If an underground world of Liches were to swarm the human world, would there be any problems?
The only issue might be that the church benches during worship wouldn't be sufficient.
At least, that's what Gray thought.
As night fell, the castle suddenly became bustling.
The nobles of White City arrived at Yilin's castle either on their steeds or in carriages. It was a lively scene.
Abi Robbs, the Duke's butler, stood at the door to greet the arriving nobles attending the ball, warmly greeting each one in turn.
Pas and Huoersi had also appeared, even the injured Mike was there, all of them having shed their armor for appropriate formal wear. They stood at the door with Abi Robbs and other knights close to Yilin, appearing so refined it was impossible to tell they were knights accustomed to fighting on horseback.
Huoersi and Mike were fine, they knew most of the visitors. Pas, on the other hand, was quite awkward; he didn't know anyone and felt as lonely as a wooden post. He wasn't even someone who would be specially looked after at the ball. Thankfully, there were other members of his mercenary group present, or Pas might truly have felt the urge to leave.
As for Gray, he was stretching his neck, or rather his neck bone, from his balcony.
"Why are they all down there while I have to stay here? I want to stand at the door too."
"Heaven knows. Maybe you could apply to Miss Yilin to be a doorman."
"I hear the music. Have they started dancing already? I want to hurry and learn. After all, it's my first time dancing; it's quite memorable. What do you think?"
The Black Cat, crouched on the balcony railing, was silently licking its paws, not planning to respond to this Mad Lich.
"How long will the ball last? Do they dance for a while and then stop, or do they dance continuously? If it were me, I could dance non-stop. But I need them to demonstrate first so I can learn. What if, when I go down, they're resting? Then I wouldn't be able to learn."
The Black Cat turned its face away, continuing to lick its paws, ignoring Gray.
"Hey, I'm talking to you." Gray grabbed the Black Cat up.
Helplessly, the Black Cat rolled its eyes and said, "I think you're overthinking this, really. You're overthinking this."
"Knock, knock, knock."
Someone knocked on the door, and a woman's voice came from outside: "Baron, are you ready?"
Gray rushed over to open the door.
"I'm ready!"
The maid was apparently startled by Gray's enthusiasm, her eyes widened, and it took her a moment to recover: "Miss, Miss Yilin is asking you to come over."
"Huh, not directly downstairs?"
With the maid leading the way, Gray bypassed the hall and arrived at a room on the third floor.
Opening the door, Gray found that Huoersi and Mike, who had just been at the entrance, were already in the room dressed in formal wear. Another knight who had returned from Salted Fish Port with them was there too.
This outer room of Yilin's chamber was essentially a small parlor adjoining Yilin's room. Of course, "small" was relative to the hall downstairs. In fact, it was larger than most commoners' houses in White City.
The sofas, round table, fireplace, displayed armor, and various artworks under the dim firelight lent the room a certain intricate style. It was exquisite and elegant, like an ancient scroll filled with intricate veins.
"Baron, please wait here awhile." With that, the maid turned and opened another door to the parlor, entering inside.
The parlor fell silent, and far off, the music from downstairs could be heard.
Gray was the only one still in armor, and everyone else was watching him in silence.
The scene was a bit awkward.
However, it appeared that the Lich didn't know what awkwardness was. At this moment, he was already curiously looking around.
Soon, the door opened again, and with the maid's help, Yilin walked out.
The golden hairpin, adorned with blue gemstones, shimmered alongside her silver-white hair tied up. Coupled with a diamond necklace on her neck and a blue silk low-cut gown, she looked captivating under the firelight. This was a stark contrast to Yilin in her usual armor, but unfortunately, her delicate face showed fatigue.
If only there were a smile from the heart, how wonderful that would be.
The continuous toil must have really exhausted her. However, such a small flaw didn't mar her beauty.
In an instant, it was as if all the light in the room gathered on her. Seeing Yilin's meticulously dressed look, Gray's eyes lit up, not for her, but for the dress that shimmered in the firelight.
This was the first time Gray had seen silk fabric.
Everyone in the room silently bowed to Yilin, with Gray being the only one who didn't move— or rather he was a beat late. He hurried to bow after seeing everyone else.
In fact, Gray still hadn't figured out when to bow and when not to. The various complicated etiquettes troubled him. Fortunately, in the short ten days, others had gotten used to it and wouldn't fault him.
"Let's go downstairs." The maid originally assisting Yilin stepped aside as she raised a hand toward Gray. Then, her hand paused in mid-air.
Because Gray didn't react at all.
Yilin looked at Gray, who just stared back.
The scene turned awkward again.
