Noel frowned. He had two concerns. The first was the fact that there was no place where he could run away. Although he was confident with his ability, he didn't know whether his strength was enough to destroy the walls that had been reinforced by Spirit Enchantment.
In addition, there was actually a maid standing in front of the door, waiting for them.
When she noticed their presence, she looked at the woman before turning to Noel as if observing him.
But she soon bowed to him and said, "Welcome to the Eternal Flower, Young Master Noel. The owner has been waiting for you."
"!!!" Noel widened his eyes, never expecting the other party to know about his identity. But this also confirmed how much they knew about him.
He became even more cautious while observing the other party's affection.
Name: Illia
Affection: Neutral (50/100)
Description: Someone who has known about you but has no intention of you.
This was similar to what he found from bystanders. But they were not as high as her in the degree as they didn't know him.
Noel furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing what to say.
However, the other party had knocked on the door.
"Young Master has arrived."
"Let him in."
Illia suddenly opened the door without hesitation while politely bowing to Noel.
"…" Noel was preparing to take out Ardagan that was hidden inside his Spirit Mark. If the other party tried to attack him, he would immediately take out his weapon and kill him.
But to his surprise, the moment he reached the door and took a peek inside. He immediately saw that person along with his affection.
Name: Harley
Affection: Loyal (70/100)
Description: Someone who is loyal enough to risk their life for you.
This was another affection. He thought the other party would be supportive like Rose, but he realized there was a difference between Loyal and Supportive. In Rose's case, he wasn't a noble yet, so she still considered him a companion in the Demon Relief Squad. That was why her affection was 'Supportive' instead of 'Loyal' despite having sworn her loyalty to him.
Meanwhile, the other party was loyal to the Ardagan Family. So, it was clear why he was loyal to him. He was the young master of the Ardagan Family as well as the next head when he rebuilt the family.
He was quite surprised to find out that the other party was still loyal to him.
But he suddenly felt something weird from his attire. It might be because he had confirmed his affection that he dropped his guard a little, but he surely focused on the second most important thing from Harley, his attire.
Harley completely looked like a woman. Aside from his voice, everyone would think he was a woman.
Harley seemed to believe that Noel had a grudge against what he had experienced earlier. That was why Harley immediately stood up while politely greeting him. "Welcome, Young Master Noel. I have been waiting for you here. Please come in and allow me to explain the reason why you have to go through such a thing."
"…" Noel narrowed his eyes. He took another glance at the two women next to him as if trying to confirm their affection before entering the room.
To his surprise, the two women actually came together with him as if they were trusted enough to hear whatever they were trying to discuss.
As soon as the door was closed, Harley dropped to his knees as if he was confessing his crime.
"I'd like to offer my apology to Young Master. What you have gone through earlier is called the Banquet. It's basically a test for me."
"A test?" Noel glared at him, not appreciating such a test if he was this loyal.
However, Harley managed to strike right at the heart of the problem. He said, "The reason for that test is simply because I'd like to confirm the young master's will.
"I am Harley, the second in command of the darkness division of the Ardagan Family. We are the division that handles the information network, assassination, and connection that can't be known by others.
"And as a person from this division, I have heard about the young master's reputation. Master once told us to test the young master by ourselves to see whether you are capable enough to lead us or not… That's his answer when we have a doubt whether we can continue to serve you. After all…"
Harley couldn't say it. But Noel already knew the continuation. Yes, Noel was such a disappointment in the past. Although he had the talents, he was simply doing everything at his own pace. In the people's eyes, he was lazy.
So, he knew why they had such doubts.
"So, this test…" Noel muttered while contemplating.
"Yes. The second floor is filled with a hallucinogen that will incite your desire. It's to make sure you are strong enough to resist the temptation. Unfortunately, we can only use this one to see the resistance to women… We can't test the riches, power, and authority.
"As for the third floor, it's to see whether your will is strong enough to rebuild the family. The master and lady have been a huge part of your life, so I'd like to know whether you are strong enough to rebuild the family or not."
The test was understandable. He could see the reason why there was a need for such a test. After all, the past him was completely different from the current him.
He closed his eyes for a moment before asking, "So, are you disappointed with the result?"
Instead of answering him with words, Harley decided to show it with his actions.
He raised one of his knees, kneeling like that of a knight. The maid fell to her knees while the emotionless woman lowered her body gently while hugging the harp.
"We pledge our loyalty to Young Master. Right now, you are our Master and we are ready to die for you in order to rebuild the Ardagan Family.
"If Young Master is displeased by the test, Young Master can order us to die and we shall slit our throat right away!"
