Arcane: The Gods Want Me to Pick a Route-Chapter 131: You Don’t Have to Say “Like” Out Loud

Chapter 131: Chapter 131: You Don’t Have to Say “Like” Out Loud

Logan arrived with Jayce at the banquet venue—House Kiramman, the dinner party being held at Caitlyn’s home.

Although Mel and Jayce had become Piltover’s richest people in two successive eras, House Kiramman’s wealth was nothing to underestimate. The Kirammans had been in Piltover for over a century, old nobility through and through, so there were some things money alone simply couldn’t make up for.

Jayce and Mel were still too young—their futures were impossible to measure, and their fortunes would only keep growing. But connections, standing, and pedigree... those were things that climbed slowly with time.

"Well?" Jayce said. "My place is big enough, right? But Caitlyn’s is way more impressive. I still remember the first time I came here as a kid—I was scared out of my mind."

"Just the garden alone is richer than the entire Talis house," Jayce said with a sigh, slinging an arm around Logan’s shoulder. Then he grinned and said, "If you ever need it, I can put up the money and buy you a place. You can move up to Topside."

He spoke like a freshly minted tycoon, with a little smugness in his eyes.

And sure—he had a beard and looked like he’d already stepped into middle age, but in reality, Jayce was still a young man. He was only about five or six years older than Logan.

"It’s huge, but I don’t like it." Logan shook his head and turned down Jayce’s kindness. Smiling, he said, "I still prefer my place in the Undercity. These places are too empty. I’m not used to living in them."

Jayce blinked, then laughed and didn’t push it. Shoulder to shoulder, the two of them headed into the banquet hall.

The Kiramman servants didn’t stop them. Even before Hextech, Jayce had often visited House Kiramman—let alone now, when he was Piltover’s wealthiest and most prestigious man. The servants weren’t blind.

They might not recognize Logan, but anyone close enough with Jayce to walk in with an arm around his shoulders wasn’t someone they had any right to demand an invitation from.

Inside, quite a few people had already arrived. The first-floor hall was spacious, with only a scattered handful of lavishly dressed guests chatting in small groups. Soft, soothing music played—upper-class music, as a Zaunite would put it.

Logan and Jayce’s entrance drew attention immediately.

People looked at Logan, surprise flashing in their eyes.

Tonight, Logan wore a light-gray uniform, polished black leather shoes, and his hair was slicked back with pomade, exposing a full forehead.

With his hair styled into something new, he looked sharper, more alert. Truthfully, Logan wasn’t the kind of man you’d call devastatingly handsome. Just comparing features, Jayce could outshine him—beard and all.

And if Logan couldn’t beat Jayce on looks, he definitely couldn’t beat Vi. To be honest, Vi’s features were the most exquisitely sculpted Logan had ever seen.

Back when he watched Arcane, Logan had even thought Vi must be the modeler’s favorite child—because her face was absurdly refined. Small and beautiful, with bold, heroic lines in her nose and lips, yet eyes that still carried a soft, feminine gentleness.

Honestly, if Vi put on menswear and styled herself cool and sharp, then at a banquet like this, the men would have basically nothing left to do.

But there was one thing even Vi—queen of perfect features—couldn’t beat him on.

His eyes.

Over the last two years, Logan’s eyes had changed dramatically. Calling them pretty, beautiful, a gemstone—none of that was an exaggeration.

That was because of the charm ability Ahri had given him. Little by little, it reshaped Logan’s image, and his eyes were starting to lean closer and closer to Ahri’s.

With Ionian-looking features and a lean frame, Logan’s overall aura already read as gentle, refined, and scholarly. Pair that with eyes like that, and the effect was... lethal.

So naturally, someone came over to strike up a conversation almost immediately.

"You must be Mr. Logan, Lord of Zaun, yes?"

"Very pleased to meet you, Councilor Logan. I’m Tucker, the second son of the Reinman family."

"Good evening, Councilor Logan."

A group approached Logan and Jayce, greeting them warmly.

Of course they did. The two men in front of them were the highest-status people in the twin cities right now.

Logan responded to each of them. If someone approached with goodwill, Logan wasn’t going to wear a sour face—he kept a pleasant smile and chatted a few words with everyone.

Only when Jayce started getting impatient—his face turning visibly grim—did they finally back off on their own, saying they wouldn’t disturb Logan and Jayce further, and leaving.

"Jayce, why do they look like they’re afraid of you?" Logan asked curiously as they headed to the second floor.

