Hajin stood there for a few seconds, staring blankly at the King’s grinning face.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty," he stuttered slightly, his respectful tone cracking as he tried to process what was just said. "What exactly do you mean by sponsor?"

He wasn’t the only one who was lost. He glanced past the King and saw Didi standing on the stairs, her head tilted to the side with a look of pure confusion on her face.

The King let out a short, amused laugh and turned to face the massive crowd of nobles.

"I am sure all of you are aware of what a Royal Badge means," the King announced, his voice carrying effortlessly over the silent ballroom. "I personally handed this young man a badge, a ranker recommendation, and a gate permit letter."

The whispers started immediately, spreading through the crowd like a lit fuse as the nobles processed the weight of those gifts.

"And as you can all clearly see," he added, flashing another wide smile, "he certainly did not put my name to shame."

The King let out a loud laugh at his own joke, but the room remained perfectly quiet. Everyone was far too nervous to join in, the heavy political implications of the King backing an unknown person keeping them completely silent.

"Hajin is a once-in-a-generation talent," the King said, dropping the casual tone for something much more absolute. "And as the ruler of this kingdom, I intend to be the first to claim him by becoming his official sponsor."

He felt a massive headache starting to pulse behind his eyes. He had just wanted to slip in, eat some free food, and leave quietly. Now, he was the center of a political storm that he had absolutely no intention of being a part of.

Before anyone in the crowd could even react to the King’s declaration, a sudden shift in the crowd’s attention drew all eyes toward the main entrance.

A man walked into the room, his footsteps slow and deliberate. He wasn’t radiating any obvious killing intent, but his mere presence demanded immediate attention. The nobles near the entrance quickly stepped aside, lowering their heads in a mix of respect and deep fear.

Hajin didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The familiar, suffocating aura of the Flint family mana was something he could never forget.

It was the Patriarch, his father.

He walked down the empty path, his expression perfectly calm and unbothered as he stopped a respectful distance away from the King.

"I deeply apologize for the interruption, Your Majesty," the Patriarch said, offering a slow, calculated bow. "But if I may be so bold, isn’t taking on a sponsor role for a complete unknown a huge leap of faith?"

He didn’t look at Hajin once, completely ignoring his existence.

"If this boy turns down the wrong path later on, or simply fails to rise in the ranks," he continued, his voice perfectly smooth, "it will reflect very poorly on the Crown."

A low murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd of nobles, many of them nodding along with the Patriarch’s words.

Hajin watched his father’s face carefully, keeping his expression completely blank. He knew exactly why he was doing this.

The Flints had spent years erasing his existence after throwing him out into the border slums, far away from their own thriving region. Seeing the family trash travel all the way to the capital and suddenly stand next to the King with a royal sponsorship was the ultimate insult to their pride.

’He’s terrified,’ he thought, his eyes narrowing slightly. ’He thinks I’m going to use the King’s backing to expose what they did.’

Despite how much he absolutely hated being the center of attention, he knew exactly how valuable the King’s backing was. The Patriarch had just handed him a golden opportunity to cement his position, and he was not going to let it slip away.

"I humbly accept your offer, Your Majesty," he said, turning away from his father and bowing his head to the King again. "I promise to bring nothing but honor and a good reputation to the Crown."

"Of course you will," the King laughed, looking entirely pleased with the answer. "I expect nothing less from the man who saved my daughter."

The King let the silence hang in the air for a few seconds before slowly turning his attention back to the Patriarch.

"Thank you for coming all this way, my old friend," he said, his voice dropping into a much more serious tone. "But I have to admit, I find your reaction a little strange."

The Patriarch kept his head lowered, "Strange, Your Majesty?"

"Yes," the King replied, taking a slow step forward. "You are usually not one to question my decisions so fiercely, especially in front of the entire court. Is there some sort of history between you and Hajin that I am unaware of?"

Hajin felt a cold chill run down his spine while he watched the exchange.

The King’s voice had sounded completely casual, but the words were a perfectly aimed trap. If the Patriarch said yes, he would have to explain why a Great Family from a far-off, thriving region had history with an unknown ranker in the capital.

If he said no, he would look like he was simply questioning the King’s judgment for no reason.

’He isn’t just a ruler,’ Hajin realized, his eyes widening slightly as he looked at the King’s smiling face. ’He is incredibly dangerous with his words.’

He looked directly at his father, wondering exactly what he was going to do now. All the attention in the ballroom was completely fixed on him, waiting to see how a Great Family would answer the King’s trap.

Before the tense silence could stretch any further, the King let out another loud laugh.

"Ah, forget it," the King said, waving his hand dismissively while his serious expression instantly vanished. "We can talk about all of this later. For tonight, let us just let everyone enjoy the party and get to know one another."

The collective sigh of relief from the nobles was almost audible as the heavy political pressure lifted from the room.

The King turned away from the Patriarch, his gaze shifting up toward the stairs where Didi was standing. He gave his daughter a slow, deliberate wink.

"Have fun with Hajin," he called out, his voice filled with obvious amusement.

Didi’s face instantly flushed bright red. ’What is he talking about?’ she thought, completely flustered by the sudden comment in front of the entire court. She quickly looked away, trying to compose herself and hide her burning cheeks.

It only took her a few seconds to calm down, but when she finally looked back toward the bottom of the stairs, her eyes narrowed.

He was already completely surrounded by a massive crowd of noblewomen.

The same women who had been whispering about him earlier were now pushing against each other, all of them trying to get his attention while flashing him their most charming smiles.

’Tch,’ she thought, feeling that same knot of irritation twisting in her chest. She really hated this.

Without giving it a second thought, Didi marched straight down the remaining stairs and pushed her way directly through the crowd of giggling nobles.

She didn’t say a single word to any of them, simply reaching out and grabbing his hand before dragging him away from the group.