Chapter 144: City Gossip (Part 2)
In the days of the German Kingdom, the nobles had a single venue for their social life: the royal capital. Every noble would journey to the capital in spring and summer, vying to be in the presence of the King. To be invited to a ball hosted by the King was considered an unparalleled honor. This meant that the noble had the King's favor and was destined for immense power.
The old King, Rudolf Dermann, was a man who reveled in the fun. He loved to indulge in debauchery and was even more drawn to flattery. Once he was pleased, he showered his subjects with rewards. Even nobles with no ties to the Dermann royal family could become "Dermann clans," a recipe for disaster that King Rudolf Dermann had sown over the years.
However, King Huntington didn't buy it.
King Huntington was a ruthless soldier. He had grown up with his father in the army, battling the Iron Giants, sharing the same meals, sleeping, and battles as the knights. He had always been dissatisfied with the old nobles' idleness, their daily routine of gossiping, dancing, drinking, and reveling in pleasure. Furthermore, the treasury had been empty in recent years, and in a rage, he banned the social season, decreeing that no nobles would hold any social balls according to the old calendar.
——That’s what he said, but in this era, transportation was inconvenient, and each territory had its own lord. No matter how long the king’s hand was, it was difficult for him to reach the territories of these old nobles.
So the nobles took a roundabout way to save the country. Since the king wouldn't let them hold balls, they stopped going to the capital to cause trouble under the king's nose. Instead, they moved like a flock of butterflies, visiting one noble's territory, then another, and occasionally hosting other nobles themselves...
Old customs were banned, and new customs were born. Instead of restraining themselves, these nobles began to compete with each other to see whose territory was more attractive and whose host was better... As a result of such comparisons, the extravagant lifestyle was not only not banned, but became even more prevalent.
Recently, Baron Augustin von Neumann had gone to great lengths to gather a group of nobles, both large and small, hoping to capitalize on the social season to further promote his reputation and curry favor with a few powerful figures. However, before this plan could even begin, a group of unruly and elusive bandits appeared in the city, truly frightening the nobles, who were forced to retreat to the North City and indulge in debauchery.
"Actually, the security in the south isn't that bad..." The Baroness's smile faltered. "Especially these past few days, many knights from the Kingdom's Knights have been dining at that brewery, and those scoundrels have become much quieter."
The noblewoman who spoke curled her lips, her expression a touch of arrogance and disdain, clearly not taking the Baroness seriously. But she had the capital to be arrogant. This noblewoman was Vivian von Leicester, daughter of the Marquis of Nantwich von Leicester. Once she came of age and became a noble and independent woman, even if she inherited a lower rank, she would still be able to become a Countess. Naturally, she would not rush to curry favor with a Baroness.
Vivian possessed beautiful, soft, wavy blonde hair—a very neat, elegant, and aristocratic blonde—her appearance and demeanor perfectly suited her status as a marquis's daughter. Her face was small and delicate, yet her temperament was cold and haughty. She was a true, cold beauty, like a doll meticulously crafted by a noble family at a cost of countless gold and silver.
She was the distinguished guest that Baron Neumann had eagerly invited, but this distinguished guest had been apparently bored and unhappy recently. Vivian's 21st birthday was approaching, and she was about to make her official debut at a social ball. However, social balls in the city were basically suspended due to security issues. If this continued, her debut might also be delayed, which would be a huge humiliation for a noblewoman of her status.
Vivian had already made plans to end her journey early and make her debut in a more prosperous aristocratic domain. She looked down on Baron Neumann's useless youngest son. Even though the young man was her own age, constantly courting her and trying to curry favor with her father, she still felt that marrying the baron's son was too cheap.
Baron Neumann may have withstood the first wave of the tide of the times, but she heard that the king had sent a "viscount" to Baron Neumann's territory. Who knows whether Baron Neumann will be defeated in this confrontation with the royal family?
However, she had wanted to leave quickly, but she heard that a brewery with delicious dishes had opened in the city, which delayed her. Unfortunately, the shop was located in the south of the city. In the eyes of the nobility, it was in the slums of West Eston! She hadn't fallen to such a level that she would step into the slums for delicious food!
This tangle delayed her departure from the city. Furthermore, Vivian had recently received an invitation to a party at a nearby villa outside Melori, so she suppressed her thoughts and decided to stay a few days. She could then use the excuse of attending a banquet to leave without embarrassing the Baron. This way, even if the two families failed to cooperate, they wouldn't fall out completely.
However, the need to save face for the Baron's family didn't prevent Vivian from using her status to speak out at this informal gathering and criticize the Baron who displeased her. Her words immediately resonated with many nobles, who echoed her.
The Baroness's smile grew increasingly stiff. She glanced at the butler, who immediately understood and stepped forward, announcing, "Ladies and young ladies, the barbecue is ready. Please take your seats. Today's barbecue comes entirely from the prey caught by the lords and young masters at the hunting competition these past few days!"
With these words out, most of the women's attention shifted from rumors about the security situation in West Eston to the hunting competition Baron Neumann had been hosting for the past few days. Almost every household present had a representative participating in this hunting competition. If the lord didn't participate himself, then their sons, trusted knights, or loyal servants would serve on their behalf. Even several daughters of noble families, skilled in horseback hunting, enthusiastically participated, achieving considerable success.
Vivian had a half-sister who participated in the hunting competition and hunted two fallow deer. Seeing that the baron's butler only talked about the achievements of the lords and young masters and did not mention her sister's outstanding performance at all, she could not help but snort and glared at the ignorant butler.
'What a terrible family tradition!' Vivian thought angrily, 'the top beam is crooked and the bottom beam is crooked!'
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