Kill The Old Ones!

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The awarding ceremony concluded in a muted celebration...

Terry did his best to end it on a happy note, but because the punishment for the bottom-ranked city was shown last, his attempts failed. The most he was able to do was to remove most of the gloom and trepidation everybody felt to end the program on a calmer note.

Once the livestream ended, an afterparty was thrown to celebrate the conclusion of one of the most important and deciding events for the whole kingdom.

Everybody who attended the awarding ceremony was cordially invited to attend, and most of them accepted the invitation.

Yes, this also includes Ren, who wasn’t much of a social person. He just knew that he couldn’t escape something like this, so he might as well face it head-on.

Just like how he tackled most things in his life, Ren was prepared for this. He already had something to wear, several of them, actually, just in case.

As the night approached, the afterparty began, and the social networking started as well.

Just as he expected, Ren was practically pulled in all directions. Everybody wanted a piece of him, and it was understandable.

He was the strongest prodigy of this kingdom. To say that his future was bright would be an understatement. And it’s precisely because of this that everybody wanted to ride his coattails.

Every smile thrown his way, every greeting, handshake, flirtatious look, seductive whisper, flattery...all of them carried a deeper meaning and were dripping with so much politicking.

None of them dared to snare him right away; the most they did was to throw out a lure, a bait, to tempt him into their trap. He could see the calculations behind their glittering eyes and smiles.

It’s unnerving, really.

But Ren knew ahead of time that this would happen once he displayed his skills and his talent. As such, he was prepared for it.

Being prepared doesn’t mean that he’s immune to their politics; it also doesn’t mean that he could beat them in this game. Being prepared means that he won’t rise to their attempts.

They were trying to lure him out to their side, but Ren casually deflected their attempts with a polite smile or distraction. He never committed to anything, nor promised anything.

This was the extent of his preparations.

Because as much as he’s talented and good at martial arts, the same can’t be said towards politics. It’ll probably never be his strong suit.

He’s aware of this, which made him seriously consider hiring a team to handle these kinds of things. But he’ll think more about this later.

As he glided through people who wanted to engage him with small talks, Ren also noticed the arrangement of the room.

The one that stuck out like a sore thumb to him, and probably not just him, was the couple: Aria and Sieg.

They sat at the far corner of this gorgeous hall by themselves. Away from the flickering lights, the buzz of the crowd, and the jovial mood of this place.

It’s like they’re having a wake in that particular corner of theirs.

They weren’t even talking to each other; they just looked bland. They were dressed appropriately for the occasion but made no attempts to socialize. They’re seemingly perfectly fine being in that corner until this party ends, which made people question why they even bothered attending in the first place.

It’s not like anybody forced them to.

The only one who’s ’technically’ forced to attend is Ren—and that’s because he’s the biggest champion of this tournament. He kind of has to be here.

As for these losers, nobody wants their sour spirit here. And everybody in here avoided them because of what they’re doing.

Ren had no desire to include them or to warn them about what this means for them. Let them experience the backlash of being snobbish in a room full of influential people.

As for himself, he finally talked to everybody that matters.

Thank god for his high-alcohol tolerance. Otherwise, he would’ve been hammered by now since everybody offered him a toast he just can’t refuse.

He’s a bit tipsy now, and he felt stifled in this room. Since he had done enough socializing for months, he decided to leave this hall to get some fresh air.

**

Lily stared at the full moon and admired his pristine and untouchable beauty.

She leaned on the marbled stone railings of this hall’s balcony. Her half-finished goblet of wine was set aside as she enjoyed the cool and crisp night air that ruffled her hair.

Then, she heard footsteps approaching her from behind.

She stiffened, instantly becoming wary. She spread her senses and instantly calmed down when she learned that it was Ren who found her here, not some stranger.

But this was Ren, so she tensed up again, just a bit because it was him.

And she pointedly ignored the fluttering of her stomach once she realized this.

He didn’t say anything until he was leaning his back on the railings with his elbows on the side. He then stretched his neck, grunted and groaned, and sighed. He then looked at her, as if finally realizing that he wasn’t alone, and smiled at her—a smile that accentuated his fiendishly handsome looks under the gentle backdrop of moonlight and made Lily’s heart and stomach flutter.

”Hey.”

Lily fought valiantly not to swoon and sigh, and she managed. God, she managed, and it somewhat felt harder than any fight she ever had in that whole damn tournament.

”Hi,” Lily replied, forcedly sounding natural and unbothered by his presence.

She then smelled the scent of wine on him. It was strong. But she also smelled the undertones of his perfume, one that has an earthy and wooden musk, a scent that smells grounded, real, and natural. This, with the scent of wine, made Ren smell immaculate right now, and Lily was suffering.

”You’re drunk?” she asked, finally mustering enough courage to ask and trying very hard not to just stare at him.

”No.” He chuckled, his deep voice rumbling from his chest and sending shivers down her spine.

”I would be, if my tolerance wasn’t so high. Almost everybody in there offered me a drink, and I can’t exactly refuse every single one of them,” he added.

She gets it. She really does. Ren was the champion, and everybody wants a piece of him.

And this reminded her of the reason why she ended up here in the first place.

It’s because she observed the hall and noticed at least 90% of the ladies who attended this party, be they maidens or married ones, casting flirtatious looks on him. Some of the bold ones even touched his arms and his chest.

It affected her, even more so when Ren allowed it to happen and seemed to be returning her attention. It made her feel uncomfortable.

Yet, she also understood. Ren was the man of this evening. He’s a bachelor, too—at his prime age for engagement or marriage talks. And she also knows that he can’t exactly escape from these.

That’s why, instead of making a scene or a scandal—which she might just do if she continued to watch—she’d just leave the room instead and not think about it.

”You’re frowning...” he said.

More like whispered, really. Because while she was distracted, Ren closed the distance and was practically standing next to her. And what greeted her was his concerned face, followed by his strong, immaculate, manly scent, making her dizzy.

”I’m fine.” Lily wanted to pat her back for not stammering her reply and managing to school her expression.

But heaven knows that she’s close to dying, being this close to him.

He then reached out and touched her forehead. His firm, warm, yet calloused hands brought gentleness and warm care drizzling over her body, almost making her shiver.

”I think you’ve had enough wine for this evening.”

His soft and caring voice made Lily want to scream in unfairness and swoon right then and there. She was melting; her body’s temperature was rising, and she was feeling weak the longer he touched her.

”There’s only alcohol in the hall, no water or juice.” He frowned, still sounding genuinely concerned. ”Come with me; there’s plenty in my room. We can also rest there, away from all this noise and politicking.”

And it seems that he’s not taking no for an answer, because his hand moved from her forehead to her hands, clasping them together as he walked them towards his room.

What made her ashamed is that she knows she’s not drunk. Oh, far from it! And he’s not stupid enough to actually believe that she was!

She knows what he’s doing.

He knows what he’s doing.

And Lily wanted it to happen. That’s the embarrassing part. She wanted it bad. Therefore, the idea of resisting or stopping him didn’t even occur to her.

So, she just meekly followed his lead. Fully aware and, most importantly, consenting to whatever he plans to do to her once they’re alone in his room.

She confirmed her beliefs true when she caught him activating the noise-canceling function in his room. He didn’t even try to be subtle about it, too.