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GAVRIIL OPENS THE DOOR for Max and Keigo. The two went out of the car, and then they looked at the abandoned castle in front of them, surprised by the unexpected location.
"Why did I ever think that we were going to some sort of restaurant, or like a regular social hall?" Keigo asks, staring at the structure with complete awe and disbelief.
"Aren't you PHD's underling? Shouldn't you at least know this?" Max then asks, and Keigo immediately shook his head like he was afraid to admit it even though he really was a part of the Dynasties.
"I was only given the position and that's about it. I don't usually sit around and chat with them you know? Like, have you seen the princes? They look like the type of guys who would shove you in a locker and dump you in a toilet," Keigo exclaims, making Max laugh because of how Keigo described them.
While the two were still getting ready to enter the literal castle, Gavriil cleared his throat and patted their shoulders. "Are you two going to stand here all night or are you going inside? The princes are waiting for you after all."
"You're right, we should head inside," Max replies, and Keigo took a deep breath and nodded his head to agree to it.
"And how about you Gav? Are you coming with us?" Max then asks.
"I can't enter because I didn't get an invite, but don't worry, I'll just stay out here and wait. You two should enjoy the banquet," Gavriil reassures him, and Max nods his head as he and Keigo finally entered the castle, both nervous and excited at the same time.
Max and Keigo got close to the main entrance, and when they were only a few meters away from it, the large door opens, revealing a large hall that had a red carpet in the middle.
The two couldn't help but stare at the interior since it looked like an interior of an old cathedral. The hall was also practically empty, but at the end of the red carpet was a long table, and in that long table sat 10 of the fearsome princes of J.S High, Pretty, Hot & Dangerous.
PHD is the second strongest brotherhood among all the brotherhoods in the five houses. Max has only seen them battle once, and that was the time when they battled with Crazy 8. Max couldn't really tell how good all of them were since Hee-joon was literally the only one who moved at that time, but judging the way they all carry themselves, Max is a hundred percent sure that they're just as fearsome as their leader.
The princes are in one brotherhood, but they are grouped into three: The Dangerous Five, the Pretty Duo, and the Hot Wingmen. The Dangerous Five are known to be the unit that does the troublesome tasks, or when Joon needs something to be done, they're the people for the job.
The next one is Pretty Duo, and they're PHD's spokesperson as they seem to be the most sociable. The duo consists of Ren Adachi, one of the first brotherhood members that Max has encountered, and Akihiko Sakuraii.
And then there are the Hot Wingmen, also known as Kim Hee-joon's most trusted members. They're his right hand and the ones who are with their leader most of the time. The two of them use the codename Killshot and Blade, so not a lot know about their real identity. Another thing that's terrifying about them is that Killshot was also part of the previous kings' C1A with Viktor, Krist, and the other current brotherhood leaders.
Those are the nine members of PHD who have carried the title of prince with their powerful leader, Kim Hee-joon. Max hasn't really encountered them before, but he's not going to lie, he's quite excited to know more about this mysterious brotherhood.
"Let's go."
Keigo gulped as Max started walking towards them first. The two then walked in the middle, Max with a serious expression while Keigo had a nervous smile. When they finally got to stand in front of them, Max instantly noticed the three men sitting in the middle. It was the leader of PHD, Kim Hee-joon, and his right-hand men, Blade and Killshot. They definitely had an aura that no one could beat.
"My princes," Max finally greets, touching his chest and bowing to the members of PHD. Keigo did the same too and bowed at them first before walking to the side to join the members of Dangerous Five so he could leave Max alone in the middle. After all, the one who really got invited to this banquet was Max, not him.
Max waited for a response, but their leader—who's also dubbed the ice prince—didn't say a single word as he stared at Max from head to toe. Max didn't entirely know what to do, so he glanced at Keigo, hoping to get some answers, but Keigo only shrugged his shoulders.
"I am very thankful to be—"
"You may sit down," a voice suddenly says, and Max wasn't even able to check who it came from.
