Ⅰ
Hayes and Alvis Hamlet smiled and embraced with aristocratic etiquette-a nearly exacting ritual, rigidly prescribed and executed without the slightest deviation.
Yet the nobles held it in the highest esteem.
Not only were the movements genuinely graceful, they were also extremely difficult to master and hard to imitate, allowing the nobles to stand apart.
As for the effort involved?
Was a "friendship" worth cherishing if no effort had gone into it?
The commoners wholeheartedly agreed with that.
The nobles?
Some agreed as well, particularly the newly risen nobles, who took great pride in it.
Most, however, scoffed at the idea.
Hayes was one of them.
Deep down, Hayes had nothing but disdain for this sort of etiquette.
But precisely because he disdained it, he was all the more determined to master it.
He knew it would prove very useful to him.
And indeed, it did-
"Hayes, your etiquette is truly outstanding."
Alvis Hamlet praised him.
"I had no choice. If I didn't learn it properly, I'd really get a beating.
The first time I tried learning it, I got distracted and they beat my backside swollen.
I couldn't get out of bed for three whole days."
Hayes poked fun at himself.
Alvis immediately laughed.
"Believe me, you weren't the only one.
I went through it too-and it was my father who beat me.
He even broke the cane."
The Golden Lion Family member shrugged.
Then the two exchanged a smile and walked shoulder to shoulder into the Manor-there were no elaborate arrangements at the holiday estate that day.
It was just a simple dinner.
The food was fairly plentiful, but there was no accompanying band, nor any enchanting dances from the ladies.
It felt rather like a family dinner.
Alvis was pleased.
He saw it as a symbol of