Reincarnated in the Astral World

Arthur watched the scenery change through the carriage window as they moved away from Lakeview town, heading south along a charming cobblestone road.

The simple trees gave way to well-manicured bushes in various checkered and circular patterns. Not a single leaf littered the street, as those brought by the wind were swiftly cleared by numerous servants along the road.

All those servants were better dressed than any at Viscount Emilio's house, but they bore the same symbol on their uniforms: a bird.

Along the way, several other carriages passed by their group. All those nobles seemed eager to gain some advantage and protection from the young Viscounts, but Josephine ordered her coachmen to maintain a steady pace.

Nearly an hour after leaving town, the group finally passed through the walls of the Whittlee estate. The interior was as impressive as expected: more vast and luxurious than the mansions of Emilio and Josephine.

It was almost six o'clock, and sunset was near. Arthur's carriage followed Oliver and Josephine's to a large gathering area in front of the gigantic mansion.

"It looks like we've arrived…" Arthur glanced at Aria with a thoughtful and expectant expression.

"Yeah, let's see what awaits us…" Aria smiled lovingly at him.

Margaret and Eve looked at Arthur with excited expressions while Nyx returned to his Nexus.

One of Josephine's servants knocked on the carriage door, and as soon as Arthur gave the signal, the man opened the door, and he was the first to step out.

'There are so many of them,' Arthur couldn't help but think as he saw the crowd of nobles in front of the mansion. They looked like commoners on the main street of town, all with humble and hopeful expressions.

He noticed Josephine talking with some nobles as she exited her carriage, and the same happened with Oliver and his cousins. Jovi, Oliver's cousin, seemed very animated as she interacted with a young noblewoman.

As Arthur stepped out of his carriage, the girls glanced at him and giggled shyly. He recognized that girl as the young Lady Carman, one of the girls who fought in the competition at Josephine's house.

'They seem to have become good friends after fighting each other,' Arthur commented to Nyx.

'It's because they have something in common: being in love with you,' Nyx quickly responded.

Arthur didn't want to be too narcissistic, but the way Jovi and the young Lady Carman smiled at him made their interest clear. Not only them but all the other young ladies and any woman around were impressed by his looks.

He didn't approach them but greeted them with slight nods and a friendly smile, making their hearts beat faster.

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Then Arthur turned and extended his hand to his girls. The first to descend was Eve, who jumped cutely into his army. Next, Margaret stepped out of the carriage calmly and elegantly, standing by his side like a good wife.

The last to exit was Aria, who used a magical hood to cover her head and face. She thought she wouldn't need to hide her beauty in a place like Lakeview, but it only drew unwanted attention and, inevitably, more enemies for Arthur.

Yet, she still attracted a lot of attention due to her perfect body and the fact that both Eve and Margaret were also extremely beautiful and stood by Arthur's side.

Ignoring the curious gazes, Arthur and his girls saw a large queue formed by nobles. They all wanted the same thing: to enter the party.

But the numerous Whittlee family servants weren't letting everyone in so quickly; instead, they were checking the invitations at the door.

"Should we wait in line, too?" Margaret wondered aloud.

"No need…" Josephine smiled at them before looking toward the mansion's grand doors. "She knows we're here."

As soon as Josephine finished speaking, a few servants in even more luxurious clothes emerged from the door before Eliza appeared personally behind them.

"Lady Whittlee!!"

"Look, it's really her!"

"Lady Whittlee! Lady Whittlee!!!"

The nobles around erupted in excitement at the sight of Eliza; everyone wanted her attention, everyone wanted to be at her party. And even though her focus was entirely on Arthur the moment she spotted him behind everyone, she didn't ignore the minor nobles pleading for her attention.

"Calm down, my friends," she waved at all those who threw themselves in front of her, but her servants and guards didn't let anyone actually touch her.

"Lady Eliza! We are loyal servants of the Whittlee family!"

"Lady Eliza, we are deeply sorry for what happened to your brother!!"

"Lady Eliza, we've come to pledge our loyalty…"

All those nobles wanted the same thing, any scrap of favor, but instead of looking at them with disdain, Eliza smiled gently at them with a grateful expression.

"Thank you, friends; I truly appreciate your loyalty," Eliza spoke in a calm and friendly tone. "I know everyone wants to enter, but there are many guests, and we need to ensure everyone is well-treated, so please be understanding."

Who could say no to Eliza? She was a powerful, beautiful woman, yet also kind and amiable, making all those nobles respect her even more.

