There was a moment of silence in the four seats. No one looked at Houston, who was sitting in the center of the banquet under the crystal chandelier. Everyone turned their eyes to the newcomer.
The man was dressed in black, and with him came a man in white, who was holding his arm. He strolled leisurely, taking a glass of red wine from the tray of the trembling waiter beside him.
Then he raised the crystal glass as if inviting his subjects.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he said. "I hope you all have a pleasant charity dinner. As the former chief of the Paladin Order, I would like to greet you all."
As he spoke, he made a toast to Houston and Shelly in the distance. Rather than a salute, it was more of a contempt and arrogance. Just when everyone thought he was going to drink the wine, the black-clad emperor did something that no one expected.
The third time he toasted, he was addressing the person next to him. The beauty in white he had brought in attracted the rest of the attention, almost in a rivalling manner.
Then, he drank the wine in one gulp as if he were drinking blood. His hair was black and his skin was white, but the wine and the tip of his tongue were bright red.
It took a long time for the banquet hall to regain its lively atmosphere. Wade calmly found a corner to sit down, which obviously reduced his presence. Wherever he sat, he became the center of attention.
What's more, sitting next to him was a white-haired beauty that no one had ever seen before, even though his entire face was covered with a mask.
"I guess he is an elf." A noble whispered to his companion, "Look at his ears! And he is so handsome..."
"I have never heard of a white-haired elf."
"Feather tribe?"
"The Feather Tribe has wings."
Out of sight, Lucian held Wade's arm and whispered in his ear, "Just now outside the door, you soiled my shoes."
Wade glanced at him and sneered, "That's why you didn't get off the carriage."
"If I had known it was going to rain in the evening, I wouldn't have agreed to come."
Their tit-for-tat words were seen as the tenderness of lovers by others. Only Elizabeth's brother showed an extremely unhappy look. He had already regarded the position of queen as a sure thing for the Green family, so he angrily said to Elizabeth: "That person actually brought his lover to the charity dinner! This is simply a slap in the face of the Green family... Elizabeth?"
He was stunned for a moment, and saw that his sister's eyes were fixed on the white-haired beauty.
Not far away, Grand Duke Murphy shook his wine glass and once again showed his unfathomable smile that said "I know everything".
Lucian yawned while sitting on the sofa. The dinner was too boring. Although there were a few brave nobles who dared to talk to Wade, no one dared to talk to him, the "canary". With his sensitive ears, he heard many people whispering about the Holy Son Lucian, or stepping on him to flatter Wade, or using him to make sarcastic remarks about Wade who was in the same family.
Among them were many admirers and good friends who once knelt at the corner of his robe and begged for his favor.
Lucian thought they were so boring.
He then stared at the buffet tables in a daze. Soon, no one came to look for Wade. Lucian was listening to a nearby noble gossiping about Miss Elena, the most charming socialite in the royal city, when he saw Wade stand up and walk towards them.
Lucian:
He was somewhat curious about who Vader was going to see. When Vader walked over, the nobles who were gossiping quietly there turned pale with fear. They made way, bowed, and then...
Wade ignored them, took a plate himself, and put a few colorful small cakes on it.
Lucian: ?
Wade came over and threw the plate on his back: "Eat if you want."
Lucian then realized that he was staring at the direction of the small cake. But he still answered honestly: "I am wearing a mask."
Vader: …
Lucian: "If you don't mind me taking off the mask and showing my true face... Of course, I don't mind letting them see that the 'Canary' next to you is me."
Wade responded to his challenge with action. He took the plate from his pocket, picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth to chew.
Lucian: …
Wade is such a childish man.
It's really unique that a tyrant who exudes an oppressive aura is eating a small cake in a corner with such an elegant posture.
"I'll punish you when I get back." Wade said suddenly.
Lucian: ?
The dinner was going on shakily. Finally, all the lights except the stage dimmed. The host in a tuxedo walked onto the stage.
He announced that the banquet had finally entered the highlight of the night - the charity auction.
The items for sale in the charity auction came from the generous donations of various nobles. They might be artworks, jewelry, or collections that were of great personal significance to some nobles... When he said this, the host winked ambiguously. The nobles present smiled knowingly. For example, Miss Elena, who had recently become famous in the royal city for her beauty, donated her favorite feather fan.
