The banquet and drinking party to welcome the ambassador started at 3 PM. I sat beside Queen Eve as usual, and we shared a table.
Because Duke Blacktomb brought a large entourage, the simple banquet was held standing. Many Nobles from our kingdom also attended.
What made this different from the Ball was that there was no one dancing, and they only enjoyed food and drink.
Cleric had already returned from my mansion with a black eye, making everyone worried. However, he healed himself as if nothing had happened and laughed it off before saying that he was just clumsy and fell.
That was a lie. I bet Milea punched him. From what I saw earlier, that was the best explanation behind his black eye. Mafula seemed to notice that he was lying, though, as they talked in the corner for a while.
Meanwhile, I spent my time answering greetings from people I didn't know about.
"It's an honor to meet you, Your Holiness. Your aura is that of brilliance! I have sinned for not being able to see you sooner and extending my congratulations."
"It's okay, Viscount. May the Goddess' blessing be with you."
"Oooh, thank you very much!"
"Your Holiness, it's a blessing to meet you. You're just as kind as rumored and as gallant as I imagined…"
"It's truly an honor to be able to face you, Your Holiness. Please forgive this lowly self for not being able to see you directly. My eyes are…"
"What a blessing! Count Lopez extends his greeting to Your Holiness…"
On and on, I must stay seated and answer their greeting. Queen Eve's situation wasn't any better, and she always had that fake smile on her face throughout the greetings.
I couldn't even enjoy the tantalizing food spread in the large hall decorated luxuriously. It didn't really suit me.
'It's troublesome…'
The greeting continued for an hour before it stopped. Cleric and Mafula were the last.
"Hello, Your Holiness." He said with a smile, trying his best not to laugh. It sounded funny when he called me that way, and… somehow, it didn't fit in my ears.
"Don't call me like that, please," I whispered and glanced to the side. Queen Eve's guests have already all greeted her. Our eyes met, and she smiled in relief after seeing my condition.
Did she not see that I was in trouble from cringing? Someone I knew and the first Paladin's older brother calling me Your Holiness was strange. Not to mention Mafula's gaze that shouted 'this guy is suspicious' was focused on me.
Even now, Cleric was smiling friendly, trying not to say anything else. I thought he already told Mafula that Milea was fine and happy.
"But you're the Paladin, Your Holiness." He said and stepped back. I saw him snapping his finger and creating a transparent, soundproof barrier around us. "Also, my wife wants to talk to you. It's the first time since the Elf Village, no?
"Moth– Madam Mafula?" I quickly changed my sentence once she narrowed her eyes.
I wasn't afraid but respecting her. Unlike Cleric, it seemed like she hadn't accepted me yet, even now.
"Yes." She spoke with a cold voice that seemed to be able to freeze this banquet hall. "I've heard from my husband. He had seen our daughter and asked about her condition."
So he did tell her. But why was she still in a sour mood?
"I am always like this," Mafula answered with a grunt.
Did she have a mind-reading skill? I didn't even think about it, but she guessed what I wanted to ask.
"Arthur, your control over your expression is great, but Mafula is an expert at reading people," Cleric explained.
"I see." I nodded in understanding and looked at Mafula. "I promise that Milea will be fine as long as I am alive. And to be honest, I don't know how long I would live considering… I am slightly more special than other people." I looked at Cleric as I said that.
"I know," Mafula said, still expressionless.
It was as if her emotion wasn't there. And it was surprising, considering that she showed undiluted rage when I visited because of Alesia.
"My husband told me that Milea had friends and enjoyed herself more than when we were in the Elf Village. For that I thank you." She nodded slightly at me and continued, "But remember… Even if she hates me, she's still my daughter. If you do anything to her…"
Suddenly, cold air emanated from her body. It was about to freeze the floor and crept to the whole hall.
People began to feel cold and rubbed their hands together. Queen Eve even narrowed her eyes dangerously, but I stopped her from doing anything by raising my hand. All was under control already as Cleric put his hand on Mafula's shoulders.
