"To think my daughter would invite me to this place so that I can meet you…"
"!!!" Noel widened his eyes in shock and immediately turned around, finding a middle-aged man sitting next to him. The middle-aged man had blond hair and a pair of purple eyes like Anna.
Although he'd never seen the marquis, he knew that there was only one person who would talk to him like that.
In other words, the man before him was none other than his father's best friend, Kevin Stargaze.
Noel didn't know how to act in a situation like this. On the one hand, he didn't know whether Kevin was still his father's best friend. On the other hand, he couldn't be rude to him either since he couldn't prove otherwise.
Kevin raised his hand as if he was trying to calm Noel down. "Don't worry. I'm here not as your enemy. I've heard from my daughter that you want to talk to me, so let's have a chat, shall we?"
Noel glanced to the side, wondering if there were people listening to their conversation.
But Kevin added, "Don't worry. It seems that you don't know about my reputation as well as my power. My title as an Arbiter is Fleeting. I can cause distortion so that it looks like we just sit next to each other for a short time despite talking for five minutes. So, you don't have to worry about the people around us."
"…" Noel bit his lips, never thinking that the gap between them was this big. Not only did he fail to recognize the Spiritual Energy Kevin used, but he also failed to feel the threat around him.
If Kevin wanted to kill him, he wouldn't know how he died.
Kevin looked at Noel with a smile as if he remembered something. "You truly look like Luke and Leysha. Your hair, brain, and eyes look like him. Your boldness is like Leysha's.
"Even when your father calls me his best friend, I'm only at the receiving end. That's why I'm here to talk to you. I wonder what you have prepared for me."
"…" Noel bit his lips. Kevin looked like he had gotten used to this kind of situation and immediately took the lead in their conversation.
But everything Noel wanted to say required him to be the one leading this conversation. And he wouldn't be able to do it rashly.
He took a deep breath first and said, "I'm Noel Ardagan. I greet Marquis Stargaze."
"You should have known about the relationship between your parents and me. So, you don't have to be this formal. Even though we haven't met, I have heard a lot of things about you from your father. Just think of me as an uncle who lives next to you." Kevin smirked. He noticed what Noel planned to do and pushed him back, not letting him lead the conversation. This was a simple test to see Noel's capability.
Noel shook his head. "Unfortunately, I couldn't do that, Marquis. After all, I don't know you personally. It feels like I'm taking advantage of my father's connection as well as my family name. If I become reliant on them, I won't be able to do anything."
Kevin's eyebrows twitched. He closed his eyes for a moment before smiling. "It seems that Luke's son has become a good man."
"You overpraise. I'm nothing but an ant compared to those people." Noel shook his head.
Kevin knew that he indirectly implied the people who schemed everything, including his father and the royal family. He was aware that he had been manipulated by them the whole time.
But the fact that he acknowledged it meant Noel prepared to regain his control and pave his own path.
Kevin couldn't help but smile and say, "Alright. I shall surrender this time. It's good to see you like this, Noel. I'll listen to what you have to say, but I have one condition."
"May I know what it is?"
"It's simple. Just call me Uncle Kevin."
"…" Noel's eyebrows twitched. Both of them knew it was a hard thing to do even though the misunderstanding had been cleared.
But Noel considered for a moment before opening his mouth. "In that case, can we talk… Uncle Kevin?"
"Sure." Kevin smiled and grabbed the necklace hanging on his neck. He took it off and handed it to Noel. "Since you call me Uncle, I have to give you a gift for the first meeting, right?"
"…" Noel looked at the necklace with a serious expression. He had a hard time taking it.
Though, Kevin added with a playful tone. "Take it. Your father entrusted it to me before. He wanted me to give this to you when you knew about the truth. This necklace is special. I'll tell you about its effect after our conversation."
"…" Noel, albeit hesitant, still took the necklace. "Thank you."
"No problem." Kevin smirked.
Noel was a bit overwhelmed by how Kevin acted. Although they never met, he had learned a bit of Marquis Stargaze's reputation.
Marquis Stargaze was a strict man who didn't hesitate to fight his enemy. His ability was also exceptional to the point everyone feared him.
So, it was a bit confusing when such a man acted this friendly to him. It felt like the man before him wasn't the marquis himself.
However, Noel couldn't lie to himself. No, the marquis couldn't lie to the system, specifically the Affection Medal.
Name: Kevin Stargaze
Affection: Supportive (90/100)
Description: Someone who is very supportive of you and your entire family. He will agree to almost everything.
Noel got the second shock in his life. Despite all the revelations he had encountered so far, this one would be among the top.
This was the first time he met the 'supposed enemy' of his family. Yet, Kevin Stargaze was extremely supportive of him.
It immediately cleared up all the misunderstanding since he realized that Kevin Stargaze was only playing along with his father's plan.
"…" Noel took a deep breath, wondering what he had to say.
