Hajin walked toward the long table lining the side of the ballroom, his movements fluid and natural.

Despite the years of exile and life in the slums, his body still remembered the lessons that had been beaten into him during his childhood.

He navigated through the clusters of gossiping nobles with a level of grace that didn’t match his current rank, his posture perfectly straight and his expression one of bored indifference.

He reached the table and picked up a glass of chilled white wine, the crystal catching the light from the chandeliers above. He didn’t drink it immediately, instead holding the stem with a familiarity that made several nearby noblewomen pause their conversations.

The calm, nonchalant energy radiating from him was a sharp contrast to the typical arrogance of the young men in the room.

He didn’t look like he was trying to impress anyone, which, ironically, made it nearly impossible for people to stop looking at him.

"Who is that?" one of the women whispered, her fan half-covering her face while she watched him from a distance. "I don’t recognize the crest on his suit... wait, he isn’t even wearing a crest."

"But look at the way he carries himself," another replied, her eyes lingering on his hands. "He clearly knows the court etiquette. And that silver badge... he’s a ranker?"

Several of them started to move toward him, their eyes bright with curiosity, but they stopped before they could get within five feet.

Juna had positioned herself perfectly at his shoulder, her stance relaxed but her eyes scanning the crowd with a predatory focus. She didn’t have to say a word to make it clear that she was a barrier, her presence alone creating a cold, invisible line that no one seemed brave enough to cross.

"Is she his servant?" a younger girl asked, staring at Juna’s wolf ears with a mix of fascination and fear.

"Or a slave," her friend added, their voices dropping to a hushed murmur. "Look at the way she watches everyone. She isn’t here to enjoy the banquet, she’s guarding him like a hound."

Hajin ignored the whispers, taking a slow sip of the wine while he scanned the room for any sign of the royal family or the Flints. He could feel the eyes of the crowd drilling into his back, but he didn’t let it show on his face.

’Just like before,’ he thought, the familiar bitter taste of the wine matching the feeling in his chest. ’Except this time, I’m the one they’re curious about instead of the one they’re trying to ignore.’

A young noble stepped into his line of sight, his face twisted with annoyance after seeing the attention Hajin was getting from the women. The man closed the distance and forcefully shoved Juna out of the way before stopping directly in front of him.

She instantly bared her teeth, but he simply held up a hand, stopping her before she could move.

"You certainly look put together," the noble said, flashing a completely fake smile while looking him over. "You must be from a great house. What is your family name?"

The whispers in the crowd died down instantly, the surrounding people reacting and waiting eagerly to hear his answer.

He didn’t reply right away, just staring at the man and taking another slow sip of his wine.

The silence stretched on, making the noble’s eye twitch with clear annoyance before he asked again.

"I asked for your name," the man demanded, his fake smile slipping.

He lowered his glass as he looked that man straight in the eyes, "you want to know my name," he replied, his tone casual. "But you just walked up and shoved my companion out of the way to ask for it."

He didn’t raise his voice, but in this quiet part of the ballroom, the words carried perfectly.

"I’m just wondering if that’s how your great house teaches you to introduce yourself," he added, taking another sip of wine.

The young man’s face instantly flushed red, realizing the surrounding nobles were now whispering and glancing at him with thinly veiled disgust over his lack of manners.

"How dare you speak to me like that," the noble hissed, taking a quick step forward with his fists clenched. "Do you have any idea who I am? You don’t even have a family crest."

He didn’t bother responding to the insult. He simply let his gaze drop down to the man’s clenched fists before looking back up into his eyes.

"Are you going to hit me?" he asked plainly. "In the middle of a royal banquet?"

The young noble ground his teeth together, reaching out to grab his collar in a sudden fit of blind rage.

Juna let out a low growl, her eyes flashing gold as she prepared to step in and rip his arm off but Hajin held up his hand again, stopping her.

He didn’t step back or try to defend himself, just staring the angry noble directly in the eyes while letting his killing intent leak out for a single second.

It wasn’t an overwhelming wave of pressure. It was just a cold, sharp warning that washed over the noble, making the hair on his arms stand up.

The noble froze immediately, his hand stopping mere inches away from his jacket. He felt the sudden chill and realized the man standing in front of him wasn’t just some nobody dressing up for a party, but an actual Ranker.

He slowly pulled his hand back, swallowing hard while taking a nervous step away.

"That’s what I thought," he said, turning his attention back to his wine, "now remove yourself from my sight."

The noble didn’t say a single word, quickly turning around and disappearing into the crowded ballroom to escape the mocking stares of the onlookers.

With the arrogant noble gone, the attention of the surrounding women shifted entirely back to him.

"He handled that perfectly," one of the younger noblewomen whispered, fanning herself while she watched him take another sip of his wine. "He must be incredibly strong to make a man back down without even drawing a weapon. Do you think he is looking for a wife?"

"Please, look at him," another woman replied, her tone dripping with fake concern. "He probably has a terrible temper and completely lacks manners. Any woman who marries him would just be throwing her life away."

Her friend nodded in agreement, "You are absolutely right. In fact, I should probably go talk to him right now just to warn him about how awful he is."

It was an obvious ploy to reduce the competition, their tone making it perfectly clear that they just wanted to get him for themselves.

He let out a quiet sigh, feeling a headache starting to form behind his eyes. He hated these kinds of social games, finding the entire display exhausting and annoying while he just wanted to find a quiet corner to drink his wine.

Before the women could approach him, a loud voice suddenly echoed from the front of the room.

"Announcing the arrival of the Royal Family!"

The orchestra stopped playing instantly while everyone in the ballroom turned toward the grand staircase. The nobles fell completely silent, bowing their heads in deep respect as the King slowly descended the stairs.

The King radiated a cold aura that made the entire ballroom feel a few degrees colder, his expression looking completely bored as he walked down. He was followed closely by the Queen and his children, who were all dressed in formal attire that sparkled under the chandeliers.

He watched the royal family descend, his eyes casually scanning the group until his gaze stopped on one specific person walking near the King.

It was a man wearing a dark coat tailored with expensive silver thread.

He felt a familiar chill run down the back of his neck, recognizing the man’s face perfectly from that day in the palace hallway.

It was the exact same man who had looked at him with pure, unrestrained bloodlust.