As Shade spoke, he turned his head slightly to look out the window at the early spring night in Tobesk, watching the dim light of the gas lamp on one side of the street passing by the side of the carriage:
"Carina, if the count has a minor accident locally, will it affect the negotiations?"
"Of course, it will cause diplomatic problems, but if it is not local, it will be fine."
Shade nodded:
"I see."
Miss Carina looked at his thoughtful look and said:
"This is the first time I've seen you taking the initiative to make bad decisions. In my opinion, you are the kind of person who... doesn't care much about the law, but values morality very much."
Shade continued to look out the window:
"I never consider myself a good person in the traditional sense, so this allows me to have a more flexible moral bottom line. I have done a lot of bad things, and I am even better at breaking into the void. Besides, my heart is not made of stone.
Yes, isn’t it normal to be angry about something and hate or hate someone? I read an interesting love story in Randall Valley, and then I understood that you should cherish the person you love. Don’t worry, I don’t
He would kill someone for such a trivial matter. But since the count himself is not a good person, and I am very idle recently, I might as well find something to do for myself."
The beautiful witch then bit her lower lip:
"Does this count as being jealous because of me?"
Shade turned his head and blinked:
"Now that I have made a breakthrough in our relationship, of course I will be jealous because of you. Just like what is written in those palace erotic novels, if you want me to duel with others for you, I will not refuse.
"
"I didn't expect you to read that kind of novel. I thought only Agelina would like it... Do you know? Now, you have never made me feel like you are a living person.
.”
This sentence sounded strange, after all, Shade had always been a living person. But he had no chance to express his doubts, because Miss Carina took the initiative to hold his hand and kissed him.
The carriage drove towards St. Teresa's Square in the night. It was ten o'clock in the evening. It must be that tonight will be another peaceful night.
The following Friday will be the registration time for the "1854 Tour of Torbesk Equestrian Competition". The registration deadline is this Sunday. Although there is still a long time, Shade decided to complete the registration today.
Process, he is not someone who puts things off until the last day.
This morning, he was not woken up by Mia. This was not because Shade woke up earlier than the cat, but because the cat who slept in the guest room with the maids did not have time to get into the room. It was waiting for the maids in the kitchen.
Make breakfast.
Although there was no "Mia alarm clock", Shade still woke up on time at 6:30. He yawned and wanted to get up, but the red-haired lady hugging his neck lazily pulled him back into the quilt.
:
"What are you doing waking up so early? Let's sleep a little longer."
The end of her voice when she spoke with her eyes closed was very similar to Lesia's tone when she acted coquettishly to Shade. Shade wanted to get up. After all, there were still many things to do today, but the witch grabbed the handle and pulled him back.
Under the quilt:
"Really, being so energetic so early in the morning makes me wonder if I wasn't charming enough last night."
As he spoke, he hugged Shade, causing the two of them to not leave the bedroom until half past seven.
Although outsiders are already familiar with living alone, it is still very nice not to have to make breakfast by themselves. And Miss Carina, who is used to life in manors and castles, does not have any other opinions because of the simplicity of the Shade family, and she and Xia De
We had breakfast together at the dining table.
Speaking of which, thanks to the large number of guest rooms in Shade's house, otherwise the maids and ladies who followed the Duke would have had no place to stay last night.
At the breakfast table, when Shade was holding a newspaper in one hand and touching Mia with the other, the witch across the table suddenly asked:
"Speaking of which, is your badge a little different?"
"Yes."
The Detection Witch's badge was originally made by Miss Carina for Shade, so of course she could see it. However, Shade was not wearing the badge at this time. Before going to bed last night, he took off the badge and put it on the bedside.
Up:
"The space left by the ancient gods - the furnace in the center of the earth."
He briefly described that space, and the witch listened carefully as if it was something new, but had no intention of going to see it after the meal. However, when Shade sent her and the maids downstairs, the duchess stood in the hall.
After looking at the house, he suggested:
"When spring comes and the weather is nice, do you want to renovate your house? You can stay at my place temporarily during the renovation period."
