The 30th of April.
The atmosphere in Hollier changed slightly because of the banquet that was about to be held at the Ducal Palace. The number of carriages on the streets had increased significantly. The nobles living in various parts of Eiffta had begun to collectively rush over from their manors outside the city or from nearby cities.
This banquet had invited all the powerful lords in Eiffta. As it was a formal banquet, the lords would also bring their wives and children to attend. Hence, there were more than two hundred people attending. And this was just the number of nobles and their families. If the private soldiers, butlers, and servants that they brought with them were included, the number had already exceeded two thousand.
Fortunately, the back garden of the Ducal Palace was large enough. Otherwise, a banquet of this scale would not have been able to be held so easily. Butler John had borrowed hundreds of maids, attendants, and chefs from all over the place. Just the expenses up until the start of the banquet was already equivalent to the taxes of dozens of villages.
Duke, who had always lived a simple life, had suddenly become so extravagant. Naturally, it was not purely for the sake of "showing off". But as for his ultimate goal, everyone was still speculating.
And in the "Pig's Head Bar," when the owner, Hook, was still in a daze, Roddy had already tidied up his robe, pushed open the dirty wooden door, and led the ugly pack horse along the street towards the Ducal Palace where the nobles were gathered.
Although it was called a "banquet," in fact, all the preparations had already begun a few days ago. On the morning of the 30th, nobles and knights had already begun to participate.
The "banquet" in this period was actually common among the "knights." Although "Taotie" was listed as one of the seven deadly sins by the "Rose Cross Church," these knights with huge appetites still generally liked to hunt before the banquet to show off their strength.
Because of this, before the banquet began, a group of knights and barons had already ridden their warhorses and brought hunting dogs to the hunting area outside of Hollier. In the afternoon, they carried the wild boars, deer, and rabbits that their men had hunted and returned to the banquet. They were the first to receive the first wave of cheers and applause.
Dozens of open tents had been set up in the quiet back garden. Tables were neatly arranged according to the level of status. The middle area of the banquet was traditionally a "dance floor." The musicians at the side had already begun to adjust the instruments in their hands.
As the sun set, the nobles began to enter the venue in their luxurious clothes.
Their expressions were subtle as they scanned the garden that belonged to the biggest lord of Efta. It was obvious that this banquet had a special meaning in their eyes. However, the "baronesses" and "viscountesses" who followed them were obviously not interested in the political struggle. They were more used to being their "vases", quietly competing with each other with their well-tailored dresses and exquisite jewelry. In the slightly hot weather, the white cleavage under the low-cut collars had become a scenery that the men present were happy to enjoy.
In contrast, the young nobles' children were much simpler. They did not participate in the conversation between the adults. Most of them formed their own small circles. Because the nobles lived in their own territories all year round, most of the children of the lords came here as a "blind date." While the lords were scheming against each other, the heirs who had just reached adulthood or underage had already begun to contact and test each other, laying the groundwork for more marriages and cooperation in the future.
When night fell and the banquet began, the Dukes Of Angmar walked into the venue in a purple robe. Such a plain appearance made the worried nobles inexplicably relieved. After all, in the eyes of most of the nobles, this old man seemed to be extremely powerful.
The scene of him establishing a foothold in Efta with ruthless means more than ten years ago had left a deep impression on too many old nobles. But now it seemed that this Lord Dukes was really … old.
Although his white hair was neatly combed, his loose skin and wrinkles could not hide the fact that he was old. Because of the damage caused by the "Soul Extraction Potion," the Dukes Of Angmar's face looked much older than his actual age. So when he slowly walked into the venue with his back slightly hunched, he did not seem to have any of the power he had in the past. It only gave people the feeling that he was an old man with one foot in the grave.
As the lord of the territory, the Dukes Of Angmar did not speak any nonsense. He only gave a simple speech and announced the start of the banquet. The venue was huge, and it was too difficult to hear one person speak clearly. So, the real highlight was the small scale communication after the banquet began.
The servants began to serve the freshly roasted meat to the table. The outdoor banquet was different from the indoor banquet. There was no requirement to sit at the table and finish all the main dishes. So after a few simple bites, most of the nobles began to whisper to each other with their wine glasses in their hands …
"Angmar is old after all. This time, I'm afraid he put on a show to compromise."
"No matter how powerful he was when he was young, he has to admit that he is old. His son is dead, and his daughter has entered the church. Although they can come back, they will not be able to achieve anything. "
"What about Wellington and Titus? No matter what, they should come out to support the situation. Ha, is this the initiative to show weakness? "
"They are not strong to begin with. How can they say that they are weak? The two Grand Knights are just there to support the situation. If they really fight, what can they do even if they are strong? "
"By the way, why didn't Viscount Juan come?"
