The Banquet, Part Two

Time slowly passed, and the sky gradually darkened. The servants of the Baron's Mansion lit the ornately decorated candelabras one after another, illuminating the entire villa hall. The dining room where the banquet would be held had also been fully arranged and decorated.

Baroness Angelina's arrival interrupted the conversation among the four. Baron Lex Horton knew that the time for the dinner was near. It was time for him to lead his family in welcoming the other nobles attending the banquet, demonstrating their respect for the guests. This was also the customary etiquette for dinners among nobles of similar rank.

As though he had received some signal, Vincent the Butler immediately directed the male and female servants of the Baron's Mansion to form lines on both sides of the main entrance to the villa. At that moment, the first guest carriage had already entered through the villa gates. Baron Lex Horton rose and led his family toward the entrance of the main building, while Sean followed several steps behind him.

Baron Lex Horton had long golden hair tied into a ponytail behind his head. He wore two distinctive noble mustaches above his lips and a neatly trimmed goatee on his chin. He was dressed in a splendid bright yellow noble formal outfit, perfectly tailored. Its slightly fitted design made his originally somewhat thin frame appear tall and full. A dark blue sash ran diagonally from his right shoulder to his left waist, bearing various medals. His entire bearing carried the air of a noble poet, and whenever he spoke, he would often stroke his mustache between two fingers.

Lust Horton was likewise dressed in a well-tailored and luxurious noble formal outfit, though his was predominantly white. He wore short golden hair and looked quite spirited, but his build was equally thin, while his handsome face bore an unhealthy pallor.

Baron Lex Horton politely exchanged greetings with every noble who arrived for the banquet. Naturally, when the guest was a lady, Baroness Angelina would step forward to make conversation instead. Then both sides warmly took the guests' hands and introduced their younger relatives, allowing them to exchange greetings.

Sean had no choice but to follow behind Cousin Lust, constantly exchanging pleasantries with the guests. Phrases such as "It is my honor to meet you," "Good evening, esteemed sir," and "Madam, you are truly radiant tonight" continuously flowed from his mouth.

When they encountered young noblemen or noble ladies, he would instead say things like, "Dear friend, welcome," or, "Beautiful lady, may you have a wonderful evening."

Half an hour later, after greeting the final guest, the earlier arrivals were gathered in small groups throughout the villa hall, exchanging pleasantries. Baron Lex Horton personally spoke up and invited the guests to proceed to the villa dining room for the banquet.

There was a dining table more than ten meters long in the dining room, large enough to seat fifty guests with ease. Although there were quite a few guests tonight, there were only a little over forty in total. The seating arrangements had been prepared in advance, and some seats had even been assigned after consulting the guests' own preferences.

The table had already been set with silverware engraved with exquisite patterns and brass wine cups. Decorative flower baskets stood in the middle, each carefully designed to adorn the table without hindering conversation among the nobles during dinner.

The seat at the short end of the table naturally belonged to the host of the banquet, Baron Lex Horton. Seated directly to his right was the heir, Lust Horton, while Baroness Angelina sat to his left. In this world, the right side was considered more honorable. The male guests were seated along the right long side of the table, while the female guests sat on the left.

Along the long sides of the table, the closer one sat to the Head Seat, the higher one's status. Sean had been assigned the eighth seat on the right. Lieutenant Colonel Merkel of the Garrison sat in the higher seat to his left, while Sir Hall sat to his right.

Lieutenant Colonel Merkel appeared to be under forty. He wore a clean and neat Imperial Army lieutenant colonel's uniform that made him look quite dashing. Several Military Merit medals hung from the sash across his chest. His expression was stern, and he came from a commoner family. He was now the deputy commander of Linshui City's Garrison Force. Since the current Garrison commander was already over fifty and in poor health, it was said that he would retire within a year or two. Lieutenant Colonel Merkel was naturally the leading candidate to take over as Garrison commander. The other deputy commander was a local of Linshui City, so he had no hope of succeeding to the post.

The ranks of the Imperial Army were roughly similar to those from Sean's previous life, though there were slight differences. There were two ranks of soldiers, three ranks of noncommissioned officers, three ranks of commissioned officers, three ranks of field officers, and four ranks of generals. Ordinary commoners could only begin as low-ranking soldiers after enlisting. The academy servants and students who graduated from commoner academies mentioned earlier could become corporals or sergeants among the lower-ranking noncommissioned officers. Graduates of Noble Academy like Sean could generally enter the Imperial Army directly as commissioned officers.

After the guests had taken their seats, Baron Lex Horton, as the host, raised his cup first and spoke in a tone resembling the recitation of poetry. "Welcome, welcome, welcome."

