Night is gradually falling.
The central area appears exceptionally bright, just like daytime.
The street lights on both sides of the street are neat and bright, and the landscape trees are hung with colorful lights. Not only the shop signs, but even the residential areas are brightly lit.
People traveled together, holding windproof candles that were only used on special festivals, and singing the song "Trisul at Dawn" which praises the sun. These are the residents of the royal city, celebrating the birthday of the great prince in their own way.
Light means hope, and it also symbolizes that the Sun Prince is like the rising sun, shedding infinite light.
"The light shines on the world, the source of warmth. Loyalty accompanies, and the gift is eternal... Great and noble Trisul, you shine at dawn. We thank you for your protection, we thank you for your enlightenment, and we thank you for your gift..."
Fuluoyin snuggled in Chen Lun's arms, feeling the gentle vibration of the carriage, enjoying this brief but peaceful time. Faintly she could hear the singing of men, women, old and young, the long and solemn melody as the carriage went farther and farther away.
Soon the two arrived at the long steps below the Sun Palace.
Chen Lun held Fuluoyin's hand, slowly got off the carriage, and climbed the wide and long white marble steps. After nearly ten minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the palace gate.
They were greeted by a steward dressed in rich attire.
"Mr. Jack, this way please."
Following the instructions, the two bypassed the main building of the palace and went to the banquet hall where they had participated in the dance party.
At this moment, on both sides of the hall entrance stood a row of stewards. They were dressed appropriately, wearing a silk vest over a red and yellow cotton coat, and they entertained every guest respectfully and warmly.
According to convention, at such high-level royal banquets, guests are usually allowed to move freely before the banquet begins, enjoy some snacks and drinks, and visit the art collections in the banquet hall.
Chen Lun and Flo Yin strolled leisurely in the banquet hall like a young couple. Unconsciously, they passed by the wall where the royal portraits were hung last time. But this time, the oil painting "No One's Chair" symbolizing Arnold had been taken down.
This made Chen Lun feel a little strange.
Just as he was secretly wondering if this meant anything, a male waiter in a white uniform pushed a dining cart past and asked politely:
"Sir, what can I do for you?"
"Pour two glasses of juice."
Chen Lun turned his head and nodded with a smile.
The waiter skillfully took out a bottle from one of the many exquisite glass bottles, poured two glasses of mixed drink containing some unknown precious fruit, and handed them over.
During this process, a folded piece of paper slipped into Chen Lun's hand along the bottom of the cup. He was slightly surprised, but remained calm on the surface. He took out two silver cups and placed them in the waiter's palm, just like other guests tipping the waiter.
But in fact, Chen Lun took advantage of the situation and used his five senses to connect his vision with his sense of touch, and "saw" the black sun mark imprinted on the back of the waiter's hand under his white gloves.
'The people of the Solar Cross...'
He said to himself.
He immediately realized that the note secretly passed to him should be Princess Anna's next plan instructions.
"Thank you, Mr. Kangkai."
The waiter looked delighted and said repeatedly.
He then picked up a hardcover booklet from the dining car.
"This is the dinner menu. You can choose your favorite dishes according to your taste. Tonight's main dishes are roast beef and roast goose. If you have any special needs, you can tell me..."
Chen Lun turned his head and looked at Fuluoyin, asking for her opinion with his eyes, but the girl just smiled and shook her head.
"No need, just leave it at that."
Chen Lun declined politely.
"If you need anything, you can always call me. Have a good dinner."
Seeing this, the waiter saluted him and then pushed the food cart away.
Chen Lun drank the delicious juice and deliberately pulled Flo Yin to a crowded painting, pretending to appreciate the painting. He whispered to the girl next to him about his views on the painting, and put his other hand in his pocket, gently brushing the note.
The simultaneous use of his five senses and multitasking did not affect his ability to read the words on the note.
"—dance with me later, it's the only thing you need to do tonight."
There was only such a short sentence on the note, which made Chen Lun think a lot.
"Dancing... is that simple? Is there any necessary connection between this and her plan tonight?"
He couldn't help but wonder.
Time soon came to eight o'clock in the evening and the dinner officially began.
The royal chief steward Babaye acted as the prince's spokesperson. He stood on the podium with a friendly smile on his face, announced that the next part would be the dining session, and wished every guest to enjoy this wonderful time.
The guests present were either high-ranking church officials or high-ranking military officers, or at least dignitaries and celebrities. Merchants were rare here. They did not make any noise, but just clapped their hands with a smile on their faces, and then sat down quietly.
