BXBX NOVEL Chapter 197 Awarding Ceremony (1)
Although Leon was full of discontent in his heart because of the sudden interruption, he did not direct his frustration to the Grandmasters.
Instead, he blamed it all towards his indecisiveness.
He should have done it swiftly earlier. Why did he have to dilly dally until there was no more time?
But sadly, there was no use in regretting the past events. Without delaying any further, Leon and Eli got up and greeted the Elders in the gazebo.
In an instant, a certain little garden on a simple cottage was suddenly filled with the most prominent personalities in the Empire.
The Grandmasters Andvari and Reuben with their spouses Grandma Brygid and Myrna were already sipping their tea while enjoying the serene and simplistic surroundings of the cottage.
The second generation Elders, Tyce and his wife, Maya, as well as General Farauld and Dame Aquila were also already busy catching up with each other.
As soon as they saw Eli and Leon, they immediately exchanged greetings and got into the purpose of their visit.
"Your Highness Third Prince, as you may already know, tomorrow is the day of Eli's debut in the high society." Grandpa Ben looked at the young couple with a serious expression in his face.
The rest of the elders also looked at them intently, it was apparent that there was unease and anxiety in their eyes.
"Young Eli, as soon as you are formally introduced to the world as our family member, the people that will be interested in you. They will be even more than the ones we are already dealing with as the Great Inventor."
The two nodded, they also know what the winter banquet means. Eli will be finally seen in the open, with many people watching her.
She had to be on guard at all sides. She had to be wary on who to interact with.
"All we wanted to say was you two must be mentally prepared from this point forward. Especially you, young Eli."
Grandpa Andi stepped forward and took Eli's hand. His eyes were filled with worry and unease as he said his part.
"Also, Your Highness, I'd like for you to think on how you will have Eli and Little Han be recognized appropriately ahead of time." Grandpa Ben now addressed the concern to Leon.
"We have a lot to do after this banquet, Your Highness." General Farauld seconded his father, "I'll have a nice talk with you and His Majesty regarding this."
"I understand Grandmaster, Teacher." Leon nodded, vigilance also appeared in his heart.
From the way Grandpa Ben and General Farauld brought up the matter, he could already guess that there were many families inquiring about Eli as a potential spouse only from her identity as the Great Inventor.
What more if she was announced as an adopted daughter of the Forgeworn and Farauld Family?
What more if they saw Eli's beautiful face and eloquent manner of speaking?
How many leecherous men would he have to guard against?
Just thinking about this made his mood turned sour. As sour as a vinegar!
Although the Farauld and the Forgeworns didn't say the matter out loud, the two knew how the families did their best to shield Eli away from any interested forces. However, there's an extent of their protection.
They still have to deal with these matters in the future.
"We just want to remind you of this matter so you can be mentally prepared. From tomorrow onwards, there will be a battle ahead. I want you, young people to always remember that you have to stay strong for Little Han."
"We understand Grandpa/Grandmaster.." Leon and Eli replied tactfully, keeping their warnings in mind.
After the conversation, the Elders then talked about the things that Eli needed to do during the awarding ceremony and winter banquet.
These days, Eli has been studying and researching all the prominent people in the capital whom she might encounter tomorrow.
The Forgeworn and Farauld families also sent her information about their profiles.
With the help of the book of knowledge, she was also able to get to know crucial information that couldn't be found by simply investigating everyone. This gave her a rough idea who were the people she must be wary of.
Tomorrow is a big day, she must be as prepared as possible!
The elders did not stay that long in the cottage as they still have to ensure the progress of the events tomorrow.
They reluctantly left, after knowing that they couldn't cuddle Little Han who was still asleep.
Eli and Leon also didn't mention the High Priest's invitation as they were still unsure of his motive. It was best not to worry the elders of this matter.
–
The day of the winter banquet.
It was a joyous day for the capital of the Seirende Empire. The three princes of the Imperial family were now back bringing victory towards their mission to drive away from the sinister Spectre.
The Emperor also organized an awarding ceremony for the contributions of the mysterious inventor Eli, who allowed the diplomatic relations of the Empire with the foreign nations to become stable, even after imposing a drastic travel policy.
Finally, to cap the entire year, the two most legendary clans of the Empire organized a grand banquet.
It was done on such a big scale that the Emperor opened the Moonlight Hall, the largest banquet hall in the Empire!
Everyone in the Empire was in high spirits, as they also joined the celebration. They hung celebratory flags on the streets and even enjoyed the parade of the knights going around the city.
There were cheers and praises heard as the knights marched towards the palace grand square, where the awarding ceremony would take place.
Although it was winter, the grand square was cleaned and protected by a transparent dome array to protect everyone from the harsh cold.
Men and women, of different ages and gender, gathered in the square to witness the appearance of the awardees that would be honored on this day.
What they are most curious to see was the legendary inventor who caused several waves in the Empire in the past few months.
"They said that she joined the Farauld Magic Institute, I wonder what she would look like!"
"I am more interested in her demeanor and attitude, it is common for geniuses to be kind of weird.."
"Maybe her appearance would look like the scary members of the research branch in the institute!"
"Who cares about her appearance? I wanted to know how she was able to think of all those magnificent ideas!"
"Yes! When I have a child in the future, I'll do my best to get him or her in the institute so that my child would have a chance to learn from her!"
Series of discussions were continuously ringing in the entire square.
Meanwhile, spectating everything from the other side of the square, Princes Kazimir, and Antoine's crew also couldn't help but be curious about who Eli was.
"What do you think of the mysterious inventor?"
"To be able to get the Farauld Clan to shelter her personally, I reckon that she really has undeniable abilities."
"I heard that she was still young."
"Any info if she was still single?"
"Well ask Young Master Cross over there, apparently his sister, Lady Alicia was able to hang out with the legendary inventor multiple times already!"
One of Prince Kazimir's knights pointed at a valiant handsome man that was around twenty-five years old. He dutifully stood among the crowd of knights, not engaging in any idle conversation.
If one would take a good look at him, one would immediately find similarities between him and Alicia's facial features.
Feeling the attention directed at him, Young Master Cross retaliated with a stern voice, "I will not be such a busy body to ask my dear sister about who she befriends."
The knights shut their mouths as they heard the Young Master's answer. They didn't want to anger the First Prince's relative after all.
They could only continue their conversation in a secretive manner and made sure to not touch Young Master Cross's family in the conversation.
"But really, if she was still unmarried, many noble men might start to line up to ask for her hand."
"Well, that still ultimately depends on her appearance. After all, who would be willing to marry someone as eccentric as the people in the famed research branch?"
As knights, they spent a significant time honing their abilities in the Farauld Magical School Branch prior to formally entering the knighthood training. They know the reputation of the people in the research branch.
"You have a point there."
"Hopefully, she attends the winter banquet."
As soon as someone mentioned this, their enthusiasm about Eli diminished. All of this was seen by the silent Young Master Cross.
His eyes flashed a trace of disdain towards these superficial men.
The moment he came back to the Cross Estate, he had already heard various praises and stories about the mysterious inventor Eli from his dearest elder sister.
He was actually surprised to see his sister be enthusiastic about a fellow lady.
He knew very well how haughty and unruly his sister was. It disgusts her to mingle with delicate, weak, and pretentious ladies in high society.
To go home and discover that his sister finally had someone to hang out with and even praise, he actually became curious about who she was.
Most especially, how was she able to make his dear sister change her mindset and finally choose to pursue her own happiness outside of work?
"Mysterious Inventor Eli, I wonder what kind of person you really are…"