The golden sunlight gradually disappeared from the endless brilliance in the colorful glow. The silence of the night then enveloped the holy place of Turin, the holy place of the glorious cross, and the stars shone with a cold light, decorating the night curtain above the dome, quiet and sacred.

Outside the gates of the Minest Family Courtyard was bustling with activity, and all the guests who had been invited by the Marquis of Holard Minest were already in front of the door, waiting to enjoy this sumptuous dinner. Four-wheeled carriages bearing the coats of arms of various families crowded the streets outside the mansion, so much so that many late guests could not even get their carriages blocked in the alleys outside.

However, as one of the most wealthy families in the kingdom, the Minest family naturally thought of such a problem a long time ago, and arranged it in an orderly manner - a spacious place was arranged at the back door of the mansion, so that the noble adults could park their cars, and then lead the noble horses to the stable;

As for the guests of a slightly lower status, they had to be asked to get off the carriage and drive it to the nearby street, or the coachman to take a little turn around the neighborhood and let the horses move and come back when the party was over - this is also a common way in Turin, because not every theater or café has a place for the carriage to stop.

The fountain garden of the Minest family bloomed completely different from the past on this starry night. The murmuring water gushes from the marble fountains, which echo the cool sound of the wind, and it is already late autumn, but the air is still filled with the fragrance of flowers, and the golden-red maple leaves are dancing in the air, as if they are beating notes.

The dining table, draped in dark blue and pale silver tablecloths, is placed in all corners of the garden in a seemingly casual but orderly manner, and the elegant silver candles and the glass lamps connected by ribbons that hang in all the gardens illuminate all the places.

With brightly dressed bards singing in front of the flower beds, female musicians playing quaint lutes and lyres by the fountains, the delicate garden is transformed into a garden of all sorts of joys, and there is no doubt that any poet who has the good fortune of being a guest at this dinner will not write a few beautiful poems.

As the eldest grandson of Hollard, Lusen Minest stood at the gate of the mansion as the hostess, greeting all the guests who walked in. The very close-fitting dark long-sleeved trench coat made him look very thin, and there was a little scholarly demeanor between his eyebrows, and the melancholy temperament contained in the slight frown made many aristocratic girls who lived in Turin all year round fall in love with it.

The slightly nervous blonde youth tied the blue gold silk scarf around his neck tightly, almost out of breath, but he still couldn't hide the slightly excited flush on his cheeks. Talking elegantly, calmly chatting with every guest who entered the door, and then retreated a little to meet the next guest.

Lusen knew very well that being able to welcome guests here on behalf of the Minest family was a great opportunity for Horard's grandfather to give himself the opportunity to establish relationships with all the aristocratic families of Turin, and it was also a great opportunity to introduce himself and let the city's high society really know himself. Rather than thinking of yourself as a bohemian boy in an elegant place or a café.

Especially tonight...... Probably thanks to the "help" of the incoming Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Nafario Brindis, many of the most famous Dominican merchants in Turin began to seek the protection of the Mineste family, and even the president of the Wizards' Guild came to the banquet - although the Chancellor's slogan of "dismantling the Wizards' Guild" had not yet been realized, it was already being believed.

It was also because of these people's contributions that the dinner tonight had become so sumptuous and extravagant that even Russon could not help but stagger—these merchants had far more wealth in their hands than they had revealed, and when the gold was gathered, it contained power that could even shake a kingdom.

Power is hidden in gold and blood - this is what Horald Minest taught him, and although he does not fully understand the meaning of this sentence, it does not prevent Lusen from thinking about it himself.

"Commander-in-Chief of the Garrison of the Capital, Sir Grimm Turn!" Grimm on a white steed had stopped firmly in front of Luson and easily unsaddled off his saddle before the servant summoned at the gate could finish shouting.

Seeing his friend appear, Lu Sien's face immediately showed a little joy, and he hurriedly walked up: "Dear Lu Sien, you are about to scare me to death, I really almost thought that you really wouldn't come!"