Waiters pushed a huge food cart and came in from one side of the banquet hall like a long dragon, bringing the delicious food to the table in an orderly manner.
The court musicians quietly went up to the stage and played beautiful and melodious music. In this comfortable and luxurious environment, everyone started to use their knives and forks.
After a few minutes, the prince and princess finally arrived.
As the protagonist of today's dinner, Dazlet naturally attracted the attention of everyone present. He first stopped, touched his chest and bowed to the guests like a gentleman, and said with an apologetic look:
"Sorry, something delayed me. I hope I didn't affect your mood."
"Of course not, Your Highness."
At a nearby table of guests, the middle-aged earl responded humbly.
The prince smiled and nodded, then walked to the main seat and sat down.
Princess Anna followed closely behind him and sat on his left. However, this young and beautiful princess seemed to be in a bad mood, with a cold expression on her face and a slightly frowned brow. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that something unpleasant must have happened between her and the prince, otherwise she would not have put on such a sour face on such an important occasion.
“Anna.”
Dazlet glanced at his sister and whispered a reminder.
However, Princess Anna didn't even look at him. She just sat in the chair indifferently, not even touching the things on the table.
"Anna, today is my brother's birthday, don't be like this... I promise you, I will find the painting after the dinner, okay?"
Dazlet comforted him patiently.
"You really didn't order them to move?"
Princess Anna said with a frown.
"I'm sorry for making Anna misunderstand me so deeply... I can swear to my father that it is absolutely not the case."
Dazlet whispered.
Anna was silent for a few seconds before she started eating. The prince breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this.
Their conversation was not loud, but among the guests present, there were many extraordinary people, and the top leaders of various major forces were even saints, so they could easily hear the content.
The guests couldn't help but feel curious about the painting that caused the conflict between the prince and the princess. Could it be some rare and precious piece of art in the world
Only Chen Lun knew that the "painting" they were talking about was probably the "No One Chair" representing Arnold in the portrait area of the royal family. It was probably because of its strange disappearance that Princess Anna was dissatisfied and vented her emotions on her brother Dazlet.
After the meal session.
The dining table was removed by the servants, and the vacant space became the dance floor. The court musicians on the high platform changed their previous slow tunes to more cheerful ones.
The guests gathered together, and the men walked onto the dance floor with their female companions, dancing to the music.
At this moment, Princess Anna walked gracefully and slowly to a gentleman in a black hat. Many of the noble children present noticed this scene and showed expressions of surprise and envy.
I didn't expect that someone could catch Princess Anna's eye.
Who is that man
"Excuse me, young lady, I think I need to borrow the gentleman next to you temporarily."
Princess Anna first looked at Flo Yin and said softly.
Her tone was somewhat polite, but it always gave people a sense of indifference.
Flo Yin nodded slightly to show her agreement, because Chen Lun had just explained to her that Princess Anna would dance with him and there was no other meaning. The reason why she acted so cold was that she didn't want to reveal the fact that they knew each other.
"All right."
Flo Yin said softly in her ethereal voice.
She loosened her hand and turned to glance at Chen Lun. There seemed to be some hidden emotion in her violet eyes... Even though she knew that this was just cooperation, she still felt a little uncomfortable in her heart.
"Thanks."
As Princess Anna spoke, she raised her fair, slender hand towards Chen Lun. Without any words of invitation, her actions made clear her purpose.
Chen Lun took off his hat, took the princess's hand, and the two slowly walked into the dance floor. The guests around couldn't help but cast curious glances at him, even Prince Dazlet, who was sitting on the sofa beside the dance floor, looked over.
"I heard that you have made outstanding contributions on the Western battlefield and have done a lot for His Royal Highness?"
Princess Anna danced gracefully and nimbly and asked softly.
Chen Lun pretended that he was meeting her for the first time and said politely and modestly:
"It's not an outstanding contribution. I just did what I had to do and fulfilled my duties, Your Highness."
"But I've heard a lot of good things about you."
Princess Anna turned around under the strong arms, and her skirt, which sparkled like white crystal, fluttered in the wind.
Chen Lun was not affected by the dance, his breath was slow and steady, and he chuckled as he responded:
"It's just an empty title, Your Highness, please don't mind it."
"Heh... Are you a destiny-related extraordinary person?"
Princess Anna also laughed and changed the subject.
"Yes, your highness."
Chen Lun nodded slightly.
At this time, the dance entered a more soothing stage, and the two slowed down their movements, facing each other and getting very close. The unique woody perfume on the princess drifted into his nose, and Chen Lun could even clearly smell a faint, citrus-like fruity scent.
