The spacious mansion is like a small palace, with neat lawns and exquisite floor cuts, presenting an elegant and generous landscape. After the Praetorian Guards recently stopped arresting and trying suspects, the place has also returned to its former bustle.
Today, Earl Howard hosted a banquet for guests, and many nobles in the imperial capital were invited.
Within the empire, counts can be said to be the top of the nobility, but there are actually only four dukes. Their status is similar to that of kings. The entire country has four levels of titles: duke, earl, viscount, baron, and lord.
Honorary titles are only given to those with outstanding talents or honors and cannot be hereditary.
The promotion of a title is not easy. In fact, in peacetime, the title basically does not change. Some nobles with small titles are even in danger of slipping. The historical background of each large-scale knighthood is generally that the empire conducts external affairs.
Pioneering, this is why the expedition attracted so many people a few years ago.
Today, nearly a thousand years after the founding of the Empire, there are no more than 100 families with earl titles, and the number of earl families that still maintain corresponding status and real power hovers around 60-70.
Such a rare and distinguished position symbolizes power, wealth, status, etc., and therefore they often have great influence.
"Welcome to my mansion as a guest."
The slightly fat Earl Howard, with his hair slicked back and wearing a custom-made black dress, stood on the steps of the central staircase of the hall, opening his hands to greet the many guests below.
He spoke in an unhurried voice, with the calmness unique to a superior person, and his blue eyes slowly scanned the invited people, looking for the person he was interested in chatting with today.
For a nobleman like him, wealth is no longer a problem. As long as he does not engage in treason or other things in the empire, his status will basically not change. The title of earl was inherited by him when he was born, just like his father and ancestors.
It's the same, natural, and destined. They all receive guests in this luxurious hall like this. He has seen his grandfather do this and his father do this since he was a child, and he does it himself today.
If you want to say that you are bored, you are not. He is very adaptable to this kind of scene. It is like a legacy engraved in his blood. He enjoys everyone’s compliments and words. As long as he sits at the table in the banquet, there will be a steady flow of them.
People came over to tell him the latest news and interesting things. All he had to do was taste the wine slowly and occasionally nod his head to express his praise for the visitor. This was also his favorite pastime, which not only showed his
He can enhance the nobility of his family, gain a good reputation, and pass the boring time.
Today, after briefly entertaining these guests, he slowly walked to the fixed corner. The view here is excellent and not very eye-catching (in his opinion). When he was not an adult, he sat here and took a fancy to Viscount Eiland.
His daughter Marilyn later naturally became his wife.
After the waiter mixed him the orange-red Cointreau, he sniffed it gently and sighed at the fragrance that had remained unchanged for ten years. Then he raised his hand slightly, and the waiter beside him immediately stepped back with understanding, followed by a
A man in a formal dress stepped forward.
"Good evening, Lord Count. I am very pleased to see that you are still in good health."
"Okay, okay, Hewlett. Tell me something interesting. Have you lost money again recently?" Howard waved his hand.
Baron Hewlett is a follower he has been familiar with since he was a child. Although his abilities are average, he has wanted to make a fortune since he was a child. He has started many new industries over the years, but unfortunately he always loses more. Sometimes when you are short of money or have no way out, you will find it.
He comes here.
He was not interested in Hewlett's popcorn-sized industry at all, but it was interesting to hear him talk about the process of losing money every time, so he didn't let his servants stop him.
"Wise and noble Earl, I have recently discovered a new wealth business opportunity." Hewlett sounded the familiar tone as soon as he came up, which made Howard couldn't help but raise the beard on his lips.
"Okay, old man, let's talk about it." He changed his position and crossed his legs.
"I wonder if you have heard about a caravan that has just arrived in the imperial capital recently. They are the Lagdis Chamber of Commerce, and they have brought many mysterious products from the East."
"The East is so wonderful." Howard slowly tasted the wine and remembered the shock he felt when he saw the world map in his grandfather's study when he was a child.
The East is a distant and vast world. People in the empire know about it, but their understanding is not very deep, so they are full of various assumptions and fantasies.
Some people say that there is wealth everywhere, rare treasures everywhere, porcelain and silk, which are more expensive than gold, are available in every household in the empire. Oriental women have smooth skin, no body odor, and do not age all year round. It is like another world.
.
