While the church wedding was the most important ceremony of the day for the couple getting married, for the invited guests, the wedding banquet, which would last until early tomorrow morning, was the most important event of the day.
Unlike ordinary banquets, the wedding banquet's sole purpose was enjoyment and celebration, so there was no requirement to wear overly formal attire.
On the way from the church back to Saint Delan Square, “Dorothy” explained the dress code to Xia De, which surprised him, as he had thought he could just rest at home for a bit before leaving:
“Such a high-level evening party, no need for formal wear?”
Leia said, “Weddings are never particularly serious occasions, and at these wedding banquets, there are many interesting mini-games. Wearing overly formal attire would make it inconvenient to move around.” Xia De didn’t know why she hadn’t switched back with Dorothy, but he certainly wasn’t foolish enough to ask about it.
“Then what should I wear? Are my usual clothes fine?”
Xia De asked again, and Leia answered with a smile:
“Of course not. You still need to have a bit of taste, otherwise, you’ll be laughed at. Did you really just stuff the clothes I prepared for you into the closet without even looking at them? I know you don’t like the currently popular retro-robe style, so I prepared your favorite black formal-like clothes for you.”
Thinking of the venue for the ball, Xia De asked with some concern:
“Will Doctor Schneider and Priest Augustus be at Lakeview Manor tonight?”
“How could the doctor possibly be there?”
Leia asked suspiciously, then added:
“As for the Priest, I heard from my mother that the Eisberg family sent invitations to all Five Gods Church, but because this wedding is being held at Peace Church, the other four churches declined the banquet. Someone might accept the invitation in a private capacity, but Priest Augustus probably won’t come. Yesterday, Dorothy went to find the doctor to contact the academy and ask when the parchment she ordered would arrive, and she happened to run into Priest Augustus there. The Priest is busy auditing the church’s financial statements for the end of the year and doesn’t have time to attend a banquet that lasts until late at night.”
“That puts my mind at ease.”
Xia De nodded, holding the cat.
“At ease? Oh, I understand.”
Leia naturally thought of what had happened at Lakeview Manor:
“How could Tobesk always be so unlucky? I think you don’t need to worry so much.”
The two took a carriage back to Xia De’s home. After returning, Leia exchanged places with Dorothy again, allowing Dorothy to return to her own body. Xia De didn’t know how the two girls had allocated their time today, but he heard Dorothy complain that Leia hadn’t even changed her clothes before letting her switch back:
“It’s troublesome to re-wash and dress up.”
Although she said that, she still hummed a song as she changed into the dress for the Lakeview Manor banquet. It was a light purple long dress, relatively simple in style, and indeed convenient for movement. Of course, the high heels were replaced with a relatively lower pair, and her hairstyle didn’t change much, only the hair accessory became a diamond-studded butterfly shape.
It was already three in the afternoon when they returned home, and by the time Dorothy had finished re-washing and dressing up, Mia’s nap had even ended. The two didn’t delay any further, boarding a carriage at the street corner of Saint Delan Square and heading to Lakeview Manor, located by Schluch Lake.
After that kick on the Summer night, Xia De had never returned here. Half a year later, seeing the manor by the lake again under a sky where the Moon and the Sun appeared simultaneously, he was filled with many emotions.
Princess Mona Cavendish’s wedding banquet was no smaller in scale than the outdoor party at Lakeview Manor in the Summer. Although it was already early winter, the first snow had not yet arrived, so the night temperature was still tolerable. Thus, this banquet was also held both indoors and outdoors.
When Xia De first jumped out of the carriage and saw the manor in the sunset, large tents had already been set up in the front courtyard, and ropes adorned with colorful flags connected the tents. This banquet would be very lively, with various activities in each tent.
According to the news Dorothy heard from Leia, the royal family even inquired with the Prophet Association about tonight’s weather conditions in advance, confirming that tonight would be one of the best weather nights recently.
“So does the Prophet Association know when it will snow?”
Xia De asked his female companion with a smile, then greeted the gentlemen passing by. Although Xia De didn't know most of them, a simple greeting was polite.
“Prophecy isn’t omnipotent. The Prophet Association doesn’t frequently predict the weather,” Dorothy said, walking with Xia De towards the fence gate and stepping onto the red carpet laid on the pathway. These carpets also had petals, and just based on the decorations and arrangements seen at Lakeview Manor so far, the cost of this banquet would definitely not be less than 5000 pounds.