However, his five senses told him that the source of the fragrance was actually the diamond-studded crown on the princess's smooth golden hair.
'This is a strange thing...'
Chen Lun was determined.
"I'd like to ask you a favor, Mr. Jackspeight."
Princess Anna looked up at him.
"Your Highness, please speak."
"Help me restore this thing."
The princess took out a 20-centimeter-long cylindrical object wrapped in black cloth from the back of her pleated skirt.
When Chen Lun saw it for the first time, he felt something was odd.
After he took it, he immediately knew what it was...
An ordinary broken sword, with nothing special about it except its gorgeous decoration and exquisite carving.
"Could it be Arnold's broken sword?"
Chen Lun thought.
"I'll try my best, Princess."
"Thanks."
Princess Anna thanked him.
When the song ended, the two parted ways on the dance floor.
At this moment, the chief steward Babaye came straight over and said to Chen Lun:
"Mr. Jack, His Royal Highness invites you and this young lady to come over and sit with us."
"Of course."
Chen Lun chuckled and agreed.
In his heart, he had already realized that the purpose of Princess Anna's invitation to him to dance just now might be to deliberately take out the broken sword to attract the prince's attention.
Holding Flo Yin's hand again, the two followed the butler Babaye to the lounge area on the side of the dance floor. Princess Anna had already returned to the prince's seat, drinking red wine out of boredom.
"Jack, and this beautiful lady, please take a seat."
The prince raised his hand in a gesture.
After Chen Lun and the other two sat down, he smiled and said:
"Anna has never danced with a man before. This alone shows that I have a good eye. You are indeed a rare talent in the empire... This is a toast to you."
The prince picked up the red wine, smiled and nodded.
Seeing this, Chen Lun also picked up his wine glass, and the chief steward Babaye poured wine for him at the right time.
"Your Highness, thank you for your compliment..."
He said humbly.
Dazlet shook his head and said meaningfully:
"Just now I saw Anna seemed to be chatting happily with you, and even gave you a gift?"
Chen Lun glanced at Princess Anna calmly, but she remained indifferent and continued drinking. He could only speculate on the princess' intentions several times in his mind, and finally denied it out loud:
"Um... It's not a gift, but Her Royal Highness the Princess wants me to help her restore an item."
"So that's how it is. Fate-related extraordinary people do have this ability."
The prince nodded.
"I have never seen this kind of extraordinary power. Can you show it to me?"
Chen Lun's mind was multitasking at a rapid pace. After some thought in a very short time, he nodded without any suspicion on the surface.
"Of course, your highness."
He took out the cylinder wrapped in black cloth, slowly opened it, and revealed the broken sword... During the whole process, Chen Lun also noticed that the prince's expression changed slightly. It was an emotion mixed with desire and jealousy, which flashed by in a flash.
If it weren't for Chen Lun's amazing insight, he probably wouldn't have been able to capture it.
Princess Anna also sat up straight at this time, frowned slightly and looked at her brother Dazlet, seeming a little dissatisfied with his interference in her behavior.
Chen Lun wiped the broken sword with his left hand and snapped his fingers with his right hand.
Bang!
Under the gaze of everyone, the broken sword below was restored to its original state in a flick of the hand, turning into a cross-shaped sword that was arm-length and two and a half fingers wide. The exquisite flame pattern was clearly visible on the blade. Under the leather-wrapped hilt was a round convex sword head, showing the royal iconic sun face.
Prince Dazlet exclaimed in praise and then began to applaud.
“It’s a wonderful power.”
He naturally reached out his hand and took the cross sword in his hand, looking at it with fascination. At this time, Princess Anna said:
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Jack."
"You are welcome, Your Highness."
Chen Lun responded.
Their eyes met briefly, but he read a smile in the princess's gaze.
"Isn't it time to return the sword to me, Brother Dazlet?"
Princess Anna said in a cold voice.
"Isn't this Anna's birthday present to me?"
Prince Dazlet had no intention of letting go.
"Give it back to me."
Anna's voice became colder.
Seeing this, the prince still did not retreat, with a smile on his face.
"Anna, my brother likes this sword very much. How about giving it to me? I gave you the ones you liked in the past. Why don't you give it to me this time?"
"… "
Princess Anna took a deep breath and then leaned back on the sofa with a look of boredom.
"What if I don't agree?"
She shook her head and said no more.
Prince Dazlet's smile widened. After thanking his sister, he lowered his head and kept playing with the cross sword.
Only Chen Lun noticed that a barely perceptible light flashed from Princess Anna's crown.