The moment Alaric Sterling finished speaking, the entire banquet hall fell silent.
Almost everyone looked at him in disbelief, as though wondering whether they had heard correctly.
No one reacted more strongly than Felix Ravenholt.
His eyes widened, and for a moment, he simply stood there frozen, looking as though they might fall straight out of their sockets.
Seriously?
That was it?
Something Evelyn had casually agreed to as a child actually counted?
Even Lucian Ravenholt, who had already known that such an agreement existed, could not help feeling surprised.
He had always known that his father and Alaric had made some sort of arrangement, but he had never expected the matter to be handled so simply—almost carelessly.
Was a girl’s future marriage really going to be decided because of a few words she had said as a child?
Were the adults involved in this matter actually normal?
More importantly, judging from Alaric’s tone just now, he did not sound like a father who was reluctant to let his daughter leave.
If anything, he sounded more like someone who had finally found a perfectly reasonable excuse to send her away.
Lucian’s brows drew together slightly at the thought.
Felix, meanwhile, had finally recovered from his shock.
At first, he had merely felt that the whole thing had come out of nowhere.
But the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed, until eventually he began blaming his own father.
Why did Father have to throw this kind of troublesome matter onto the two of them?
He had made it sound as though they were simply coming to celebrate Lord Sterling’s birthday.
To put it nicely, they were here to offer birthday wishes.
To put it less nicely, they had clearly been sent here to pick someone up along the way.
Felix suddenly felt that being Lord Ravenholt’s son was not easy at all.
All he could do was silently sigh to himself.
What a difficult life.
While everyone was still recovering from the surprise, murmurs quickly began spreading through the hall again, this time even louder than before.
The expressions of the women present were especially unpleasant.
Until now, most of them had assumed Evelyn was nothing more than an unfavored daughter who was rarely even allowed inside the main hall.
Who would have thought she was connected to the Black Tortoise Clan in such a way?
The moment they realized she would have the chance to visit the Black Tortoise Clan and personally choose a possible future husband, jealousy immediately flared.
Some of the looks directed at her were so sharp that they seemed almost capable of tearing her apart.
Lillian Sterling’s expression changed several times as well.
Her face went pale, then stiff, and only after considerable effort did she manage to suppress her displeasure and maintain a calm expression.
“Lord Sterling,” she asked carefully, “the person Lord Ravenholt chose back then… was definitely Evelyn?”
Her tone was cautious.
If there was any possibility of changing the person, she would naturally prefer to send one of her own daughters instead.
After all, the Lord of the Black Tortoise Clan had personally requested that someone be sent over.
Whether or not a marriage actually came from it, the opportunity itself was enough to make others envious.
Alaric glanced at her, his expression still calm.
“It was her.”
Then, as though remembering something, a rare look of helpless amusement appeared on his face.
“Lord Ravenholt also made a point of saying that if anyone dared to switch the girls and send someone pretending to be Evelyn, he would personally ruin the impostor’s face.”
Lillian’s expression changed immediately.
“What?”
Her voice rose before she could stop herself.
“He was joking, surely?”
“My father has never liked joking about matters like this.”
Lucian suddenly spoke.
His tone remained calm, and there was even a faint smile on his face, yet for some reason, that smile carried a subtle pressure.
He looked directly at Lillian.
“My brother and I came here to celebrate Lord Sterling’s birthday, but that isn’t our only task. We were also instructed to escort Lady Evelyn herself safely back to the Black Tortoise Clan.”
Lucian paused briefly.
Then he added with particular clarity,
“My father also specifically reminded us—do not bring the wrong person.”
Lillian’s smile became visibly strained.
Felix, however, turned toward his brother with a shocked expression.
So Lucian had known all along?
Then why had he not said a single word during the journey?
Felix suddenly felt as though he had once again been kept completely in the dark.
The accusing look he gave Lucian grew stronger by the second.
Lucian did not even glance at him.
“Enough.”
Alaric lifted one hand, calmly cutting off the conversation.
“It’s not that serious. Evelyn will go back with you.”
“Of course.”
Judging from her reaction, she clearly did not want Evelyn going to the Black Tortoise Clan.
Whether she might try something afterward was difficult to say.
With that in mind, Lucian spoke again.
“Lord Sterling, if you don’t mind, my brother and I would like to remain at the estate for a few days. That will give Evelyn enough time to pack and make whatever preparations she needs.”
“Fine.”
Alaric agreed without much thought.
He turned toward the white-haired old man.
“Prepare two guest rooms for them. The Ravenholt brothers will stay here for a few days.”
“Yes, Lord Sterling.”
The old man had barely started to respond when Lucian spoke again.
“Lord Sterling, I have one more request.”
Alaric looked toward him.
“Go ahead.”
Lucian’s expression remained perfectly natural, and his tone was just as courteous as before.
“Would it be possible for my brother and me to stay somewhere near Evelyn?”
The atmosphere in the hall immediately changed again.
“What?”
Before Alaric could respond, Lillian had already stepped forward.
Her expression darkened noticeably.
“No!”
The refusal came so quickly and directly that she did not even have time to disguise it.
Standing nearby, Evelyn immediately lifted her head and looked at Lucian with an indescribably complicated expression.
For a moment, she genuinely did not know whether she should admire his courage— or admire his courage.
Did he even know what kind of place he was asking to stay near?
That was her courtyard.
Well…
More accurately, Evelyn had another name for it.
The haunted estate.
Haunted.
Was that word not obvious enough?
Other than Evelyn herself, the place had no shortage of ghosts.