Max looked at the long table and was surprised to see that it was filled with delicious-looking food that had a smell that was to die for. He couldn't help but wonder if it was real or maybe even fake.
"Sit," the voice repeated, and Max finally realized that the one who said it was actually one of the members of Pretty Duo, Akihiko.
Max looks back at the chairs and noticed that the only empty seat was beside Ren and Aki. It wouldn't really be a problem for Max since he was able to talk to them before, but what Max is really concerned about is the fact that the person sitting right in front of him was none other than the ice prince himself, Kim Hee-joon.
"Thank you for having me," was the only thing Max could say as he finally walked towards the table to take his seat.
NOTE: This is the table seating. The ones that don't have a name are the members of Dangerous Five.
Everyone was staring at him, so Max just awkwardly sat there without anything to say. He felt like some random guy who was asked to sit with the popular kids, and we all know that the popular kids are secretly judging him throughout the entire meal.
"Let's begin," Killshot then says, and suddenly a bell was heard throughout the hall, which even made Keigo flinch.
After the bell, music plays in the background and everyone started eating, grabbing anything that was in front of them and fitting it on their plate. Keigo didn't shy away too and started taking what he can even though he was so nervous to come here earlier. I guess Keigo's just the type who will forget anything as long as food is involved.
"Thank you for the food," Max says as he finally started eating as well so he wouldn't be the only one who wasn't doing anything.
Ironically enough, the dish right in front of him was a large lobster. Of course, it's not common knowledge that Max is allergic to seafood, so he politely pushes the dish away and grabbed something else.
Max took a bite of almost every dish that he could reach, tasting everything and savoring every moment of it. While he was eating, Ren then moves closer and suddenly hands something over to him. Max looks down and sees that it was actually a glass of wine.
"Here, have a sip. It's a really expensive one as it's been kept for about a decade. We only opened it for this special occasion," Ren explains, and Max takes the glass and thanks Ren for it.
Max was supposed to put the glass down, but then he noticed that Ren was staring at him, probably because he was waiting for him to actually drink it, so Max awkwardly smiles and finally takes a sip.
Ren was waiting for a reaction so for a moment Max thought that it was some sort of prank, but when he drank it, it was just like what Ren said, it was really a glass of wine.
"How was it?" Ren asks.
Max takes a sip, and then another. After the third sip, he tilts his head to the side and furrows his brows in confusion. "You say this has been kept for a decade, but the taste...it tastes rather—"
"Cheap?" Ren finishes, leaving Max flustered.
When Ren saw the reaction, he couldn't help but start laughing out loud. "So you know your wine well," the says, wiping the tears off his eyes. "No need to be shy about it, the wine really was cheap. I just wanted to see if you would notice. Most of the time people would fake it and say they've never drank such a wine before, not knowing its real worth," Ren then explains.
Max wasn't entirely sure what that was about, but he was glad that he was able to notice. If he didn't, he would have made a huge mockery of himself.
"My mother runs a winery," Ren then shares, surprising Max. "Of course, it's only one of our few businesses, but it has a special place in my heart, so I appreciate someone who knows what it's really about."
"I see. I'm glad we have a common ground when it comes to such things. We run a hotel, and so food and drinks are one of the most important aspects of our services," Max explains, and Ren nods his head before taking a bite of his food.
"Which is why I also enjoy the food that was served at the table. The way the dishes were placed is not only appealing to the eye but it was arranged in a way that your meal would be balanced. I think it's a great touch. The meats, the fish, and the vegetables and the sides, they're all cooked and placed well on the table," Max then explains, surprising Ren even more. Even the others who were listening into their conversation couldn't help but be impressed.
"I'm glad you feel that way," another voice says, and Max turns to his left and sees Akihiko Sakuraii looking back at him this time.
"My family owns a chain of restaurants that has been around for at least a hundred years. The fact you appreciate its appearance and arrangement is well appreciated," Aki then says, making Max widen his eyes in shock.
