Chapter 15: The Birthday Party

The golden curtain hung from the ceiling, the soft light illuminated the whole hall through the openwork ornaments, and countless jewels that adorned the hall like stars showed their charm in the light, and the gorgeous roses, pure lilies, and delicate carnations lifted up the beauty of the place with their own breath and posture, and the maid who shuttled between the crowd like butterflies, the gentleman with elegant manners and dignified speech, and the girl with a gorgeous dress and a shy face. It was like a dream, a ridiculous dream of the most luxurious and ridiculous dreams made up by a girl who did not know the sufferings of the world with her most unaware thoughts.

But sadly - this is exactly what is happening. It was a real feast, a vast courtyard and expensive decorations that existed only to celebrate a girl's birthday, where expensive wine was sipped like clear water, where endangered creatures were put on the table, jewels that would make any greedy man crazy hung on the walls around him, where the children of the rich and the rich gathered, and where the corners of the hall were filled with the usual guests.

It's a terrible fact that these innumerable precious things and disapproving faces represent the height of a nation, but they also represent the beginning of the end of a nation's prosperity and decline - but we don't have to talk about the future of this country today, nor about the damn politics, because there are more worthy things about to happen.

Let's turn our attention to the heroine of this banquet.

"Beautiful Miss Illusion, I haven't seen you for a long time, and your beauty is even more stunning than the last time we saw you. Dressed in an intricate dress that would make people feel cumbersome even if it looked like a complicated process, the young man with slightly curly blonde hair bowed slightly to the heroine of the banquet, he put one hand on his chest, and handed the other hand to the lady, "Ah, I'm sure you should remember me, after all, the last meeting was so unforgettable." He raised his head slightly, just as the eyes of the maiden sitting at the table—it was a face that could easily be impressive, full of the beauty of ancient Greek lines, and a skilled craftsman from somewhere had carved this unique face into his head, but the craftsman must have been a successful master carver, "It may be a little abrupt, but in order to make this meeting more memorable than the last, please let me dare to invite you so beautiful to step with me to the next dance, Miss Elusion." ”

"Thank you very much for having me. Illusion paused, as if to think about the other man's name, "Mr. Easter. She said the name in a tone that wasn't very confident, but she got the answer from the brighter smile of the other man, and she smiled slightly complacently, which gave her face a little more playfulness - I have to say, it really attracted the attention of men," I'm sorry, but I'm sorry, as I replied to Captain Ian and Master Pander, but I've been neglecting other considerations lately because I've been so fond of literature that I've been in a bit of a bad mood lately—so I can only express my regret for your invitation. She gently cupped her wrist with her right hand, which was wearing a light silk glove, "I'm sorry, Mr. Easter, but I hope you can take care of the minutiae and enjoy this feast." ”

"What a sad surprise, beautiful young lady. Esther didn't stalk him, but stood up straight with the help of the strength of the other party's support, his face showed a pity that seemed to come from the heart, but it only stopped at a small point, "But it just so happens that I have recently received some precious medicines, and I will send someone here tomorrow, I believe that it should make you feel a lot more comfortable." Hmmm......" As if he was intrigued, he suddenly noticed the small ring on the middle finger of the other man's right hand - to his concern, it looked like it was just a rough ornament made of silver ore, and there was not much fine workmanship. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded at Illusion, "Please don't care about my feelings, I'm very happy to receive an invitation." With that, he turned around and left with some questions.

Watching Esther descend the stairs and disappear under the spiral staircase, Illusion's eyes lingered for a long time on the place where the other had disappeared, and she stared at the place as if she was expecting to see some truth. After a long time, she withdrew her gaze, and then sighed softly: "He seems to have noticed something." ”

It doesn't matter, the time is near, but he doesn't know anything, and even if he senses something, he can't change the future that is already predestined. A man's voice came out here - no one would have noticed that he was here had he not spoken suddenly, and stood idly by the side of the pillar, with a glass of lemonade with ice cubes in his hand. He took a sip of the drink in his hand, then stepped out of the shadows behind the pillar, "Miss Groffit, don't worry, the Prophet has expected all this, he has seen through the fog of all this and brought us to the beginning and the end, and has shown us the truth that has existed since the beginning of eternity, and all this cannot escape his wise eyes, and the same is true of what is happening here. ”

"But I don't have the eyes of a prophet who see through the fog, friend. Illusion closed her eyes softly, lowered her head, and began to whisper as if she were praying to something—and it did take a while, during which time the voices of the nobles seemed to be far away from the towers of the hall, and a little silence fell on the lonely boat. Then, she breathed a sigh of relief, did not open her eyes, and said, "Is it really good that such a heavy responsibility has been entrusted to me? I have been asking myself a lot lately, friend, do you know the answer?"

"I have discerned wisdom and madness and foolishness with all my heart, and I know that this is also a chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and to him who increases knowledge increases sorrow. The man's voice floated here, "You just think too much, it's no wonder, after all, we are just mortal beings, naturally have seven emotions and six desires, but the prophet has crossed countless planes to shoulder this responsibility on your shoulders, he must believe in you, and we must also believe in you." So why don't you believe yourself when you are so trusted? ”

"It's better to be at ease. A woman's voice rang out here, "Iru, how many times have I told you, be more confident in yourself, you are the pride of our Grofittes, the pearl that rises from the stench of filth, where we dwell, and the mission we have been waiting for since then has finally come today—we will open the first chapter of this new era as in the future." ”

"Mother......" Illusian opened her eyes in some surprise, and a woman with an older face, but who could vaguely see the appearance of her youth, walked up the spiral staircase, "Why are you ......?"

"It's almost time, my child. The woman walked up to Illusion and stroked her hair with some pity, brushing her strands away, and looking at her face silently, "Even though it made me shiver, like a cold wind blowing through my skin, and the stench made me sick, we got to this moment after all. Go, my daughter, for the future revealed in the omen is coming! and it will be by the hand of our Grofetes who will open the door to the future!"

"Already...... Is it there?" Illusion took a deep breath, she wasn't asking anyone, not even herself, she was just inadvertently confiding her thoughts, but at this moment, she also knew that she was still a little nervous, but she forcibly calmed herself down, and then took her mother's hand, and with the help of the other party's strength, she stood up. Standing up, she looked her outfit up and down, then straightened the wrinkled hem of her skirt, and walked straight past her mother, towards the spiral staircase not far away. She stopped at the edge of the spiral staircase, then turned, bowed slightly to her mother, said nothing, turned back again, and stepped up the first step of the spiral staircase.

"Huh?" Among the two people on the balcony, the man withdrew his gaze, and then casually glanced at the crowd below - this glance really made him notice something that he was a little concerned about. It was a young girl holding a glass of juice and staring curiously at the table full of delicacies in front of her, only wearing a pure white dress, she looked a little out of place here, but she was unusually beautiful. But the man didn't pay attention to her because of this, he just felt that the young girl himself seemed to have seen it somewhere. This couldn't help but make him fall into deep thought a little.

Just as the man was thinking, the atmosphere in the hall gradually calmed down, because someone realized that the protagonist of the banquet finally appeared in front of the crowd, as if it were infected, first one person cast his gaze over, then two, three, six...... Until all. At this time, Illusion had already taken the last step out of the spiral ladder and stood on the platform under the spiral ladder.

She looked at everyone, very ladylike, and pulled up the hem of her skirt, a small salute.