With Chief Anlos in the carriage, the group of four was indeed not searched for weapons. Chief Anlos still had things to do, so he parted ways with Xia De after entering Yodel Palace. If there were no other matters, Xia De probably wouldn't see his superior at the banquet again tonight.
It was 6:50 PM. In Tobesk, at this time in late summer, only the last sliver of sunset could be seen. The courtyard of Yodel Palace was adorned with colorful ribbons and decorations. Well-dressed men and women greeted each other, and under the illumination of the courtyard gas lamps, they walked from the entrance along the red carpet laid on the central axis of the courtyard towards the main building of Yodel Palace.
The banquet was about to begin.
Yodel Palace, belonging to the royal Cavendish Family, was not actually a single palace but a complex of palace buildings located in the City center. Its own footprint was roughly equivalent to four to six Saint Delan Squares. This was not only the residence of the royal family but also served as the political center of the Kingdom.
Today was the Queen's birthday banquet, so the main building of Yodel Palace was opened as the banquet venue. Besides the King's and Queen's birthdays, such a large-scale banquet only occurred when hosting a royal delegation from Carson Rick or for certain important conferments.
Xia De and Dorothy followed the crowd onto the red carpet, passing through the decorated courtyard and entering the foyer of the three-story building.
Although it was called a foyer, its area was larger than the combined area of Xia De's three-story house with a basement and attic. On both sides were corridors, and directly opposite the main door were two intersecting spiral staircases.
After the furniture was removed, it was set up as a ballroom.
Today's banquet was held on the first and second floors. Besides the long banquet tables, the clean floor was covered with a red carpet. Under the light of the gas lamps and the crystal chandeliers overhead, everything here seemed to sparkle.
Gifts could be handed in at the entrance of the banquet hall, where a butler-like figure wearing a wig and a monocle, dressed in a red coat, led servants to record them at a long table by the door. Dorothy quietly told Xia De that this man was the chief steward of the West Hall of Yodel Palace, one of the palace's butlers.
When Xia De asked her how many butlers there actually were, Dorothy didn't even know.
"Leia had to put in a lot of effort to remember everyone's names when she was little."
Gifts for the Queen would certainly not be opened on the spot but were piled together for the Queen to view herself. Xia De casually handed over his box; although the packaging of the box itself looked good, it seemed a bit ordinary when placed with other gift boxes.
Dorothy, of course, also brought a gift. She chose a silver compact mirror. Although it was valuable, there was nothing special about it. Since the Queen couldn't keep all the gifts everyone gave, Dorothy didn't bother to put much thought into choosing it.
After registering at the door, Xia De and Dorothy officially entered the main banquet area.
Miss Jialinna had already told Xia De about the specific flow of the banquet. At eight o'clock, the Queen would appear and thank the guests for coming, and if King Larus III was available, he might also appear.
After eight o'clock, the courtyard would be fully open, and those who wanted to breathe fresh air could take a walk outside. Bands and performers were also arranged in the courtyard.
At half past nine, the indoor ball would officially begin, but it would only take place on the second floor. If one wished to dance, they could go up with their companion.
After ten o'clock, one could choose to leave, but at that time, some pretty fireworks would be set off in the courtyard for half the City to enjoy together. The banquet dispersed at twelve o'clock, but those who lingered for various reasons would not leave until one o'clock. So, there was still a long time left in this night. If Xia De wasn't worried about Darkness, this would actually be a rare moment of relaxation for him.
It seemed everyone could find something to do at this banquet. Before Queen Diana appeared, people gathered in twos and threes, quietly discussing the banquet or talking about matters concerning Yodel Palace with acquaintances.
A few reporters also received invitations to the banquet. Cameras set up at the entrance of the first-floor banquet hall recorded this magnificent scene after flashes exploded. That photograph probably represented what could be called the most prosperous scene of this era.
Xia De and Dorothy went up to the second floor together. They stood by a long dining table, and Xia De listened as Dorothy introduced the Yodel Palace guards and servants walking around.
But even Leia couldn't recognize everyone here, so Dorothy could only briefly introduce those she had an impression of.
"You and Leia are both in Yodel Palace now. Will you be affected?"
Xia De looked at the food on the table and asked quietly. Most Tobesk noble banquets adopted a buffet-style food service, and the Queen's birthday banquet was no exception.
"Don't worry, Leia is currently in the room at the corner of the west corridor on the second floor."
Dorothy replied.