Although Howard has never been to the East, his family still collects many books and travel notes describing the East, in which many real or imaginary things are described, which makes people feel like they are in the clouds and have endless reveries.
"This time they not only brought Eastern silk and porcelain, but also brought many things from the East that they had never seen before." Hewlett knew that the Earl was interested in the East.
"Among them are gauze feather coats that can shine through candlelight, elixirs that can make people live a hundred years, fine wines that make people dream of the past, dolls dancing on the table, and strange clouds that show the oriental wonderland.
Pearls..." The baron used his vocabulary and imagination to describe things that had never been seen before.
Although he was already filled with desire in his heart, Howard still maintained his outward expression, nodded gently, expressed slight approval, and then interrupted him appropriately.
"Although it sounds very good, who knows whether it is true or not, hey..." He sighed with pretense of regret, and then rolled his eyes slightly.
"Of course it's true, I saw it with my own eyes." Seeing the earl's interest, Hewlett immediately responded eagerly.
"Moreover, the eldest lady of the Lagdis Chamber of Commerce is so beautiful that she is like the bright moon in the sky, like a rare and incomparable gem, which makes people's eyes unable to turn away."
"Oh, how beautiful it can be." Howard smiled. The most indispensable thing among the nobles is beauties. They have land and wealth. The maids around them have been carefully selected since childhood. Descriptions of such looks have long been forgotten.
Sensitive.
"Uh...just like...comparable to the old princess." Hewlett couldn't find any good metaphor, so he could only say this.
"Tell me how much the young lady received for such a compliment." The beard on Howard's lips curled up again.
The legitimate daughter of the Landsworth family, the former Crown Princess, and the future White Queen, Frocia's face was the most beautiful and peerless that the nobles and commoners of the imperial capital had ever seen in their lives.
Although the Crown Princess was very indifferent to socializing and rarely attended banquets, her words even in the mansion and the clothes she wore every day were the topic of discussion throughout the empire at that time. Countless noble ladies and women were obsessed with it.
Following her trend in dressing up, this person is a figure on the ceiling of the entire empire in terms of identity, appearance, talent, etc. He has almost no shortcomings and is also the most perfect object in countless people's dreams.
And Hewlett actually used the White Queen as a metaphor today, which was too flattering. Howard shook his head secretly after hearing this, and he also had some doubts about the oriental things he mentioned before.
"My lord, you must believe me. There is really nothing false about it." Hewlett's face showed an eager and anxious look.
"Okay, okay, for the sake of old friends, I don't care how much benefit you receive from the eldest lady. After that, I will ask the housekeeper to give you an invitation, and you can just give it to the eldest lady."
"But what interests me is not her appearance, but those oriental things you mentioned before. I hope you won't disappoint me this time."
"And let me remind you in advance not to fool me with any tricks. I have seen many real treasures from the East. If you do that, you are insulting me. Do you understand?"
"Honorable Lord Hewlett, I understand. How could I deceive you? Hewlett will always be your most loyal follower." After receiving the reply, the down-and-out baron became calm and polite, and bowed respectfully.
, and then withdrew with a smile on his face.
Looking at the back of his childhood friend, Howard shook his head slightly and tapped on the table.
Next one. He wanted to continue to hear what interesting news the next guest brought him.
"Good evening, lord count."
"Good evening, Lady Vanessa."
A graceful lady sat down. The fine gemstones on the jewelry in front of her reflected colorful flashes under the light. But what caught the eye even more was the slim and smooth silk dress, which accentuated her graceful figure.
It is revealed, and the interlaced silver thread embroidery on it is lifelike, giving people a mysterious charm of the East.
"I came here today because I actually want to introduce a friend to Mr. Howard."
Familiar words were repeated again, and the legend about the mysterious and beautiful lady of the Chamber of Commerce also began to spread in the imperial capital.
——————
A few days later in the evening, the courtyard where Lagerdis' caravan was located.
Lorraine Hill was dressing up in front of the mirror at the moment, preparing for the banquet tonight.
Thanks to the publicity these days, the reputation of this caravan has spread rapidly in the imperial capital, and some big nobles have also begun to be interested in Miss Lacey and have sent invitations one after another.
But Lorraine Hill didn't want to visit them one by one, which would not only be time-consuming and laborious, but she also liked being invited to various banquets so frequently and being looked at with various eyes for a long time.
