I was on a horse back now, riding along with Sola and Luna, we were currently following our instructors to learn the basics of equestrianism.

  The horses we were using were all thoroughbred Geldings, male horses that had been castrated. They were said to be the easiest type to ride when compared to a Mare and a Stallion, much more obedient and docile.

  I once heard a story that Galahad snuck into the stable and managed to ride a Stallion first try, which was impressive considering he was only 10 back then. A clear sign of talent, though his mind still falls in the stupid brat category.

  The aftermath was… unfortunate for the horse. Lord Camelot, in a fit of rage, had the stallion castrated. From what I heard, the horse was bummed out for an entire month. Most of the male servants sympathized with it deeply.

  For me, it didn’t spark anything within me when I heard it. I tried imagining my crouch being shattered by a rock to stir up a reaction. The only thoughts I fostered was that it would hurt a lot and render me infertile, both were just minor inconveniences to me.

  After the horse riding training, we went back to the house to get changed for the party tonight.

  I switched to a full evening dress, while Sola and Luna remained the same, except their riding trousers were switched to a mini skirt.

  I smiled and gave both of them a head pat. They closed their eyes to feel my hand brushing against their hair.

  [Affinity 87] [Headpat + 0.5]

  There’s this thing called affinity, and according to the description, if I have achieved deeper bonds I could unlock more special boosts.

  After getting the notification, I halted on the head pat and started my walk to the ballroom.

  “Master, I heard there’s going to be a new face showing up at tonight's party.”

  Unexpectedly, it was Luna who asked this question. I always assumed she only nodded along to whatever her sister said.

  “Well, the Baron of Merelak had returned from the Kingdom of Castilla to inherit his father’s title after Old Baron Merelak died from tuberculosis 2 weeks ago.”

  I paused briefly, recollecting my memories.

  “The baron of Merelak has been serving our family for a long time, even in the era of technological prowess, they still remained faithful to their creed of knights and have adapted to become great military commanders.”

  “What does this baron look like then?”

  Sola followed up.

  Luna frowned at her sister’s words without any attempt to hide it.

  “Ah! No! I meant to ask what his traits are! His eye color, hair color and such!”

  Sola’s cheeks turned red out of shame.

  I tried to piece together her reaction to understand what just happened.

  Two possibilities were narrowed down: either they had feelings of love invoked by their affinity or she felt guilty about expressing interest in another man, or it was simply considered improper for a lady to show curiosity about a stranger.

  Either way, best to play dumb and lead the conversation somewhere else.

  “Haha, you look pretty cute when you get shy like that.”

  Sola flushed even redder.

  “About your question, I have no idea what he looks like, he had been living in Castilla since he was four. He had never come back to Englaterra, so this is the first time anyone has ever seen him.”

  “Why did he move to Castilla?”

  Luna asked, because Sona was still out of order.

  “His Father married the sister of Castilla’s national hero, the Count of Valencia. According to their servants, when the Count came to visit his sister, he noticed the immense talent his nephew possessed, and offered to become his teacher.”

  “You seemed to understand a lot about this man, Master.”, Luna noted

  “Of course, I studied hard.”

  To defeat your enemies, you must understand them first.

  Sola had seemed to be rebooted, so she asked a question to smooth over her awkwardness.

  “And what was the name of this man?”

  “His name is Sir Lancelot, Baron of Merelak.”

  In the ballroom, crowds had sorted themselves into little circles of chatters, discussing everything from magic and politics to science and gossip.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  When I entered the room, people just quickly glanced my way and lost interest. A bastard child had little value in their eyes, there’s no need to pay any special attention to such a child as he was not important enough to be used as a pawn in politics.

  Some eyes flicked to the twins trailing behind me. Most only stared for a few seconds, though a few lingered longer than necessary. Perverts.

  Borse and Galahad had already entered the room, surrounded by noble sons and daughters sent forth by their parents to forge a connection.

  I led the twins to the buffet, got a plate of food, and retreated with them to the corner.

  Then the door swung open and a young Hispanic boy strode in, he was around 10 and absurdly handsome for his age. Dark hair, brown eyes and lightly tanned skin.

  The guests in the ballroom were all stunned by his look, it was as if time had stopped, most were able to resume their conversation, but quite a few, especially the ladies, couldn’t keep their eyes off him.

  The young boy scanned the room until he locked his gaze onto the twins standing beside me.

  Without hesitation, he marched straight toward us.

