Chapter 1059: Act 231 – The Banquet in the Rose Garden
A series of carriages drove into the White Rose Garden, and groups of servants were decorating the courtyard, guiding the noble guests towards the hall. They set long tables in the rose garden, draped them with white cloths, and placed silver platters and candlesticks as dining utensils.
People were already coming and going in Her Majesty’s garden, with acquaintances and strangers greeting one another. A small royal banquet was taking shape; at least the scene was lively and the atmosphere harmonious, with no trace of tension.
The internal and external cities of Rustra have always been two worlds; the gentlemen who lived here were long accustomed to this.
Earl Conrad jumped down from his carriage with a cheerful step, greeting a certain gentleman or responding coldly to a nobleman who approached with a flattering smile. In the upper circles of the empire, no secret could be kept—everyone knows who has a distinguished background and who rose through connections.
His family was well-founded. If their ancestors had remarkable deeds, then the heritage and cultural depths would be even stronger, hence they often looked down upon such nouveaux riches, just as military nobles despised jesters.
Moreover, that heavy aura of wealth on these people was often off-putting. The life of nobles naturally relied on money, but in their eyes, money was often insignificant; this was similar to how townspeople looked down on rural farmers.
Conrad deftly navigated through the outer courtyard of the White Rose Garden, where many gentlemen had already gathered. This was the social circle of the upper class; nobles naturally gathered to engage in grand discussions. However, the topics in these circles were ever-changing, much like the unpredictable thoughts of the gentlemen, resulting in many small groups forming beneath a larger circle, allowing different individuals to find common ground.
As a traditional nobleman, he was at ease in social interactions and quickly found someone familiar:
“Good evening, Henri! I thought someone of your temperament wouldn’t come to such a banquet.”
“One must give Her Majesty a bit of face,” the noble named Henri smiled, raising his glass. He was a rather flamboyant young man, his smile reflecting the composure and ease common among those of high status.
The banquet was hosted by Her Majesty the Queen; in fact, the upper nobility of the imperial capital had been notified a week prior. The purpose of the banquet was to welcome a prince from the mountains, but privately, it was in essence a meeting ceremony.
Of course, a grander engagement ceremony would be held two weeks later, that banquet was intended for the public, while private preparations would need to begin now.
This was also the usual method of the nobles.
Henriette took a sip of wine and continued with a smile, “But to be honest, I came for that young earl; I heard she is extraordinarily beautiful.”
“It is Her Highness the Princess, Mr. Henriette,” the royal steward nearby corrected him with a stern face.
“You are right,” Henriette apologized, “Beautiful ladies are all princesses.”
Laughter erupted from the others. Everyone knew what this princess was about, but some things were better left unsaid; the nobles present understood the importance of discretion.
In this regard, even the royal steward was unbothered.
“However, our Prince Ogust likely does not mind this; I heard he rushed from Valarch to Bankel in just a week. His six-horse carriage broke down twice on the road, and they even had to change horses three times.”
“There’s nothing to be done; the mountain folk always raise horses.”
This jest evoked more laughter from those present. Just like elsewhere in Vaunte, the barbarous tribes that developed later than other civilizations were always looked down upon. Even among the rural farmers, many jokes about the mountain folk’s coarseness were circulated, let alone among these noble gentlemen.
The mountain prince’s boast of his carriage had already become fodder for jokes among high society before he even arrived in the imperial capital.
Although most of the gentlemen present might not possess a six-horse carriage, this did not prevent them from poking fun at him, and they could guarantee that it was devoid of any jealousy or envy.
“So this prince’s name is Ogust?” Conrad asked after listening for a while.
“That’s his nickname.”
Laughter rippled through the crowd again. The name Ogust was clearly not a Crusian name, nor was it a title from the Temple of Fire, but rather a name from the mountain folk. The prince, of course, had a Crusian title, but regardless of how much he emphasized that title, people still preferred the locally born “Ogust.”
Conrad joined in the laughter.
Noble conversations were always diverse. When entertainment from this prince couldn’t be found, someone mentioned the recent combat that had occurred within the imperial capital.
The disturbance at Hanlu Mountain Villa was too significant to cover up, especially after Brendel flattened half a mountain, and Charles’s beam of silver light that divided the sky—surely half the residents of Rustra, provided they hadn’t fallen asleep, were aware of it.
