Chapter 565: Stranded
The welcome banquet was arranged after dusk.
Digen Moya, the First Sun’s eldest son, warmly received them in the royal palace’s main hall.
Yakou was experiencing such a high-class banquet for the first time—the entire hall was illuminated like daylight by candlelight and oil lamps. The positions where chandeliers were hung on the dome of the hall were equipped with open skylights. Countless lights were like stars, yet they didn’t give people the slightest feeling of stuffiness.
Various glass utensils were placed on the stepped white cloth long tables. The bright red wine reflected a ruby-like luster under the candlelight. Moreover, silver mirrors and goldware were hung everywhere in the hall, setting off the entire hall in a magnificent manner. Its luxury was in no way inferior to the Graycastle Palace.
Of course, what attracted Yakou's attention the most were the noble women wandering among the men.
Some of them were young and innocent, while others were mature and plump. Whether their hair was pinned up or scattered over their shoulders, one could see a wisp of “colored satin” that was different from the original hair color, as if it were an ornament buried in the ends of their hair. Remembering Dennis' appearance, it seemed that this was also a popular style among the Dawn nobles.
In addition, most of them wore close-fitting silk satin, which shimmered as they walked, perfectly setting off their figure curves. Moreover, unlike the long robes popular in Graycastle, most of these clothes stopped above the knees, and the shoulders were exposed, as if deliberately seducing him.
Yakou’s heart cheered. His choice was indeed correct.
If the women of Graycastle still paid attention to some implicit and restrained sentiments, then this place was unreservedly fiery.
Of course, most of their enthusiasm was aimed at those handsome young men and knights, not nobles like him who were not outstanding enough in appearance, but this was not difficult for Yakou. He had never relied on his appearance to attract people.
“Welcome to the Kingdom of Dawn,” a young and slightly pale man walked up to him surrounded by attendants. “I have read Roland Wimbledon’s letter of introduction and documents. Does that mean he now controls the entire Graycastle?”
Undoubtedly, this person must be the host of the banquet, His Highness Anpein Moya.
Yakou quickly placed his hand on his chest and saluted. Since he represented the Graycastle royal family, there was no need to kneel on one knee. While bowing his head, he was secretly amazed. If it could be said that the king was busy with official duties and unable to spare time to host the welcome banquet, it was a bit unreasonable to directly hand over Roland’s letter to the eldest son to review. To put it more seriously, it could even be regarded as a diplomatic discourtesy.
He first answered the other party’s question, and then asked with a stiff face, “I wonder if your father…”
“He is ill, very seriously ill,” Anpein sighed. “This is also the reason why he can’t personally entertain you.”
“I’m very, very sorry to hear that.”
“It doesn’t matter… this is already well known in Glowing City. A month and a half ago, he suddenly fainted at a banquet, and has not recovered since. He can only stay awake for two or three hours a day, and spends the rest of the time in a coma.”
A month and a half ago… that was almost exactly the day he set off from the Graycastle capital. Yakou comforted him, “His Majesty will slowly recover. Please don’t worry too much.”
“Thank you,” the prince gave a forced smile. “Enjoy the banquet. Afterwards, I will have the protocol officer prepare accommodation for you.”
“Thank you for your care,” Just as the other party was about to leave, Yakou suddenly remembered his business and quickly said, “By the way, Your Highness, I wonder about the alliance between the Kingdom of Dawn and Graycastle…”
“I also know something about this matter, but my father is temporarily unable to handle government affairs. Let’s wait until he recovers.”
After the group of people left, Yakou breathed a slight sigh of relief.
It seems that he is quite talented as an ambassador. He didn’t make any mistakes in his first negotiation with senior members of the royal family. It’s just a pity that he encountered a small accident in his primary mission. But that’s not a big deal. Anyway, he will be staying in the city for a long time. Moya IV can't possibly be sick for several years in a row.
During this time, he should pay more attention to the beautiful women in the hall.
“We meet again, Mr. Ambassador,” Just as he was thinking, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.
Yakou was startled and turned around abruptly, only to find that the person was indeed Dennis Payton, the merchant who had shared his joy all the way.
“How could you—”
“I told you, we will meet again soon.” She raised a glass of red wine and smiled, “Come—let’s toast to our reunion.”
Yakou quickly looked around, fearing that some nobleman was staring at him.
“Are you looking for my husband?” Dennis raised her eyebrows. “Don’t worry, he’s not qualified to be here.”
“You mean…”
“I am the master of the Payton family, not him,” she said bluntly without hiding anything. “The maids in the family are enough for him to enjoy. If he wants to taste something fresh outside, he can’t do it without my permission.”
So that’s how it is… Yakou’s hanging heart fell back down. It seemed that Dennis was the heir to the Payton family. The usual practice for a woman to continue the family line was to recruit some down-and-out nobles into the family as companions. Due to the disparity in status, it was natural for the man to change his name.
“You should have told me earlier,” he pretended to look relieved. “I wouldn’t want to ruin a pure love.”
“Is that so?” Dennis pouted. “When you reached out to me, it was no longer pure.” She paused, “Do you have any other arrangements after the banquet?”
“Um, I don’t think I will,” Yakou put his arm around her slender waist. “If you invite me.”
“Then I know a good place.”
“Everything is up to you, my dear.”
*******************
After the banquet, Otto pulled the Great Prince aside in confusion. “I don’t understand, Your Highness, even if His Majesty Moya is ill, you can still agree to the alliance first. Why do you want to shelve this matter? Alliance with Graycastle is your father’s intention. The Church’s forces are so aggressive, we shouldn’t fight alone.”
“I heard that your father asked you to look for Tifik Wimbledon instead of Roland Wimbledon?”
“Our alliance partner should be the King of Graycastle. The news brought by the ambassador also proves this point. His Majesty Roland is the new monarch of the neighboring country.”
Anpein Moya nodded. “Thank you for your hard work in visiting Graycastle in secret. However, I have my own plans for the alliance. You don’t need to worry about it anymore.”
“Your Highness!”
“You don’t understand,” Anpein interrupted. “I’m thinking about the Kingdom of Dawn.”
“It is precisely for the sake of the kingdom’s safety that we need someone to contain the Church’s offensive!”
“I told you, don’t worry about this matter anymore!”
Anpein couldn’t help but raise his voice.
“I’m sorry, I was rude.”
Seeing the Great Prince like this, he had no choice but to give up. Just as he turned around, His Highness suddenly called out to him, “We are friends, right?”
“…” Otto was silent for a moment. “Yes, Andrea, Belinda, Olo, and I… are all your friends.”
“If something really bad happens to my father,” Anpein said slowly, “will you support me in becoming king?”