So the drinks were from Ren, and then the food was from Aki. Max wouldn't even be shocked if the tables were arranged by someone in the brotherhood too. Was this one of the reasons why PHD's custom is a banquet? Does it incorporate everyone's family skills?
"I didn't know that. I'd be honored if we could be able to serve your dishes in our hotels," Max sincerely says, and Aki smiles and chuckles before looking back at the plate in front of him so he could continue eating.
Max takes a deep breath and continued eating as well. He doesn't entirely know what happened, but somehow, he felt like he just passed a test.
Now feeling a lot better, Max looks down at his empty plate and got ready to taste another dish. He was about to look for something tasty to eat, but when he looked up, he was suddenly welcomed by a pair of intimidating black eyes.
The leader of PHD, Kim Hee-joon himself, was staring directly at him with a cold expression. Max almost flinched from the sight of him, but for some reason, he couldn't even look away even if he wanted to. There was something in his eyes that was both terrifying and captivating.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Joon says, and in an instant, the noisy table turns into complete silence.
Max gulps and adjusts himself in his seat before giving an answer. "Yes, thank you for having me here," Max then replies with an almost timid tone. Despite everything he has done, it seems like the Royals are still far from his reach.
"The food has been well prepared, and your taste and knowledge of it seems favorable to my brothers," Joon then says, his eyes still glued to Max. Max couldn't say anything back because he didn't really know what to say at all, but then Joon takes a sip of his wine and tells him, "Before anything, there is something that I would like to ask..."
"Yes?"
Joon looks around the table for one last time before looking back at Max and telling him, "Among all the dishes you've seen on this table, what do you think is my favorite?"
The question left Max dumbfounded. From all the possible questions that he thought Joon would ask him, a question regarding his favorite dish was the last thing he expected.
"Your favorite?" Max asks back, and everyone was just staring at him, waiting for his reaction.
Max obviously didn't know what the answer would be since he didn't know Joon enough, so he glanced at his plate to at least check what was on it, but to his dismay, Hee-joon's plate was completely empty.
This could just be a harmless question, but for Max, it felt like there was a deeper meaning behind it. It felt like it was another test, a test to see if Max was observant enough. To see if he was paying attention to every little detail. Of course, he doesn't know why, but what Max does know is that he can't give the wrong answer.
Max stares back at the dishes in front of him. He has almost tasted every last one of what's on the table, and every last one of them tasted uniquely different. What kind of person was Joon? What type of food does he enjoy eating?
"Well?" Joon then calls out, pressuring Max to give an immediate answer.
"Your favorite dish..."
Max looks back at the dish for one last time. He was about to give up, but then he noticed the untouched lobster from earlier. Max remembered that it was the dish that was placed in front of him. Since he couldn't eat it, he politely pushed it aside. But then he forgot that there was also a man sitting right in front of that dish too.
"The lobster," Max finally answers. "It's the dish in front of you, and it's the only kind that's on the table. Most of the dishes are doubled except for that one. No one has touched it either since it's meant for you to eat."
Everyone at the table became quiet. Max was semi-confident in that answer too, but when he glanced at Keigo, he saw his expression, and Max instantly knew that he got the wrong answer.
"Clever," Joon says, taking another sip of his wine.
Max closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opened them back, he says, "But I'm wrong, aren't I?"
Joon's cold expression turns into a smirk, but he didn't answer Max's question, leaving Max confused even more. Soon after that, everyone started eating again. Max was lost as to why Joon asked him that in the first place, but like the others, he continued his meal.
It was a strange experience, and most of the time Max was trying to decipher what was going on. But as the sky got darker, Max eventually ended up enjoying the banquet. For a moment he didn't care about the rules or the tasks. This was a party, so it would be a common courtesy to enjoy himself.
And so an hour passed by and everyone was eventually finished with their meals. A dozen waiters then arrive at the hall and started clearing everyone's plates. Well, everyone except Joon's.