"Renovation? Why do we need to renovate? Wasn't it renovated last year?"
Shade asked curiously.
"Oh, it wasn't decoration last year, it was just to make the house from dilapidated to habitable. You can think about it yourself, I think Lecia, Louisa and Anat will not object to it."
She said lightly, then approached Shade and kissed the side of his face:
"Speaking of which, did you forget to give me something?"
She asked again with a smile, and Shade blinked suspiciously, so the voice of "her" in his ears almost appeared together with the movements of the maid next to him.
【key.】
Tifa made a gesture of turning the key to open the door.
"Oh yes."
Shade suddenly understood, took out the key from the cookie box in the shoe cabinet, took one off the iron ring and handed it to the lady in front of him:
"Carina, this is the spare key to my house."
The witch smiled and took it away, and instead of handing it to Tifa for safekeeping, she stuffed it into the pocket of her skirt:
"If you encounter any trouble recently, remember to come to me at any time. Although I may be a little busy during this period, at least I am not like little Lesia, who can only see you once a week."
She said goodbye to Shade in a good mood, and then boarded the carriage at the door of Shade's house. Shade held the door open and watched the carriage go away on the front steps, and then realized in hindsight that what she said
"Trouble" probably refers to Shade's desire to trouble the Earl of the Southern Kingdom.
【Do you have any plans?】
she asked softly.
"Of course there is, but we'll have to wait until the time comes. After all, plans can't keep up with changes."
Shade did not close the door immediately, but looked at the scenery in the foggy square, and then stretched out uncivilized at the door of his home.
When preparing to go home, the neighbor's door happened to open. Mr. Smith and Mrs. Smith were dressed as if they were going out.
Now that we have met, it is natural to say a few words about the recent weather. The old man, who was once the chief secretary of the Kingdom's Ministry of Finance, also asked Xia De with great interest:
"Hamilton, do you want to sign up for this year's riding competition around the city?"
"certainly."
Shade said with a smile, and then received blessings from the neighbors. When he closed the door, he thought of last year's "1853 Big City Players" from the riding competition, and from "Big City Players" to the doctor before the competition.
The bets placed and the money earned.
"Hmm~"
Shade nodded slightly and decided to discuss this matter with Dr. Schneider during the group study meeting tomorrow.
The only important thing this Friday is to sign up for the competition. This time no one sent Shade a special invitation.
As usual, Xiao Mia was unwilling to move at home, so Shade could only go out by himself. The registration location was on Silver Cross Avenue, in the room on the left on the first floor of the city hall.
Shade originally thought that the process would be simple, but he didn't expect to know that he had to queue up to get a number after he arrived. Probably because it is a similar situation every year, a row of chairs was placed along the wall of the corridor for gentlemen who came to sign up to sit.
Come down and wait.
The city hall in the early morning was very deserted. Although the civil servants had already arrived at their posts, most of them were reading newspapers or chatting with each other to understand the situation. In the corridor on the first floor, there were only people waiting to sign up and the portraits of "outstanding civil servants" hanging on the walls.
His eyes seemed to be staring at them closely.
Although according to the rules, anyone can register for this competition, in fact, the entry threshold for the "Tobesk Spring Ring Riding Competition" is much higher than that for "big city players".
Contestants from Dacheng players only need to have a genuine deck of their own and pay the registration fee to participate, but the riding competition needs to prepare their own horses and armor. As for the one-handed knight sword and bow and arrow, it is decided by the organizer.
to provide.
For people living in this era, even ordinary nobles may not be able to prepare a complete set of usable armor and horse gear, let alone ordinary citizens. Therefore, this is actually a game for the nobles.
Shade is now considered a "famous" in Tobesk City. When he sat down to wait, someone around him recognized him. The gentlemen waiting for the number to be called greeted each other and complimented each other, and then chatted casually.
Get up, or communicate with each other about this year's competition.
