Although the church wedding is the most important ceremony of the day for the two people getting married, the wedding banquet that will last until tomorrow morning is the most important thing of the day for the invited guests.
Wedding banquets are different from ordinary banquets. Their purpose is simply to enjoy and celebrate, so they don't even require formal attire.
On the way back to St. Teresa's Square from the church, "Dorothy" told Shad about the dress code, which surprised Shad, who thought he would rest at home before leaving:
"For such a high-profile party, don't you need to wear formal attire?"
"Weddings are never particularly serious occasions, and there are many interesting games at wedding banquets. If you dress too formally, it will be inconvenient to move around."
Leithia said that Shad didn't know why she didn't switch back with Dorothy, but he certainly wasn't stupid enough to ask about it.
"So what do I need to wear? Will normal clothes be enough?"
Xia De asked again, and Leicia replied with a smile:
"Of course not. You have to have some taste, otherwise you'll be laughed at by others. Did you really just stuff the clothes I prepared for you into your closet without even looking at them? I know you won't like the retro robe-style clothing that's popular recently, so I prepared your favorite black formal clothes for you."
Thinking of the venue of the dance, Xia De asked with some concern:
"Will Dr. Schneider and Father Augustus appear at the manor tonight?"
"How could the doctor be there?"
Leicia asked suspiciously, and then said:
"As for the priest, I heard from my mother that the Aspergers sent invitations to all the Five Gods Churches, but because this wedding is held in the Peace Church, the other four churches have declined the banquet. Maybe someone will accept the invitation in a private capacity, but Priest Augustus will not come. Dorothy went to see the doctor yesterday, wanting to contact the college to ask when the parchment she ordered would arrive, and she happened to run into Priest Augustus at the doctor's office. The priest has been busy auditing the church's financial statements at the end of the year and has no time to attend a banquet that lasts until late at night."
"That puts my mind at ease."
Shade nodded while holding the cat.
"Relax? Oh, I see."
Leicia naturally thought of what happened in Lakeview Manor:
"How can Tobesk always be unlucky? I don't think you need to worry so much."
The two took a carriage back to Shade's house. After returning home, Leicia exchanged with Dorothy again and let Dorothy return to her body. Shade didn't know how the two girls divided their time today, but he heard Dorothy complain that Leicia didn't let her change her clothes before letting her come back:
“It’s a hassle to re-wash and dress.”
Although she said so, she still hummed a song and changed into the dress she wore to attend the Lake View Manor banquet. It was a pale purple long dress, relatively simple in style, and indeed convenient for movement. Of course, she changed into a pair of relatively short high heels, and her hairstyle did not change much, except that the hair accessories became a butterfly shape inlaid with diamonds.
It was already three o'clock in the afternoon when they got home. By the time Dorothy had finished washing and dressing up, Mia's nap had even ended. Without further delay, the two got in a carriage at the corner of St. Teresa's Square and headed to Lake View Manor by the Schluchsee Lake.
After that kick on that midsummer night, Xia De never came here again. Half a year later, under the sky where the moon and the sun appeared at the same time, he saw the manor by the lake again, and he was filled with emotion.
The scale of Princess Mona's wedding banquet was no smaller than the outdoor banquet at Lake View Manor in the summer. Although it was early winter, the first snow had not yet arrived, so the night temperature was barely acceptable, so this banquet was also held indoors and outdoors at the same time.
When Xia De jumped off the carriage first and saw the manor in the sunset, a large tent had been set up in the courtyard in front of the manor, and the tents were connected by ropes full of colorful flags. This banquet would be very lively, and there would be various activities in each tent.
According to what Dorothy heard from Lesia, the royal family even asked the Prophet Society about the weather conditions tonight in advance and confirmed that tonight would be one of the best nights in recent weather.
"So does the Prophet's Society know when it will snow?"
Xia De smiled and greeted his female companion, and then said hello to the gentlemen passing by. Although Xia De didn't know most of them, a simple greeting was a courtesy.
"Prediction is not omnipotent. The Prophet Association does not often predict the weather."
Dorothy said as she and Shad walked towards the gate and onto the red carpet on the walkway. There were also flower petals on the carpet. Just looking at the decorations and makeup of Lake View Manor, the cost of this banquet would definitely not be less than 5,000 pounds.
