NOVEL NEXT Chapter 82: First Impression
Tramian Bellimore looked at me, analyzed me, and then as he looked at the other people in the area, one by one, his expression turned first calm, and then once again serious.
Once again, focusing on me, he asked in a low but impactful voice,
"Who are you?"
I kept my silence.
It was Tramian Bellimore who created this tradition of masquerade party He was the one who made the rules, and lastly, he was the one who followed the rules more than any of the other Bellimores.
As for his reasons for creating this party, it was something that he deemed necessary during his time in Utah due to the ongoing wars, and then followed through due to the sheer success it had.
I don't need to say anything about myself. In fact, I think it would be better if I didn't say anything as compared to disclosing my identity. I reached the conclusion as he saw the mask on my face and slowly sighed.
"Alexandra, you didn't figure out who he was?" He asked Alexandra,"Beastboy, what about you?" And then to Morgan, at which both of them kept their silence. It was enough for the old man to sigh a bit more.
He pondered for a few seconds before looking at me and asking,
"Do you know who I am?"
"Tramian Bellimore," I answered honestly.
"And those kids over there?" He asked again.
"Amara. Samantha," I answered again.
"That butler and that beastboy?" He asked the last of them.
"Head butler, Frig and Morgan Luis," I answered one last time.
The hardest was Alexandra because she dyed her hair and applied a blue lens over her gray eye. The rest were pretty obvious.
He nodded, not speaking any further. Turning to Alexandra, who seemed to be slightly ashamed of not being able to find out who I was, he asked,
"Is this boy the reason you have called me?"
Alexandra's eyes widened for a brief moment before she shook her head. She pondered for a brief moment before collecting her thoughts and speaking,
"Actually, great gramps…"
She explained the sudden attack by the assassins. About the death of the Anderseen, and lastly about the attempt on the kids. Lastly, she concluded that this was all just a misdirection, and she couldn't figure out the reason behind this whole facade.
"Who was that black-masked guy giving the orders?" Tramian asked, his eyes focused as he waited for the answer.
"Morgan?" Alexandra, who had left, party early, asked Morgan, who was the last person to run up here.
"That's… I don't know. I have never seen him before," Morgan answered, his head lowered even more than he was barely able to stand up on his feet. I don't know what hurt more, the embarrassment or the broken bones. But still… it was a loud cracking sound…
Those broken ribs must be hurting a lot. I thought as I looked at him, only to find that he was gazing at me. Not just him but Alexandra, Tramian and even the kids were looking at me, waiting for me to respond.
Should I answer or should I keep quiet? Hmmm. Alexandra is bound to find out about me. Plus, I can't ignore the fact Tramian would also look into me, given I know the faces of his great-grandchildren.
"Darial. Darial Sarphen is his name. Works for an organization named Marks, a mid-tier assassination group that often does petty thefts and such. Though Darial was… umm… fourth best in their group," I answered, deciding to tell them than not to.
Looking at it from another perspective, this image of someone who knows a lot when traced back to Mikael will be more helpful. If I only knew about Belliomores and nothing about a small assassin, then there is a small chance of them thinking that I was specifically targeting them.
On the other hand, if used properly, I can create a direct connection with Tramian. Hmmm… this works out only if Alexandra succeeds in tracing back my background later on. Hopefully, she does. Of all the troublesome people in my life, connecting with the Bellimores has the least cons. I thought about the whole situation at once.
Arguably, it would be ideal if only those who are here got to know about me, especially compared to the others. The other Bellimores… aren't exactly the friendly type.
Another reason I was increasing my value was Silva. I am pretty sure that Alexandra is going to get Silva to speak about my identity, and in turn, come to meet me later someday. Having my value up would be better in many ways.
Lastly…
If all goes south, I can just kill them all like last time. Their weaknesses are easy to exploit. I decided as I already had a plan ready in case any, or all of the Bellimores, turned against me.
"You sure do know a lot," Tramian spoke, his eyes looking at me with curiosity.
"Not that hard to find out," I answered. It was true.
Tramian paused for a few seconds and then laughed out loud as he then looked at Alexandra, his eyes turning half-serious as he said with a smile on his face.
"Keep the boy close to you. He is probably the best asset you can have of all the ones that you have been building up."
I saw Morgan and the butler's eyes widening as they saw me once again. They couldn't believe that the founder, who was rarely satisfied with anything, was praising me on the first meeting. Even Alexandra was looking at me in a new light, my value increasing by another margin in her eyes.
"But thanks to that, I think I understand what is going on. Alexandra. Forget about the whole thing. Settle it as if nothing happened here. Erase all traces of it as much as you can. Compensate anyone if you have to. Also, everyone in this room. This conversation never took place. If I happen to find anyone else knowing this, your head will fall before you can realise," a stern tone as everyone here nodded at that. Except for me, who simply kept watching the whole scene played out.
It's kind of fun. I thought, a bit amused by the whole situation.
"Kiddo," he then looked at me, his eyes observing my expression, and a hint of amusement in his eyes. He paused for a brief moment before asking,
"You have helped a lot by making this work easier for me. Is there anything you want?"
Quite generous, I must say. I thought as I pondered before answering,
"I don't mind Alexandra or you, if you happen to find out my identity. But others, I would rather not increase the interest of the Bellimores in the poor old me. It's not a hassle I would like to go through. Hmmm, also, I would like to keep things under wraps. I don't even want her to know what I have done here."
By her, I meant Silva. I looked at Alexandra, who was surprised to hear that I had allowed her to know my identity.
"All right. Then that shall happen," satisfied Tramian agreed to my request without any problems.