"Thank you all again for your generosity and the great support of Duke Houston. Of course, all the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Holy See of Light - to thank the Holy See of Light for its contribution to protecting the human race over the years and to celebrate the restoration of the glory of the Sanctuary after the disaster!"
The host's words were full of emotion, and several sentimental noble ladies couldn't help but wipe away tears from their eyes with handkerchiefs. Noble lady Anita choked up and turned to her friend Elizabeth: "Oh my God, Elizabeth, I have to say, it's great to have survived that war... What's wrong with you?"
She saw that her friend was acting out of character and seemed a little absent-minded. After a long while, Elizabeth shook her head in panic and said, "Nothing."
She clutched her finger that held the aquamarine ring.
The auction items were revealed one by one. As it related to the spiritual pillar of the kingdom - the court, many nobles spent a lot of money, from the masterpieces of masters to antique vases. Spending their wealth to buy exquisite items and getting a reputation for charity, many nobles were eager to compete and the auction items were sold at high prices.
One of the most popular items is a ruby ring. The ruby is bigger than a pigeon egg and surrounded by diamonds. It is said to be the most cherished piece by the last queen of the Tang Dynasty, who was famous for her extravagance. The peerless beauty lost her head on the guillotine. When her head rolled down, the last drop of blood and tears in her eyes fell on the ring on her finger.
This sad and beautiful legend obviously adds some color to this luxurious ring. Two nobles fought over it to the death for the high price in order to win it to please the same lover. Lucian looked at the two people and thought that sometimes men's self-esteem is really funny.
Until his ears moved, and he saw Wade casually raised his card.
"Seventy thousand pounds."
He reported a number that made everyone remain silent, yet unable to remain silent.
Even without this number, no one would dare to compete with Wade for the item he wanted. So the tag of the item was respectfully delivered to Wade's chest by the waiter. The waiter carefully flattered Wade's taste, and the emperor in black just smiled gently.
"It looks very similar to my lover," he said casually.
Lucian:
The items can only be redeemed at the backstage after the auction. Wade was not in a hurry, he just threw the tag into Lucian's pocket and said, "Take it."
Lucian: …
Wade glanced at him, and then heard Lucian say, "Master Wade, is this considered embezzlement of the national treasury?"
Vader smiled sarcastically: "In the exile caused by your frame-up, I gained far more than you can imagine."
"Oh..." Lucian blinked and said, "Congratulations, then?"
Vader stared at the silver mask, and suddenly he felt that bringing Lucian here was not a good idea.
He wanted to take off his mask, right here, and he pressed him on the sofa and bit and kissed him fiercely, but he knew that he absolutely could not stand being seen by those people. Lucian, lying in his arms, looked so gorgeous when he kissed her.
Seeing Wade buy the priceless ring for his "lover", everyone present was a little agitated. Elizabeth turned even paler after seeing this scene - but it was not for the reason everyone thought. Her brother patted his sister on the shoulder and comforted her: "Elizabeth, wait, the Green family must not be humiliated like this."
Even though this was an attempt by the Green family to curry favor from the beginning.
After several treasures that were fought over, another piece of jewelry finally arrived - it was the most treasured emerald necklace of a queen who was famous for her nobility and holiness. The largest emerald among them was in the shape of a teardrop, with pure and flawless color. From a distance, you could see the flash of a cat's eye.
This necklace was donated by Grand Duke Murphy, and its value was much higher than the ruby ring just now. So someone joked, "Green, the color of this necklace is very suitable for your family name."
"It's a pity that it lacks some legendary elements," said Green.
"Legendary color is not necessarily a good thing. At least the owner who once held it had a happy ending." One person responded.
Green smiled with satisfaction, then he raised his sign, wanting to buy the necklace for his sister - the reason for this was also to save the face of the head of the Green family.
But when he bid up to 70,000 gold pounds and was about to buy the necklace, Wade's voice came slowly again.
"Seventy-one thousand gold pounds," said Wade.
Green gritted his teeth: "Seventy-five thousand gold pounds!"
"Seventy-six thousand pounds."
Wade was like a cat catching a mouse, always bidding a thousand pounds higher than his price. Green gradually lost his mind, and when he saw the price soaring to 90,000 pounds, he wanted to raise his card again, but was grabbed by Elizabeth's sleeve.
"Brother, forget it." She whispered.
