r18novel Chapter 48: The Banquet
Chapter 48: The Banquet
At noon, as the clock tower of the royal capital Yars gently rang, music and dance filled the banquet hall of the palace, where envoys from all over the world gathered to celebrate the hundredth day of King Asra's daughter.
Envoys came from the three magical kingdoms in the north, and as far south as the Holy Kingdom of Milis on the continent of Milis. Even the various countries in the land of conflict sent their own envoys.
Even though they would become enemies the moment they left this place, they still put on fake smiles for each other in the luxurious banquet hall.
Luo Qixi felt that the teacher's choice was quite tricky; the two people in the far corner of the banquet hall were not approached by anyone, as if they had been forgotten...
And this seems to be what the teacher wanted. The teacher was sitting in a chair, tilting her head and yawning... Ah, it wasn't yawning anymore, the teacher had fallen asleep.
Luo Qixi could even see the teacher's head swaying slightly under the hood.
No wonder she chose to sit here... Loki felt a little uneasy and nervous because she didn't have the chance to hold a staff at the banquet, but thankfully she could still put her hands on the back of the teacher's chair.
Soon, the music paused briefly, and the nobles in the hall tidied their clothes slightly.
As if by prior arrangement, the waiter standing at the entrance raised a trumpet and began to play it.
"His Majesty the King has arrived!"
With a loud shout, the banquet hall doors were pulled open, and the court band immediately began playing majestic and dignified music. To the music, His Majesty the King, whom they had met the previous night, walked out in his magnificent robes.
He was accompanied by two young children and a beautiful woman.
It must be the prince and their mother, right?
Because of her short stature, Luo Qixi couldn't see very clearly; she could only make out the people inside through the gaps in the crowd.
Besides the prince, there seemed to be personal guards as well. Loki even saw a short woman with incredibly sharp eyes who instantly spotted Loki and Cinderella in the corner.
However, she seemed to only glance at it before looking away.
Should he be the king's personal bodyguard?
Besides these people, there was a fat, bald middle-aged man standing behind the king. He looked around with a smile, but just glancing at Loki made her subconsciously feel a little uncomfortable.
As the king slowly walked to the throne in the banquet hall, all the nobles and envoys bowed slightly to express their respect.
The king smiled gently, looking very happy: "Thank you all for attending this banquet."
He nodded as he spoke, "I never imagined I would have such a lovely daughter... nor did I ever imagine such a joyous day." He then turned slightly to a servant, "Please bring Princess Ariel up."
At his command, a magnificent golden baby carriage was pushed forward. It has to be said that this must be the most expensive "vehicle" that Loki had ever seen. This tiny pure gold baby carriage was probably more expensive than her own magic staff...
Luo Qixi couldn't help but purse her lips and swallow.
As the princess was brought forward, the nobles and envoys cheered enthusiastically, and the king raised his glass, saying, "In the name of my daughter, Ariel, cheers!"
"Long live Princess Ariel!" shouted the nobles of the Kingdom of Asura, while envoys from other countries raised their glasses.
The banquet truly began only after everyone finished toasting.
Performances and dances followed one after another, and there were even nobles embracing and kissing each other...
Luo Qixi had to admit, she was somewhat glad that she and her teacher were in such a corner... She really was suited to places like this...
"Ah..." Seemingly because of the noise around her, Cidlin had woken up. She yawned slightly and then looked at the king sitting on the throne.
She touched her chest as if remembering something, and after confirming that the papers were there, she slowly stood up and said to Luo Qixi, "Let's go to the banquet, Luo Qixi."
"teacher?"
"I have something to discuss with the King," Sidlin said, yawning again before pulling her hood tighter and walking toward the throne.
The hooded face of Cinderella was rather suspicious. Before she even got close to the throne, she was noticed by the short woman standing beside it. The woman slightly gripped the golden longsword at her waist and then looked at Cinderella warily.
"No need for that, Leda..." the king said, raising his hand slightly. "That is the principal of the Lanoa Magic University... Lady Sylvania."
The swordswoman named Leda remained silent. She took a small step back and stood next to the bald, middle-aged man behind the king.
"Your Majesty." Sidlin approached the king slightly, raising an eyebrow as she glanced at the group.
There are so many more new characters than when I last came...
Those two children must be his sons... and that swordsman of the Water God style must be a guard?
So... who is that bald guy?
"Lady Sylvania, is there anything I can help you with?" the king asked, blinking.
He talked to Cinderella about today's events last night... they were going to discuss blood magic.
And that's exactly what Cinderella came to discuss.
"There are some secrets," Sidlin said. "I hope to discuss them privately with His Majesty the King."
Although somewhat reluctant, Sidlin still cooperated and said to the king, "Is that alright?"
"Of course." The king said, slowly rising to his feet. He glanced briefly at the joyous banquet hall, then turned to the bald man behind him and said, "Lord Darius... I'll leave this place to you for now."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The man called Darius nodded respectfully.
Meeting Sidrin's gaze, the king casually explained, "Lord Darius is the kingdom's prime minister... one could say he is a talent among one in a million."
"..."
You really can't judge a book by its cover. He looks so corrupt... his big belly alone is enough to show how corrupt he is.
Sidrin had no interest in politics. She simply nodded slightly and followed the king out of the banquet hall. In addition to the two of them, a swordsman also followed them out.
"He is Orwell, the swordsman of the Water God School," the king introduced. "The woman just now was his teacher, the Water Goddess Leda."
"She currently serves as a swordsmanship instructor at the palace."
Orwell bowed slightly to Catherine, then remained silent, appearing taciturn.
Cidlin, however, was more interested in Leda, who was known as the water goddess. She turned her head slightly to look at the woman standing in the banquet hall... It has to be said that she could not tell at all that the person in front of her was a sword goddess.
This must be the first swordswoman Cinderella has ever seen... She couldn't help but wonder who was more powerful, her or Alsterd.
However, it seems unlikely that we'll have much of a chance to see them compete.
After walking for a while, the three arrived at the study, which was not far from the banquet hall. As the king coughed, Leda took her sword, walked to the door, and closed it.
Once the surroundings quieted down, the king eagerly asked, "So, has your research into blood magic made a breakthrough?"