From afar, Arthur observed Eliza with a thoughtful expression. 'She really acts well,' he commented mentally to Nyx.

'Yeah, she's lovely…' Nyx responded sarcastically.

Regardless of Eliza's intentions, she seemed genuinely smart as she didn't treat any noble, not even the least important one, with disdain, but she also didn't stop walking towards Arthur's group.

People around still wanted to beg for her attention, but they respected and admired her enough to keep some distance.

She continued smiling and waving at everyone as she approached Josephine. "Madame Josephine," she greeted Josephine courteously and amiably with a slight bow.

All the other nobles around were shocked to see Eliza being so courteous to the Drummonds, but Josephine reciprocated by bowing even lower. "Good evening, Lady Eliza."

Oliver and the other Drummonds followed Josephine's example and also bowed to Eliza courteously and respectfully.

"No need for such formality; we are friends, right?" Eliza smiled gently at everyone, but her eyes were instinctively drawn to Arthur.

He and his girls stood behind, looking at her with curious expressions.

Eliza tried to hide it, but her smile grew even brighter when she looked at him. "I'm glad you all came; please, follow me." She turned and walked back to the mansion.

Josephine glanced at Arthur and Aria before following Eliza with the other Drummonds. Arthur and his girls followed the group, but Jovi seemed reluctant to leave her new best friend in the queue with all the other nobles.

"Jovi, come on!" Oliver called her, attracting the attention of Eliza, who turned and looked at the girls.

"Are they with you?" Eliza asked Josephine while looking at Jovi's friend and her family.

"They are the Carmans, one of the best families in Lakeview," Josephine spoke respectfully, making Lady Carman and her family smile.

"Hmm…" Eliza looked at the Carman family with a sharp and thoughtful gaze, creating a tense atmosphere for a moment.

Jovi glanced at Josephine, her friend, and then at Arthur. Her expression was quick and almost unnoticed, but her eyes implored him for something.

"She's with us," Arthur commented calmly, and everyone looked at him with various expressions. Josephine was surprised while Jovi and the Carmans were deeply grateful.

Eliza also seemed surprised, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes for a second, imperceptible to almost everyone. Yet, she quickly masked it by smiling amiably at the Carman family. "Then you may enter with us now."

Arthur nodded at her with a grateful expression, and they all followed her toward the door. "I apologize if things seem a bit chaotic," she spoke in a loud and calm tone. "You see, most of them came without invitations… the house is large, but for everyone to be well received, some will have to be patient."

"Everyone understands, Lady Eliza," Josephine commented respectfully.

"Oh, I've already asked you to be less formal, my friend," Eliza reached the door with Josephine and extended her hand forward. "Come, enter."

"Thanks, dear," Josephine smiled and then proceeded inside the mansion, followed by Oliver, the other Drummonds, and Jovi with the Carman family.

Arthur's group followed behind, with the girls entering first and him pausing on the steps in front of the door. There were dozens of people around, but he noticed some armored guards talking next to the door.

Most of those guards had the same symbol on their armor, the large bird of the Whittlee family, but a few of them, especially a tall man in shiny armor, had a different crest featuring a small bird on the side.

They were also looking at Arthur with curious and envious expressions, but that soldier in shiny armor had something else in his eyes: an instinctive fear.

'I remember him…' Arthur commented mentally to Nyx.

'Yeah, it's that soldier we saw on the road with a squad,' she quickly responded. 'If I recall, he looked lustfully at Margaret, and you put him in his place with just a look, hahaha!'

Arthur couldn't help but laugh, seeing that the soldier still seemed afraid of him enough not to cast that greedy look at his girls again.

He couldn't resist the urge to provoke the man, nodding slightly at him with a confident smile.

The soldier looked clearly uncomfortable, not knowing how to react. Eventually, someone caught Arthur's attention before he saw the soldier looking away in fear.

"Do you know them?" That was Eliza, who couldn't hide the curiosity in her eyes.

"Them?" Arthur asked.

"The Lark family," she responded. "Are they your friends too?"

"Oh," Arthur remembered the name the young Master who went after Margaret in the village used. A cold and dark glint flashed in his eyes as he shook his head. "We had a brief interaction."

"I see," Eliza acted quickly, gently grabbing Arthur's wrist and pulling him inside the house. "Why don't you tell me more about it during dinner?"

Arthur knew she wouldn't try anything extreme in front of everyone, so he let her lead him inside. "I think we'll have more interesting things to talk about…"

'Dang, she's bold, too!!!' Nyx exclaimed in his mind.