Never judge the aesthetics of an era, even if that era may seem a bit backward.
Leech stood in the grand hall of Iron Stone Castle, a wine glass in hand. The long tables had already been cleared away; it wasn't fashionable here to eat and dance at the same time. However, roaming manservants and maids kept a close watch on your glass. The slightest gesture, and they would approach to refill it.
Every lady exuded her own unique charm. Noble bloodlines also meant they were fated to select for superior genes. Barring any genetic mutations, the men were generally handsome and the ladies beautiful.
Of course, this "rule" only applied to the ancient, established noble families.
Many nobles attended the ball. Nobles hated the idea of pinching pennies to manage their own territories, so many lesser nobles like Leech would soon lose their lands. If they couldn't gain something at this ball, they would be forced to wander after losing their territory, perhaps becoming a combat instructor for some Knight or taking up another profession. But they were certainly not suited for farming.
Knights were better at plundering and killing. While these didn't sound like pleasant words, adding "for the Four Gods" or "for loyalty" made everything perfectly justifiable, even glorious.
"Charming" Becky Simon was surrounded by a crowd of handsome men. If he could ignore the 16-year-old's scandalous past, Leech would have certainly given her a second look. Though, he felt that the noble ladies waiting for their second marriage were more to his taste.
The effortless charm of a mature woman could easily triumph over the affected coyness of a young girl.
He watched the crowd dance with waning interest and turned to find a cooler spot. But just then, a gentle laugh sounded by his ear. "She is the brightest star tonight, isn't she?"
Leech turned his head and saw a handsome young man standing beside him. He had no interest in observing the man's clothes or appearance; his eyes went straight to the family crest on his chest.
A Long Spike Sword.
It was the crest of Leopold, the master of the East Gorge.
"I am Sidor," the young man said to Leech. "I've heard Evangelina mention you, the Divine Favored, a benevolent sir."
Leech nodded. "A pleasure, my lord."
"No, I am not a lord," the young man said, shaking his head. Seeing Leech's confusion, he added, "My surname is Sea Water."
Leech immediately understood.
In Lu Leiyi, blessed by the Four Gods, all people, men and women alike, were expected to be faithful to their partner. Even the King could only have one wife. But nobles with too much time on their hands were hardly saints; they were exceptionally good at producing bastards.
According to legend, the King of Lu Leiyi had more bastards than titles.
The one thing the East Gorge had no shortage of was sea water, and in the East Gorge, all noble bastards shared the surname Sea Water.
Like Snow in the Northern Territory, Green in Endor, and Stone at Giant's Foot.
A great family like Leopold's had a dozen or so direct heirs, and dozens more if you counted extended branches. Bastards were the lowest of them all. Their lifelong dream was to earn a proper surname and shed their illegitimate status.
With a surname came the right of inheritance.
Of course, the goal for most of the "Sea Waters" was more practical: to obtain a noble title of their own.
To achieve this, they might try to win the favor of a noble lady, but noble ladies were generally not fooled by their silver tongues.
Leech nodded, unconcerned by the man's illegitimate status. 'Even a bastard's life is better than that of a country Baron like me.'
"I still remember Miss Evangelina's radiant smile. That was the most relaxing afternoon I've ever spent."
"She remembers you just as fondly," Sidor said. "Your brother, Leo, is doing well in East Port City. He has become a Knight's Attendant and diligently tends to the Knight's horse each day."
"I hope things go smoothly for him," Leech said.
Sidor looked at Leech, smiled, and said, "Let's hope things go smoothly for him."
But both of them knew the truth about Leo's future. Smooth sailing, growing up safely—that was likely the best he could hope for.
In the distance, "Charming" had already gone through two dance partners, but it was clear she had little interest in the sons of nobles with average looks. Only ancient noble families possessed superior genes. The vast majority of nobles here had been ennobled in recent years due to the wars. Many of them were the "founders" of their own family lines, like Leech's father, Lieder.
But not every noble could be like Lieder and marry a woman from the Visdom family to improve their family's genes.
From afar, a young lady cast her gaze over, looking at Leech.
Sidor Sea Water smiled at Leech. "I shouldn't keep you any longer."
At this ball, Leech was more sought-after than Sidor, because he was a hereditary Baron with a title and territory, while Sidor was just a bastard.
After Sidor tactfully took his leave, the noble lady approached. Her cheeks were dotted with a few small freckles, and her skin wasn't particularly fair, but she had a very sweet smile.
Since she had been so forward, Leech couldn't possibly be rude. After all, nobles would fight to the death over matters of face.
"May I ask for this dance, beautiful lady?"
She extended her hand and replied with a smile, "Of course."
As a noble, dancing was a required skill, especially since Leech's mother was a genuine noble lady herself. He put his arm around the woman's slender waist, but his touch was light, just his fingertips, and he made sure not to press or rub against her to take advantage.
His gentlemanly conduct won the lady's favor.
"Sir, I heard you killed a giant bear that was wreathed in flames?" The young noblewoman had a faint, pleasant scent about her. Leech guessed she must have just washed her hair before the ball; such a complex hairstyle would have certainly required sitting motionless in front of a mirror for a long time while a personal maid fussed over it.
"My master was the one who did it," Leech said. "Well, you're right in a sense. We killed the bear."
"How heroic of you," the noble lady said, deliberately giving Leech the credit. She then asked, "Is your territory Porcupine Territory?"
Leech lowered his head to meet her gaze. From his height, looking down meant staring straight at her modest cleavage. He made a conscious effort to keep his eyes on hers, a gesture that made her laugh.
'She's generous and happy to show herself off.'
"That's right. A wasteland near the sea and a dense forest, with only about two hundred residents and a drafty, dilapidated castle," Leech nodded. He was just being realistic, not trying to crush the noble lady's dream of becoming a Baroness. Seeing her expression stiffen slightly, he added, "It's nothing compared to Iron Stone City."
"But you are a Baron," she said. "Half the men at this ball have no title, and of the other half, most of the lords don't have their own territory."
Leech sighed inwardly. 'So that's why you came to dance with me.'
'And here I thought it was my handsome face that attracted you.'
The dance ended, and the noble lady turned and left without even giving her name. But Leech was confident that if he asked around a little, she might give him a chance. Just as she'd said, he was a Baron with his own fief, which already put him ahead of the vast majority of men present.