This palace-style building, from its initial design, had the first-floor foyer and second-floor main hall planned as banquet halls. Although both were quite large, they were not very large compared to the building itself. It should be known that this main building of Yodel Palace was once the largest palace on the entire Old Continent.
This record was only surpassed twenty years ago by the newly built Royal Palace in Carson Rick.
Marquis Graselli, who had invited Xia De to play rhode cards at the Opera House, found Xia De on the second floor at 7:40 PM.
At that time, Xia De was holding a plate, examining the pale, boiled meat inside. The Marquis smiled and came to inform Xia De that the rhode cards game at the banquet would begin at 8:30 PM, on the second floor.
He had heard from somewhere that last week Xia De had won 【King's Decree: Substitute】 using demon series rhode cards at the Three Cats Inn in St. Anthem Square in the Lower City, and he excitedly asked Xia De if he had brought these two cards.
"Of course."
Xia De took out the cards from his suit pocket and wiggled them.
"That's good. I heard that many people are waiting to gamble with you in rhode cards at the banquet."
The Marquis quietly reminded him, and Xia De felt that "many people" should include him.
"It's fine, I'm also looking forward to seeing more special cards."
After Marquis Graselli, who was in high spirits tonight, left, Xia De wanted to exchange views with Dorothy on the topic of banquet drinks, but Dorothy was probably tired of hearing Xia De complain about how hard it was to find juice here, so she pulled him to meet her friends.
When she said "friends," it was actually just colleagues. Those people occupied a corner of the sofa area in the southwest corner of the second-floor banquet hall. Besides the Writers, there were also some aristocrats who pretended to be refined, chatting with them.
As soon as he approached, Xia De saw Mr. Proxi Newman, the playwright he had met once at the Opera House after exam week. Because it was the Queen's birthday banquet, he wasn't dressed as a terrifying woman like last time.
But even so, the makeup on this gentleman's face was still more feminine in style, because Xia De had never seen such conspicuous pink lipstick color on any man's lips in this era.
However, Mr. Newman had the most people around him. This playwright, who looked to be in his thirties, had a very high reputation. The play "Prince's Revenge" that Xia De and Miss Jialinna watched at the Opera House a few days ago was adapted by him from a knight novel into an opera.
"Look, Louisa is here."
Probably because of Professor Louisa, many people here recognized Dorothy. Detective novels, as a new literary genre, should not have been accepted by colleagues so quickly, but seeing how enthusiastically they welcomed Dorothy, Professor Louisa's influence was probably greater than Xia De had imagined.
"This is Hamilton of Leijiede, the prototype of the main character in my novel."
Dorothy also introduced Xia De's identity to her friends, and as expected, all the Tobesk Writers invited to this banquet knew who Xia De was.
There were no people here who refused to shake his hand because of the rumor that "Xia De Hamilton only has his current status because he hooked up with the Duchess." Xia De, on the other hand, was trying to remember everyone present to avoid not knowing their names if he met them on the street next time.
Besides the somewhat effeminate-looking playwright Proxi Newman, other notable figures here included Mr. Miles Garoff, a Poet aged 39, who won the Kingdom's highest literary award last year with his poetry collection "Leaves of Autumn"; Ms. Eva Swift, who came from Carson Rick and resided in Tobesk, hoping to gain new inspiration from Delarion. She held a Baroness title from Carson Rick, and it was not inherited but earned through her literary achievements; Mr. Human Francois, who had published thirteen best-selling novel collections and specialized in adventure and travel novels, holding the record for the highest circulation of contemporary delarion popular novels; and finally, Professor Mulder Gothe, a forty-one-year-old essayist who taught in Tobesk University District and was also employed at Yodel Palace as the royal family's literature and grammar teacher.
Compared to these few, Dorothy, whose career had just seen a new turn with the "hamilton detective story collection," was quite inconspicuous.
After Xia De and Dorothy sat down on the sofa together, Xia De received more welcome. People were very keen to talk to Xia De, discussing his Detective profession or chatting about rhode cards.
Later, the conversation somehow shifted to the creation of popular novels. Dorothy then had the chance to say a few words, and Xia De was also pulled into the conversation by Dorothy.
Of course, he didn't understand literary creation, but thanks to the many literary works and classics he had read in his hometown, he could say a few words about anything as long as it didn't involve the fundamental details of literary creation or poetry.
After all, writing poetry was not allowed in exams in his hometown.