"Hah. A bunch of people who deserve to be yelled at," Jayce said, rolling his eyes. He took two glasses of champagne from a passing server’s tray, handed one to Logan, then gulped down a big mouthful of his own before continuing:

"Logan, unless you actually have business to talk with them, don’t give them a nice face."

"Give them an inch and they’ll cling to you. I can’t stand them. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, all they talk about is business. I honestly don’t know what they want all that money for."

"Isn’t wealth something that’s fine as long as you’ve got enough?"

Logan sipped his champagne, a little speechless.

Damn. Wasn’t that the definition of a humblebrag?

Of course Jayce didn’t care about wealth—he was already the richest man alive. What was there left to care about?

On the second floor, Logan and Jayce found a spot to rest. They chatted and drank, and Logan half-lidded his eyes as he listened to the soft music drifting around him, watching the sky outside darken bit by bit.

After a while, Mel came upstairs and called Jayce away, with Councilor Kiramman beside her. Mel asked Logan if he wanted to come too, but Logan thought about it and shook his head.

By the look of the time, the Zaunites would be arriving soon. Logan planned to go greet them.

Mel didn’t insist. She left with Jayce.

Logan sat alone at a second-floor table by the railing, quietly drinking and sampling little pastries.

The banquet food had been laid out one by one. The first to appear were delicate pastries—some looked like macarons. Logan tried one and found it incredibly good.

So Logan figured Jinx and Isha would love them. Thinking that, he piled extra onto his own plate, planning to eat them with Jinx once she arrived.

After that came the hot dishes, set over warming trays to keep them at temperature throughout the banquet. Logan looked around and picked a few things he’d never tried before.

Anyone who could enter this banquet tonight was either rich or powerful—especially the Pilties. In their minds, the food at a banquet was often just a prop. It was a stage for a family to show off its muscle.

A noble’s "dignity" didn’t allow them to eat like they were starving. If another family saw it, they’d think House Whoever was broke—like they’d never had a real meal before.

Embarrassing.

And that was exactly why Logan stood out so much.

Dressed in a gorgeous uniform, with an excellent aura—yet he still leaned toward each dish, peered at it, then used the tongs to grab a whole pile of food.

"Who’s that?"

"Isn’t that Zaun’s Lord—Councilor Logan?"

"He’s that young?"

"Before we came, my mom told me to go say hello to him... should I go over?"

"Is he still single?"

Back at his seat, Logan’s ear twitched as he caught those whispers. Strange. Hadn’t Mel warned them?

Then Logan followed the source of the voices with his eyes. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Over there was a group of Piltover girls.

One girl made Logan look twice, because her hair color... the pink was almost shocking.

Logan raised an eyebrow in surprise at her appearance, then looked away again.

So that’s Pink Lemonade.

That girl with the startling pink hair, wearing a white princess dress and sitting quietly among the others, was Seraphine.

But why was she here?

...Then again, it wasn’t that strange. Seraphine’s parents were Zaunites, but talent and hard work had allowed Seraphine to be born in Piltover, and even earn the chance to attend Piltover University—though Seraphine hadn’t gone, for reasons of her own.

Which meant her family wasn’t short on money.

Logan remembered her family ran audio equipment and musical instrument shops in Piltover, and even opened a few factories. They hired a lot of Zaunites as workers—Seraphine’s father had helped plenty of people in Zaun.

So Seraphine appearing here wasn’t surprising. Her family counted as minor nobility.

The songstress was, after all, a Topside girl.

"Ah—he looked over here!"

"Who was he looking at just now? Was it you, Karina? I think he was definitely looking at you! You’re the prettiest girl among us!"

"Really? I think he was looking at me too... do you think I should go say hello?"

A red-haired girl—still clearly underage—blushed.

This Karina really was pretty: a palm-sized face, fair and delicate, with curled red hair framing her cheeks in a sultry way.

But those big, glamorous curls on her youthful, slightly awkward face made her look a bit like a kid dressing up as a grown woman.

"Hi, Councilor Logan. Are you here alone? My name is Karina. I’m related to House Kiramman. I’m very happy to meet you~"

With her friends pushing her on, Karina worked up the courage to come over and greet Logan.

Logan turned his head and saw Karina and the other girls gather around. Seraphine was among them too.

Logan smiled warmly. "No. I came with someone. I’m just waiting for the person I’m here with."

"Councilor Talis?" someone asked.

"Not him," Logan said. "A Zaunite."

