Engagement Ceremony

If Langu had received this order in the Western Territory, he would have thrown the messenger and the order into a sea of fire, then acted as if nothing had happened and continued to guard the Western Territory. Unfortunately, he had now been tricked back to the capital and had no way to disobey the king's order, so Langu could only suppress his heartache, force a smile, and reluctantly agree to this 'good method'.

"Your Majesty and the Prime Minister's idea is brilliant! However, General Oddek is not familiar enough with the western border and the Western Border Army. I fear he will not be able to adapt to the new environment in a short time, which may create a loophole in the kingdom's western border defenses. If this leads to the kingdom being invaded by Dragunov, that would be terrible!"

When Langu spoke of the "new environment," he deliberately emphasized the words, trying to remind his hidden ally not to make the wrong choice. Unfortunately, Sordil seemed not to hear Langu's warning. Before the Prime Minister and the King could speak, he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty and the Prime Minister's plan is as brilliant as Langu's. As for Langu's concerns, I deeply agree. Therefore, I think it would be best to have Langu leave the high-ranking officers behind to help me stabilize the situation, thus ensuring the safety of the kingdom's western border."

Upon hearing Sordil's words, Belmod and the other two were completely dumbfounded, with Langu staring at Sordil in utter disbelief. He never expected that his 'ally' would not only side with the 'enemy,' but also use his warning to dig an even deeper pit for himself. Belmod and the Prime Minister exchanged glances, each seemingly seeing in the other's eyes the thought, 'This kid is even more ruthless than us; he actually wants to sideline Langu.' Although they didn't know why Sordil harbored such hostility towards Langu, they were still happy to go along with it.

"Your Majesty, I think General Oddek is right. General Langu a veteran of many battles and will adapt quickly to a new defense zone. Bringing those high-ranking officers along won't be of much use. It would be better to leave them in the Western Territory to assist General Oddek."

The Prime Minister, who had already been keen to cultivate a good relationship with Sordil, now saw the latter cooperating with his and His Majesty the King's plans and standing on his side. He immediately switched his position from the 'center stage' to 'support'. However, Belmod did not respond to him immediately, but instead closed her eyes and pondered something. Just as the Prime Minister was at a loss, Belmod finally opened her eyes.

"The Prime Minister and the two generals both have their own reasons for their suggestions, and I am not sure how to decide for the moment. How about this, after the engagement ceremony of Gould is held tomorrow, the two generals will have a contest in the training ground, and the winner will decide the fate of the senior officers of the Western Border Army."

"This..."

This time, the Prime Minister, Langu, and Sordil were dumbfounded. The Prime Minister hadn't expected the King to make such a frivolous decision regarding the fate of the high-ranking officers of the Western Border Army. Langu, on the other hand, hadn't expected that despite his efforts, he still couldn't save the Western Border Army under his command, and now the fate of the high-ranking officers was even more uncertain, leaving him in the possibility of becoming a commander without troops at any moment. Sordil, however, was inwardly laughing like a pig. He had been worried about not having a chance to solve the problem once and for all, but unexpectedly, someone had delivered a pillow to his head when he was dozing off, leaving him momentarily stunned.

"Alright, Prime Minister, you may leave now. We can discuss anything after tomorrow's engagement ceremony."

Faced with Belmod's order to leave, Sordil and the other two could only bow respectfully and take their leave, each with their own thoughts, before departing the palace and returning to their own quarters. After the three had left, Belmod watched Sordil disappear into the night with mixed feelings, then returned to her own chambers, quietly waiting for the 'cold wind' she had left outside to blow in.

December 25, X372

Philiers, Royal Palace

Banquet Hall

"Everyone, hurry up! Don't delay the Duke's engagement ceremony."

"Don't worry, Steward! Everyone knows what they're doing and will definitely not delay the engagement banquet tonight."

A Black Robe waiter bowed and smiled obsequiously at the white-robed waiter in front of him.

"It's not that I don't trust everyone, but this matter involves so many people that we can't afford any mistakes! By the way, John, have all the invitations been sent out?"

"I already distributed them this morning as you instructed!"

Influenced by the white-robed steward, the Black Robe waiter John put aside his disdain and answered respectfully.

"That's good! What about the flowers? Are there enough flowers? And is the food prepared properly? Are there any safety concerns?"

"Steward, rest assured, I have had everyone taste every dish, and there are absolutely no problems! The flowers are plentiful, ensuring that every corner of the venue is well-stocked. I have also had double the amount of other decorations prepared, so there will be no issues whatsoever!"

Hearing that his capable subordinates had arranged everything flawlessly to prevent any potential problems, the white-robed steward finally breathed a sigh of relief. But then he suddenly remembered something and abruptly turned around to ask, "Where are the musicians? Have we hired enough? And have the people responsible for greeting the guests been chosen?"

"I have already hired a band of musicians, but we haven't arranged for someone to greet the guests yet."

"You almost got us all killed! One band isn't enough; find two more as backups. Also, immediately select enough greeters. There will be many dignitaries coming, so we need a sufficient number of greeters—we absolutely cannot be short!"

"Yes, I will arrange it immediately!"

The waiters were busy preparing for the engagement ceremony that evening, and the city's dignitaries were also making preparations to attend. However, the groom, who was about to be engaged, was nervously explaining the situation to his future brother-in-law, his face devoid of any joy.

"So, this engagement ceremony was entirely decided by the King and the Prime Minister?"

"That's right! My brother originally planned for me to marry Miss Diphiya directly, but I refused, so they changed the marriage to an engagement!"

"In that case, there's no need to be afraid. Wipe the sweat from your forehead and change into your formal attire. Let's head to the venue now!"

Hearing Sordil's words, Gould breathed a sigh of relief, bowed respectfully to Sordil, and hurriedly left the study. Once outside, Gould immediately ordered his servants to fetch the formal attire he had prepared and to prepare a carriage. Half an hour later, a luxurious carriage bearing the royal insignia slowly drove out of Gould's residence, heading towards the palace.

When Sordil and his companion arrived at the venue, the Prime Minister was already waiting for them at the entrance of the hall.

"Your Grace, General Oddek, you've finally arrived! Please come inside and prepare to greet our guests!"

Before the two could answer, the Prime Minister immediately pulled them into the hall. Upon entering, melodious music filled the Sordil, and then groups of elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen appeared before him. Some danced, some chatted, and others enjoyed the food around the tables. But upon seeing Gould arrive, the nobles stopped what they were doing and came forward to congratulate Gould. The Prime Minister and Gould took this opportunity to introduce Sordil to everyone. After the greetings, everyone returned to their respective spots in the hall to engage in their own activities.

The prime minister also made no announcement about holding an engagement ceremony; everyone seemed to be waiting for an even more important person to arrive!