Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 64: Fight at the banquet

Chapter 64: Fight at the banquet

Rhea and Draven emerged from the carriage provided to them at The Den Of Pleasure, both adorned in lavish noble attire. They both wore attires of the same color, but the distinction was that Rhea appeared more youthful and slender, resembling Draven’s younger brother. As they exited the carriage, she casually adjusted her clothes and glanced up at Draven, inquiring, "Do I look like a nobleman?"

Draven cast a critical gaze over her, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. "Only a blind fool would mistake you for a nobleman; you look like a teenage boy," he retorted. However, at that moment, a group of girls from The Den Of Pleasure passed by, heading towards the hall. Surprisingly, they all giggled and called out, "Lord Malcolm." Rhea nonchalantly waved at them and adopted a more masculine stride.

It was evident that this was not the first or second time she had done so. Draven simply shook his head in wonderment. This girl never seized to amaze him with her unladylike behavior.

As the pair strode into the Hall, none of the guards stopped them as their disguise was fully convincing to anyone who saw them. And thankfully there were no fire controllers or shadow stalkers to detect Draven’s aura.

The grand hall was illuminated with golden lights from the chandeliers hanging up in the high ceiling, the hall was filled with rows of long tables covered in lavish food and drinks. The hall was further enhanced by a platform where provocatively dressed women swayed their hips to the melodic tunes playing in the backdrop. The air was thick with laughter and the sound of clinking glasses. The atmosphere was filled with a faint smell of alcohol.

Rhea, stood beside Draven, both observing the scene discreetly. "Alright, this looks bigger than I expected." Rhea murmured as she nervously adjusted her coat. Actually, she had expected a smaller gathering of noblemen, not this big

extravagant hall filled with drunken men.

Was it too late to back out and let Draven go alone? She thought to herself. However, as if knowing her thoughts, Draven leaned over and whispered. "Don’t even think about it, it was your idea to come here, we have to do what we came here to do." He said, his eyes scanning the crowd. "Just stick close to me. We don’t want any unwanted attention."

Rhea took a deep breath to calm her nerves, she couldn’t back out now. "Well, It seems like we’ve found ourselves in the heart of the chaos then. Let’s try to blend in and gather as much information as we can." She whispered, feeling more determined to get on with it now.

Draven nodded in agreement, knowing that their investigation would require them to mingle with these noblemen. Rhea readjusted her clothes for the tenth time to further conceal her identity as a woman. "We must gain their trust before we gather any valuable information about the establishment." She whispered.

They approached a table crowded with four intoxicated young nobles. Rhea exuded confidence as she greeted them. "Good evening, gentlemen," she said with a masculine tone.

The men stopped talking upon noticing the newcomer. Instead of responding to her greeting, they scrutinized her appearance. One of them frowned disapprovingly and slurred, "Who... who let a teenager in here? Boys aren’t allowed. Get out."

Rhea was taken aback. This wasn’t the first time she had disguised herself as a man, and no one had ever mistaken her for a teenage boy. She was about to defend herself when Draven came to her side and spoke up. "I apologize, my lord. My friend here may appear young, but he is a grown man. Would you mind if we join your table for the evening?"

The men didn’t immediately respond to Draven. Instead, they scanned his attire. In a event like this, not just anyone could sit among nobles. It depended on one’s family rank in Birhhan. Judging by the arrogant demeanor of the man who had spoken to Rhea earlier, the men around the table were no ordinary individuals. "What household do you belong to?" he asked with an air of arrogance as if he owned the place.

Draven and Rhea exchanged glances. They couldn’t reveal their true identities. Using their telepathic connection, Draven asked Rhea for a suggestion for a false name, as she was more familiar with the ways of the capital. She suggested, "The Harrington household."

"Harrington household?" the man mumbled. "I’ve never heard of that in Birhhan. Are you related to any fire controllers?" he asked, displaying the same arrogance as before.

Despite his deep disdain for fire controllers, Draven nodded. "Yes."

The man seemed to believe him without further inquiry and welcomed them. "Well, that’s good. You can join us!" he exclaimed. He then introduced himself, saying, "I’m Lord Carver."

As they engaged in casual conversation with the nobles, Rhea successfully maintained her disguise. She skillfully altered her voice, seamlessly blending in with the others, and nobody suspected her true identity as a girl. However, one of the men sitting next to her appeared to be paying more attention to her than necessary. Despite conversing with Lord Carver, Rhea couldn’t escape the man’s unwavering gaze. Ignoring his stare, she focused on her mission.

As Rhea laughed at a particularly crude joke, the drunken man beside her causally slung an arm around her shoulders, his intentions clearly inappropriate. Rhea froze, unsure of how to react, but she maintained her composure.

