Chapter 301: The Banquet’s Unexpected Scandal

Silas had barely returned to his seat when he realized something was wrong. From the way people were looking at him, he realized that something he didn’t know was going on.

Some guests smiled whenever their eyes met his, while others whispered behind their hands. A few weren’t even trying to hide their curiosity, openly glancing between him and the table where Kelvina sat with the West Town Saints.

Silas frowned. ’What now?’

He looked at Chloe. She was drinking from her glass, wearing the most innocent expression he had ever seen. That was suspicious... very suspicious.

"Why is everyone looking at me?"

Chloe swallowed her drink and answered, "You’re famous."

"I was famous before dinner."

"You’re more famous now."

Silas narrowed his eyes, but she smiled, and he immediately regretted asking. Across the table, Alpha was doing a terrible job of concealing his amusement. Alicia had leaned against him, her shoulders shaking slightly as she tried not to laugh.

Silas pointed at them.

"Whatever you’re thinking, stop."

Alpha raised both hands, failing to keep his expression in check.

"I haven’t done anything."

"Your face is doing something."

"Maybe your face is simply too interesting."

"Keep talking, and I’ll have you arrested."

"For what crime?"

"Being annoying."

"That’s not a crime."

"It will be when I’m done with you."

Alicia finally laughed aloud. Chloe leaned closer to Silas, her voice low enough that only he could hear.

"By the way, you looked cute dancing with her."

Silas froze before slowly turning his head.

"Her?"

Chloe’s smile widened.

"Your fan."

"She asked me to dance!"

"And you accepted."

"Because you told me to!"

"Did I force you?"

Silas opened his mouth to retort but closed it and looked toward the ceiling.

’Cupid, I hope you’re enjoying this. Because if I ever find a way to punch a god, you’re first on the list.’

His system remained silent. Before he could defend himself, a notification appeared on his phone, and it was from an unknown group chat, or rather, not unknown, as he recognized the names displayed in the notification preview: Anna, Chloe, Gromda, and Echidna.

Silas stared at the screen. Then at Chloe. She was still smiling.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Chloe."

"Yes, darling?"

"Why is my phone exploding?"

She took another sip of her drink.

"Maybe someone misses you."

His phone vibrated again, and for the second time, it caused him to open the group chat. The first thing he saw was a video- a video of himself dancing with Kelvina. His expression went blank.

The video had been recorded from Chloe’s seat. It showed him and Kelvina stumbling awkwardly across the dance floor before gradually finding their rhythm. It captured their smiles, their conversation, and the moment Kelvina leaned closer to him.

The angle made the entire interaction look far more intimate than he remembered. Then he saw the comments.

[Anna: Silas!]

[Anna: Explain!]

[Gromda: WHO IS THAT WOMAN?]

[Echidna: I recognize her. I saw her during the incident at the supermarket. It was in the News.]

[Anna: You met her BEFORE tonight?]

[Chloe: Technically, yes.]

[Anna: CHLOE!]

[Chloe: What? I’m sharing important information.]

Silas slowly lowered his phone and stared at Chloe. She stared back.

"You went live?"

"Yes."

"To the group chat?"

"Yes."

"While I was dancing with another woman?"

"Exactly."

Silas rubbed his face.

’This is how I die.’

Another message appeared.

[Gromda: I AM COMING TO CITY AF.]

[Echidna: There’s no need to panic. We should just ask Silas for an explanation.]

[Anna: I am calling him.]

Silas’s phone immediately began ringing. He declined the call. It rang again. He declined it. A third call arrived- Silas stared at the screen with the weary expression of a man who had just realized that surviving a collapsing tower had been the easy part of his life.

Chloe patted his shoulder.

"Good luck."

"I hope you know I’m going to remember this."

"I hope you do."

He answered the fourth call. Before he could speak, Anna’s voice came through the phone, and even without the volume turned up, her tone was unmistakable.

Silas closed his eyes.

"Hello, darling."

A pause. Then he pulled the phone slightly away from his ear. Alpha leaned over to inspect his expression.

"How bad?"

Silas mouthed two words.

’I’m finished.’

Alpha immediately turned away, shoulders shaking with laughter. Alicia buried her face against his arm.

’Traitors! Every last one of them.’

Meanwhile, the media had already begun turning the dance into a story. A photograph of Silas and Kelvina appeared on several social platforms. One showed him holding her hand, while another captured her smiling up at him. A third showed them standing close together beneath the chandeliers.

The captions were predictable.

[Silas Ashard’s Mysterious Companion at the National Victory Banquet.]

[Has Valecrest’s Star Found Another Love Interest?]

[The National Sovereign Medal Recipient and the Beautiful West Town Saints Woman.]

Within minutes, the photographs were spreading. Some viewers assumed Kelvina was a relative, while others thought she was an old friend. Many concluded that she was another woman in Silas’s increasingly complicated romantic life.

The most popular theory was that Chloe had personally introduced them, and that theory was especially entertaining because Chloe herself was responsible for recording the evidence.

***

At the West Town Saints table, Kelvina had finally checked her phone, and her eyes widened- and even widened further, while her face turned red. Her private messages were overflowing. Her friends had discovered the photographs.

Some were asking questions. Others were congratulating her. One had sent a message suggesting she had somehow managed to charm the most desirable man in the entire banquet hall.

Kelvina wanted to disappear, but she also wanted to save every photograph. She settled for doing both badly, hiding her phone under the table while secretly saving another image.

On the opposite side of the hall, Silas was still trying to survive Anna’s interrogation.

He had explained that Kelvina had approached him, asked him to dance, and received a perfectly ordinary dance in return. Anna did not appear convinced.

Gromda and Echidna joined the call, and at some point, the conversation had become less about the dance and more about why Chloe had recorded it. Chloe, who was still sitting beside Silas, watched the entire situation unfold with open amusement.

Silas finally ended the call after promising to explain everything properly when he returned, and put his phone facedown on the table, before he leaned back in his chair. For several seconds, he said nothing.

Finally, he looked at Chloe.

"You enjoyed that."

"Immensely."

"I trusted you."

"And I gave you a wonderful memory."

"You gave me a headache."

She kissed his cheek.

"You’re welcome."

Silas stared at her. Then he laughed despite himself.

What else could he do?

He had survived Blackridge Tower, received one of the highest honors in the country, and gained access to the Royal Vault. Yet somehow, the greatest threat to his peaceful evening had turned out to be a video of him dancing.

And the night wasn’t over yet.