"Friendship has nothing to do with politics, Lusen - I'm just here to celebrate today as a friend with your family. Greene Turn's smile and sigh, as if he had become helpless with his childhood friend: "I still can't accept your offer, and the reason is the same." ”

"And I don't have any intention of convincing you, because that's impossible. Ruthon smiled kindly, "The Radiant Cross is a testament to the loyalty of the Turnes, and it is because of this that I never doubt the friendship between the two of us. ”

Poor Green, when you become my friend, it is impossible to sever the connection between you and the Minest family, and when I step into the power core of this kingdom, it doesn't matter whether you want to or not, you will inevitably sacrifice a lot of things for me, and this friendship will also become an important bargaining chip on me, and I will never be stingy with it, until one day you will completely tomorrow this point.

Lusen sneered to himself, but his face was still filled with the joy of being "reconciled" with his friend—he certainly didn't think it was necessary for Green to understand now how ridiculous his simple "absolute loyalty" was, and the later he understood it, the better.

Since he had come to a friend's house for the party, Green had dressed up - a narrow purple cloak with silver buckles draped over his right shoulder, a dark aristocratic robe with a wide belt, and a sharp but light thin sword hanging on his left waist, which was completely the usual young aristocratic dress in Turin, and if it weren't for the golden shield badge on his right chest, the servant at the door might not have recognized the commander.

"How's it going, is the banquet going well?" Green, who was in a much lighter mood, asked with a smile, "I heard that there will be a fireworks display tonight, and it's really exciting." ”

"Thanks to President Ernst of the Wizards' Guild, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten that much fireworks. Lusen nodded, indicating that it was true, "Grandfather Holard is going to make everyone happy before the ceremony begins, but if it is actually put to the end...... Maybe it might work out better. ”

"If that's the case, everyone who left early will regret it. Green smiled slyly, "But I'm afraid there won't be such a fool? Who doesn't know how sumptuous the Minest family feast is, and there are no less than a hundred desserts alone." ”

"One hundred and twenty-five, to be exact, the person in charge of this year's banquet is Aunt Angelica, and she hopes that this rite of passage will 'go down in history' and give Cousin Alan an unforgettable memory. Speaking of this, Lu Sien also showed a concerned expression: "Alan suffered a lot when he was a child, and this coming-of-age ceremony is just a trivial comfort. ”

"The Radiant Cross is above, and I hope that is true. Green glanced at him with a slightly meaningful look: "So, are you ready to marry this lovely cousin, or are you planning to propose after a while?"

"Please don't look like this, it's not necessarily. Lusen smiled wryly: "If it really went well, I wouldn't have made that kind of suggestion to you - Alan doesn't like me, maybe in her opinion, people like me are too weak, girls who grew up in knight families are more fond of guys like you." ”

"And whether it's Aunt Angelica, or the rest of our family, it's more like to let Alan choose for herself. Lu Sien had a shy smile on his face: "Tonight belongs to her, and it belongs only to her." ”

"Have you sent an invitation to the palace, it seems unreasonable to invite Your Majesty to such a grand banquet. Green asked.

"Yes, but I'm afraid Your Majesty will only send a knight to bring a gift or something—you and I both know that His Majesty Horace will not attend such a banquet. What's more, the weather is getting colder, and it is already a matter of time before winter comes, and if we make His Majesty seriously ill, the Minest family will blame themselves very much. ”

"Come on. Green couldn't help laughing, and inadvertently glanced towards the street, and then the whole person immediately stood in place, raised his right eyebrow in surprise, and couldn't help but say to Lusen behind him: "You just ...... What did you say?"

"I said His Majesty Horace would certainly not...... The banner of the flaming goshawk is the royal carriage?!" Lu Sien, who turned his head, was also startled, and saw the familiar golden carriage driving towards this side from a distance, and there was a holy tree knight in front of him with a few palace guards in front of him and said: "Green Turn, what's going on?!"

"I didn't get any notice. Grimm was more surprised than him, and the two frightened friends hurried to get ready to take over, but it was too late, and the carriage had already stopped outside the gate.

(Thanks to the two book friends Roaring Assen and Meng Dan for their tips!)