However, aside from a few individuals, the nobles were unaware of what Her Majesty had been preparing. Some spoke of the riots occurring in the outer city and connected the two events.
“The situation outside is rather grim.”
“It’s a mess.”
Amidst the intense discussion, it was inevitable that someone would disagree, and a middle-aged noble interjected disdainfully, “You call this troubling? Ha, youth is indeed remarkable.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Isn’t it?”
The middle-aged noble shook his head. “Just a little wind and waves; it cannot compare at all to twenty-three years ago or the riots during the Year of the Fall.”
The younger generation of nobles knew little about events from decades ago, while the older nobles present revealed expressions of nostalgia.
The grand rebellion during the Year of the Fall even had noble involvement; even the city guards had wrestled with internal strife. The rebels had once been at the gates of the inner city, and the current situation, by comparison, was merely a small beginning. What could the commoners possibly achieve? How could it be compared to noble rebellion?
Besides, wasn’t it ultimately resolved peacefully? As long as the Temple and those top-tier powers did not turn against them, there was nothing to fear.
After hearing the middle-aged noble’s description, the faces of the younger nobles softened considerably; it seemed that compared to those years, the current troubles were indeed nothing major.
The highborn gentlemen’s worries also came and went quickly, especially when they found that the matters were not closely related to their self-interests. Conrad soon noticed that Henri, across from him, was growing a bit impatient.
At that moment, the crowd suddenly stirred appropriately. Earl Conrad unconsciously lifted his head; the crowd near the hall parted, and a luxurious carriage appeared at the entrance.
A six-horse carriage.
Ogust sat inside the carriage, also frowning with some impatience. Contrary to outside rumors, he was not in a hurry to arrive in the imperial capital; instead, he was being rushed by his father, the hero of the mountain folk.
Just as Her Majesty needed the support of the mountain folk, this hero also needed the empire’s backing. In the past generation’s dispute over the throne among the mountain folk, while he had emerged as the hero, his status as the illegitimate heir had not been as stable as imagined.
Fortunately, the mountain folk were not the empire; they didn’t place such heavy emphasis on lineage as one might assume. As long as he received the empire’s and the Temple’s recognition, he could still smoothly rule over the vast mountains of Valarch.
Sometimes, the world is so paradoxical. The mountain folk viewed the empire as a lifelong enemy, yet privately adored the hollow praise given by this formidable enemy.
It was as if gaining recognition from the foe brought a kind of glory.
However, none of this mattered to Ogust. Perhaps the only thing that slightly comforted him was that he was the sole son of the mountain king. If the father gained honor, the son shared in it. Sadly, the competition for the mountain throne was never limited only to those sitting upon it; it was different from the civilized empire, as the first-born heirs from various surrounding tribes also had such qualifications.
“You need to tame this mare for me; she’s beneficial for both you and me.”
This was the only thing that man had told him before he left.
In response, the dark-skinned prince felt quite unconvinced. Though he enjoyed beauty, he didn’t want to make arduous efforts to come to the imperial capital for a woman. Just as the gentlemen of the imperial capital were not used to his presence, he had no interest in these self-proclaimed civilized gentlemen.
To the mountain folk, women were regarded as the most precious property in a herd of horses, and only the healthiest mares could bear the best progeny.
But no matter how excellent a mare was, it wasn’t worth losing his pride over.
He was determined to give that young earl a lesson. Though within the empire, he could not do so overtly, Her Majesty had no jurisdiction over Valarch. He would show the noble woman what the men of the Norka family did to educate their wives.
At that moment, the servant opened the carriage door, and Ogust tidied his appearance before stepping out.
He had thought he was well-prepared to elicit numerous dismissive or hostile glances outside the carriage, but to his surprise, upon descending, he found that no one was looking at him.
He lifted his head.
Only then did he realize that the supreme Emperor of the empire had already appeared outside the hall, and everyone was bowing, rendering the entire courtyard momentarily silent.
When people looked up again, they noticed the young girl beside the Silver Queen.
This was the first appearance of the newly titled young earl before the upper nobles of the empire.