"Maybe this is also a kind of attitude. We don't need to guess what he is thinking now."
The voices of the lords were not loud, but if one listened carefully, most of them were not optimistic about Angmar. Some of them even showed hostility. But at this time, the Dukes Of Angmar did not seem to hear it at all. He was whispering and talking with a few lords with a smile. From his face, there was no extra emotion at all.
The other nobles knew that the few barons who were talking with Angmar were the only people in Eiferta who were willing to support him.
But such a ratio was really too pitiful. It was no wonder that the lords who were used to changing the direction of the wind stood on the opposite side of Angmar. The Lucifron Family had lost its power and was now powerless to turn the situation around. Instead of letting those resources be in the hands of this old man, it was better to directly snatch it from his hands and manage it well …
From their point of view, no matter how squandered the resources, it was still better than the militaristic support of the border.
The banquet slowly went on with the accompaniment of the band. At the edge of the venue that was made up of dozens of tents, Roddy had already changed into a dark green suit. He stood silently in the shadows, silently scanning this group of people who made him a little disheartened.
Except for a few nobles in Hollier City who had seen Roddy before, almost no one in the whole of Eiferta could confirm his true identity through his appearance. So when the slightly unsociable Roddy stood here, he looked more like a "poor man" who had no social relations and was excluded from the mainstream circle.
Listening to the indistinct conversation of the nobles, the coldness in Roddy's eyes became more obvious. But just as he picked up his wine glass and tasted the fine fruit wine that was specially transported from Erza Village, he suddenly heard some footsteps from the empty space beside him. Turning his head, he saw that it was a young boy who was pouting angrily and stomping his feet when he walked. It was obvious that he had been wronged.
Compared to the lords, the young nobles' children were obviously not very interested in "political struggles." Although thirteen or fourteen-year-old children already knew a little about the stakes, they ultimately had no right to speak at such a banquet. So these young heirs left their parents who were dressed up to attend the banquet and formed their own small circles. Whether they quarreled or played, they did not care about the situation of the Dukes Of Angmar.
Quentin was fourteen this year. After an unpleasant conversation with a few of his peers, he wanted to be alone at the edge of the banquet hall. But as he walked, he saw a young nobleman standing in front of him.
Although he said he was a nobleman, it was only from his clothes. After all, other than the waiters, only nobles would attend this banquet. Quentin naturally thought that he was the eldest son of a certain lord. Because Roddy looked too young, he was at most twenty years old. Apart from the "dead" Baron Sodelor, there was no such young lord in Eiferta.
"Is there something bothering you?"
Rody was just casually asking. His actual age was about 28 years old and he was not interested in the thoughts of a child. He only answered to prevent the other party from becoming suspicious.
"It is indeed bothersome, but it has nothing to do with you." Quentin was rather hot-tempered. In fact, it was a problem unique to youths in their rebellious phase. But at least he remembered to find out the background of the family in front of him. "Which family are you from? You haven't seen them before, have you? "
Listening to his pretentious question, Roddy smiled and shrugged. "The Medici family, from the south of the kingdom. I just happened to be here."
"Medici? Never heard of them. "Quentin shook his head. Although he wanted to pretend to be cool, he could not resist the urge to complain. He said," My name is Quentin, from the Vlaar family … Forget it, there's no point in talking about this. You must know about the Lucifron family, right? That Duke has been bullied by them to the point where he can't even lift his head. Even when he brought me along, he would be laughed at by those guys. "
The first part of the sentence was understandable, but the latter part surprised Roddy. "Why would they laugh at you? Are you related to the Dukes Of Angmar? "
"Of course I'm related!"
Quentin reached out to tidy up his slightly messy wheat-colored hair. He said angrily, "My father is the only lord who is willing to support Lord Duke. But now that Duke's power has declined, those guys have been sneering at me since the beginning of the meal. Basta that stupid pig even said that when my family falls, I can scrub his toilet … What a * * hole!"
Quentin uttered some inarticulate slang word, evidently rude in its meaning.
"I argued with them, but there were too many of them. I couldn't win. What a bunch of bastards!"
Quentin said as he kicked the wooden flower basket. Then he remembered that he did not know Roddy's' stance '. He looked up and asked, "Don't tell me you're also working with those guys to oppress Duke?"
"I have no reason to do so." Roddy looked at the boy in front of him who still had a childish face. The anger that gathered in his heart dissipated a lot. The existence of people like Quentin's father meant that the meaning of the word 'nobility' was not completely rotten yet.
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