Seraphine lifted her head slightly and stole a glance at Logan.

Karina hesitated, then—gathering all her courage—asked, "Then... when it’s time to dance later, do you—do you have a partner? Could I invite you?"

"Sorry, Karina. I already have a partner," Logan replied. "It’s the person I’m waiting for."

Logan wasn’t about to go cold and chase these girls away. He wasn’t that self-absorbed. They’d just come to say hello, with goodwill, and it didn’t mean they actually wanted anything to happen with him.

If Logan turned them away with a grim face and harsh words, what would that make him?

Hearing Logan’s answer, Karina’s lips moved as embarrassment rose in her face. She lowered her head, about to say a soft "Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you—" when Logan spoke first.

"By the way, Karina—at Piltover banquets, what kind of dances do you usually do?"

He added, "My wife and I are both from Zaun. We’re not really good at dancing, so I’m a bit worried about it."

"Huh?! Councilor Logan, you’re already married?" Karina covered her mouth, eyes shining. "You got married that early?"

"My wife and I were childhood sweethearts," Logan said. "We’ve known each other since we were little."

Karina and her friends immediately perked up, chirping excitedly:

"You and your wife are childhood sweethearts? That’s so nice!"

"Councilor Logan, at Piltover banquets we usually do ballroom dance. They play soft music, and then people... hold each other and sort of walk around the dance floor."

"I’ve learned these dances since I was little. It’s actually really simple. You just take your wife’s hand, put your other arm around her waist, and stroll back and forth."

"And there’ll be lots of people dancing together. No one will be watching you on purpose."

Karina and her friends started offering advice.

Logan smiled and accepted it all.

They came fast and left fast, too, chirping a goodbye before returning to their seats.

But Logan still caught a tiny mutter, so quiet it was almost swallowed by the music.

"Liar..." Seraphine said softly, head lowered.

Logan paused, then smiled.

Right. Seraphine could hear the sounds buried deep in people’s hearts. Logan really had lied to Karina and the others.

After all... he and Jinx weren’t married yet.

Just then, downstairs suddenly grew lively.

Logan looked down and saw a group entering the banquet.

At the front was a man in an oversized suit, with terrifying claws. And what made it even harder not to stare was the mess of gray-black fur poking out from the sides of his huge black pants.

The Zaunites had arrived.

Vander led the way. Silco followed behind, with Zaun’s councilors alongside them.

His father-in-law looked mostly the same as always—his signature vest and coat, a cane in hand, hair combed back meticulously. The only difference was a pair of black gloves on his hands as he walked in, calm and composed.

Logan’s gaze shifted farther back—and he saw Vi and Caitlyn entering as well. Don’t ask why Caitlyn was arriving with the Zaunites.

They just were.

Vi was wearing menswear, something that looked a bit like a server’s uniform. A red fake rose was pinned on the left side of her white shirt. With Vi’s fiery red hair slicked back and that roguish little smirk on her face, she had a charm all her own. Looking at her, Logan couldn’t help thinking she resembled one of those Debonair-style skins.

Beside her, Caitlyn wore a long blue dress and high heels, making her nearly a head and a half taller than Vi. With her hat off, Caitlyn followed Vi with a bright smile.

Behind them came a blue-haired girl, both hands clasped behind her back.

She strode into the hall on long legs, her expression mischievous and unpredictable.

Her clean, pale face had only a simple swipe of lipstick. Over her shoulders was a stiff denim jacket, and underneath it was a beautiful long white dress—one Logan knew painfully well, because it was his birthday gift to her.

Below the hem were black ankle boots. On her swinging wrist was a plain silver bracelet.

Her lively eyes swept the room. Not finding the person she wanted, she looked up toward the second floor.

Then, bright-eyed and grinning wide, she beamed.

"Hey, Logan~"

The hands she’d been hiding behind her back popped up as she jumped and waved up at Logan.

She looked sweet and proper—cute, well-behaved—even with that outfit. But her movements were still full of childlike energy.

"Come up here, Jinx." Logan stood and leaned on the railing, shouting down to her.

That shout caught Karina and the other girls’ attention. They looked up curiously—and just like that, they found out who Councilor Logan’s "wife" was.

You don’t have to say you like someone—because eyes don’t lie.

At this loud, lively banquet, there were plenty of beautiful women in red gowns, black gowns, white gowns, all kinds of dazzling dresses.

But in Councilor Logan’s eyes... there was only her.

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