"Don't do anything dangerous or use your magic, my dear. We are ambassadors of the Elf Village. What if our reputation worsened because we can't control our emotions? Just believe in Arthur. Our daughter has forgiven us because she's now happy with Arthur. We should thank him instead."
"But–"
"Arthur is the very definition and the one with the closest personality to my little brother. We can trust him, dear." Cleric smiled softly as he patted Mafula back once. "Do you want our daughter to be single forever? She has achieved her happiness with him, so we should let her go."
"… Fine."
"Great." He nodded, "I was about to erase everyone's memories if you continue. Hahaha, thankfully, we're not as embarrassing as the other guests."
I hated to say it, but Cleric was correct. Some Nobles straight up kneeling or even prostrating to greet me. From another perspective, Mafula seemed angry, but thanks to the soundproof barrier, we probably just looked like we were joking around.
As for the cold air earlier, I could also explain it as I wanted to see magic from an Elf, a race that was said to be proficient in it.
"Arthur, see you again. Visit Elf Village with Milea soon." Cleric waved his hand and took down the barrier. Then, he put it on his chest and bowed. "May the goddess' blessing be with you, Your Holiness."
Mafula followed suit, and I answered.
Following that, they returned to the other guests, and I was finally freed from these greetings. Queen Eve was still looking at me suspiciously and asked in a low voice.
"What happened, Sir Arthur? I sensed a little bit of hostility from one of the ambassadors."
I smiled wryly at her and shrugged my shoulders, "It's all headmistress Alesia's fault that an understanding is created between us."
Queen Eve didn't pry any further and just nodded.
"It must be hard."
"It is." I laughed bitterly, "But it's not as hard as your coronation ceremony tomorrow."
"Fufufu, you make me nervous now."
We conversed with each other and enjoyed various food with the guests. The banquet ended when the sky turned dark, and I excused myself afterward, teleporting back to my mansion.
Once I arrived, the twin nuns greeted me and reported about Cleric's intrusion this afternoon. They explained what happened in detail, and I praised them for their excellent job.
Afterward, I deactivated my <Presence Detection> and went straight to the bath. I smell funny now after being surrounded by Nobles wearing many perfumes. I could've always changed my clothes, but why should I do that when my minotaur lover was ready to help me?
"You're finally here."
Cecil greeted me and stood up from the bath. She was already naked and water dripped down her body, following the curves. A small pool was created on her cleavage, and her tail moved around excitedly.
Her hands squeezed their breasts, bringing them up. Milk began to squirt out of her pink nipples as she applied force, making it drip down her large mounds.
She was already aroused.
"Do you want to drink some while I give a hand job? You must be tired, so you can rest on my lap if you want to."
My eyes widened at this offer, but then I remembered how much she loved to be milked, and I felt like there would not have been any other way for us to end our night together.
"Yes," I said simply. "That sounds perfect."
Cecil smiled broadly, happy about what we were going to do tonight. She climbed up the bath and sat on the edge, patting her thighs invitingly. I smiled and got into position, lying my head on her lap.
The first thing I noticed is that she smelled really good; Her natural scent mixed with the smell of soap and hot water was way better than those perfumes. Her fingers touched my cheek gently, stroking it softly before they went lower... down below.
She hunched over slightly and started massaging my balls. My cock twitched in response, feeling its length grow even more. It was still only half-hard, though.
Then Cecil leaned forward and positioned her tits right in front of my face.
"You know..." she whispered, leaning closer. "If you wanted to, you could just suck them. Rather... Please?"
A shiver ran through my spine, causing my dick to twitch again. The idea of sucking on these huge boobs filled me with desire – I couldn't resist such an invitation.
"Say no more, Cecil."
And so, I reached out and grabbed one of her breasts. They were soft and warm, and the nipple was hardening under my touch. I gave it a gentle tug, eliciting a moan from Cecil.
