With Director Anlos in the carriage, the group of four was indeed not searched for weapons. Director Anlos had other matters to attend to, so he parted ways with Shade after entering Yodel Palace. Unless something else came up, Shade probably would not see his superior again at the banquet tonight.
It was 6:50 in the evening. At this hour in late-summer Tobesk, only the last trace of sunset remained. The courtyard of Yodel Palace was hung with ribbons and decorations. Well-dressed men and women greeted one another beneath the courtyard gas lamps, stepping from the entrance onto the red carpet laid along the courtyard's central axis and heading toward Yodel Palace's main building.
The banquet was about to begin.
Yodel Palace, belonging to the royal Cavendish Family, was not actually a single palace but a palace building complex located in the city center. Its land occupation was roughly equivalent to four to six Saint Derain Squares. It was not only the royal residence, but also served as the kingdom's political center.
Today was the Queen's birthday banquet, so Yodel Palace's main building had been opened as the venue. Other than the birthdays of the King and Queen, only royal delegations from Kasonlik or certain major ceremonies of investiture warranted a banquet on this scale.
Shade and Dorothy followed the crowd onto the red carpet, passed through the decorated courtyard, and entered the foyer of the three-story building.
Though it was called a foyer, it was larger than the combined area of Shade's entire home—three floors, basement, and attic included. Corridors ran along both sides, while two intersecting Spiral Staircases stood directly opposite the main doors.
With the furniture removed, the place had been arranged like a banquet hall.
Today's banquet was held on the 1st floor and 2nd floor.