Reborn As Noble

Chapter 818: Whispers, Reeds, and Masks ( 818 )

Javier leaned back in his chair, one hand covering his mouth as if to stifle a yawn, but his sharp eyes caught everything.

The doors opened wide, and Princess Kliatana entered with a grace. Her gown flowed with each step, chin lifted, pace measured, regal, deliberate.

The chamber stirred. Dozens of nobles rose from their seats, but Javier’s gaze narrowed. Only two stood with genuine respect, the rest following because one man had already risen. It was clear enough to Javier, even without knowing all their titles. They moved like reeds in the wind, bending not for Kliatana, but for the duke’s shadow.

Beside her walked General Gilmon, clad in his heavy uniform, scarred but disciplined. Royal guards followed close, polished and stern. But among them, Javier’s eye caught a flicker of movement, a step too silent, a presence too sharp. His lips twitched.

Armand shadows units. Disguised among her escort.

Father really went this far to guard her?

His gaze lingered, but only for a moment, because Kliatana’s own eyes slid toward him.

From across the chamber, her glance found him, quick, cutting, deliberate. And then, her lips curved. A smirk, small but undeniable.

Javier stiffened. His back straightened before he even realized it, his hand sliding from his cheek.

Guh! Don’t look here!

He snapped his eyes away and clenched his jaw.

I know that look! Don’t get the wrong idea, annoying girl! Of course I still remember the debt, but that doesn’t mean I owe you anything beyond that!

His eyes narrowed, but his posture stayed composed, leaning back in his chair as if bored. A mask of calm, while irritation coiled beneath.

Then he saw it.

The faintest shift on her lips as she reached the throne.

She sat with deliberate grace, back straight, chin poised, her expression the perfect portrait of a princess carrying her bloodline. But beneath it, Javier caught it. A smirk. Hidden, faint, just for him.

And worse, he heard it in his head. That sound.

...Kuhi.

His jaw tightened.

Damn it... she must have planned something.

Javier stifled another yawn, his cheek pressed lazily against his palm as his elbow sank into the armrest. His half-lidded eyes drifted toward the man droning at the front, right across from his father’s seat, Duke Kimar.

The duke’s voice carried weight, but the words making Javier’s ears all but shut themselves.

”...the generosity of the throne... the legacy of our forebears... the sacred duty of nobles to preserve the land...”

Javier’s lips curved into a faint smirk. Inside, his thoughts were venomous.

Man... what a boring speech.

His gaze flicked up toward the vaulted ceiling, anything to escape the endless wave of empty words.

A speech that isn’t even related to the meeting. Not even a word about Kliatana or the throne, just useless air.

He bit back a chuckle.

Old man, you should’ve skipped those flowery lines. Generosity, legacy, duty... the hell with that. All I hear is a tired peacock flapping its feathers for attention.

Javier let out a quiet sigh, his eyes half-closed, fighting back another yawn.

Haaa... Father’s speech is better than this man’s.

He thought back to Garius.

How every word from his father’s lips always struck true. Straight to the point, never wasted, yet layered with meaning. Subtle when needed, sharp when required. Not a single syllable out of place. It always felt as though his father had polished every sentence long before speaking, even though Javier knew he never once relied on notes or scrolls.

That was real nobility. Authority that commanded respect without ever raising its voice.

This old grumpy man in front of Father’s seat? He looked like a nervous student reading his short story in front of a bored teacher.

Javier’s lips twitched in a suppressed grin. Damn... Father told me to learn how nobles act. But if this is the model I’m supposed to follow? No thanks. I’ll pass.

He leaned back in his chair.

I’d rather learn from Father a hundred times over than from this pompous blowhard.

The droning voice at the front stretched on, each word heavy with empty grandeur. Javier’s eyes glazed, his chin nearly slipping from his palm.

His gaze wandered, drifting up toward the chandelier that glittered above, more impressive than the speech itself. Then across the chamber, noting how the nobles had arranged themselves. Most had only brought a single son to flaunt, while their daughters were grouped neatly to the side, hands folded, posture stiff.

All so tidy. All so proper.

But then his eyes settled on the row directly before him.

Aelius sat straight, his expression calm, eyes fixed on the speaker as if the man’s words actually carried weight. Beside him, Athine leaned gently against his shoulder, her arm looped around his, her poise serene yet undeniably intimate.

Javier arched a brow, the corner of his lips quirking.

Heh... the only girl who doesn’t sit with the rest. And she does it like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Not flaunting, not shy, just there, claiming her place beside him.

Whatever.

Javier leaned back with a quiet huff.

Now what are Marcellus and Cedric doing?

His eyes shifted down the row where Aelius sat. Marcellus and Cedric were side by side, both of them looking like perfect models of focus, their gazes fixed on the droning speech.

Wow... those two can actually handle this boring mess without falling asleep?

Javier tilted his head, eyes sliding further until they landed on Heres, seated closer by. His posture was steady, his eyes calm, fully absorbed in the speech as if every word mattered.

Woo... even this one’s locked in.

And looking around, he realized it wasn’t just his brothers. The sons of other nobles sat just as stiff and proper, faces carved into masks of focus.

Unbelievable. All of them glued to the most boring thing in the room.

Ugh, this is suffocating.

Javier let out a long sigh, then slipped his hand into his magic storage. A faint shimmer, and a small cube appeared in his palm. He flicked it once, the faint click of its mechanism echoing in the quiet chamber. A few heads turned briefly, but he ignored them, rolling it between his fingers with an amused grin.

Hmm... makes a bit of noise, doesn’t it?

Well... that’s fine.

He smirked, then both of his palms began to glow faintly, the cube hovering between them. His mana twisted through the tiny grooves, adjusting here, reshaping there.

Hmm... this part’s off. Needs a tweak here... and maybe a hinge shifted just a little tighter.

( End Of Chapter )