As the waiters finally cleared the plates, Max was expecting that they were going to take out the remaining dishes on the table too since there were only a few left anyway. But as the members of PHD sat straight, Kim Hee-joon suddenly picked up his fork. Without saying a single word, he started taking the leftovers and then eating them for himself.
Max was dumbfounded. He didn't understand why Joon had to wait for all his members to finish eating. He could have eaten with the rest when the food was still hot and the platters were still full.
Why was he doing this?
"Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire..." Joon suddenly calls out before taking a bite of the beef.
Max looked at the prince and took a deep breath, waiting for what Joon was about to say next. When Joon finally finished chewing his food, he looks back at Max and tells him, "You understand that you are the first to finish all the tasks, right?"
"Yes."
"Then do you understand why you had to finish them?" He then asks.
"Yes," Max answers.
Joon looks down at his almost empty plate and stares at it for a while. "You see, life is like a game. There are winners and losers, and then there are cheaters. For you to win a game, you need to have a strategy, and some would say that cheating is one of them. But how is it that when a cheater wins, they are seen as losers instead?" Joon asks another question that left Max's mind in a knot.
"It's because cheating isn't a strategy," Max answers, making Joon raise his right eyebrow up.
"How so?" Joon asks back.
"Well, for me cheating is a gamble. When you cheat, you risk getting caught. A strategy should only have one end game, and that is to win. Cheating has two," Max answers.
Joon smirks and takes one last bite of the food that's on his plate before looking back at Max. "Don't you like to gamble?"
"No," Max answers, and this time, a confident smile appears on his face as he continues, "Because I only have one path, and that is to win."
Everyone at the table became quiet as they stare at Max in complete silence. Max couldn't take the riddles anymore, so he looks at the princes one by one before finally looking at their leader.
"Look, Kim Hee-joon...We have finished your tasks, and we have done them to the best of our abilities. We solved the injustices within five days and have made a solution to an alarming problem. I do not entirely understand why you have given me these tasks, but I want you to know that whether I was able to attend this banquet or not, I would have finished it regardless," Max finally says, leaving everyone speechless since this was the first time they saw someone talk like that to their leader.
Joon was silent. He finished the lost drop of his wine before wiping his mouth with a clean napkin. Soon after, he looks at Max and tells him, "You say we and not I."
Max furrows his brows in confusion by the leader's statement. "I don't understand. Is there a problem with that? There were two of us after all. I didn't finish the tasks myself."
Joon doesn't say anything for a while, but then he chuckles and properly placed his utensils on top of his plate before standing from his seat, looking back at Max like he finally understood something about the heir.
"Your assessment is done," Hee-joon says, making Max widen his eyes from shock because he didn't even know when the assessment happened. Was it when Joon asked him what his favorite dish was? Was it when Ren offered him the wine? Or did it start from the very moment he stepped inside the hall?
"This banquet has made it clear. You possess the traits that uphold the values of this brotherhood. You have shown compassion, dedication, and mastery of the arts of empathy and grace. You have finished your tasks and have received the golden invitation, and I, Kim Hee-Joon, now grant you one wish," Joon suddenly says, and for the first time, Max heard and saw him as a true leader of a powerful brotherhood.
Max has always seen Joon as someone who was bored and irritated. He looked like he didn't want to be there, and he looked like he just wanted to go home. But now, it has been made clear. Max really doesn't know anything about the royals, or the princes specifically.
When he entered the House of Kings, the other white uniforms always portrayed the royals as evil villains. But through the tasks and everything else that he has witnessed, he couldn't help but feel like they were wrong about them.
Max wanted to learn more about them. He wanted to understand their ways, their story, and why they were doing all this. And with the position that he is in with them now, Max knew that he didn't deserve to receive anything from them.
Not yet.
Solving those tasks wasn't for Max to conquer them. He did those tasks because he wanted to. PHD gave him an opportunity to do something right, and Max only saw it as that, and nothing more.
