Chapter 241 The Banquet (Part 2) Friction, Recent Situation, Battlefield...
"Lay asked you how you've been lately, and whether you've been mistreated."
"Apart from the restriction of my freedom, everything is fine."
Neil answered.
The Duchess arranged many tutors for him to learn etiquette and other trivial things. But she deliberately limited his magical studies, only requiring him to be able to conjure a small flame.
Her original intention was simply to allow Neil to perform in front of the family, thereby demonstrating his legitimate right to inherit the family business.
However, things backfired somewhat.
Neil possesses exceptional talent, but due to his late awakening, he is temporarily unable to control his magic. Each attempt to use it results in immense destructive power.
The process of shrinking a flame and condensing it into a small flame in the palm of your hand is the process of learning to control magic.
This will be beneficial and harmless for Neil in controlling his own magic and in his future studies in this area.
"Where is my brother? How is he? Has he found a place to stay since he came to the capital?"
Neil was more concerned about Ray's experiences during this time than about himself.
The Duke's mansion was unsafe, and sending messages was difficult. Apart from the initial note, no other messages had been sent through, and he was very worried about Lai's life in the royal city.
After receiving the note, Neil clung to that small hope and persevered in the unfamiliar environment. He spent many sleepless nights.
During his nearly one year at the Duke's mansion, he survived more than a dozen assassination attempts.
It could be from the Duke's enemies, or from those who didn't want him to inherit the title. Neil simply didn't want to tell Ray all of this.
"Everything is fine. He inherited the Victor family's old estate and is now selling strawberries."
"It's a white strawberry, isn't it?"
"yes."
He knew that something this amazing must have been made by his older brother!
Neil was very proud, and he could hardly suppress his smile.
Meanwhile, Ray also learned about Neil's situation through Ryan. Knowing that he was doing well put her mind at ease.
He went up to Edmund and asked him if he had anything he wanted to tell Neil.
The two spoke in hushed tones for a while, then retreated to an inconspicuous corner.
"Do you really have a way to contact Neil without attracting anyone else's attention?"
"Yes. Time is limited, and Neil doesn't have much free time."
"Did he...did he ask about his own background?"
this......
Lei paused for a moment.
From what Ryan relayed, Neil didn't seem to care about these things. But Neil would find out sooner or later, and no one knew what the situation would be like then, or whether he could accept it.
Lei shook his head.
"It's better that you didn't ask. The most important thing now is to find a way to rescue him."
Edmund said.
"Um."
"Tell Neil to be careful and not to act rashly; the time is not yet right."
"good."
Ryan relayed the message to Neil, who replied that he understood.
Neil brought up another illegitimate son of Duke Arcanis.
After the Duke's death, an elder with some influence strongly recommended him to become the family's heir.
However, the Duchess remained firm on the matter until she brought Neil back and made someone else the heir, which brought the matter to a close.
But Neil felt that they hadn't given up on the idea.
He thought this might be of some help to Ray and the others, so he told Ray about it.
"Okay, we'll investigate this matter when we get back."
"Young Master Ronan, Madam is calling for you."
Neil wanted to ask more about the situation in the small mountain village, but was interrupted by the servant.
He glanced at several crowded areas in the banquet hall, where the Duchess was watching him, fanning herself with a feather fan.
Neil lowered his head respectfully, pretending to straighten his clothes.
"Lord Ryan, tell my brother that I may have to leave."
After tidying himself up, Neil walked toward the Duchess.
She called Anne Toland over as well, asking the two of them to dance one more dance and spend the rest of the time together.
This request was clearly putting Anne Toland in a difficult position.
She loved excitement and parties, and enjoyed dancing at banquets to be the center of attention. But Neil had only been learning to dance for a few months and couldn't keep up with her ever-changing steps at all.
This personality trait of hers clearly did not meet the requirements of aristocratic families for raising daughters.
The Duchess didn't seem to care much about that; all she wanted was a child with family blood and inheritance rights who was easier to raise and control.
Once she achieved her goal, she wouldn't mind setting her niece free.
Whether she wanted to stay in the Duke's mansion or find a few lovers to live on other estates for an extended period.
She won't stop her.
Neil bent down to invite her, and Annie reluctantly placed her hand in Neil's palm.
"You'd better keep up with my dance steps."
Neil didn't say anything, focusing intently on completing his movements.
