In the Empire, summer really was the season for socializing. Most people finished their work in spring, and by summer, it was more or less time for all sorts of social engagements.
Of course, for nobles, socializing was part of their work too.
For women, however, there was more to it than that. They would make what was known as their social debut. Put simply, once a family's daughter reached the right age, she would appear at a formal birthday banquet, signaling her official entry into society.
By modern standards, it was somewhat like a coming-of-age ceremony.
Naturally, the banquet would include respected elders from various walks of life, along with young men and women close in age to the debutante. In a sense, it was also an unconventional matchmaking event.
The reason for this lengthy introduction was that Li Wei was about to attend just such a banquet.
According to the invitation, Erika Cromwell of the Cromwell Family would make her formal debut at a birthday banquet held at Crescent Moon House, and everyone was cordially invited to attend, and so on...
There was nothing unusual about the invitation itself. As mentioned earlier, these banquets invited promising young men and introduced them to the young lady at the center of the event. It was a kind of matchmaking.
Li Wei was also in his twenties. On top of that, he was a renowned detective of the Empire, a count, and a Thistle Knight-a young man of considerable accomplishment. Normally, he would have been highly sought after in social circles. Even leaving aside his status and talents, his looks alone would have made countless women eager for a romantic encounter involving less than zero distance between them.
But Li Wei's position really was... a problem.
He was a Thistle Knight,