Chapter 43 Moving Performance

The duke directed them to his study which was on the second floor of the mansion.

While they walked through the hallway, Arvell was able to glimpse at the Silvercolt family's vast wealth.

'It seems that defending their country during the war has made them quite profitable.'

He could see their house's crest decorating various tapestries and even a statue of a silver griffin.

It wasn't long before they reached the study.

Since all the butlers and maids had left them earlier, Rupert had taken the lead and opened the door for the duke.

The group followed the duke and slowly filed into the room.

Angela and Zenos's mother was still clinging to him as if he would disappear at any moment.

Zenos naturally understood their fears and bore with them.

Even if he was a little embarrassed by their over-the-top affection…

The duke instructed them all to sit down on the nearby sofas.

Arvell, Rupert and Uriel sat on one side, while Zenos and his family sat on the other.

Zenos felt a little awkward with this seating arrangement.

Since they were going to ask him and Arvell what happened, shouldn't he be sitting with him?

Angela gripped Zenos's shoulder harder.

"I'm not letting you escape so quickly Zen!"

His mother, not wanting to be beaten by her daughter, also grabbed Zenos's arm tighter.

"Neither will I!"

Zenos felt a headache come on.

"Why are you two even competing?"

Arvell smiled mischievously.

After Zenos teased him back at the town square, he was finally getting some indirect revenge on him.

Zenos felt even more embarrassed when he saw Arvell's smile.

He glared at Arvell with a beet-red face.

'Just you wait… I'll get you back for this.'

Arvell naturally understood Zenos's not-so-cryptic message, but he simply shrugged.

After all, he didn't do anything.

Zenos's family was more than enough to embarrass him.

*Ahem*

Feeling that this was going off-topic, the duke lightly coughed to get everyone's attention.

The Duke rose to his feet.

"I am the duke of the Silvercolt Duchy, my name is Wilfried von Silvercolt. The ones seated beside me are my wife Lienna, my daughter Angela, as well as my son Zenos."

Arvell also stood up and bowed.

"My name is Arvell Silvanus. I was raised in Rimel village, a small village located a little farther down south from Talion."

Having been raised in the Vispian royal family, Arvell was more than used to noble etiquette.

How to properly speak, as well as how to show respect.

While commoners weren't usually taught this, a few of the ones that learned to read and write also practised etiquette, so as to not offend a noble if they were to meet one perchance.

After all, offending a noble could get you and your entire family killed.

However, no one in the room was paying attention to Arvell's show of etiquette.

Wilfried looked at Arvell with shock.

"Did you just say you were from Rimel village? That village was raided and burned down years ago!"

Arvell solemnly nodded his head.

"My village was raided and my father was killed… Only the women and the children were left alive… But even then, we were kidnapped and transported to Vispia as slaves."

Arvell gripped his fist tightly, turning his knuckles white.

His eyes burned with rage, and his entire body was shaking.

Even Lykos had to admit that Arvell's acting abilities were nothing short of impressive.

All he had to do was remember the rage from 5 months ago, and he was more than capable of pulling off an award-winning performance.

Seeing this Wilfried reached out and held the boy's shoulder in support.

He didn't know what this boy did to help his son, but knowing that his son's saviour had gone through such a traumatic experience made him feel an urge to help him.

Arvell's performance with his innate beauty moved everyone in the room.

Lienna and Angela also felt an urge to comfort him.

"It's all right, you're safe here. Just take a deep breath and continue at your own pace, after all, there is no rush." The Wilfried reassured.

Arvell nodded his head and took a deep breath to 'calm' himself down.

"I was separated from my family due to my beauty. I was considered to be one of the most handsome kids in the village, so I was naturally to be sold at a higher price. I only managed to escape after they let down their guard thinking I was just a kid. I lived in the wilderness for a few years, waiting for a chance to finally come back home."

Everyone in the room felt a burning rage when they heard this.

"How dare those bastards! Trying to sell such a handsome guy as a slave!" Angela rose and shouted in indignation.

Lienna nodded her head in agreement.

"It's downright inhumane."

Wilfried sighed.

"Don't interrupt our guest you two."

While he agreed with his wife and daughter, it was still rude to interrupt their guest mid-speech.

Arvell shook his head.

"It's all right, I don't mind. I'm thankful you all are getting angry on my behalf. It seems that Zen has a wonderful and caring family."

Arvell's heartfelt (?) words removed any remaining caution they had towards him.

Lienna stood up and walked towards Arvell and buried his head into her ample chest.

She patted his head soothingly.

"(sob) You are too good for this world… Don't worry, Mother will protect you!"

Zenos looked at Arvell's situation with a wry smile.

'Don't underestimate my mother's motherly instinct. She won't ever let you go now~'

He had already heard Arvell's story, so he was not moved to tears like everyone else.

He felt a connection with Arvell if anything.

As someone who underwent the same plight as him.

He watched Arvell's face flush red with an amused smile and laughed silently to himself.