Horse-drawn carriages drove into the White Rose Garden, where groups of servants decorated the courtyard and led the noble adults to the hall, where they placed long tables in the garden, spread white cloth on them, and placed silver plates and candlesticks and other utensils.

Her Majesty's garden was already full of people, and people who knew and didn't know each other were greeting each other, and a small royal banquet had begun to take shape, at least the scene was lively and harmonious, and there was no tension at all.

The inner and outer cities of Rusta have always been two worlds, and the gentlemen who live here have long been accustomed to this.

The Earl of Conrad jumped out of the carriage with brisk steps, greeted a certain Sir Sir head-on, or coldly greeted a certain nobleman who greeted him with a sneer, and there were no secrets hidden in the upper circles of the Empire, and everyone knew who was from a prominent background and who was in a position of nepotism.

His family has a heritage, if there are commendable deeds in the ancestors, then the heritage and cultural heritage are even stronger, so he disdains such nouveau riche, just like the military aristocracy looks down on the courtiers.

What's more, the strong smell of money in these people is often unpleasant, and the life of the aristocracy is naturally supported by money, but in their eyes, money is often not worth mentioning, which is almost the same as the citizens of the towns who look down on the farmers in the countryside.

Conrad walked easily through the outer courtyard of the White Rose Garden, where many gentlemen had already gathered, and this was the social circle of high society, and it was natural for the nobles to gather together to talk loudly. It's just that the topics between these circles are changeable, like the unpredictable minds of gentlemen, so many small circles are often formed under a large circle, and different people can always find the same common language.

As a traditional aristocrat, he was naturally at ease in his interactions, and soon found someone he knew well:

"Good evening. Henry, I didn't think you would come to this kind of banquet with your temperament. ”

"I have to give His Majesty a little face." The nobleman whose name he called smiled and raised his glass to him, a rather flamboyant young man, with a smile on his face that was common to people of status with the calmness and ease that is common in people of status.

The banquet was organized by Her Majesty the Queen, and in fact, the upper nobles of the imperial capital had been informed a week ago that the content of the banquet was to welcome a certain mountain prince. But in private, it's already a meeting ceremony.

Of course, the grander engagement ceremony won't take place until two weeks later, when the banquet is open to the public, and the private work is now on to be done.

This is also the way the aristocracy has always behaved.

Henriette took a sip of wine and continued to laugh, "But to be honest, I came to the Countess, and I heard that she was extraordinarily beautiful. ”

"It's Her Royal Highness, Mr. Henriette." The butler of the royal family on the side corrected with a straight face.

"You're right," apologized Henriette, "beautiful ladies are princesses. ”

Everyone else chuckled. Everyone knows what this princess is all about, but some things are not beautiful to say, and the gentlemen present as nobles know the truth until the point.

For this, even the butler of the royal family did not care.

"But our Prince Augsig doesn't mind that, for I heard that it took him only a week to get from Wallach to Banker, and that his six-horse carriage had broken down on the road, and that the horses had been replaced by three wheels."

"No way. The mountain people always keep horses. ”

This witty remark made everyone present smile again, just like the rest of Vajnde. The barbarians who were later civilized to other civilizations were always looked down upon, and even among the peasants in the countryside there were many jokes about the vulgarity of the mountain people, not to mention among these noble gentlemen.

The mountain prince showed off his carriage, which had long since become the talk and joke of the upper class society before he arrived in the imperial capital.

Although most of the gentlemen present may not have been able to own a six-horse carriage, this does not prevent them from making fun of the latter. And you can pack tickets without any jealousy or envy.

"So this prince is called Ogos?" Conrad listened for a while before asking.

"That's his nickname."

There was another low laugh, and the name Ogos was clearly not the name of the Cruz people, nor the religious name of the Sanctuary of Fire, but the name of the mountain people. His Royal Highness the Prince certainly owns Cruz's Christian name, but no matter how much he puts the title on his lips, people still 'like' the native name of Auguos.

Conrad smiled too.

The topics of the nobles were always changeable, and when people did not find fun in the prince's highness, some people talked about the previous battles that took place in the imperial capital.

The movement of the Colddew Villa was too great to be concealed, especially since Brando bulldozed half of the hill later, and the silver light that split the sky of the Charr was probably noticed by most of the inhabitants of Rustta, as long as they had not yet slept.