"Sinclaire, I humbly accept your three gifts. Now tell me, what is it that you desire?" Hee-joon asks as he slowly reaches out his hand toward Max.
Max stares at Joon's hand, almost reaching out to it as he did so. But after a minute of thinking, Max finally looked back at Joon and gave him his most awaited desire.
"Nothing," Max answers.
Joon was visibly surprised, and so were the rest of the members of PHD. Someone who went through all the trouble to finish such impossible tasks would have definitely wanted something in return, but Max didn't want anything.
He wanted nothing.
"I appreciate the offer, but I must humbly decline. I do not wish to get anything from you, my prince," Max says as he slowly stood up from his seat.
"The chance to dine with you and to speak with you is an opportunity that I might not be able to have again, but this banquet has only made me realize that we are far from equal, and the only time I will ever ask anything from you is when I stand in the same level as you. I have no desire to take anything from a man who will continue to look down on me," Max seriously says, and Joon slowly pulls his hand away and puts it down.
Keigo couldn't believe what he had heard. Max just threw away a chance to rank up, or maybe even a chance to receive their crown brooch, but Max didn't want any of that, and for the hundredth time, Keigo was left in awe.
Everyone at the table was completely shocked. But after a while, the ice prince suddenly started laughing. His laughter was so loud that it even echoed in the hall.
"He's a fool!" Joon shouts, and for a second Max thought that he was talking about him. "He was wrong about you," Joon then adds, and this time Max was left confused.
Joon continues to laugh, but after a while, he takes a deep breath and looks back at Max with a grin. "Viktor was definitely wrong about you," he then says, surprising Max even more.
"It seems that the two of you have not spoken for such a long time that he has ended up underestimating you," Joon says as he goes back down to his seat.
"Listen and obey, Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire. You desire nothing, so I will grant it. And if you want to stand as an equal with me, then I will stay where I am and wait for you there. I will do that for you, but promise me one thing, brotherhood tamer," Joon suddenly says, and Max slowly nods his head to agree to it.
Joon doesn't say anything for a while, but after organizing his thoughts, he finally says, "When the storm arrives, know that I have tried to help you in the upcoming flood. But now that you have decided to take nothing from me, promise me that you will not let J.S High drown."
Max didn't quite understand what Joon meant, but he nodded his head anyway before touching his chest and bowing his head.
"I promise," Max answers.
"Alright then...now the banquet is officially over. You may go," Joon commands, and Max properly stood up and bowed his head to the princes for one last time, thanking them for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Then I must be going," Max says, but before he could turn around to take his leave, Joon suddenly tells him, "Like you, I am terribly allergic."
At first, Max furrowed his eyes in confusion, but after looking back at the table, he noticed the untouched lobster. He couldn't help but be surprised that Hee-joon would be allergic to seafood too, but now a question bugged Max.
If Joon was allergic to seafood, and if they knew all along that he was allergic to it too, then why did they place the dish right in front of them? What was the purpose?
"May I know why it was arranged that way?" Max asks, and Joon grins before tapping his head, telling Max to think about it himself.
Max couldn't help but chuckle, but then he nods his head before finally turning around and walking away.
As Max was heading toward the exit, Killshot moves close to Joon and asks him, "So what do you think? Do you think he'll be able to help us after the Annual Brotherhood Reranking? We have no more time left Joon. He needs to be in the Elites before that happens."
Joon stares at Max's back until he finally left the castle. And as soon as the door closed behind him, Joon's cold expression returns. He then takes a deep breath and massaged his temple before saying, "You can't force to feed a man who is already full. There is nothing else we can do now. There is nothing else we can do but to wait."
Joon looks back at the door that was slowly closing. And as soon as the door shuts, Joon takes a knife and uses it to stab the untouched lobster on the table.
Soon after, everyone else started standing from their seats.
And thus officially ends PHD's most awaited banquet.
- END -