From time to time, all sorts of restless spirits and unpleasant things wandered through, and there were even Demon cultivators who occasionally appeared without warning.
Yet these two brothers had actually volunteered to stay there?
Evelyn suddenly felt sincere admiration rise in her heart.
Impressive.
Truly fearless men.
If the situation had allowed it, she might have given them an enthusiastic thumbs-up right there.
Unfortunately, no one had any idea what she was thinking.
Even Lucian could not make sense of the strange expression on her face.
He found himself wondering what exactly it meant.
Sympathy?
Pity?
Admiration?
Approval?
Whatever it was, he did not have time to think about it now.
Compared with deciphering Evelyn’s expression, there was someone far more important he needed to deal with.
Lucian turned back toward Lillian.
The polite smile remained on his lips, but now there was something faintly amused beneath it.
“Why not? My brother and I are, after all, among Evelyn’s possible future husbands. In that case, we naturally have some responsibility to look after our future bride.”
He placed particular emphasis on the words responsibility to look after her.
Lillian’s expression darkened even further.
Lucian, however, behaved as though he had not noticed.
His insistence on staying near Evelyn was not merely because he wanted to watch the situation unfold.
First, it would make it easier to protect her.
Second, it would also help protect himself and Felix.
Lucian had long heard that Lillian was not a simple woman.
When she wanted something, she had a reputation for doing whatever was necessary to obtain it.
Now that the Black Tortoise Clan had come to take Evelyn away, who knew what she might try behind the scenes?
And then there was the younger brother standing beside him.
Lucian glanced at Felix without making it obvious.
Felix usually seemed clever enough, but at crucial moments, he had a habit of losing half his common sense.
If Lucian did not keep him close and something actually happened, then when they returned home, Lucian would probably be the first one blamed.
Their mother would never let him hear the end of it.
Felix might be a little slow at times, but he was not completely incapable of reading the room.
The invisible tension in the hall was growing stronger, and even breathing seemed slightly more difficult.
If this continued, something was going to happen.
Felix’s eyes shifted.
Then they landed on Evelyn, who was standing nearby watching everything.
A moment later, he reached out and caught hold of her hand.
Evelyn froze.
Before she even had time to react, Felix had already started pulling her toward the exit.
“The air in here feels a little stuffy.”
He said it with a perfectly serious expression before looking toward Lucian.
“Brother, I’ll take her outside for some fresh air.”
Then he hurriedly bowed toward Alaric.
“Lord Sterling, please excuse us for a moment.”
Evelyn was dragged toward the door before she had the chance to say anything.
She almost responded by throwing Felix over her shoulder.
She forced herself to suppress the impulse and continued maintaining her harmless, obedient appearance.
Instead, she asked with carefully controlled surprise,
“Where are you taking me?”
Anyone listening closely might have heard the slight grinding of teeth beneath her words.
Felix, completely unaware of the danger, turned around and flashed her a bright white smile.
“Outside for some air. The atmosphere inside doesn’t really suit us, so we’re going to breathe somewhere else.”
Evelyn fell silent.
She barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes.
Who said she wanted to leave?
She did not want to leave at all.
After all these years, she had finally gotten a rare chance to watch Lillian lose her composure.
She had fully intended to stay there and enjoy the sight a little longer.
But Felix had simply grabbed her and dragged her away.
Unfortunately, he had no idea what was going through her mind.
He was far too focused on escaping the increasingly dangerous atmosphere inside the hall.
So with Evelyn half walking and half being pulled along, the two of them quickly disappeared outside.
The women remaining in the banquet hall watched Felix lead Evelyn away.
Then they remembered that Lucian had just personally requested to stay near her.
Their expressions became even worse.
Jealousy, envy, resentment, and unwillingness were written almost openly across their faces.
If the setting had been different, more than one of them might have wanted to rush after Evelyn themselves.
Lillian narrowed her eyes slightly.
Her gaze followed Evelyn’s departing figure, and for one fleeting moment, something dark and vicious flashed in her eyes.
It disappeared almost immediately.
By the next second, her expression had returned to its usual composed elegance.
But Lucian had seen it.
Clearly.
The warmth in his eyes faded at once, and his brows drew together slightly.
So his concern had not been unnecessary after all.
At that moment, Alaric finally spoke again.
“I haven’t forgotten the matter, and I never said I wouldn’t allow it. This is my household, and I make the decisions here. Lucian, don’t argue with Lillian.”
Lucian merely smiled and did not continue pressing the issue.
Alaric then waved toward the white-haired old man.
“Take Lucian to Evelyn’s courtyard. Let him rest there for a while. When the banquet officially begins, bring them back.”
The moment the old man heard this, his expression became slightly strange.
There was even a noticeable trace of hesitation on his face.
Still, Alaric had already given the order.
There was no way he could refuse.
“Yes.”
Lucian, meanwhile, appeared completely calm, as though he had not noticed the old man’s troubled expression at all.
He simply gave him a polite nod.
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
“Young Master Lucian, this way.”
The old man managed a strained smile and stepped aside, gesturing for him to follow.
Lucian gave Alaric another respectful nod before leaving the hall with the old man.
Only after his figure had completely disappeared did the stiff atmosphere begin to ease.
Alaric seemed to set the matter aside for the moment as well.
Before long, he had adjusted his mood and returned to greeting the guests who had come to celebrate his birthday.
The banquet hall gradually became lively again.
Conversation and laughter returned, as though the tense exchange from moments earlier had never happened.
Lillian also put on her usual graceful smile, once again appearing every bit the warm and elegant noble lady.
But by then, more than one person’s thoughts had already drifted far away from the birthday banquet.