However, with the exception of a few, the nobles did not know what Her Majesty was preparing for, and some talked about the riots that were taking place in the outer city, and linked the two things together.

"It's not going to be good out there."

"It's a mess."

In the heated discussion, it was inevitable that some people would disagree, so a middle-aged nobleman said with some disdain: "Do you call this current situation a bad situation? Ha, it's nice to be young. ”

"What's going on?"

"Isn't it?"

The middle-aged aristocrat shook his head: "It's just a small wind and a small wave, and it can't be compared to the riot twenty-three years ago and the year of the change. ”

The younger generation of nobles had no idea what happened decades ago, while the older nobles present had a look of remembrance on their faces.

There were even nobles involved behind the great riots in the year of the dying, even the city guards had infighting, and the rebels once came to the inner city, and the current situation was the same as at that time, but it was just a beginning, what could the grass people do? How can it be compared with the rebellion of the nobility.

And in the end, it was not resolved peacefully, as long as the temple and those top powerhouses did not defect, then there was nothing to fear.

After listening to the description of the middle-aged nobleman, the young man's face softened a lot, and it seemed to be compared with that year. It's really not much of a hassle right now.

And the apprehensions of these noble gentlemen always come and go as quickly as they come, especially when they find that they are not closely related to their vital interests, and Conrad soon notices that Henry, opposite him, is becoming a little impatient.

But at this time, the crowd suddenly stirred up appropriately, and Count Conrad subconsciously raised his head, and the crowd near the hall parted, and a luxurious carriage appeared outside the gate.

A six-horse carriage.

Ogos sat in the carriage. He also frowned impatiently, contrary to the rumors outside, he was not in a hurry to come to the imperial capital, but by his father who was the hero of the mountain people.

Just as Her Majesty the Queen needs the support of the mountain people, the hero of the mountain people also needs the support of the empire, and in the throne dispute of the previous generation of mountain people, although the latter won as a hero, his foundation as the heir to the throne of the concubine is not as solid as imagined.

Fortunately, the mountain people are not empires. As long as the Empire and the Templars approve of it, they can still rule the vast mountains of Wallach without any problems.

Sometimes things are so strange that the mountain people see the empire as a feud and enemy, but secretly believe in the illusory praise of the most powerful enemy.

It was as if it was a great honor to be recognized by the enemy.

However, this qiē has nothing to do with Ogos, and probably the only thing that makes him feel a little more comfortable is that he is the only son of the king of the mountain people, and both father and son are prosperous. Unfortunately, the mountain people's contenders for the throne have never been limited to those above the throne, unlike civilized empires. The eldest heirs from the surrounding tribes are also qualified.

"You're going to tame this mare for me, she's good for you and me."

It was the only thing the man had ever said to him before he left.

The dark-skinned prince felt unimpressed in his heart, although it was true that he liked beautiful women, it did not mean that he wanted to go to the imperial capital for a woman. Just as the gentlemen of the imperial capital were not accustomed to his presence, he did not feel any interest in these gentlemen who claimed to be civilized.

A woman is like a mare, and according to the tradition of the mountain people, the mare in the herd is regarded as the most valuable possession, and only the healthiest mare can give birth to the best offspring.

But no matter how good a mare is, it is not worth embarrassing him.

He's made up his mind. To give the countess a good look, although the territory of the empire cannot do this blatantly, but the queen Xià can't control Wallach, he will let the other party know how the men of the Norka family discipline their wives.

At this time, the servant opened the door of the carriage, and Ogos tidied up his appearance before stepping out of the carriage.

He thought he was ready to attract many disdainful or hostile glances outside the carriage, but he didn't expect to get out of the carriage and find that no one was looking at him at all.

He looked up.

Only to find that the supreme emperor of the empire, His Majesty, had appeared outside the hall, everyone was bowing their heads and saluting, and the entire courtyard was quiet for a while.

When people raised their heads again, they noticed the girl next to the silver queen.

This was the first time that the newly crowned countess had appeared in front of the noble circles of the upper echelons of the empire.

The simple and bright eyes attracted everyone's attention in an instant, followed by the long flaming hair, and the crowd couldn't help but let out a sigh of whispering, the least rare thing in Ruusta was the beautiful aristocratic girl, but the obscenity that was popular in the empire was swept away by the clean and neat beauty in front of him.