  And then he completely ignored me.

  “?Hola! What is the name of these beautiful se?oritas who almost gave me a heart attack?”

  Sola and Luna were visibly irritated.

  “Maybe you should first greet our Master before addressing us?”

  Sola replied, trying to keep her tone steady.

  He turned around to look at me, he blinked, clearly surprised to see me standing beside the girls.

  “Perdón, Se?or. But your hermosa sirvientas stole my gaze away before I even noticed you. Mi nombre es Lancelot, barón de Merelak.”

  He offered a graceful bow, and then immediately turned his head back to the twins.

  “Mi amores, do you believe in first love?”, He asked, pausing dramatically “Because your beaming beauty pierced through mi corazón like an inescapable bullet.”

  “?Esto tiene que ser obra del destino, mi amores!”

  Before Sola could speak, he frowned, looking weirdly at them

  “?Oh? ?Qué es esto? You have already been… chained to another man…?”

  His eyes flicked toward me again, now sharper.

  “Hmmm… La magia seems to be originating from you…”

  I hadn’t expected him to sense the bond, but I kept my expression cool and mildly amused.

  “It was a soul bond…. or something like that.”

  Sola spoke, answering the question that he never asked.

  “?Así es? Ah… Se?or, you’re a lucky man. Ellas seemed quite willing. No way for me to interfere.”

  “Infortunado.”

  He gave an exaggerated sigh and shook his head in disappointment.

  Then he looked me in the eyes.

  “Pero se?or, ahora que lo miro bien, you looked muy lindo para un hombre.”

  He then looked at me from top to bottom.

  “Sí, sí… I think you’d look precioso in a skirt, with long hair and a bit of maquillaje.”

  He leaned in, just enough to not cross the line.

  “?Quieres ser mi enamorado? I promise te abriré in a way no woman ever could.”

  Listening to him speaking in a suggestive tone.

  It didn’t bother me for him to openly flirt with me, deep inside, no matter what form of love it was, it never worked for me. I returned a smirk of confidence.

  “How are you so sure you’re not the one at the bottom?”

  His smile widened, seemingly amused.

  “Ooo, tal macho.”

  “Pero, I think we’ll have to cut this charla short. Those se?oritas look like they’re about to faint.”

  I turned toward Sola and Luna, they were now clinging to each other like puppies about to be abandoned.

  “Hasta la vista, cuáquero.”

  Then, with a spin of his heel, he locked onto another woman who I recalled to be the fiancée of an earl.

  Turning to the twins, I extended my arms and cuddled them.

  “Please don’t fall in love with that man… Master…”

  Sola said, followed up by Luna

  “Please don’t abandon us… Master…”

  I chuckled softly, tugging them tightly into my embrace. Looking at them clinging to me like this, their eyes wide with fear and longing, I felt in control.

  I felt power, destructive yet addictive.

  Then, an impulse crept into my mind, uninvited yet impossible to resist.

  “I won’t do that, after all, both of you are my beloved pets.”

  “Pets…?”

  Their voices combined in unison.

  “Yes, pets, a Master would never abandon their pets. I like keeping pets around me because they’re loyal and they’re obedient”

  I paused, letting my words sink in.

  “Are you two not good girls who are submissive and obedient towards me?”

  “No, Master, we are good girls.” Sola answered.

  “Even if I was seduced, I would bring my pet along with me. Because we are inseparable what?”

  “Master and pet?” Luna answered with uncertainty.

  “Exactly, and now you get a good girl head pat”

  I gave Luna a head pat.

  “And you also get a good girl head pat because you are?”

  “A submissive and obedient pet.” Sola answered.

  I gave her a head pat, too. Her eyes lost focus and melted in my touches.

  [You have used the subjects’ affection to instill a twisted belief into their mind. Gained Perk “Gullible”, subjects are more likely believe you]

  That was unexpected.

  After the earl showed up and shooed Lancelot away from his fiancée.

  The wandering young Baron now stumbled upon a crowd surrounding a young man.

  The murmurs parted as a presence stepped forward: an over confident, upright figure with a gaze of arrogance.

  “I am Galahad of Camelot,” he declared, his voice cutting through the chatter. “and I would like to challenge you to a duel.”

  Upon hearing that, Lancelot’s smile widened. His eyes sparkled like he’d just been handed a bouquet of roses.

  “Si… Don de Camelot,” he said with flair, bowing just slightly.

  “I accept your invitation to this dance of chivalry.”