During the Summer, Xia De’s kick under the Moon, in a state of “divine overflow,” had left a Moon mark on the pathway of the manor’s front courtyard. Half a year later, this mark had disappeared. It is said that Mr. Rendall, the Thirteen Ring Arcanist “Sunlight Greatsword” from the Sun Church, who has decided to permanently reside in Tobesk, used the power of Sunlight to counteract the power of Moonlight.
As Xia De followed the crowd, returning to the place where Mrs. Lasoya had died, he couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.
“What are you sighing about, Xia De? Hurry and keep up with me.”
Dorothy urged from ahead.
They needed to go to the manor house first, present their gifts at the entrance, and exchange a few pleasantries with the bride and groom before they could enjoy the banquet.
“Xia De, I need to meet up with my Writer friends first, and then accept the invitation from the two princesses to discuss literary topics. You can explore the manor on your own for a bit, and then...”
The Golden-haired girl’s face was slightly flushed. The sun hadn't set yet, and dart games seemed to be in preparation in the tents set up in the courtyard. Dorothy tried her best to suppress her trembling voice, speaking in a normal volume:
“Her Royal Highness Leia has a handwritten copy of the “Summer night collection”, and around eight o’clock, she might invite you to view it together.”
“Okay.”
Xia De said with a straight face, nodding slightly, making the conversation sound seamless.
“Before that, you can wander around the banquet. Besides the rhode cards tournament at ten o’clock, there are also interesting games like horse racing, fencing, darts, riddles, manor treasure hunts, and so on… Oh, Her Highness also asked me to tell you that if Princess Angelina invites you to play, please accept her.”
Xia De, holding the cat, nodded slightly and curiously surveyed the courtyard, which was already filled with many guests. In the tent to their front-side, a band was preparing. This wasn’t the kind of band that performs at formal events or the Opera House, but rather a band in strange clothes, likely to play some folk songs.
“Yes, I will participate in all these games. I want to prove my strength, wisdom, and charm here.”
“Prove yourself? Are you preparing for a ritual?”
Dorothy asked curiously in a low voice, and Xia De nodded lightly:
“Something like that. Speaking of which, to prove my charm, I need to dance with the prettiest girl tonight. Dorothy, we agreed to dance one dance together, didn’t we?”
“No, no, I’m not the prettiest girl tonight.”
Although she said this, it was clear that the Golden-haired Writer was very pleased with Xia De’s question:
“The prettiest girl tonight, of course, is the protagonist of this banquet, Leia’s sister, Mona Cavendish… Are you going to invite her to dance?”
She asked with a smile, then curiously observed Xia De’s expression, and indeed saw him looking distressed.
According to Delarion tradition, at the wedding banquet on the night of the marriage, if a young gentleman other than the groom invites the bride to dance, it can be directly considered a provocation to the groom. In the cold weapon era, before the steam age, this was a severe provocation that could lead the groom to initiate a duel to the death.
Even though the current era is more enlightened, no one would still do such a thing. Especially since the bride is a royal princess, if Xia De dared to do so, even if he were MI6’s ace agent, Larus III would not easily let him off.
“I need to think of other ways.”
Xia De thought to himself, but for that drop of divinity from the Lake Goddess, he had to complete this task tonight no matter what.
As they spoke, the two finally arrived at the entrance of Lakeview Manor. After presenting their gifts, they formally entered the building.
The interior of the manor had also been redecorated, showing no trace of the previous owner, the Craun family.
Due to their collusion with the Mercury Blood and Blood Feast Lord Cultists, the Craun family had been stripped of their noble title and completely vanished from the history of the Delarion Kingdom. But that was in the Summer, and most people may have already forgotten about it, as more interesting things happen every day in Tobesk.
Stepping into the lavishly decorated main hall, the groom and bride, standing in the center with wine glasses, immediately recognized Xia De. But the two sides only exchanged a few simple pleasantries; many guests were arriving tonight, and it was impossible for everyone to talk to the manor’s owners for a long time.
Xia De didn’t say much either, simply expressed his blessings, and then introduced his female companion to the Eisberg couple.
Mona Eisberg certainly knew the rumors between Xia De and Miss Jialinna—no Tobesk noble could possibly not know—but she still smiled and praised the beauty of the Golden-haired, blue-eyed Writer, and jokingly said:
“Miss Louisa, perhaps you could use this banquet as a story prototype and write it into the “hamilton detective story collection”.”
Considering the theme of Dorothy’s Detective stories, Xia De didn’t think this was a very good suggestion.