As he repeated the word three times, he also raised his cup in three directions. Then he continued, "Welcome, esteemed gentlemen, noble ladies, and beautiful young ladies. Welcome to my home." After a pause, Baron Lex Horton continued, "On behalf of myself and my lovely family, I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this banquet." As he finished speaking, he gave a slight bow in welcome.

"Here, I sincerely wish each of you a beautiful evening. Let us raise our cups together," Baron Lex Horton continued. Once the guests had all raised their cups along with him, he said, "To your health..." Then he lifted his cup and drained it in one gulp.

"To your health..." the guests responded in unison, likewise raising their cups and drinking all the wine or fruit juice within.

After the welcoming speech, the banquet officially began. The waiting maids brought out the prepared delicacies one after another, while several male servants held wine jugs, ready at any moment to refill the guests' cups. The banquet guests ate while quietly discussing matters with those seated around them.

Sean knew that, as a relative of the banquet host, he was also responsible for helping the host look after the guests seated around him. Jim had been placed among a group of young nobles seven or eight seats below Sean, and he too had been given the task of attending to the guests.

Sean swallowed a mouthful of tender roasted lamb chop and wiped his mouth with a napkin. Then he smiled at Lieutenant Colonel Merkel in the higher seat and said, "Greetings, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel. I am Sean Winchester. On behalf of my uncle, Baron Lex Horton, I thank you for honoring us with your presence. You may call me Sean..." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel responded with a friendly smile.

Sean immediately recommended, "Today's lamb chops are exceptionally delicious. You should give them a try..." Sir Hall, seated below Sean, smiled and joined in at the right moment. "Dear Lieutenant Colonel Merkel, you truly should try these lamb chops. As I understand it, they are Northern Sheep raised at Horton Family Farm. They are quite rare in the Southern Region." As he spoke, he cut another piece of lamb and put it into his mouth.

Still smiling, Sean turned to Sir Hall and said, "Sir Hall, I likewise thank you for coming. I believe my uncle will be very pleased that all the guests he invited have such healthy appetites."

Sir Hall was a middle-aged noble in his forties, dressed in a black noble formal outfit. He looked very old-fashioned, but he was actually quite talkative. Lieutenant Colonel Merkel, on the other hand, seemed somewhat shy. Clearly, he was still not entirely accustomed to noble banquets.

As time passed, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel gradually adapted to the atmosphere of the banquet. Before long, the three of them were chatting and laughing together. Then Sir Hall asked Lieutenant Colonel Merkel, "Dear Lieutenant Colonel Merkel, I heard there is still no trace of that audacious madman?" At those words, a hint of killing intent appeared in Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's eyes. "That is indeed the case, Sir Hall. Rumors say that the madman fled toward the Southern Wilderness Mountains, but there has been no definite news."

After a pause, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel continued, "The Empire mobilized every Garrison in the Southern District and cast a net across the land. More than half a year has passed, yet there has been no gain at all. We have not even found a trace of that madman."

Sean knew who the person Lieutenant Colonel Merkel spoke of was. It had happened before Sean transmigrated. At the end of last year in this world, the Former Crown Prince of the Empire had been assassinated. It was said that the killer was a Formal Knight, and once the news spread, it immediately shocked the entire Empire.

The Imperial High Noble Council and His Majesty the Emperor were naturally furious, issuing strict orders for Garrison Forces everywhere to spare no effort in finding the culprit. Due to the shocking nature of the incident, even after more than half a year, it remained a popular topic among nobles at gatherings.

The dinner gradually came to an end amid a cheerful atmosphere. Led by the hosts, the guests arrived in the grand ballroom, where several musicians were already making preparations for the dance.

Before long, a melodious tune filled the entire ballroom, but the guests did not move. At that moment, Lust Horton stepped into the center of the ballroom and bowed to the guests. After completing the salute, he walked straight toward the group of female guests. When he returned, he was holding the hand of a beautiful young noblewoman. Hand in hand, the two came to the center of the ballroom and began to dance gracefully to the beautiful music.

The opening dance at a noble ball was generally led by the heir of the hosting family, though occasionally someone else of special status would take the role. Today's banquet had been held because of Lust Horton, after all. He had turned eighteen this year.

After Sean and Jim met up, they slipped together into the Lounge Area to rest. They were only fourteen, after all, and had not yet reached the age when they were expected to take the floor and dance. Soon, more guests joined the dance floor, and before long, spinning and dancing figures filled the room.

Time passed quickly amid the coming and going of dancers. Soon it was time for Sean and Jim to return to the academy. The two bid farewell to Baron Lex Horton and Baroness Angelina separately. Sean also made a point of saying goodbye to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel and Sir Hall before leaving.