Sunday, April 30th, 2045
Alvarez Manor, Mystich City, Oldwyn, Netheria.
The beautiful medieval Manor was lit up in colourful lights, and rows and rows of cars could be seen parked in the front garden.
Tonight was the 27th birthday of the Heir of the Alvarez Family, Javier Alvarez, and all the big names in the city were invited to this event.
This was never planned to be such a big occasion, and those close to the Alvarez Family knew that a few days ago, the party was planned to be held at the Crowne Hotel, one of the prized properties of the Alvarez Family in the city.
However, on Friday morning, new invitations were sent, inviting all the big names in the city, whether they were friends of the family or not.
People were curious about what was so special about this occasion, and almost all of them were inside the ballroom right now.
Since all the big names were gathered under the same roof, it was no longer a birthday party, but also an unofficial business convention, and everyone was busy with their affairs.
A few groups of people stood out tonight, and one such group was the Oscar Family.
The old man of the Oscar Family had invited his friends and other members of the Business Community to his house on Friday evening, and there, he announced and introduced his maternal grandson and Heir, Mathew Frost.
It did not really come as a shock to the guests, after all, the Oscar Family was without any heirs.
The only option the old man of the Oscar Family had was to approach the son of his estranged and rebellious daughter, and he managed to convince the young man.
How hard could it have been? Who in his right mind would refuse to become the Heir of a Family whose fortune was over 10 Billion Neris?
Though not the wealthiest in the city, nor the oldest, the Oscars were still a powerful and old family that originated from the Mystich City's underworld, and they still held some underhanded forces and connections in their hands.
It was never easy to wash away your past, and their past had come haunting them in the last few years. The members of the Oscar Family lost their lives one after another, fighting against some old enemies.
The guests, though not surprised, were still sceptical about the capabilities of the handsome young man who was going to take the helm of the Oscar Family in the future.
However, to the surprise of everyone, the young man turned out to be very talented. He was quite cultured, even more than most Young Heirs of the other big families, and he was confident too.
He had high attainments in music, could play beautiful piano and was quite knowledgeable in other forms of art such as Calligraphy and Painting.
But he had one shortcoming and that was that he was still young and lacked the social etiquette of their class.
It ended up with him offending the Heir of the Alvarez Family after he openly flirted with the latter's Fiancée and invited her to dance too.
His actions displeased both the Alvarez and Reyes families and even after he was informed by Javier that Hannah was his Fiancée, Mathew only gave a perfunctory apology before proceeding to flirt with the lady some more.
It was clear by looking at the expressions of the youngsters who were present here tonight that they would be making things difficult for Mathew. And everyone, including the old, was looking forward to some fun.
Suddenly, whatever the members of the Alvarez Family were doing, they stopped and excused themselves before gathering and walking towards the door of the ballroom.
Their action soon caught the attention of all the guests, and the room turned silent as they saw the smiles on the faces of the Alvarez Family.
"Who's coming?" Someone whispered to the man next to him, and right then, the door of the ballroom opened.
A tall and ridiculously handsome young man, dressed in a white suit, entered the room with a young lady on his arm, wearing a purple Ball Gown, which made her appear as a princess out of every girl's childhood fantasies.
Just a look at them made the guests stop and stare, and some even forgot to breathe as they felt that this young man and lady were not human. It was an inexplicable feeling that they could not put into words or even understand it.
The people who were sitting at the tables on either side of the room respectfully stood up, and most of the guests immediately recognised the man's identity.
There was just something about their presence and temperament that weighed heavily on their hearts. And the hearts of the ladies melted the moment the young man smiled and greeted the Head and Heir of Alvarez who stepped forward.
"Master Demiliore! Welcome to humble abode." Marius Alvarez was the first to speak and bow, his son followed the lead.
"Thank you for inviting me to your home, Master Alvarez." He politely nodded and then drew his hand forward to the excited young man who had sent him the invitation. "Happy Birthday, Heir Alvarez."
"Thank you, Master Demiliore!" Javier shook his hand and then started introducing his family to Keith. "This is my mother..." After introducing his mother and the Elders of the family, the young ones stepped forward.
Javier had two younger brothers and a sister, and since she was the sole daughter of the family, the young girl was undoubtedly a little mischievous.
"And this is my sister..."
"Zoey Alvarez, Master Demiliore." The enthusiastic girl, who was wearing all red, including lipstick and nail polish, stepped forward and offered her snow-white hand to him.
Keith could see the excitement brimming in her beautiful green eyes. She was a girl who looked to be around 19 years old, and her chestnut hair, which was tied in a ponytail with two bangs falling on either side of her face, made her appear quite adorable, and at the same time, enchanted the men with her beauty.
It was evident that she had taken extra care in getting ready tonight, and since Keith knew everything there was about her, he knew that she did not usually care this much about her appearance.
The gorgeous red dress, which was an A-line Ball Gown, something a lot more graceful than what she wore, made her stand out amongst all the ladies present here tonight. It was along the lines of what his wives usually wore, and so he could guess that she had dressed so meticulously because of him.
"Miss Zoey," He smiled and took her hand, but instead of shaking it, he politely raised it and planted a kiss on her knuckles. "You look lovely tonight, and a lot more charming than your siblings." His action and words made her cheeks warm up, but before she could avert her eyes, he said something that made her burst into giggles. "Had I not known better, I would have mistaken you for the birthday girl."
He was being playful and everyone around could sense it in his words, and it was what helped them all feel at ease with his presence.
"She's a big fan of yours." The youngest of the Alvarez siblings, who was a young boy of around thirteen years, smirked at his sister and informed him.