Green shook off his sister's hand. He was already bloodthirsty, holding up a sign to fight again, but Wade said directly this time: "One hundred thousand gold pounds."
"eleven… "
When Green was about to raise his placard again, the auctioneer came over to him and whispered something to him. After a while, Green put down his placard with a red face.
The necklace tag also fell into Vader's hand. At the same time, several nobles who heard the whispers also talked in a low voice.
"What did the waiter say?"
"If you want to bid, you need to pay on the spot. He is confirming whether Green can take out the gold pounds on the spot..."
"Without the money, yet wanting to show off their arrogance, the Green family is really...tsk tsk."
Green sat there with a very grim look on his face. He was so immersed in such a gloomy mood that he didn't even look at his sister's expression.
Wade threw the tag into Lucian's pocket again. This time he smiled at the waiter and said, "It is also very similar to my 'lover'."
Lucian pondered the ruby ring and the emerald necklace. They had nothing in common except that they both looked expensive.
I didn't expect that Wade was actually red and green color blind. Lucian felt that he and Morgan must have a lot in common.
The auction was divided into three parts: the first half, the second half, and the third half. After the first half, it was time for a break. Lucian looked up and saw a familiar figure passing by.
That is…
"Your adopted uncle, Duke Cecil." Wade said softly in his ear, "Do you want to go up and say hello?"
Today, Lucian is the shame of the entire Cecil family.
"If you want to piss him off to death." Lucian winked at Wade.
Vader stopped talking.
Duke Cecil was walking out of the auction hall. Lucian couldn't figure out what he was doing. Now he was just sleepy and hoped that the auction would end soon.
Then the intermission began. The host brought out the handwriting of Grand Duke Murphy, the fountain pen of Duke Houston, and the feather fan of Miss Elena, which the gentlemen had been waiting for for a long time. These items were all bid up at high prices. Except for Miss Elena, who was sold for her beauty, the other items were sold to save the face of the two nobles. Lucian was only interested in listening to Elena's anecdotes. Wade suddenly bit his earlobe and whispered behind his ear, "Are you interested in that woman?"
Lucian froze and said, "I just think she is more qualified to be a succubus than me."
Wade's behavior today was simply a show-off, as if he was treating her as his own lover.
"I can invite her to show you." Wade was polite.
Someone looked over here, and Lucian became more malicious. He deliberately changed his voice and blew into Wade's ear: "I don't like sharing."
Just act it out, he thought.
The next collection was a painting by Elizabeth Green. This noble lady, who was famous for her painting skills, beauty and kindness, also sold her painting for an unexpectedly high price. Her brother was very proud of it. However, the person who came up to the stage to receive the tag was not the mysterious noble herself, but a strange waiter who called out the price for her.
The waiter also made a request: "The master hopes that Miss Green can hand the painting to him personally."
Elizabeth agreed absentmindedly. She had been distracted tonight, and even her good friend Anita noticed it.
"The next collection..." The host pushed up his monocle and was a little surprised to see an additional collection on the list written in cursive characters. However, it was normal for nobles to donate something temporarily. However, the name of the person was written in rare ancient characters, and he could not tell it for a moment. "The next collection is a handmade feather pen. Its feathers come from the purest snowy egret, the pearls inlaid on it are the tears of the siren, and the diamonds are rare emerald green."
The temporary collection was pushed up by the waiters. When they lifted the cloth, the items underneath were truly magnificent.
"And its owner is..."
The host is stuck.
His arm holding the list began to tremble. Many nobles in the audience noticed his abnormality and began to discuss quietly. Grand Duke Murphy was elegantly prepared to control the situation and appease everyone. Houston, who hosted the banquet, frowned, looked at Cardinal Shelly beside him, and then turned to his page and asked him to check the situation.
In this vaguely uneasy atmosphere, Lucian, who was behind the silver mask, also opened his eyes. He glanced around in the dim crowd, but did not find his adoptive uncle.
Dalton Cecil, Wade's father who has become a stranger to him.
It seemed as if he had left the hall since the intermission and never returned.
Amid the suffocating silence and the anxious whispers, the host pushed up the lens of his monocle and spoke his next words in a trembling voice.
But it was like a thunderclap.
"The owner of this precious feather pen is." The host slowly recited the string of ancient Chinese characters in a melodious tone.
"Lucian Cecil."