A man who calls himself "Baron Leipzig of Windsor Castle" revealed that this year's race schedule may be different from previous years. His Majesty the King has new ideas, so there may be new projects added. And Tobesk's local horse business
Baron Oliver told everyone that there is only one death indicator for this year's competition:
"My wife's cousin does paperwork at Ledwich Stadium. He told me that because His Majesty was greatly annoyed by the death of two players in last year's schedule, he ordered the Ledwich Stadium to be prepared for the game this year.
, if the death quota is exceeded, our police chief, Mr. Feynman, will be in trouble."
The baron said with a smile, and Viscount Chekov, who was wearing a red coat, white knickerbockers and a feathered hat, said:
"I remember the two deaths last year. One died of tetanus after the game, and the other died of a cold infection during the game. In previous years, there would not have been such heavy casualties."
This Viscount Chekhov is also an acquaintance of Shade. When Shade went to Lakeview Manor for the second time to attend the grand wedding banquet early last winter, Shade played cards with him. This Viscount has a rich family fortune and is still somewhat famous.
's poet.
"What will happen if I accidentally injure someone or even kill someone during the race? Although no one is willing to do this, accidents will inevitably happen."
Xia De asked on the side. Everyone knew that he was participating in the competition for the first time, so they were willing to explain the situation to him:
"If it's just a minor injury, no one will pursue it. If it's a major casualty, Rydwich Field will intervene in the investigation, but as long as it's not intentional, it's basically just compensation."
Viscount Chekov said, and then asked Xiang Shade with a smile:
"It will definitely be interesting to have Rejed's Hamilton competing this year. Knight, in whose name will you swear your loyalty later?"
The surrounding gentlemen all laughed in unison, and Shade also smiled:
"You'll know about it in tomorrow's paper."
For such an important event, major newspapers in the city, including the Tobesk Morning News and the Terrarel Evening News, will publish information about the contestants who have signed up for the competition for several days in a row, including their family background and personal privacy, for the public’s benefit.
They talked about it for fun. But the contestants not only didn't mind, but were proud of themselves for receiving more attention.
Generally speaking, there are no more than fifty contestants each year, so it is appropriate to devote a full page to reporting on it.
It was not until 10:30 that morning that it was finally Shade's turn to enter the office with the temporary sign "Registration Office for the 1854 Equestrian Competition."
This is the largest office on the first floor of the city hall. Outside the window is the courtyard of the city hall, and outside is the crowded Silver Cross Avenue. From here, you can even see the corner of the building in Saint Teresa Square in the distance.
The room was now divided into two parts. On the left side was a desk and a bookshelf filled with kraft paper bags. On the desk were piles of forms and registration instructions that smelled of ink. The right side of the room was arranged as
In a place similar to a tailor's shop, an old man with a measuring tape hanging around his neck was bending over and writing something on a table with a piece of cloth on the table.
"Good morning, Mr. Hamilton."
Mr. Morris, a middle-aged man wearing a black formal uniform at the registration desk, obviously recognized Shade. He stood up from the chair behind the desk, shook hands with Shade, and then introduced the situation. The two reporters sitting on the bench also began to take notes.
Maybe the conversation will be published in the newspaper tomorrow.
"Let me confirm first, have you prepared your horses and armor?"
"Yes, Carina has already, I mean Miss Carina has already prepared it for me."
Mr. Morris nodded:
"Then the registration process is very simple for you. You don't need to bother with the registration form. Yesterday the Duke had his servant send you your basic information. What you need to pay attention to is this 'Competition Supplies List'. Please fill it out in the next week. Send it here before get off work at six o'clock in the evening."
The items that need to be filled in on that list are the horse's pedigree, age, color, and the style and size of the stomach.
"You also know the dangers of the city riding competition. Here is an information form. After signing, you are aware of the dangers of participating in the competition."
Another document was handed to Shade, which was a five-page stapled paper that listed accidents that might occur during the competition. Once these dangers were encountered, the contestants could not ask for it from the organizer.
Compensatory.