It was as if a fresh mountain breeze was mixed in the turbid and flashy urban air, which was so refreshing that most of the men present couldn't help but feel a slight burst in their hearts, and even the ladies were dazzled.

Good clean girl.

It's a pity that it's a mountain dweller.

"Beauty is privileged." Henriette in the crowd didn't care, and raised his glass to greet Akane from afar, his eyes full of appreciation.

"How?" Someone deliberately asked, "Henry, are you going to compete with our Royal Highness the Prince?" ”

"Why not?" Henry smiled and said nothing, and the meaning in and out of his words was that he looked down on the mountain prince at all—he was a mountain man, and how could he be a nobleman?

This is also the thought in the minds of most people present.

In front of everyone's eyes, Akane frowned slightly, facing all the gentlemen and ladies present, her eyes were full of tension and unease. But there is also a flame of unyielding that burns.

A day ago, she might have been a marionette, still at the mercy of others, but now she knew that the lord was here.

Just such news, even without a word of explanation, is enough to make the unknown flame in her heart burn.

The Silver Queen Constance stood beside Akane. She is a little shorter than the former, but her innate superiority and calmness naturally distinguish the two.

In the entire empire, I am afraid that no one has dared to face this girl who does not look more than fourteen or fifteen years old.

Except, of course, for those who don't know where they came from, who don't know whether they're alive or dead - like a certain Count Toniger.

She glanced at everyone present lightly, as if she no longer cared about the previous loss, turned around, and said to the girl beside her, "What? Looks like you're not too happy with my arrangement with you? ”

Akane didn't reply, she knew in her heart why she was here.

"You are a mountain dweller, and it is naturally best to fall into the embrace of the mountains. That's the son of the hero of the mountain people, isn't he worthy of you? ”

The Silver Queen smiled, "You still think that lord of yours came to save you?" I wish he had the guts, do you know what this place is? ”

"Your Excellency, he won't be fooled, you don't want to take advantage of this."

It turns out that what kind of lord there is, what kind of subordinate there is, the conversation between the two women made the servants on the side tremble - when did anyone in the empire dare to talk to His Majesty the Emperor like this?

But the Silver Queen didn't seem to care, and asked, "Is it?" He doesn't even care about the woman he loves? ”

"I am the one who silently admires the lord, and I am just an unknown person by the side of the lord. Around my lord, there are many girls who are better than me. ”

"So he doesn't like you anymore?"

Akane didn't answer, but her bright eyes acquiesced to this.

"That's not good, you are the countess of the Empire, or even Her Royal Highness the Princess, no one can look down on you-" The Silver Queen changed her words: "But give the Azure Spear to an inconspicuous person next to you." Your lord is truly rich. ”

Akane was stunned for a moment, and then her heart trembled slightly, she had never thought of this, such a simple truth, she was really so inconspicuous. But why did the lord always give her such an important thing without care?

She suddenly became a little scared.

Afraid that Brando would really come here to save her, this so-called banquet was nothing more than an elaborate trap, and she hoped that it would be later, even if it was a day later, not now.

She had wished so much to see the face that had been so familiar in her dreams that she could not have been more familiar with it, but now she was even more frightened, and her face was so frightened that her face turned bloody.

The Silver Queen watched the change in the expression on the mountain girl's face for a long time, and she spoke, "You must be hoping that your lord will not come to my banquet tonight. ”

Akane looked at the latter with hatred.

The queen smiled slightly: "But I think he will definitely come." ”

Just as Akane was wondering where the queen's confidence came from, the latter continued to say lightly: "If he doesn't come, I'll send you to the bed of the mountain prince tonight, you know, this is the custom of the mountain people, and there is no joke about it." ”

"But you should be honored, this is a true prince, the crown of the lord of Wallach is recognized by the Empire and the Temple, and maybe you will be the queen of the mountain people in the future."

Akane's teeth chattered, and she looked at the queen as if she were looking at a demon, and she closed her eyes, and her heart was full of thoughts.

Faced with such a desperate situation, she had no choice.

"Miss Earl looks like she has a very bad complexion, is it because she is in good health?"

Standing at the foot of the steps, such a thought suddenly popped into Conrad's mind.

…… (To be continued......) I752