"I hate you! I would never have agreed if my aunt hadn't pleaded with my father!"
"What a coincidence, me too."
Anne stomped hard on Neil with her heel, causing Neil's dance steps to falter for a moment, but he quickly regained his balance.
He was still too young; the disgust in his eyes was impossible to hide.
The music got faster and faster, and the people in the center of the dance floor adjusted their steps to the music, causing some chaos for a moment.
Neil was bumped hard on the shoulder twice, which drew sarcasm from Annie.
"People from the countryside are just like that; they can't even dance the simplest steps properly!"
Girls can be quite cute when they're not talking, but once they start swearing, it's like they're spewing poison.
For the past two weeks since she moved here, Neil has been subjected to various forms of scolding from her almost every day.
I thought they were just guests staying temporarily, but I never expected such a mess to happen.
It would be a lie to say I'm not upset.
With a muffled thud, Neil's left shoulder was hit again.
He turned his head and saw the other illegitimate son who constantly tried to get his attention. He had originally been the most promising candidate to inherit the throne.
Ha, the Arcanis family really produces a lot of illegitimate children.
Neil thought to himself with a sarcastic tone.
The man looked at him defiantly, making no attempt to hide his malice.
"Little brother, the dance floor is chaotic, be careful."
These people are so boring.
Neil didn't want to talk to them, but they just wouldn't listen and kept coming up to him.
Ray stood by the dance floor watching Neil being bullied, completely helpless. Just then, a somewhat familiar face suddenly appeared next to Neil and the others.
With his left hand on his dance partner's waist and his right elbow raised high, he slammed his elbow into the face of the guy who was making things difficult for Neil as he turned around.
"I'm so sorry, we were so engrossed in dancing that we didn't notice you were here."
Edmund's son apologized repeatedly; his dance partner was a countess. Even if she had intentionally made things difficult for him, he couldn't continue his outburst in front of the lady.
"It's alright, just be careful, it wouldn't be good if you bumped into the ladies."
"You're right."
The music continued, but the group had already separated. A while later, the turbulent dance finally came to an end.
Ray watched as Neil walked out of the dance floor and found a sofa to rest.
The young lady named Anne reluctantly sat down next to Neil across the table.
Neither of them paid any attention to the other.
"She's your fiancée?"
Ryan's voice echoed in Neil's mind again. The boy's ears turned red, somewhat embarrassed.
"Did my brother ask that?"
"no."
Neil breathed a sigh of relief.
"However, I will relay your words."
In fact, what Ray actually asked was about Anne Toland's identity and background.
Neil hadn't fully accepted the fact that he suddenly had a fiancée. He had only found out about it the day before.
"The housekeeper said that Anne Toland is the Duchess's brother's daughter, and that's all I know."
Three girls suddenly rushed over to the sofa and surrounded Anne Toland.
The four of them started chatting about recent events, while the three girls would occasionally glance at Neil.
"I heard that war has started in the small mountain village. How did you get to the capital?"
“It came from the Eton Forest.”
"What? Why did you choose to go that way?"
If we were to recount all those events one by one, it would take forever. Ryan only told Neil the final result.
"By the way, Seya is an elf, and we've also found Tata's father."
"Wow, is that so? What about Tata? Did Tata leave?"
"Yes, he's back again and is staying at the manor now."
"I really want to visit my brother's estate."
Ryan offered some rare words of comfort to the child.
There will be opportunities in the future.
The ball was only halfway through. Although he couldn't leave directly with Ray, for Neil, it was still nice to have the opportunity to talk to someone close to him.
I felt much more relaxed.
This rare moment of relaxation was broken by the Duke's head butler.
The Duchess sent Neil back to his room upstairs; she didn't intend for him to stay at the dinner party for long.
Anger was brewing in Neil's eyes.
Ray shook his head at him; Ryan had already told him that Neil had been asked to leave.
"There is ample time."
Ryan repeated Ray's words.
Neil's eyes stung with tears. He didn't dare turn around to look at Ray again, afraid that his tears would fall uncontrollably and let others notice his abnormality.
"Tell my brother to be careful; the Duchess isn't someone you can easily deal with."
After saying his last words, Neil turned and went upstairs.
Why did you leave?
Edmund asked Rye.
"The Duchess told him to go back upstairs."
"well......"
"Let's meet somewhere safe tomorrow."
Ray suggested, and Edmund nodded.
"good."
