"Welcome beautiful Miss Lacey."
Earl Howard walked down the stairs while clapping his hands. This was the first time he took the initiative to greet the guests tonight. Before that, it was usually the guests who took the initiative to greet him.
The originally bustling hall now became quiet and noisy. Everyone's voices suddenly dropped, and then they started discussing with each other in low voices.
"Who is that girl?" Several ladies asked each other in a low voice.
“So beautiful, indescribably beautiful...”
"Which family does this belong to? Why have I never heard of it before?"
"It seems to be a young lady from a recent chamber of commerce that arrived in the imperial capital."
"A merchant's daughter? How can she have such temperament? She doesn't seem like one." A noble lady with a lace veil shook her head.
"That merchant company has a forest elf background. The elves have a different concept of time than us. Perhaps they have been greatly influenced by the elves."
"That does make sense. It does have the natural and flawless charm of a forest elf."
"Did she just come out of the Emerald Forest? She looks like a fairy in the forest." Low exclamations were heard from time to time in the hall.
"Huh, maybe this one also has elven blood, just like the daughter of the Landsworthy family."
"There have always been many beauties among the forest elves."
"Wow, the profile of that face is so perfect. I really want to find a pen to draw this scene!" An aristocratic man who loves art said excitedly.
"No, my right hand is burning like fire, it's calling out to me to seize this dream moment." He rubbed his fingers eagerly, wanting to draw something.
"Maybe you should find the servants over there and ask them to prepare canvas and paint for you immediately, haha." The friend beside him laughed softly, but his eyes did not leave the girl who was approaching slowly in the hall.
"It's perfect." He was also a little intoxicated.
Loran Hill raised her head slightly and nodded to Earl Howard on the stairs. Then she felt countless eyes focused on her. Those gazes seemed to be real, making the girl feel quite uncomfortable.
No matter how many times I see such a scene, I still feel a little concerned and uncomfortable. The girl thought to herself, filtering out other irrelevant people from her eyes and trying to think of other things in her mind to divert her attention from these gazes.
When she reached the middle of the hall, a waiter came forward and said, "Dear Miss Lacey, please come this way."
He gestured sideways, clearing a path for the girl through the crowd.
Loran Hill looked forward and saw Earl Howard walking slowly towards him.
The hall then returned to its previous bustle, with groups of dancing figures once again appearing on the dance floor. However, compared to before, 90% of the conversation in the hall now revolved around this mysterious girl who had just appeared, and people's curiosity and desire for knowledge burned like a raging fire.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Lacy."
Although Howard has a high status, he was very gentlemanly this time and took the initiative to bend over, as if to kiss her hand.
Unfortunately, Loran Hill pretended to turn her eyes away to avoid the other party's intention. She gently lifted the hem of her skirt with her two hands wearing white silk gloves to return the gift to resolve the invisible embarrassment.
"Good evening, Lord Howard. It's an honor to attend your banquet." The girl in the rose dress was meticulous in etiquette, like a classical aristocratic daughter.
Loran Hill learned a lot of knowledge from Trinasha, which naturally included the etiquette and customs of the True Red Empire and the Mercury Dynasty. Now the empire is just inheriting the past.
Seeing this scene, Howard's eyes changed slightly, and then he smiled and asked the girl to sit down, and the two began to have a brief chat.
As a sociable Earl Howard, he did not ask some sensitive questions right away, but slowly started talking about small things such as the climate in the imperial capital, whether he was used to the life there, and then exchanged ideas about what kind of food preferences and interests he had.
In this way, slowly, the atmosphere gradually eased.
Howard clapped his hands, smiled and praised, and then asked the waiter to bring some wine during the conversation.
"I don't know what Miss Lacey's preferences are, but I have a pretty comprehensive selection here. As long as you tell me what you want, I'll do my best to satisfy you."
"Then have a glass of golden honey plum fruit wine." Originally, Loran Hill wanted to order juice, but considering that everyone in the hall was drinking various kinds of alcohol, he didn't want to be too out of the ordinary, so he changed to a light fruit wine.
"So Miss Lacey also likes the Golden Honey Plum flavor. What a coincidence. In fact, my wife also likes it very much. Every year she asks her friends in Cuibi Province in the southern part of the empire to prepare a few barrels of freshly brewed fruit wine for her."
"Although Golden Honey Plums are also produced in several estates near the imperial capital, their flavor is not as good as the unique sweetness found in the south at the transition between spring and midsummer. I wonder what month Miss Lacy prefers her Golden Honey Plums to ripen?"
"It's probably the golden honey plums from June 9th to 15th. This period is when they are fresh and delicious." The girl blinked slightly and her eyelashes trembled slightly.
Golden Honey Plums aren't widely produced in the Western Continent, though they're found in at least two counties in the southern part of the empire. While they appear to be available from June to August, in reality, only those who truly pay attention know that the best harvest is only available for a few days in June. After that, the flavor changes due to overripening, rainfall, and other factors.
Except for the extremely picky nobles, ordinary people would not pay much attention to such things.
While the two were talking, the servant brought two glasses of fine wine and placed the glass of tender yellow and transparent fruit wine in front of the girl.
"Please try it, Miss Lacey, and see if it suits your taste, haha." Howard picked up the glass of purple-red wine he had ordered, swayed it slightly in his palm, then raised his beard and smiled.
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