A banquet at court

After a detour through the Royal Trade District and Holy Light Square, the carriage finally stopped at the main entrance to the Sunstrider Court.

Several older male elves dressed like butlers were already waiting before the long arched bridge.

When they saw Charlemagne and Sylvanas alight, one of the elves approached them and bowed with a hand over his chest.

"You must be Mr. Theron and Ms. Windrunner. I will escort you from here. His Majesty has been waiting in the banquet hall for some time."

Charlemagne smiled and nodded to the attendant, then followed when he led the way onto the bridge.

But Sylvanas's next action startled him. The second Windrunner sister stepped forward and linked her arm through his right arm, leaning her whole body slightly toward him.

"Don't misunderstand. This is just basic banquet etiquette. Come on, let's not keep His Majesty waiting."

When Charlemagne turned to look at her in surprise, Sylvanas lowered her head slightly, her face a little red. Still, she did not release his arm and merely urged him to follow the attendant ahead.

"Uh... all right."

Charlemagne vaguely remembered that men and their female companions did seem to walk arm in arm at banquets in his previous life, so he did not dwell on Sylvanas's behavior.

The attendant ahead had already stopped and turned slightly to wait for them to catch up, leaving Charlemagne no choice but to quicken his steps onto the bridge.

Just as Charlemagne reached the highest point of the arched bridge with Sylvanas, Xiao'en stepped out of the carriage his household had prepared. Seeing how close the two looked, he could not help letting out a flippant whistle.

"I thought there was something odd about the atmosphere between those two before. So that's how it is..."

Then he laughed with a touch of schadenfreude. "Caught between two sisters? With Sylvanas's personality, I doubt your life will be very peaceful from now on, kid. You'd better hope for the best."

As Xiao'en followed his own attendant inside alone, Liadrin arrived right behind him.

The Earl's daughter was quite familiar with royal banquets like this. Dressed for once in a snow-white gown, she walked gracefully into the court.

On the way to the palace dining hall, Charlemagne felt Sylvanas's soft body beside him and caught the faint fragrance drifting from her, and his thoughts could not help wandering.

To distract himself, he began studying the lavish palace interior around him.

Just as he had expected, the court's furnishings displayed an understated luxury. The furniture made from all manner of precious materials and the lamps glowing with arcane light all proclaimed the royal family's wealth and heritage.

The brooms sweeping automatically after being infused with arcane power also left him rather amazed.

Arcane magic really has permeated every aspect of High Elf life. I wonder how our people would react if they learned that the Sunwell would disappear one day, sooner or later... They probably wouldn't believe it.

Thinking of the difficult situation ahead gave Charlemagne a headache. Putting that unpleasant thought aside for the moment, he turned his attention back to the attendant leading them.

Every step the attendant took seemed measured with a ruler. Throughout the walk, his strides were almost exactly the same length.

Judging by his habitual gestures and his slightly broad shoulders, he was probably no ordinary attendant, either.

I can't see his palms beneath those white gloves, but they're most likely covered in calluses. This man... must be a warrior.

Only royalty would indulge in the extravagance of employing a warrior as an attendant. There were few warriors among the High Elves to begin with, and most were trained by great families to protect their members. Independent commoner warriors were exceedingly rare.

After all, for commoners, there was no better way to get ahead than becoming an arcanist. But not every family could afford the money needed to support one, so their second choice was inevitably to become a ranger.

Though their status was lower than that of arcanists, the rangers who had protected Quel'Thalas for thousands of years were still far better regarded than professions such as warriors, which the High Elves considered uncouth.

Of course, those with sufficiently devout faith could also pray for the Holy Light to answer them and become priests. But among the Quel'dorei, who generally placed their faith in the Sunwell, elves who could maintain a devout belief in the Holy Light were truly few.

After passing through a long corridor, Charlemagne and Sylvanas finally reached the banquet hall under the attendant's guidance.

The attendant pushed open the door and bowed respectfully to the Sun King at the head of the table, then quickly withdrew.

"Mr. Theron, Ms. Windrunner, please take your seats. Apart from Lianda, you are the first to arrive."

Sun King Anasterian and Queen Giffen invited the pair to sit with gentle smiles.

As a member of the royal family, Lianda was already seated in the first seat to the queen's right. She was watching their intimately linked arms with a slightly teasing smile.

Noticing her gaze, Sylvanas quickly released Charlemagne. With her cheeks faintly red, she politely paid her respects to the king and queen before walking with slightly hurried steps to the seat beside Lianda.

After offering the same courtesies, Charlemagne took the first seat to Anasterian's left at the Sun King's gesture.

The seat put him under some pressure. After all, across two lifetimes, this was his first time being so close to a national leader. Though the king and queen both looked quite gentle at the moment, he certainly did not believe that Anasterian, who had held power for thousands of years, was truly as harmless as he currently appeared.

Fortunately, Xiao'en and Liadrin took their seats one after the other soon afterward. Seeing Xiao'en seated beside him, Charlemagne finally breathed a small sigh of relief.

With everyone present, Anasterian wasted no time and announced the start of the meal. Everyone then picked up their knives and forks and began eating.

Unlike in the great Celestial Empire, High Elves generally did not converse during meals. Throughout the banquet, only the faint clinks of cutlery lightly touching plates could be heard as everyone silently enjoyed the food.

And... those sounds mostly came from Charlemagne and Sylvanas. Xiao'en and Lianda, who had received a fine upbringing from childhood, made no unnecessary noise at all while eating, which left the two rangers feeling rather embarrassed.

Fortunately, Anasterian had said beforehand that they need not be too strict about etiquette. The others also knew that the two rangers had never received the relevant instruction, and none reproached them for their breaches of manners.

After the banquet, Queen Giffen was the first to take her leave, bringing Lianda with her. Anasterian led the four young people to the sitting room, where they finally turned to the main business of the evening.

(End of chapter)