Those pure and bright eyes instantly attracted everyone’s attention, followed by her flame-like long hair. An involuntary gasp spread through the crowd. In Rustra, beautiful noble girls were not uncommon, but the prevailing decadent style of the empire was brushed aside by this clean and striking beauty.
It was as if a fresh breeze from the mountains had mingled with the murky, flashy urban air, invigorating everyone. Most of the men present couldn’t help but feel their hearts skip a beat, and even the women brightened up.
Such a pure girl.
What a shame she’s a mountain folk.
“Beauty has its privileges,” Henriette remarked nonchalantly from the crowd, raising his glass in a distant toast to Xi, his eyes full of appreciation.
“What’s the matter?” someone deliberately asked. “Henri, do you plan to compete with our prince?”
“Why not?” Henri replied with a smile, revealing an underlying disdain for that mountain folk prince—being a mountain folk, how could he be a noble?
This was also the thought of most people present.
In the glaring spotlight, Xi furrowed her brows slightly. Facing all the gentlemen and ladies present, she concealed her tension and unease with a flame of unyielding spirit glowing in her eyes.
Had it been a day prior, she might have felt like a marionette at another’s mercy, but now that she knew that the lord had arrived here, even just this piece of news alone, without any verbal explanations, was enough to set a nameless flame blazing in her heart.
The Silver Queen, Constance, stood beside Xi, slightly shorter than her, but the innate aura of authority and composure of someone in power naturally distinguished the two.
In the entire empire, perhaps no one dared meet the gaze of this seemingly fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl directly.
Of course, aside from a few clueless fools who didn’t know what they were getting into—like that Earl of Toniger.
She casually swept her gaze over the crowd, seemingly no longer dwelling on her previous defeat, then turned to the girl beside her and said, “What’s the matter? You seem dissatisfied with my plans for you?”
Xi didn’t respond; she understood why she was there.
“You are a mountain folk; returning to the embrace of the mountains is undoubtedly the best outcome. But he is the son of the mountain folk hero—does he not deserve you?”
The Silver Queen smiled, “Are you still hoping for your lord to come and rescue you? I wish he had that courage. Do you know where this place is?”
“Lord will not be fooled; you won’t be able to use that.”
It was evident that one’s lord shaped the quality of one’s subordinates; the conversation between the two women left the nearby attendants trembling—when was the last time someone dared to speak to Her Majesty this way?
Yet the Silver Queen seemed unfazed, replying, “Is that so? He wouldn’t even care for the woman he loves?”
“The one who secretly admires Lord is me, and I am just an inconspicuous person beside him; there are countless girls around him who are much better than I.”
“So it seems he looks down on you?”
Xi didn’t answer, but her bright eyes tacitly acknowledged this.
“That can’t be; you’re an earl of the empire, even a princess. No one should look down on you—” the Silver Queen shifted her tone, “But giving the Azure Spear to an inconspicuous person at will, your lord is truly extravagant.”
Xi froze for a moment and then trembled slightly within; she had never thought of this. Such an obvious truth, she had felt so inconspicuous, so why did the lord always give her such important things without a second thought?
She suddenly felt a twinge of fear.
Fear that Brendel would truly come here to rescue her, that this banquet was merely a carefully laid trap. She hoped it would be later, even just a day later, rather than now.
She once longed to see that familiar face from her dreams, but now she felt even more terrified, the color draining from her face.
The Silver Queen watched the change in the mountain girl’s expression with interest. She said, “You must be hoping that tonight, your lord doesn’t come to my banquet?”
Xi glared at her with resentment.
The queen, however, smiled slightly, “But I believe he will.”
Just as Xi was starting to wonder where Her Majesty’s confidence came from, the latter casually continued, “If he doesn’t come, I’ll send you straight to that mountain prince’s bed tonight. You know, this is a custom of the mountain folk; the ruler does not joke.”
“However, you should feel honored; this is a bona fide prince. The crown of the lord of Valarch has the recognition of the empire and the Temple; perhaps in the future, you could even become the queen of the mountain folk.”
Xi’s teeth chattered as she looked at the Queen like a demon, and she closed her eyes, feeling hopelessness wash over her.
Faced with such a dire situation, she found herself with no choice.
“The young lady earl seems to have a rather pale complexion. Are you unwell?”
Standing below the steps, Conrad suddenly had this thought in mind.