Shade turned it over a little, then raised his eyebrows:
"Wait a minute, someone really died of kidney failure during a game? What kind of death was that?"
Mr. Morris, who was familiar with the situation of the competition, stood beside the table and supported the table, and explained with a smile:
"That was more than twenty years ago. Count Lucius, who came all the way from Ang County, won the first place in the first equestrian competition. To celebrate that night, he found many beautiful local ladies...
...and then unfortunately died suddenly that night. The count was only 31 years old at the time, which is really regrettable. But this incident also tells us not to challenge the physiological limits of human beings easily."
Shade nodded and continued to flip back, and found more bizarre accidents, such as "unfortunately hitting himself while shooting". He had no idea how a person could do such a thing.
"Oh, the Knight of Laiman seventeen years ago was the first to complete all the targets when shooting fixed targets. Seeing another arrow, for reasons we don't know, he shot the arrow into the sky, and then
When he turned around and waved to his wife, he was hit by the arrow as soon as he took two steps."
Mr. Morris shook his head sadly again:
"The Cavalier's shooting skills were quite good, and people thought he was the favorite to win the championship that year."
Shade continued to flip back. After reading the document and signing his name, Mr. Morris coughed and asked Shade in a formal voice:
"Hamilton of Rejed, please swear that you will display the spirit of chivalry during the game. Defend honor, be brave and fearless, show mercy to the weak, and win the championship for the glory of Delrayon. May I ask what you want to do?
Come and take the oath?"
Shade did not answer immediately, but asked:
"May I know what the previous applicants said?"
The reporter is still recording, because these contents will be published in the newspaper tomorrow, so Mr. Morris will not hide it:
"The eldest son of the Marquis of Lyon from Green Lake City, swears by the honor of the family; Viscount Chris Rendall, who lives in the East District of Tobesk, swears by the name of his new wife; as for the person in front of you from Carson
Sir Groom came from Rick. He swore by the national treasure of Carson Rick, the green-winged egret that lives in the Willendale area. Oh, I almost forgot that early this morning, the first person to sign up was La Nader.
·Earl Baggins, he swore by the garter of our noble Queen Diana...I don’t recommend that you imitate Earl Baggins, he is Queen Diana’s cousin and he dares to say that.”
Shade nodded clearly. He can now swear as a knight of "Hamilton of Rejed", or as a girl around him. Even if he doesn't mind his own reputation, he can swear in the name of Xiao Mia.
of.
But Lesia already told him what to do:
"In the name of Her Royal Highness Princess Lesia Cavendish, I will abide by the five virtues of chivalry, defend honor, and use bravery to win victory."
"Your Highness Lesiya?"
Mr. Morris was a little hesitant, but the reporters taking notes on the side suddenly became interested.
"is it not OK?"
Shade asked, and Mr. Morris shook his head hurriedly:
"Of course, it's just... you do this, oh, I shouldn't say this kind of thing, but you do this, Miss Carina..."
"It's okay, I've already told her."
Mr. Morris showed an expression of awe, and he looked at Shade carefully:
"No problem, Hamilton of Rejed, I swear by Your Highness Lesia. If you win, I think His Majesty the King will definitely let His Highness personally present you with the award."
"The bards in the tavern will definitely be excited to death."
Shade also smiled and said.
After finishing the registration and paying the registration fee of 20 pounds, he went to the tailor on the other side of the room and asked him to measure the size of his clothes. Although the armor was prepared by each applicant, the organizer would
Customized formal attire for the participating "knights" to attend the banquet.
This set of clothes is not mandatory to wear, it just follows the traditional process. Compared with the actual meaning, the symbolic meaning of tailoring is the most important.
After tailoring the suit, Shade was assigned his own camp in the camp outside the "Edward III Arena" where the competition was held. It was a camp consisting of tents and stables, and it belonged entirely to Shade and his servants during the competition.
Use. Shade got a map of the location of the camp. When he walked out of the city hall, he was already very interested in the game that will start on Sunday and start next Monday.