If it weren't for this plan and she really needed to actually attend the banquet to see the situation at the top of the empire, she might not have even thought about showing up. Although sensitivity is helpful in training and fighting, in this unfamiliar social life
The occasion only made little Luo Lan even more shy.
Wow, it would be nice if there was a substitute. Looking at herself in the mirror being gradually dressed up by the two maids beside her, this thought suddenly came to the girl's mind.
"Okay, miss, it's all sorted."
"Thank you, Yugolia." The girl woke up from her imagination and looked at herself in the mirror.
Today she is wearing a white and blue exquisite long dress, with white as the base and blue and white roses on it. The waist is also tied with a light blue belt, and two light ribbons hang down the sides. The overall style
There is a pure freshness, paired with the golden hair that is as warm as the sun, just like the morning light in winter.
In today's empire, which prefers red and black, dressing up like this is obviously different and brings a strange impact to people.
After finishing dressing up, Lorraine Hill and the two maids walked down the stairs and walked slowly outside the courtyard, where a special white carriage had been waiting for a long time.
The car body is decorated with some vines, and the surrounding decoration is dotted with roses in flame yellow and pure white. The horses are also pulled by two beautiful unicorns, who are tapping their hooves lightly on the ground to pass the time.
"Good evening." The girl greeted Vio who was driving. Then she came to the two unicorns and stroked them gently. She recalled the method Frocia taught her in the past to appease the two natural sequence 5 unicorns.
beast.
A long time ago, unicorns were a rare monster that lived in the forest. Later, they were tamed by elves, and their numbers increased slightly.
Later, the forest elves and humans jointly established a country, and a group of elves or humans with bloodlines from both sides were born. They gradually became the bridge between the two races, and the most famous one among them was the Landsworth family, the Duke of Unicorns.
This ducal family that guards the east of the empire has always been rich in poets and artists. It is the most moderate family among the four dukes and has an excellent reputation among the nobles.
Nowadays, the Landsworth family raises more unicorns than elves, and has multiple elite knights in the east, patrolling the vast and peaceful land.
After appeasing the two unicorns that were temporarily borrowed from the forest elves, Lorraine Hill and the maids boarded the carriage, and then the two unicorns pulled the white rose carriage towards the Silver Moon Street where the nobles gathered.
The carriage turned around the street in the envious and curious eyes of passers-by, and walked into an increasingly tidy area. There were no longer various stores on both sides of the street, but instead there were long and narrow wrought iron walls, exposing lawns, gardens, and green trees.
.
These are private residences belonging to nobles. Many of the great nobles in the empire have their own residences in this area, making it convenient for them to attend meetings, hold office, or meet saints in the imperial capital.
"Miss, Lord Earl Howard's residence has arrived." Vio's voice came from the front, and the carriage slowly stopped.
Looking through the car window, the mansion is now full of lively people. Many nobles are dancing at the banquet. The melodious and soothing music can be heard a little far away.
It seemed that the banquet had already begun. Lorraine Hill was thoughtful, and then slowly walked out of the carriage with the support of the maid.
The white shoes are like exquisite works of art. The sides are decorated with light pink ribbons and flowers. The crossed ribbons show off the slenderness of the calves. Going up the white stockings, there is a white and blue rose skirt, a girl with a dreamy appearance.
Enter this mortal world.
"La...Lagdis Chamber of Commerce, Miss Lacey is here~"
The attendant recovered from the shock and shouted his name nervously, and then many eyes gathered and looked at the door leading to the outside world.
Just like that, a girl wearing a white and blue rose dress came into everyone's sight. Her footsteps were like ripples on the lake, rippling in the heart, making people's hearts beat and sing loudly.
If the eldest daughter of the Landsworth family is a sun gem wrapped in golden flame roses, then this girl is the flawless moon surrounded by clear roses, hazy and dreamy, making people feel like they are falling into a dream.
"Maybe they really didn't exaggerate."
Standing on the stairs, Earl Howard opened his mouth slightly in surprise, and then felt a magical sense of mission spreading throughout his body and mind.
Perhaps, this girl will change all the trends in the imperial capital. Because even he cannot refuse such alluring beauty.
In the aristocratic world far away from the troubles of the world, only beauty and power prevail, and this girl has one of them.
