Chapter 642 Social Status
Chapter 642 Social Status
Wolfe motioned for Rail to strip then dressed her in a red short-sleeved gown that matched his shirt, and a pair of nude sandals with low heels.
“How lewd.” Rail giggled at the shoes that so closely matched the colour of her feet.
“Should I switch them?” Wolfe asked.
“Probably. People will get the wrong idea if you don’t. It’s a succubus thing.” She agreed.
Wolfe changed the shoe colour to black, and Rail gave a little spin.
“You know, magical outfits are so much fun. I know that I’m all covered up like a nun, but it still feels like I’m naked in public.” She laughed.
The dress actually had a plunging neckline and a lace back, but by Succubus standards it was pretty tame, and the skirt reached her knees.
As usual, he flew her to the Palace, arriving thirty minutes before noon, but it looked like that might be a bit late, as the Palace was crowded, and there was a lineup to get into the main gates.
“Let’s go to the employee entrance on the side, they should let us in with our ID cards.” Rail whispered from her spot in Wolfe’s arms.
They circled to the side, and the maids giggled as they saw who it was, but the guard let them in without any fuss, and even called another guard over to escort them up to the dining room. They knew their way through the Palace well enough, but the orders from Minister William were that everyone was to have an escort to the dining room and the unrelated areas of the Palace were to be blocked and declared off-limits until the week of festivities was over.
That was the only way to limit the number of spies and intruders roaming through the Palace.
The fact that this dinner was for the newly arrived rural nobles and that they were theoretically all on the same side didn’t matter to him. It likely also didn’t matter to a lot of the guests, considering that the Queen had already been assassinated once.
“Please check any weapons at the door.” The butler at the entrance to the dining room greeted them in a tone that said he had repeated this phrase dozens of times already to Demons with no intention of obeying him.
“We didn’t bring any. I have no need of weapons.” Wolfe replied.
The Demon looked startled for a moment, and his eyes went to the pile of weapons in the corner that showed most of the guests had brought some sort of combat equipment with them.
“Of course, Patriarch. My apologies. Please enjoy your meal.” The butler replied as he recovered his composure.
“If anything happens, just stand your ground. The Royals won’t let things get too out of hand.” Rail whispered.
“Should I be expecting something?” Wolfe replied.
“You’ll see in a second. Some of the Demons can be unreasonable at the best of times, and you’re here with me. There is a good chance that someone will demand you turn over your date. It’s a test to determine social ranking among Demons. If you give in, you’ve failed, and you’re seen as beneath them.”
Sure enough, Wolfe saw a lot of posturing, and a few challenges over something stupid. One small scuffle started over a handkerchief, another over a corsage.
But Wolfe and Rail didn’t bring anything with them that the Demons could challenge for, so they could only test Wolfe by trying to take Rail for the day.
It looked like Wolfe was going to get off easy at first, as the meal was approaching and the Demons were too busy posturing with each other. But then a Rank Six Demon walked up and stared down at Wolfe.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit presumptuous to have brought a Succubus to a Noble dinner? She would certainly look better on my arm.” The Demon declared and reached for Rail’s arm.
Wolfe flicked a finger and a layer of Nether Lightning crackled over her. Making the Demon curse and pull his hand away before he could touch her. Wolfe hadn’t intended for the Demon to grab her, and the plan was working wonderfully within the boundaries of the [Kind Intentions] Spell, but this week’s events were sure to stress the limits of the spell to absurd levels as everyone tried to bypass it.
“I believe that she’s quite comfortable where she is.” Wolfe replied politely.
The Demons were all watching with rapt attention. If he couldn’t even touch Rail, what sort of challenge was this? Could the Magi really be untouchable simply because Nether Lightning was so incredibly dangerous?
The Demon reached for Wolfe, intending to grab the lapel of his jacket.
“Now, listen here, you little shit.” The Demon began before Wolfe cast [Levitate] and moved him to the ceiling level.
He didn’t have to be stronger than the Demon when it couldn’t openly attack with a hostile spell in the crowded room. He only had to put him somewhere else.
While the irate Demon floated in the air, Wolfe turned to the woman beside him.
“Wolfe Noxus, Patriarch of the Noxus Magi Family. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss. I’m not sure that I caught your name.” He greeted her.
“Sandra Isadore, Baroness of Isadore.” The woman replied with a smile that said she was honestly concerned about what would happen to Wolfe when that Demon got down from the ceiling.
He was already flapping his wings, trying to overcome the spell, but not understanding that it was not Air magic holding him in place, or that Wolfe was adjusting it every time he managed to move a little.
There were footsteps outside the room, which caught the attention of everyone present. It should be the Royals, so Wolfe released his spell, allowing the Demon’s wings to hurl him at the ground like a fired arrow.
He caught himself before he face planted, but it was a close thing, and his animosity was palpable, even from across the room.
“I see you’re making friends already. Don’t worry, he won’t do anything else, he’s already lost twice in a row.” Minister William whispered from behind Wolfe.
“Good, I was beginning to wonder if things really were going to get out of hand.” Wolfe whispered back as the big minister made his way toward his seat.
“Introducing Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth.” The herald announced, and everyone in the room gave a bow or a curtsy of some sort in recognition of the Queen’s entrance.
From his spot near the side of the room, Wolfe could see the hatred in a large number of these faces. This was definitely going to be an interesting week.
She was clearly in charge, and none of these Nobles had the power to overthrow her without taking her by surprise, but they weren’t happy about her return, and Wolfe suspected that they were all very eager to find out just exactly how she had managed to return from the dead and reclaim her throne.
“Greetings everyone, please take your seats. I know many of you haven’t met in some time, so feel free to socialize as you eat. No need to stand on formality.” The Queen greeted them.
Wolfe made his way to his seat with Rail at his side, and found himself seated only three chairs down from the Queen near the head of the table next to the visiting Demon Royals who had agreed to come for lunch. At least there would be good conversation.