Perhaps unable to bear it, Huoersi stepped forward, politely took Yilin's hand in support, then stepped aside, indicating for Gray to do the same.
At that moment, Gray finally realized the meaning of Yilin raising her hand and hurried to follow suit.
His clumsy manner made others wince with embarrassment.
Well, he hadn't really understood, for at that moment, his focus was actually: "Did Yilin sprain her ankle? Why does she need support?"
Of course, this didn't matter much. After all, it wasn't the first time these days he hadn't understood something and just went along with it.
Yilin sighed helplessly as she watched Gray's clumsy actions.
…
On the balcony, the Black Cat stretched lazily, took a bite of grilled fish, and enjoyed the evening breeze. A night without Gray could be very relaxing. Of course, this peace came with a price, which was having someone else fill its spot.
…
Walking out of the small parlor, Gray, just after a moment of rich internal theater, refocused his attention on Yilin's dress. He quietly said to Yilin, "Your dress is really beautiful."
"Thank you."
"Can I wear it?"
"What?" Yilin was dumbfounded: "This... This is a gown. Are you sure you want to wear a gown?"
"Can't I?"
"You're a man."
"I'm a man?"
"Are you a woman then?"
"Never mind, I have armor." Gray sighed again. Meanwhile, he seriously considered whether he should bring back two human corpses to study the skeletons better. Then, he might determine his gender, which seemed not to matter much to a Lich.
But, why can't men wear gowns? Gray wondered.
Huoersi and Mike, following behind, were struggling to hold back their laughter.
Yilin's expression mirrored that of someone struck by lightning. That kind of shock... She suddenly realized that accepting Gray's loyalty might make her the laughingstock of the entire continent.
Descending the stairs, Yilin hesitated and then softly instructed, "I need your strength, so I'll deliberately elevate your status. Normally, you should naturally understand these things without me saying, but... I think you really don't understand, so I need to talk with you. Try not to speak much, don't ruin the image I've painstakingly built for you, just stay by my side. Understand?"
Gray nodded vigorously.
However, anyone could see that he didn't actually understand.
At this moment, Yilin's heart was inevitably uneasy.
The great hall's double doors faced circular stairs and slowly opened. The hall's firelight slanted in, illuminating Yilin's face. In an instant, the light from her jewelry became even more radiant.
"Miss Yilin arrives—!" The servants guarding the door announced loudly.
The previously noisy hall immediately quieted, and even the music paused. The scattered guests all turned their heads toward Yilin.
The musicians sitting in chairs stood up and took off their hats.
Taking a deep breath, Yilin put on her signature smile and softly said, "Let's go."
With Gray supporting her, Yilin descended the stairs step by step, followed by Huoersi, Mike, and another knight.
All eyes were on Yilin, though quite a few also glanced at Gray, which made Yilin nervous, afraid that Gray might do something unpredictable.
The guests bowed to Yilin— some with respect, some not much, and some even with a hint of hostility.
Yilin greeted them all with a nod and a smile.
When there were only five steps left, a maid approached Yilin with a tray holding glasses of wine.
Yilin reached for a glass.
Gray also extended his hand for a glass, but Yilin got there first. Realizing the glass wasn't for him, Gray quickly retracted his hand, pretending nothing had happened.
This strange behavior almost gave Yilin a heart attack. She carefully watched Gray's every move from the corner of her eye, afraid he'd say something inappropriate. Fortunately, he remained silent, and Yilin breathed a sigh of relief.
Raising her glass, Yilin said loudly, "As the thirteenth-generation heir of the Beisher Family, I, Yilin, on behalf of all members of the Beisher Family, welcome you. I hope our families can continue the amicable relations of previous generations. I hope tonight, everyone enjoys themselves. Also, I hope..."
Pausing, Yilin continued, "Also, I hope that if there were any past misunderstandings, we can resolve them tonight."
As she spoke, Yilin's gaze settled on an elderly man in luxurious attire with white hair, still looking very robust and sharp-eyed, standing in the crowd.
Around the elder were five or six young men who seemed to be knights too.
Everyone's attention shifted between Yilin and the elderly man. Clearly, they were the true protagonists of this ball.
After her speech, Yilin drained her glass.
The guests followed suit, as did the elderly man.
Next, thunderous applause filled the hall.
With a smile, Yilin nodded lightly toward the musicians in the hall's corner, and the music resumed.
Handing her empty glass to the maid with the tray, Yilin stepped forward, with Gray supporting her, toward the elderly man.
During this interval, Gray's gaze fell on the badge on the elderly man's chest, and he suddenly paused.
"Huh, this badge looks familiar."