Chapter 193

Chapter 8 | The Assassin Makes a Vow I’d elected to make the celebration a standing buffet, placing a trio of small bar tables in the middle of the room and the food along the walls. This setup allowed everyone to grab the food they wanted and speak with whoever they pleased while eating. “Start by filling your plates. We’ll toast after that,” I announced. “Wow, there’s so much food I don’t even know where to start. Ah, gratin! You put it in the shell of a crab. That’s so cute. Thank you for making my favorite food, Lugh!” Dia said excitedly. Gratin always looked sloppy and gross after being picked at. I didn’t want that to happen, so I poured it into small crab shells and baked them together. To keep the rest of the crab from going to waste, I cooked the meat into the gratin and used crab butter for the sauce, creating a high-quality crab gratin. The appearance and the taste complemented each other well. “Everything looks so delicious that it’s hard to choose,” Tarte expressed. “It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten your cooking, dear brother. I could think of no better feast than one prepared by you,” Maha stated. “This looks incredible, Cian,” my mother said. Grinning, my father answered, “That it does. Let’s grab some food.” I chose this format for the party even though there were only six attendees because my parents said they wanted time to speak with each of my fiancées individually. If this had been a seated party, we would’ve had to change seats frequently, which was an unpleasant notion. Dia had also mentioned that she hoped to talk to Maha alone, and Tarte and Maha were great friends and likely had a lot built up to talk about. They truly are beautiful. I observed my fiancées again. The dresses Maha had selected looked stunning on them. Dia’s dress was primarily white and had many frills. She resembled a lovely fairy. Tarte was draped in a puffy yellow dress that showed a bold amount of cleavage. The red accents on the outfit suited her warm personality. It was also sexy. Maha wore a mature purple dress that she pulled off flawlessly. Slits revealed her legs. She was beautiful, stylish, and alluring. Each garment had been crafted by an elite designer with the very best materials. That Maha procured them on such short notice was truly impressive. “Looks like everyone’s gotten some food. I’d like to give a short speech before the toast. First, I want to thank Dia, Tarte, and Maha for falling in love with me. All three of you are beautiful and talented. You each could’ve chosen any man, and I am happy you all picked me. That selection wasn’t a mistake, and I’ll prove that to you every day of our lives moving forward.” I’ve always hated humility. It was common at times like this to be self-deprecating as you thanked your fiancée for choosing you. “I don’t know what she sees in me,” “I don’t deserve her,” and the like. However, that would be like telling the girls that they lacked a discerning eye for men. I wouldn’t insult them like that. That was why I declared that choosing me was not a mistake. I realized that I was only making things harder on myself by saying that, but if I couldn’t follow through on that promise, I didn’t deserve them. “I will make all of you happy. I do have one request, though. Please do your best to bring me joy as well. If we all work together to bring bliss to each other’s lives, we’ll build a greater future than I could achieve through my efforts alone. Mom and Dad are the perfect examples. I want to make a household as warm as the one they have.” Before my reincarnation, I’d existed only as a tool for killing. I knew nothing of the preciousness and warmth of life. I’d considered familial and romantic love as nothing more than methods to help my assassinations. I’d bedded too many people to count and whispered sweet nothings into their ears, but my words were always hollow. It was only after I was born into the Tuatha Dé family under my loving parents that love became real to me. My parents changed me from a tool into a person. I was grateful for that, and I admired them deeply. “Of course, Lugh. I don’t want this to be a one-sided relationship,” Dia responded. “I am yours, Lord Lugh. Our engagement does nothing to change the fact that I live for you!” Tarte declared. “I feel the same way as Tarte. I am going to loosen my self-restraint a little, though,” Maha replied. That was what I wanted to hear. I was deeply touched. That I could feel such excitement without a hint of unease proved that they were the perfect partners for me. “That’s all from me. Let’s move to the toast,” I said. We all raised our glasses. The alcohol I poured was a local one made in Tuatha Dé. The main ingredient was maple syrup. Maple syrup could only be harvested during a very small period of time in winter, and a single tree didn’t produce that much of it. It was used up before it ever made it out of our domain, making it a luxury only citizens of Tuatha Dé got to enjoy. That was why I chose this alcohol for the toast of our engagement party. “Cheers!” We clinked our glasses together and smiled. With that, the true festivities began. My parents got right to work on their interviews with my fiancées, summoning Maha first. Given this, Dia, Tarte, and I sat at one table, while my mother and father took another with Maha. Grinning, Dia said, “Heh-heh, I think I’ll start with the gratin you made for me.” “Some things never change,” I said. “I, for one, think it’s weird how you always save the best for last, Lugh. Food tastes the best if you eat it while you’re hungry. Wow, this crab gratin is incredible!” We clearly had different preferences when it came to dining. I’ve always liked to save my favorite part of the meal for last. “Um, what is this fluffy fish?! This is the most delicious fish I have ever tasted!” gushed Tarte. “That’s eel. This is the best way to eat it.” The food was well received, and enthusiasm swelled in the room. Dia and Tarte were eating much more than usual. I glanced at Maha and saw her enjoying a lively conversation with my parents, despite their having never met before. Her social skills were unrivaled. Mingling in high society and enduring its rampant wickedness on a daily basis as the proxy representative of Natural You was something not many could pull off. “Maha is so pretty,” Dia commented. “I’m jealous. She’s so mature. I can’t believe she’s the same age as me,” Tarte lamented. Maha’s appearance, manner, and way of speech were all elegant. Much of that was natural, but she wouldn’t have achieved this level of refinement without hard work as well. People became recognized as adults at fourteen in this country, and while most retained some childish behavior at that age, there was no sign of that with Maha. It gave her an edge. “While you two aren’t on her level, you can both act mature enough on formal occasions. You do have a habit of letting your true personalities emerge at times, however… What sets Maha apart is her ability to keep it up all the time.” Dia and Tarte were very attractive, and more than looked the part for high society. They were both perfectly capable of utilizing that; Dia had received thorough drilling in the art of etiquette as the daughter of Count Viekone, and I’d trained Tarte to serve flawlessly as the maid of a noble without embarrassing herself or me. Even then, they couldn’t maintain it at every moment. “I just lose all desire to put on the act if I’m not in that kind of situation,” Dia admitted. Tarte nodded. “Me too. I think being able to keep it going twenty-four seven as Maha does is a talent.”