Otherworldly Affairs Office-Chapter 863: Warm Welcome
Pei Yan, who considered himself experienced with many grand occasions, found himself at a loss for how to respond to the overwhelming welcome ceremony. As he sat there feeling like he was on pins and needles, contemplating whether to stand up, wave, and say a few words to acknowledge the audience's cheers, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Just stay like this, keep a straight face and remain motionless. This suits your identity. Don't speak too much, the more you say, the more mistakes you make!"
Pei Yan didn't know who was speaking to him. Instinctively, he scanned the surrounding crowd with a quick glance from the corner of his eye but couldn't find the source, so he gave up looking and followed the instruction, sitting still and accepting the welcome from the city's citizens.
Only today did Pei Yan realize that being too popular could also be painful. The size of the Holy City far exceeded his expectations. After leaving that mansion, he paraded around the city's main road, surrounded by cheers from the citizens, riding in a convertible chariot engulfed by a sea of flowers and gifts. The guards on both sides had to continually clear the accumulated petals off the chariot, while he had to maintain a single expression throughout the ride until the chariot completed its circuit of the city and entered the Holy Hall. Only then did Pei Yan take the opportunity to discreetly rub his cheeks, feeling relief as his facial muscles twitched again, fearing they had become so rigid that they wouldn't change expression.
As the chariot slowly came to a stop in front of the Holy Hall, Old Samikina, who had arrived at the Holy Hall ahead of him, personally pulled open the chariot door for him, extending his palm like a faithful butler to welcome Pei Yan off the chariot. Seeing the Patriarch of a great noble house lower himself to welcome him in this manner, Pei Yan knew this was the Demon Race's way of showing how much they valued him, so he didn't reject the gesture and placed his hand on Old Samikina's. Just as he prepared to jump down from the towering chariot, a surprising scene unfolded before him.
Suddenly, three servants emerged from the ranks of guards on either side, crouching and kneeling below the chariot to form a human ladder of varying heights. As Pei Yan beheld this orderly human staircase, he marveled at the exaggerated gesture and simultaneously hesitated for a few seconds, unsure whether to step onto it.
At that moment, Old Samikina's grip on his hand tightened slightly. Pei Yan glanced sideway at Samikina, whose gaze was full of encouragement. With no other option, Pei Yan steeled himself and stepped onto the human ladder. Having no prior experience, he instinctively held back seventy percent of his strength in that step to avoid stepping too hard. To his surprise, the softness of a human back was beyond his expectations, causing him to stumble to the side, almost toppling over. Fortunately, Old Samikina was there to firmly hold him, sparing him from embarrassment.
As he stepped off the human ladder and onto the red carpet on the steps of the Holy Hall, Pei Yan flashed Old Samikina a grateful smile. The latter nodded pleasantly in acknowledgment, leading Pei Yan into the Holy Hall.
At this moment, Old Samikina, who had been guiding the way from the front, respectfully stepped behind Pei Yan, indicating the direction he should proceed. Meanwhile, as they entered the Holy Hall, the nobles under the various family crests displayed on either side hung down, each bowing and showing their respect as Pei Yan passed by.
No one hurried Pei Yan to move quickly on this journey. Accompanied by Old Samikina, Pei Yan strolled slowly through the Holy Hall. Whenever they encountered an intriguing family emblem, Old Samikina would considerately explain the history of that family, allowing Pei Yan to gain a deeper understanding of the Demon Race as he walked.
Just as Pei Yan and Old Samikina were about to pass through the hall and proceed to the back palace where the Demon God resided, Pei Yan suddenly halted and sharply turned his head toward a corner. Noticing Pei Yan's unusual behavior, Samikina quickly followed his gaze and saw a pair of malicious, hateful eyes watching Pei Yan's every move from a shadowed corner.
Even after being discovered, that gaze did not withdraw but instead locked eyes with Pei Yan!
"Insolent fool! Do you have a death wish to show such disrespect to a prince on such a day!" Kane Samikina's authoritative, low growl snapped the hatred-driven young man back to reality. Seeing guards closing in from both sides, the man finally realized his grievous mistake and hurriedly prostrated himself, not daring to meet Pei Yan's eyes.
Feeling the murderous intent from this person rapidly fade, Pei Yan turned back to face Samikina and asked, "Who is she? Why does she hold such intense hatred toward me? Are they the new nobility with old grievances against me? Weren't those families who clashed with me cleared out?"
"Uh!" Hearing this, Old Samikina looked troubled for a moment before responding, "She claims to be the sister of one of your subordinates."
"The sister of one of my subordinates?" Pei Yan was initially taken aback by this statement, ready to deny that he had any subordinates from the Demon Race, but then he suddenly remembered that he indeed had a couple of Demon Race subordinates and asked, "Are you saying she's the sister of one of the demons in my service?"
"Yes, she is. She is the sister of Dalles, who once attacked you alongside Dieterma and later joined your ranks," Samikina explained, glancing at the young man and sighing. "Her family rose to new nobility due to her brother's rise. Later, after her brother was captured and became your attendant, her family lost its noble title when Dalles became your servant, and she has since been serving under another noble. She might harbor resentment toward you because of this."
"Oh, so that's how it is!" Pei Yan nodded after listening and continued walking forward but suddenly stopped again after a few steps as a notion spontaneously arose in his mind. He turned and gestured to the guards escorting the girl out of the Holy Hall.
The guards saw this and, confused, looked over at Samikina, who nodded to indicate they should follow the prince's orders. Thus, the two guards brought the girl in front of Pei Yan.
"Are you Dalles's sister?" Pei Yan playfully teetered the tip of his foot on her forehead, which was pressed to the ground, and asked with a smile, "What's your name?"
"Jessica Dales, sir! You can also call me Jessica!" At this moment, Jessica truly felt fear, deeply regretting her failure to control her emotions earlier.
"Do you hate me? Do you want to kill me?" Pei Yan awkwardly crouched in front of Jessica and quietly questioned her. The situation quickly drew the attention of all the nobles in the hall, instantly making this once obscure character the center of attention.
