Chapter 98 Two or Three Things Before Going on Stage (Part 1)
The next night, in the remote corner of the Temerian Palace - the "Pure White Hall" -
"Looking at the bustling scene in front of me, I think of the famous saying you said before." The speaker was wearing a pink ruffled tight top, with a delicately trimmed goatee, and a handsome appearance.
"I have a very bad premonition, so please don't say it out loud." The person who answered had a tight-fitting shirt with white stripes on a black background and no ruffles. Except for the four scars on his face, which gave him a slightly masculine look, the rest of it was lackluster.
"Kingdom has no eternity."
"Damn it, I didn't know you were suicidal, or have you forgotten where this is? If you can't wait to send yourself to the gallows, please stay away from me, and then speak louder."
Dandelion, the greatest bard in the North, wearing a bright hat decorated with feathers, is trying to create conversation with his friend Victor, hoping to assuage his dissatisfaction with himself.
"Can you stop being so boring, my friend, you were not like this before."
"If you mean dressing up like a courting turtle dove by being interesting, then I'm sorry that I'm so boring.
Or if you are implying a provocation to the royal power, then I must remind you that you can say whatever you like at home, but in the pure white hall, 'eloquence is silver and silence is gold. ’”
"Aha! Another famous saying that deserves to be passed down. I have heard other versions with similar meanings, but none of them are so vivid.
Listen... just relax, okay, it's not that serious, I remember last year in Toussaint..."
"──The duchess who ruled there almost cut off your head," Victor interrupted his bragging neatly, "'Anna Henrietta', an unforgettable and soul-stirring love story, including the gifts she gave Lands, forests, castles and palaces….
It all ended because you committed crimes of disrespect to Her Royal Highness the Duchess, betrayal of the principality, perjury, slander, and rumors to smear the aristocracy.
By the way, what's that nickname you gave her?
Weasel right! Ha ha ha ha ha! "
"Oh damn, look what I did! I really drank too much, and I even told you this..." He clasped his hands and begged for mercy, "I will shut up now, can you stop too? At least I want to stay relaxed and happy before I go on stage to perform.”
Victor raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, "Tsk, tsk, you were the one who flirted with me first, and I don't care about your mood. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be standing here now. I didn't even go to this banquet. Send Shani."
"Okay, I apologize. It was my mistake. You didn't like to appear in such aristocratic social situations. I swear I will remember it. I promise I will make it up to you, okay? I just ask you not to say it again."
After saying that, Dandelion, who was feeling deflated on Victor's side, hurriedly turned around and joined the circle of nobles. He soon chatted and laughed with several noble ladies, making them tremble with witty words.
After driving away the talkative bard, the boy was actually not as uncomfortable as he complained. At least Princess Yada's banquet did not present a traditional closed form. The feeling of being in it was a bit like a modern buffet. There are long tables with food and meals on both sides and in the center. There are no fixed seats. People carry dinner plates or wine glasses and walk freely in the wide space to communicate with others.
The corner where Victor was staying had a clear view of the entire hall, so he easily found the Lily Knight Roderick, following Princess Yada wherever she went.
Noticed Keira again. Metz was holding a wine glass and chatting and laughing with a middle-aged official in rich clothes. It can be concluded that this bald man with a pot belly must have a high status.
As for the petite sorceress Keira, today she was wearing a white dress with a deep V cut to her navel, with a zircon cross shining brightly on her chest. She was naturally the most prominent focus in the hall.
…
With his plain appearance and plain clothes, the young man stood alone in the corner with a glass of wine, easily gaining enough private space.
Taking a break from the chaos, he was dreaming up one exquisite plan after another in his mind. Victor did not feel lonely, but it was obviously not just the bard Dandelion who cared about the lonely witcher apprentice.
"It's the first time you appear on such an occasion. It feels very strange. Isn't it different from what you saw in the books? This is a new dinner style introduced by the sorceresses."
The person who turned around and approached the speaker from behind was the "King's Eye". He wore a monocle and dressed in a simple and low-key style.
"Mr. Taller, I didn't expect that someone like you would come to the banquet. Isn't this a gathering of good people to celebrate the harvest?"
"Do you have some misunderstanding? I only need to participate in warm and kind banquets. This place is full of Nilfgaard spies, brewing conspiracies to subvert the kingdom." He stared at Victor with a smile as he said, "Even The sneaky rats are dressed like humans and are running around in the hall with a glass of wine. Why can't I not be there to keep an eye on them? "
Victor raised his glass to greet Taller, "Your sense of smell is unparalleled. You are worthy of being the eye of a king."
Taller raised his glass and returned the favor, "Let me give you a hint. On such occasions, if there is no noble to lead you into their circle, you will always stand on the sidelines and be out of place."
"But I feel that compared to the king's secret detective, maybe the noble lords are more willing to accept, um... a new mouse, as long as he wears human-like clothes."
"What's going on? Are you still resenting me for searching for you yesterday?"
"Of course, any law-abiding citizen would not like this to happen to him, even if you are doing your duty.
Your suspicion of the darkness of human nature and your behavior of digging for secrets everywhere, the reason why the nobles hate you so much, I can empathize with you."
After saying goodbye to Taller, he took two steps forward to stop the wealthy Sir who was passing by, and there were two nobles walking with him.
"Mr. Champelli, long time no see, you are wearing this gorgeous new clothes, have you been promoted?"
A friend beside him thought it was someone he knew, and answered naturally: "Yes, our respectable Champelli, presented the royal family with ten perfect wolf skins without scars, and won a position as a royal hunter."
"This is really an extraordinary honor. A wolf skin without scars requires enough luck and courage. Ten wolf skins have such superb skills, and the position of royal hunter is well deserved."
Hearing Victor's hint and meeting the boy's eyes, Champelli turned his head Turning to his friends, he said, "Let me introduce you to this person, this is ──"
"──The bard Victor," the young man took over the conversation at the right time, "I come from Bell Town, east of Zerecania. Good night, two distinguished gentlemen.
Tonight I will bring you greetings from the east of the Blue Mountains, the magnificent and majestic scenery of the Zerecania Desert, and the mysterious and fresh stories."
With the royal hunter standing by, endorsing the young man's words with a smile, his two friends naturally changed their attitudes, and their indifference turned into enthusiasm. Then the four of them held their glasses and started chatting. The topic was inseparable from the disputes of the nobles at a higher level, the erotic gossip of the ladies, and the technical college in the trade zone.
However, Victor, who successfully integrated into the environment, soon regretted it a little, because chatting with these three drunkards was not much more pleasant than staying where he was just now. He could be called a criminal of "wasting time".
Chatting with Taler would at least have some ideological collisions. Although his endless probing made people uncomfortable, it would definitely not be boring.
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