Titania, the mansion of Earl Howard.
The large mansion is like a small palace, and the neat lawn presents an elegant and generous landscape under the cutting of the exquisite floor. After the Guardsmen stopped searching and trying suspects recently, the bustle of the past has also resumed.
Today, Earl Howard feasted guests, and many nobles in the imperial capital were invited.
Within the empire, earls can be said to be the top of the nobility, but dukes are actually too rare and only four, and their status is similar to that of kings. The title of the entire country is divided into four grades, duke, earl, viscount, and baron. In addition, the lord only bestows the honorary title of outstanding talent or glory, and cannot be hereditary.
The promotion of nobility is by no means easy. In fact, in peacetime, nobility is basically unchanged, and some nobles of small nobility are even in danger of slipping. The historical background of each large-scale knighthood is generally the expansion of the empire to the outside world, which is why the expedition a few years ago attracted so many people.
Today, nearly a thousand years after the establishment of the empire, there are no more than 100 count families, and the count families that still maintain the corresponding status and real power hover around 60-70.
Such rare and noble positions symbolize power, wealth, status, etc., and therefore they often have great influence.
"Welcome to my mansion as a guest."
The slightly bloated Earl Howard wore a smooth back and a specially tailored black dress today. He stood on the central stairs of the hall, opened his hands, and greeted the numerous guests below.
His voice was unhurried and unhurried, with a kind of calmness unique to the superiors. His blue eyes slowly swept over the invited people, looking for the chat object he was interested in today.
For a noble like him, wealth is no longer a problem. As long as he does not engage in treason or the like in the empire, his status will basically not change. The title of Earl was inherited from his birth, just like his fathers and grandparents, it was natural and destined. They all received guests in this luxurious hall like this. He had seen his grandfather do this since he was a child, his father did this, and today he himself does the same.
If you want to say bored, that's not it, he is very suitable for this kind of scene, like an inheritance engraved in his blood, he enjoys everyone's complimenting greetings and words, as long as he sits at the table in the banquet, there will be a steady stream of People came over and told him the latest news and interesting things. And he only needs to taste the wine slowly, and occasionally nod his head to express his compliment to the visitor. This is also his favorite pastime at ordinary times. It not only shows the nobility of his family, but also gains a good reputation, and can also pass the boring time.
Today, after briefly entertaining these guests, he walked slowly to the fixed corner. The view here is excellent, and it is not very conspicuous (he thinks). When he was still an adult, he sat here and took a fancy to Viscount Arland. His daughter, Marilyn, later became his wife of course.
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After the waiter had mixed the orange-red Cointreau for him, he sniffed lightly and sighed at the fragrance that had not changed in the past ten years. A man in a dress stepped forward.
"Good evening, Count. I am delighted to see that you are still in good health."
"Okay, Hewlett. Tell me something interesting, have you lost money again recently." Howard waved his hand.
Baron Hewlett was a valet he was familiar with when he was a child. Although he was average, he wanted to make a fortune since he was a child. He has engaged in many new businesses over the years, but unfortunately he always lost a lot of money. Sometimes when they are short of money or no way out, they will find him here.
He was not at all interested in Hewlett's popcorn industry, but every time he heard about the process of losing money, it was interesting, so he didn't let the servants stop him.
"Wise and noble Count, I have recently discovered a new wealth business opportunity." Hewlett made that familiar tone as soon as he came up, causing Howard to raise the beard on his lips.
"Okay, old man, let's talk about it." He changed his position and cocked his legs.
"I wonder if you have heard of a caravan that has just arrived in the imperial capital recently. They are the Lagertis Chamber of Commerce, and they have brought many mysterious products from the East."
"East, it's really wonderful." Howard slowly tasted the wine, remembering the shock when he saw the world map in his grandfather's study when he was a child.
The East is a distant and vast world. People in the empire know about it, but they don’t understand it very well, so it is full of various assumptions and fantasies.
Some people say that there is wealth everywhere, there are rare treasures everywhere, porcelain and silk that are more expensive than gold in the empire are found in every household, women in the East have smooth skin and no body odor, and they will not age all the year round, etc., like another world. .