Meanwhile, Draven, seated across from her, grew increasingly displeased with the man’s gesture. Initially, he refrained from speaking, hoping that Rhea would move away from the man. However, as two minutes passed without any change, Draven’s attention shifted away from the conversation at hand. His piercing blue eyes remained fixated on the unwelcome arm around Rhea.

Draven took a sip from his drink while observing the man’s fingers lightly brushing against Rhea’s shoulders, almost grazing her chest. Even though Rhea had bound her chest to appear flat, Draven’s jaw clenched as he witnessed this, his grip on the cup tightening as he struggled to restrain himself from forcefully removing the man’s arm.

As if that wasn’t already annoying Draven, the man laughed again and pulled Rhea closer to himself, saying, "Well, well, this young man is fun to be around. Why haven’t you joined our little gathering before, eh?"

Rhea tensed up, clearly uncomfortable with how the man was holding her. But she still didn’t push away, knowing the importance of their investigation today. However, it wasn’t the same for the dragon, whose blue eyes had turned darker.

"My Lord I must ask you to remove your arm from my friend immediately." Draven said firmly.

The man, taken aback by Draven’s stern tone, hesitated for a moment before bursting into laughter. He then said mockingly, "Your friend, you say? Well, he certainly looks like a pretty girl, doesn’t he?"

Draven’s pale face flushed with anger, his grip tightening on his glass. He then spoke through gritted teeth, "I suggest you remove that arm right now, my Lord, before this escalates."

Rhea glared at Draven for him to not cause any trouble, but he ignored her warning glares and fixed his gaze on the man.

The man, fueled by alcohol and arrogance, refused to remove his arm. Draven’s eyes flashed with anger. Then without thinking, he stood up and swiftly intervened, stepping between Rhea and the man. With a firm grip, he pulled the man’s arm away, making him stumble backwards with the chair.

The nobleman’s drunken state made him react with hostility. He quickly stood up and tried to punch Draven, only to end up falling back down again, causing a ripple of commotion in the hall. The other noblemen took notice, their attention drawn to the escalating tension.

Lord Carver who had been pleasantly conversing with them awhile ago, now looked displeased after seeing his friend shoved to the floor. "How dare you? Guards, escort these men out of my gathering!"

Rhea, quick on her feet, stepped forward, trying to diffuse the situation. "Gentlemen, please! It was just a misunderstanding." She tried to ease the tension. However, it was already too late. Before any of them could react, the guards at the entrance had entered.

Draven and Rhea were soon shoved out of the hall by the guards. Fights weren’t permitted in events like these, regardless of your status in Birhhan, the host could choose to send you out if they wanted. And since lord Carver looked to be the host, his words mattered. Draven had disrespected his friend, which he couldn’t accept and ended up sending them away.

"Damn it! That didn’t go according to plan at all! Why did you have to start a fight when we haven’t even begun?" Rhea glared at Draven, leaning over the wall outside. If they don’t get the location from these people, she didn’t know who else to ask, and she couldn’t possibly ask that ghost who’d turned into something else. They couldn’t delay this matter after returning to the capital.

However, despite Rhea’s worries, Draven seemed unbothered by it. He simply leaned against the wall with his hands causally tucked inside his pants pockets. "Hey, why aren’t you talking?" Rhea annoyingly nudged him. She couldn’t believe he could be this calm after ruining their plans to get information.

Draven sighed, "We don’t need to be in there to get information. Try using dragon hearing ability with the help of the core in your body, you’d be able to hear everything being said in the hall without going inside." He suggested nonchalantly.

Rhea’s eyes widened slightly. "I can do that?" She asked in astonishment. "Then teach me how to use it."

Draven nodded his head and then began to instruct her on how to connect with her inner powers. As expected, she was quick to learn the technique, but barely a moment had passed before she immediately covered her ears with her palms. "Hell be damned, it’s too loud."

"You have to control it or else you’ll damage your ears. Listen to what you want to listen and concentrate only on that."

Rhea pouted and huffed, "You say it as if it’s that easy to do." Despite her complaint, she still followed his instructions and began to focus. The voices gradually grew clearer. The laughter of women, the lecherous remarks from men, and Lord Carver boasting arrogantly to his friends - Rhea heard it all. However, not a single person mentioned anything about the elixirs. They only discussed the nearly occurred fight a moment ago. It seemed as though none of them were aware of the business.

Just as Rhea was about to turn to Draven to discuss this, she suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind them. "So, you really saw them go this way?" As the person spoke, Rhea looked back and caught sight of a young man dressed in intricately embroidered noble attire. He carried an air of arrogance, he was tall and slim. When he turned towards their direction, his eyes met Rhea’s.

"Oh dear, another problem to avoid," Rhea muttered subconsciously.