"A fan?" He let go of her hand and curiously asked.
"Yes. She..."
"David!" Zoey stopped her brother from speaking whatever he was about to say by grabbing him and covering his mouth, and her action made the rest of her family helplessly shake their heads.
Keith amusedly looked at her burning in embarrassment, and it was the Lady of the Alvarez Family who told him what her young son wanted to say.
"She admires your talents, Master Demiliore. And she's always listening to your music in her room."
"Interesting." He playfully smiled. "So, Miss Zoey, do you like listening to my Piano pieces or the Violin pieces?"
"Both!" She immediately replied and then blushed some more. "I love your music, and all the songs of Alana Storm that you wrote."
"She was also there the day you unveiled Memoir, and she had never since stopped talking about you after listening to you and Miss Alana perform on the stage." Her mother informed him, and Keith feigned some surprise before he lightly chuckled and then introduced the lady on his side to them.
"This is my precious Minami." He did not tell them what his relationship was with her, and a few people had already seen her in pictures with him over the last few months.
"I am my Master's maid." The princess-like girl spoke, much to the surprise of the people, and then she lightly bowed after turning in Keith's direction.
"This is my Assistant and friend, Iseul." He introduced the lady who was standing behind Minami. "And my Shadow, Yingying."
Isuel and Yingying both slightly bowed, and the members of the Alvarez Family courteously greeted all three of them.
"Please, Master Demiliore." Marius gestured towards the inside of the ballroom.
"If you don't mind, Master Alvarez, I would like to spend the night in the company of the young ones." He politely said, and his words did not displease anyone.
He made it clear from his words that he was here to enjoy the evening and did not wish to partake in any serious discussion.
Both the head and the lady of the Alvarez Family were delighted to hear his words.
It meant that Keith was solely here on their invitation to enjoy the birthday party of their son, only out of goodwill and no interest.
"Of course, Master Demiliore." Marius smiled and then glanced at his children, who happily stepped forward and took the responsibility of keeping Keith company tonight.
David, the youngest of the siblings seemed a little depressed when he was held back by his mother. After all, he was still too young to sit in the company of his older siblings and their friends on such an occasion.
Javier led Keith and the ladies by his side to meet his friends, and the first person he introduced them to was his Fiancée, Hannah Reyes.
She was a girl around Keith's age, quite beautiful and graceful, and though she was smiling, and did not show it, Keith knew very well that she was not keen on the idea of marrying Javier, but stayed quiet because it was beneficial to her family.
"Miss Hannah." He only politely nodded to her and the girls around her.
Since she was someone's Fiancée, he could not take her hand and plant kisses on her knuckles as he did with Zoey. It was disrespectful and against the etiquette of the Demiliore Family.
"Master Demiliore." Hannah politely bowed to him and then joined their group as they met all the young Heirs and their siblings present here tonight.
And finally, a young man, dressed in a black suit, stepped forward.
"Mathew Frost, Master Demiliore." He politely bowed and then drew his hand forward. "I am of Heir of the Oscar Family of the Mystich City."
"Frost?" Keith curiously asked as he shook his hand.
"He's the maternal grandson of the head of the Oscar Family. And his Father is a famous Baker in the city." Zoey grinned and informed him, and her words made Mathew frown.
"I see." Keith smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Mathew." He simply said and then diverted his attention from the young man. "What do you have planned for the night?" He curiously asked, and Javier and Zoey were more than happy to inform him about all the arrangements that were in place tonight.
Mathew felt like he was deliberately being ignored, even though Keith was only talking with a selected few of the people around him, and the rest were respectfully standing a distance away and talking with each other.
It was just Mathew who kept shamelessly standing there and listening to their conversation, but at some point, his eyes landed on Minami, and he could not take them off her.
He had never before in his life seen a more beautiful girl than her, and his heart started racing as he found himself desiring her.
"Mind your eyes, Mr Mathew." A cold voice suddenly sounded out, and everyone turned to look at Iseul, who was narrowing her eyes on the Heir of the Oscar Family.
"Excuse me?" Though the sudden words flustered him, Mathew regained his bearing and smiled at the bespectacled girl who was very beautiful too.
In his heart, he was envious of how Keith was surrounded by three of the most beautiful girls he had seen in his life, and he started feeling a little more unwell.
Ever since Keith had arrived in the ballroom, the eyes of the ladies were only on him. And he could guess by how some girls glanced at him and then back at Keith before gossiping with each other that they were comparing him with the young man from one of the most Powerful Families in the world. And he knew the conclusion they had reached.
As confident as he was in his charm, it was nothing against the ridiculously handsome young man, and he felt a little sour about the reality of life.
Even Zoey, whom he had plans for and received a quest from the System for, was clearly interested in Keith.
"It is disrespectful to stare at someone. And your eyes don't hide your unbridled thoughts." Iseul coldly said.
"My apologies, Miss. I was only admiring the beauty of your companion." Mathew smiled and then looked at Minami before apologetically bowing to her. "Please excuse me." He said and then smartly took his leave, returning to the side of his grandfather.
"Is he your friend?" Keith lightly asked, and Javier immediately shook his head.
"No, Master Demiliore. Should I ask him to leave the room?"
"There's no need for that." He said with a light smile and then continued chatting with Zoey.
Everyone had already understood that Keith was not pleased by Mathew's behaviour just now. Otherwise, he would not have asked them if he was their friend.
And Hannah, who was standing behind her Fiancée, could not help but become worried for the boy who had danced with her the day before yesterday.