunately, the atmosphere of the Loen Kingdom was not as open as that of Intis. They all behaved quite restrained, at most holding hands, exchanging glances, and whispering close to each other.
Compared to what Roselle had experienced back then, this was already much better.
When Hastur returned to the banquet hall, Audrey was walking toward him.
There was still that practiced, elegant smile on her face, but the light in her eyes was much brighter.
"Mr. Hastur, I thought you had already slipped away quietly."
"I wouldn't do something so discourteous before bidding farewell to Miss Audrey."
Audrey caught the implication in his words. Mr. Hastur before her did indeed want to leave, but he was waiting for a meeting with her.
"Had I known that, I shouldn't have come over on my own. That way, Mr. Hastur would have stayed here a bit longer."
"I can pretend that I haven't seen Miss Audrey tonight."
Hastur smiled and chatted with Audrey for a while longer. At that moment, melodious instrumental music sounded around them, signaling the beginning of the dance.
"Miss Audrey, may I have the honor of inviting you to a dance?"
Hastur took the opportunity to extend the invitation. Audrey's eyes brightened slightly as she placed her hand in Hastur's palm, the corners of her lips lifting into a smile. "Of course."
This was their second dance together. Compared to the slight stiffness of their first dance, Hastur was now completely relaxed.
His dancing skills were also noticeably better than last time.
When the two of them appeared on the dance floor, they immediately attracted many gazes. The nobles dancing nearby tacitly kept their distance, leaving the best focal stage to Hastur and Audrey.
Because this was Miss Audrey Hall's first dance after coming of age.
Earl Hall, who was accompanying the queen in conversation with several members of the royal family, also saw this scene. His expression remained fairly calm.
However, the gazes of the two princes beside him were somewhat unusual.
Toward the most dazzling pearl of Backlund, it was inevitable that a bit of ambition and desire for conquest would arise in their hearts.
Whether it was Audrey's own beauty and fame, or the power held by Earl Hall, both were things they wished to pursue.
On some previous occasions, they had also wanted to invite Audrey to dance, but they were basically rejected.
Aside from her own relatives, Audrey rarely danced with outsiders, especially on a stage like tonight.
"Is that young man Voltaire's son?" the queen also cast her gaze over.
"Yes, he is Voltaire's son, Hastur Campbell, the future Earl Campbell who will soon be heading to Southville County."
Earl Hall appeared to be introducing Hastur's identity, but in reality, he was also giving the princes beside him a way out.
About to leave Backlund for Southville County, and being a friend Audrey was usually quite close to, there was nothing inappropriate about him obtaining Audrey's first dance tonight.
It could be understood as a farewell, or as a blessing.
"To be able to share the kingdom's burdens at such a young age is indeed commendable." The queen gave a fairly positive evaluation, and the expressions of the princes beside her improved considerably.
"Tonight, I must be the most envied person." As Hastur danced with Audrey, he spoke softly. He could naturally sense the various unusual gazes coming from all directions.
"Didn't Mr. Hastur once say that standing in the public eye always means bearing some pressure? Or is it that Mr. Hastur regrets inviting me to dance?"
"On the contrary, I quite enjoy basking in others' envious gazes. That is proof that I am far more fortunate than they are."
"Is that truly Mr. Hastur's heartfelt words?"
"Of course."
Audrey's smile became very sweet, and her tired mood improved considerably. This was one of the few moments of freedom she had tonight.
….
After Hastur returned home, Butler Neil had already prepared everything. Whether it was wine and drinks, or delicious dishes, he had even arranged the lighting atmosphere a bit.
If he did not wish to expose his identity as a transmigrator, Hastur would have liked to hang up a few red lanterns.
Hastur had agreed to meet Sharon and Maric at ten-thirty. After going to the washroom for a bath and changing into a new outfit, he came to the back garden on the first floor to wait for their visit.
He had also invited Instructor Fron, Professor Wayne, Fors, Xio, and Leonard, but they all declined, saying they had their own arrangements tonight.
For this, Hastur was still very grateful that Sharon and Maric were able to come, so that he would not have to ring in the New Year alone.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, Sharon and Maric arrived.
Maric had come here many times and appeared quite casual. Sharon, on the other hand, rarely entered openly through the front door.
In the past, she usually used her mirror teleportation ability to slip in directly from outside the window, then hide inside a mirror.
"Hastur, Happy New Year. This is your gift." Maric took out the gift he had prepared, then glanced at Sharon, signaling that she should also present her gift.
"Happy New Year. This is the gift." Sharon took out a beautifully wrapped box. It was not tall and looked a bit round.
"Thank you. Happy New Year." Hastur accepted the gifts from Maric and Sharon without handing them over to Butler Neil.
After inviting the two to take their seats, Hastur had Butler Neil lead the others to the other side of the garden to begin their New Year's celebration.
In the quiet garden, candle flames flickered. The dining table was laden with food, and beside it were fine wines that Hastur had collected during this period.
Three people, with no outsiders to disturb them.
Hastur glanced at Sharon.
Tonight, she was wearing a court-style long dress mixed with red and black. Around her neck was a rare sapphire-blue necklace, and on her head she still wore her favorite small black soft hat.
At this moment, although Sharon still looked expressionless, Hastur could feel that she was much more relaxed than when there had been many people earlier.
Sharon seemed to be someone who naturally preferred quiet and disliked overly noisy environments and irrelevant crowds.
Her aloofness was not merely for the sake of acting.
Hastur warmly invited Sharon and Maric to enjoy the food, then opened a bottle of wine priced at thirty gold pounds, which he had bought from Glaint.
There was also an even more expensive bottle, worth over a hundred gold pounds. That one was a gift from Hibbert and was likely part of Earl Hall's collection, not available on the market.
When midnight arrived, Hastur had long since arranged for Butler Neil to set off fireworks, and he had even deliberately kept a few larger ones to play with himself.
Hastur shook the matchbox in his hand. "Miss Sharon, would you like to give it a try?"
Sharon felt a bit tempted, but still politely shook her head in refusal. On the other side, Maric had already started playing around, emboldened by the wine.
Bang!
Bang!
The sounds of fireworks soaring into the sky rang out endlessly.
"The stories in fairy tales aren't all lies. They might also be true. For example, making a wish during the New Year, and then seeing it come true the following year." Hastur's smiling words caused Sharon to fall into silence.
Seeing this, Hastur added, "For the New Year, I also want to give you a return gift. If you don't make a wish, I won't be able to give it."
"You know what my wish is?"
"Why not try it? Consider it leaving yourself a beautiful expectation." Sharon stood up and walked to Hastur's side, taking the matchbox he handed her.
Hastur placed a large firework in an open area and blocked both sides with stones to prevent any accidents.
After doing all this, he signaled that Sharon could light the fuse.
Sharon squatted down slightly, closed her eyes to make a wish, then lit the fuse and carefully stepped back a few paces.
After a few seconds, clusters of flames carrying her wish flew toward the starry sky, turning into twinkling stars.
"Under the gaze of the stars, your wish will surely be fulfilled."
Hastur offered his blessing at just the right moment. Sharon gazed at the dreamy fireworks in the sky, and her eyes grew dazed for a brief moment.
At this moment, she actually believed that fairy-tale stories might not all be lies.
Perhaps, fairy tales really could come true.