The sun was gradually moving towards its zenith.
On the lawn in front of the castle, there were carriages and a large number of horses.
As the greeter, Gortai would chat warmly with each nobleman attending the ceremony at the castle gate. Only important guests would be personally greeted by Liszt.
For example, his grandmother, Lady Penelope.
"Grandmother, you must be tired from your journey. I'm sorry to have troubled you to come all this way." Liszt gently embraced Lady Penelope.
" Tulip Castle hasn't celebrated the birth of the Little Elf in years, so of course I had to come." Lady Penelope was still in good health, dressed in a black dress and hat. "It's just that the journey was too long, and the carriage almost shook my old bones to pieces."
"How could that be? You're so healthy, you could even ride a horse without any problem." Liszt smiled and handed Lady Penelope's arm to Mrs. Morson. "Help the old lady upstairs to rest, and be careful on the stairs."
"Please rest assured, sir."
Mrs. Morson and Lady Penelope's caregiver immediately helped the old lady upstairs to rest.
Liszt watched his grandmother enter the castle before turning his gaze to Lvera, who had accompanied her. "Dear sister, it's been a long time. Thank you for coming."
"It hasn't been that long." Lvera was dressed in gorgeous aristocratic attire and wore heavy makeup, making her look prettier than usual.
She looked at Liszt, a complex mix of emotions flashing in her eyes.
She finally smiled, her smile warm and gentle, and said in the normal tone of a sister caring for her brother, "Congratulations on acquiring a Little Elf. It will bring you countless honors, but you must also strive hard and not tarnish the glory of the Tulip Family's Knight's Glory."
I was slightly surprised.
But Liszt quickly recovered and responded with a gentle smile, "I understand that glory should be earned by charging into battle, and I believe that soon I will be on the battlefield like my father and brother."
After saying that, he gently hugged Lvera.
They then chatted and Lvera as they entered the castle together.
In the castle's drawing room, many nobles were already engaged in lively conversation. Many nobles had gone to war, so most of those present were noblewomen, and upon seeing Lvera, they naturally engaged in another round of cheerful socializing. Liszt, however, was a man of few words, spending most of his time as a quiet, handsome man.
But he was always the center of attention.
It's not just about being good-looking.
Back on Coral Island, he was the son of an earl, hidden behind Levis, Lytton, and even Lvera, like a nobody. However, in the past six months, even the most reclusive nobles have frequently heard the name Liszt, along with news of seafood, potions, and magical beasts.
Everyone understands that Liszt's rise to power is unstoppable.
If we don't build good relationships now, when will we?
"It's a pity my daughter is still too young, otherwise I should have introduced her to Liszt today and let them spark a romance." A noblewoman looked at Liszt, who was as quiet as a painting, with a passionate gaze. Her heart was surging, and she wished she could take her daughter's place and win him over first.
Liszt felt the noblewoman's gaze, but made no response.
If he wanted to, he could probably undermine half of the nobles on Coral Island, or at least give them a taste of their own medicine.
After half an hour of polite conversation, Gortai welcomed in new nobles: Frank and his wife, along with a bright young woman.
"Mr. and Mrs. Frank, thank you for coming." Liszt stood up, greeted them with a smile, and then turned his gaze to the young woman. "And this is?"
"Brother Liszt, I'm Shirley, Little Shirley."
The girl's sweet smile instantly reminded Liszt that this was the chubby little boy who used to follow him around in his past life's memories. The saying "a girl changes a lot as she grows up" is certainly true; the chubby little boy of yesteryear has now blossomed into a beautiful young woman.
"You've changed so much, I almost didn't recognize you... Little Shirley, it's been so long."
Shirley blinked and boldly asked, "So, do you think I've become prettier or uglier?"
"Of course you've become prettier." Liszt responded to the girl with a slightly exaggerated tone of affirmation. She reminded him of the princess played by Elle Fanning in Maleficent, even their hairstyles were similar, except that Shirley's hair color was more brown, while the princess's hair color was more golden.
This is not a suitable occasion for reminiscing.
After exchanging greetings, Shirley sat down with her parents and chatted skillfully with the nobles around them. Liszt joined in for a few words before having to go outside to greet the newly arrived guests.
A procession of knights escorted a magnificent carriage adorned with a red Tulip banner; it was none other than Lady Mary and Lytton of Tulip Castle who had arrived.
The carriage arrived at the castle gate.
Liszt stepped out the door, a standard aristocratic smile on his face, "Thank you for coming, Madam."
"This is your holiday. If your father weren't on the battlefield, he would have come to celebrate with you in person." Lady Mary also wore a standard aristocratic smile.
Lytton had grown taller since the last time we met.
He was as thin as a stick and had an ordinary appearance. In terms of looks, there were only a handful of people on Coral Island who could rival Liszt.
He looked at Liszt with his acne-covered face and asked, "Brother Liszt, where's your Little Elf?"
"It's sleeping; you'll see it soon."
"I'm so envious of my brother. He has his own Little Elf, and it's Thorn Sprite. Did it evolve in Thorn Ridge? I heard there are lots of Bramble in Thorn Ridge."
Hearing Lytton's words.
Liszt raised an eyebrow slightly.
The annexation of Thorn Ridge could be considered a stain on Liszt's record—after all, he had taken advantage of the Earl. He didn't know whether Lytton had mentioned the relationship between Thorn Ridge and the Thorn Sprite unintentionally or intentionally.
But it's best to cut off this association altogether.
He replied with a laugh, "It evolved on the meadow next to the castle. I got some new varieties of Bramble from the Beer Castle, which spurred the evolution of the Thorn Bug."
Just giving a casual explanation.
He then said, "The guests have all arrived, Madam, Lytton, please go upstairs; the celebratory banquet is about to begin."
Second floor restaurant.
The nobles gathered together, sitting in their assigned seats according to their titles and status, chatting idly while waiting for the wine and food.
Gortai, as the host of the banquet, stood up and clapped his hands.
As the noise subsided, he began in a passionate tone, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to Flower Town and to celebrate the birth of the Thorn Sprite with our Baron Liszt. Before the banquet begins, let us first introduce today's star— the Thorn Sprite!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the butler, Carter, excitedly carried in a box made of pieced jade.
He opened the box, and the sleeping Thorn Sprite immediately woke up, rubbed its eyes, flapped its wings and flew up, landing accurately on Liszt's shoulder. Still half asleep, it gave a very human-like yawn.
"Waaah."
It opened its mouth and emitted a crisp sound.