In the midsummer, Shad kicked under the moon in the state of "divine overflow", leaving a moon mark on the path in the courtyard in front of the manor. After half a year, the mark has disappeared. It is said that Mr. Randall, the thirteenth-ring warlock of the Church of the Sun who has decided to stay in Tobesk, "Sunshine Greatsword", used the power of sunlight to offset the power of moonlight.
When Xia De followed the crowd and came to the place where "Mrs. Lazoya" died again, he couldn't help but sigh.
"What are you sighing about, Shade, follow me."
Dorothy urged from the front.
They now have to go to the manor house, present their gifts at the door, and exchange a few words with the bride and groom before they can enjoy the banquet.
"Shade, I'm going to meet up with my writer friends first, and then accept the invitation of the two princesses to discuss literary topics. You can walk around the manor first, and then..."
The blonde blushed. The sun had not yet set, and a dart game seemed to be being prepared in the tent in the courtyard. Dorothy tried to suppress her trembling voice and spoke at a normal volume.
"Her Highness Leicia has a handwritten copy of Summer Nights. She may invite you to watch it with her around eight o'clock."
"OK."
Shade said with a stern face, nodding slightly, making the conversation sound flawless.
"Before that, you can take a look around the banquet. In addition to the 10 o'clock Rhodes card competition, there are also interesting games such as horse racing, fencing, darts, riddles, manor treasure hunt, etc. ... Oh, Her Highness also asked me to tell you that if Princess Ajelina invites you to play, please agree to her invitation."
Xia De, who was holding the cat, nodded slightly, and looked around the courtyard with some curiosity. In the tent in front of them, the band was preparing. This was not the kind of band that performed in formal occasions or opera houses, but a band wearing strange clothes, probably playing some folk songs.
"Yes, I will participate in these games. I want to prove my strength, wisdom and charm here."
"Prove yourself? Are you preparing for the ceremony?"
Dorothy asked curiously in a low voice, and Shad nodded slightly:
"I suppose so. I want to prove myself by dancing with the prettiest girl of the evening. Didn't we agree to dance together, Dorothy?"
"No, no, I'm not the prettiest girl tonight."
Even so, it was clear that the blonde writer was very satisfied with Shade's question:
"The most beautiful girl tonight is, of course, the protagonist of this banquet, Mona Cavendish, Resia's sister... Do you want to invite her to dance?"
She asked with a smile, then curiously observed Xia De's expression, and sure enough, she saw that Xia De looked distressed.
According to the tradition of Delarion, if a young gentleman who is not the groom invites the bride to dance at the wedding dinner, it can be regarded as a direct provocation to the groom. In the cold weapon era before the advent of the steam era, this was a bad provocation enough to make the groom initiate a life-and-death duel.
Even though the times are more open-minded now, no one would do such a thing. Especially since the bride is a princess of the royal family, if Shad dared to do this, even if he was an ace agent of MI6, Larous III would not let him off easily.
"I need to think of other options."
Xia De thought to himself, but for the sake of the divinity of the "Lady of the Lake", he had to complete this task tonight no matter what.
As they were talking, the two finally arrived at the gate of Lakeview Manor. After presenting their gifts, they officially entered the building.
The interior of the manor has also been renovated, and there is no trace of the previous owner, the Crown family.
Because of their connection with the Mercury Blood and the cultists of the Lord of the Blood Feast, the Crown family had been stripped of their titles and completely disappeared from the history of the Kingdom of Draerion. But that was a summer event, and most people may have forgotten about it. After all, there were more interesting things happening every day in Tobesk.
Stepping into the magnificently decorated hall, the bride and groom standing in the middle with wine glasses in hand recognized Xia De immediately. But the two sides only exchanged a few simple pleasantries. There were many guests coming tonight, and it was impossible for everyone to talk to the owner of the manor for a long time.
Xia De didn't say much, just simply expressed his blessings and introduced his female companion to the Asbergs.
Mona Asberg must have known about the rumors between Shade and Miss Carina—there was no way any noble in Tobesk didn't know about it, but she still smiled and praised the beauty of the blonde writer, and said jokingly:
"Miss Louisa, maybe you can use this banquet as a prototype for a story in Hamilton's Detective Stories."
Given the subject matter of Dorothy's detective stories, Shad didn't think this was a very good proposition.