"We'll head back to the manor now; we don't know how long the banquet will last."
"Okay, sure. Wait for my news tomorrow."
"Um."
The two separated, and Rae searched for Seyah in the banquet hall.
He was always next to that tall guy from Western Europe, so he was easy to spot. Lei quickly located Seyia, who was standing at the long table eating dessert.
"Lay, what brings you here? Where's Neil? This and this are delicious, you should try them."
Lei took the white porcelain plate that Seymour handed him, on which were two small cakes drizzled with jam.
“Neil was called back upstairs, so we probably won’t see him again. Let’s go.”
"Okay, sure."
People from the Elf Trading Company usually just show their faces and leave after attending such banquets. Staying this long today is already quite a while.
Actually, some guests had already left, so it didn't matter that Lai and his three companions left early.
The Elf Trader's carriage still took them back to Victor Manor. Theo gave them a few instructions, and they nodded and left.
Old butler Cher left the light on for them, and he and Tata waited by the fireplace for their return.
As soon as Lei opened the door, a fluffy, warm little monster jumped into his arms.
"We're back!"
"Yes, I'm back."
Seya took the opportunity to rub Tata's head a couple of times.
"Why don't you welcome me?"
"Yes! The beast said 'there's a place there'!"
"What a cunning little fellow."
"Young master, would you like some food prepared?"
"No need, you've had your fill over there, so you should get some rest too."
Cher locked the villa door, and after chatting in the lobby for a while, Lei and the others went upstairs to change clothes and take a shower.
After all the social obligations at the banquet, I felt like I'd been through a battle, and both my body and mind desperately needed rest. Besides, some things really can't be rushed.
The banquet at the Arcanis family's house was still going on, and the grand ball would continue until the middle of the night.
The castle has enough rooms for guests to stay overnight, but only a very few close guests choose to stay here.
Folk songs and tunes widely circulated in the royal city were played again in the banquet hall.
With someone taking the lead, accompanied by upbeat music, people clinked glasses and sang heartily.
"boom!"
Fireballs engulfed in flames were launched behind the city walls by catapults.
With a deafening roar, fires erupted throughout the city.
"Lord, the city is on fire!"
"Damn it, are the two stones on my face?!"
The orc grabbed the man's collar with one hand and flung him aside.
"Hurry up and put out the fire!"
"Yes, yes, sir, I'll go right now!"
The attack continued. The orc snatched a heavy bow, drew the bowstring taut, aimed at the archer on the other side, and fired a three-finger-thick arrow.
"Damn demons! Where are the reinforcements?! Why haven't the humans and dwarves arrived yet?!"
"My lord! News has come from the human race that their army will not arrive for several more hours."
"Damn it!"
The orc cursed viciously.
"Hold the city walls! Behind us are not just the residents of this city, but also the main boundary marker of the continent!"
"yes!"
"Bang!"
The deafening roar rang out again, and a huge rock was thrown into the city wall, creating a large hole.
The orcs stared in despair at the dark mass of demons and demon soldiers charging towards them, howling as they came.
It's over, it's all over.
"My lord! My lord! What do we do?!"
The orc looked down at his adjutant, whose eyes were bloodshot from staying up for two whole days.
"My lord, we can't just watch them destroy our Beast City!"
The orc glanced around and saw that not only his adjutant, but also the eyes of his other orc soldiers were on him.
He gripped the long sword tightly, his knuckles cracking with each clench. His arms were covered in a thick layer of fur due to his partial bestial transformation.
"I'll fight for my family!"
The orc raised his right arm high.
"Let's give it our all!"
The city lord took the lead, leaping down the city wall in a few strides and charging towards the demon army with his long sword.
Behind them came the furious roars of the orcs.
"It's friendly forces! The dwarfs' reinforcements have arrived!"
A large group of dwarves launched an attack from the flank of the demon army, catching them completely off guard.
Encouraged, the orc army transformed into beasts and their attacks became even more ferocious.
Flames raged across the vast grasslands, and magical light occasionally appeared on the battlefield.
That was a mage stationed in the rear providing remote support to their own army.
Weapons clashed, metal striking metal with a piercing clang. Beastly roars and agonizing howls echoed across the battlefield, together forming the most poignant and unforgettable lament of this vast land.
In the human capital city, thousands of miles away, one lavish banquet after another continues to be held.
People indulge in a life of pleasure and debauchery, only caring about this one moment.
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