Although Howard has never been to the Orient, he still collects a lot of books depicting the Orient, travel notes, etc., which describe a lot of real or imaginary things, which makes people feel like a cloud and endless reverie.
"This time they brought not only silk and porcelain from the East, but also many things that the East has never seen before." Hewlett knew that the Count was interested in the East.
"There are light gauze feather clothes that can pass through candlelight, elixir that can make people live a hundred years old, wine that makes people dream of the past, dolls dancing on the table, and strange things that show the oriental fairyland like clouds and mist. Pearl..." The baron exhausted his vocabulary and imagination to describe things that had never been seen before.
Despite the desire to hear it in his heart, Howard still maintained his superficial expression, nodded gently, expressed his slight approval, and then interrupted him appropriately.
"Although it sounds very good, who knows if it's true or not, hey..." He pretended to be regretful, and then his eyes narrowed.
"Of course it's true, I saw it with my own eyes." Seeing the earl's interest, Hewlett responded eagerly.
"Also, the eldest lady of the Lagertis Chamber of Commerce is incomparably beautiful, like the bright moon in the sky, like a rare gem, making people's eyes impossible to move."
"Oh, how beautiful it can be." Howard smiled. The most important thing among nobles is beautiful women. They are sitting on land and wealth. The maids around them are carefully selected since childhood. sensitive.
"Uh....like....comparable to the old princess." Hewlett really couldn't find a good analogy, so he could only say that.
"For such a compliment, tell me, how much did you charge that eldest lady." The beard on Howard's mouth curled up again.
The direct daughter of the Landsworth family, the former crown princess, and the future White Queen, Frothea's face is the most beautiful and peerless the imperial capital's nobles and commoners have ever seen in their lives.
Although the crown princess was very indifferent to social interaction and seldom attended banquets, even if she said a word in the mansion, what she wore every day was a topic that all the emperors talked about at that time. Countless noble ladies and women are obsessed with following her clothes. Whether it is identity, appearance, talent, etc., this person is the ceiling of the entire empire. There are almost no shortcomings, and it is the most perfect in the dreams of countless people. Object.
And Hewlett actually used the White Queen as a metaphor today, which is too much touted. Howard shook his head secretly after hearing this, and raised some doubts about the oriental things he said before.
"Sir, you must believe me, there is really no falsehood." Hewlett's face showed an anxious and anxious expression.
"Okay, alright, for the sake of old friends, I don't care how much you receive from the eldest lady. After that, I will ask the housekeeper to give you an invitation, which you can pass to the eldest lady."
"But I'm not interested in her looks, but in the oriental things you said before. I hope you won't let me down this time."
"And I remind you in advance, don't play tricks to fool me. I have seen many real treasures in the East. If you do that, you are insulting me, understand?"
"My esteemed Lord Hewlett, I understand. How could I deceive you, Hewlett will always be your most loyal follower." After receiving the answer, the desolate baron also became calm and polite, and bowed respectfully. , then withdrew with a smile on his face.
Looking at the back of this childhood playmate, Howard shook his head slightly, then tapped the table.
Next person. He wanted to continue to hear what interesting news the next guest brought him.
"Good evening, my lord."
"Good evening, Mrs. Vanessa."
A graceful lady sat down, and the fine gems on the jewelry in front of her reflected colorful flashes under the light, but what attracted the eyes more was the slender and smooth silk dress, which brought her graceful figure to life. It is exposed, and the embroidery with the interlaced silver threads on it is lifelike, giving people a mysterious oriental charm.
"I came here today to introduce a friend to Lord Howard."
Familiar words were played out again, and the legend about the mysterious and beautiful lady of the Chamber of Commerce began to spread in the imperial capital.
———
In the evening a few days later, the courtyard where the Lagertis caravan was located.
Lorraine Hill was dressing up in front of the mirror at the moment, preparing for the banquet tonight.
Thanks to the publicity of the people these days, the reputation of this caravan spread rapidly in the imperial capital, and some great nobles also began to be interested in this Miss Lacey, and sent invitation letters one after another.
But Loren Hill didn't want to visit them one by one, which would not only be time-consuming and laborious, but she also liked to attend various banquet invitations so frequently, and be watched with various eyes for a long time.
If it wasn't for this plan, she really needed to actually attend the banquet to see the situation of the upper echelons of the empire, and she might not even have the idea of making a public appearance. Although being sensitive is helpful in practice and fighting, in such unfamiliar social situations, it will only make little Lorraine more shy.
Whoops, it would be nice if there was a stand-in. Seeing herself in the mirror being gradually dressed up by the two maids beside her, such a thought suddenly floated in the girl's mind.
"Okay, ma'am, it's sorted."
"Thank you Yoglia." The girl woke up from her imagination and looked at herself in the mirror.
Today, she is wearing an exquisite white and blue dress, with white as the base, with blue and white roses embellished on it, and a light blue belt that closes her waist, and two light ribbons hang down from the side. The overall style is pure and fresh, with the golden hair like the warm sun, just like the morning sun in winter.
In today's empire, which prefers red and black, this way of dressing can be said to be very different, and it brings a strange impact.
After dressing up, Roland Hill and the two maids walked down the stairs and walked slowly to the outside of the courtyard, where a specially made white carriage had been waiting for a long time.
The body is decorated with some vines, and the surrounding area is dotted with roses of flaming yellow and pure white. The two handsome unicorns pulling the horse are also lightly knocking their hooves on the ground to pass the time.
"Good evening." The girl greeted Vio, who was driving, and then came to the two unicorns, stroking gently, recalling the way Frocia taught her in the past, to comfort the two unicorns of Sequence 5 beast.
A long time ago, the unicorn was a rare beast that lived in the forest. Later, it was domesticated by the elves, and the number increased slightly.
Later, the forest elves and humans jointly established a country, and a group of elves or humans with blood from both sides was born. They gradually became the bridge between the two races, and the most famous one was the Landsworth family, the Duke of Unicorns. This duke family guarding the eastern part of the empire has always been rich in poets and artists. It is the most gentle family among the four dukes, and has an excellent reputation among the nobles.
Today, the Landsworth family raises even more unicorns than forest elves. There are a number of elite knights in the east, cruising the vast and peaceful land.
After appeasing the two unicorns temporarily borrowed from the forest elves, Roland Hill and the maids boarded the carriage, and then the two unicorns pulled the white rose carriage and headed towards Yinyue Street where the nobles gathered.
The carriage turned around the street in the eyes of passersby's envy and curiosity, and walked into an increasingly tidy area. There are no longer various stores on both sides of the street, but a long and narrow iron fence, exposing lawns, gardens and green trees. .
These are all private residences belonging to nobles. Many great nobles in the empire have their own residences in this area, which is convenient for participating in meetings, positions, or face-to-face in the imperial capital.
"Miss, Lord Howard's mansion is here." Vio's voice came from the front, and the carriage slowly stopped.
Looking through the car window, the mansion is now full of lively figures, many nobles are dancing gracefully at the banquet, and the melodious and soothing music can be heard a little from a distance.
It looks like the banquet has already started. Roland Hill was thoughtful, and then slowly stepped off the carriage with the help of the maid.
The white shoes are like exquisite works of art. The side is decorated with light pink ribbons and flowers. The crossed ribbons show the slenderness of the calf. Along the white stockings, it is a white and blue rose skirt, a girl with a dreamy face. Step into this mortal world.
"Pull... Lagertis Chamber of Commerce, Miss Lacey is here~"
The attendant came back to his senses from the shock, nervously shouted his name, and then many eyes converged on the door leading to the outside world.
In this way, a girl wearing a white and blue rose dress entered everyone's sight, and her footsteps were like ripples on the surface of a lake, rippling in the heart, making people's heart skip a beat and sing loudly.
If the direct daughter of the Landsworth family is a Sun Treasure Diamond wrapped in golden flame roses, then this girl is a flawless moon surrounded by clear roses, hazy and dreamy, making people fall into a dream.
"Perhaps, they really didn't exaggerate."
Earl Howard, who was standing on the stairs, opened his mouth slightly in surprise, and then felt a magical sense of mission spreading in his body and mind.
Perhaps, this girl will change all winds in the imperial capital. Because even he could not refuse the beauty of such an alluring city.
In the aristocratic world far away from the troubles of the mortal world, only beauty and power are the existences that pass everything, and this girl has one of them.