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“Colin, is this outfit suitable for the court banquet later?”

Vera, having changed her clothes, sauntered over to her husband and asked in a tender voice.

Colin’s eyes lit up instantly.

Vera had chosen a black off-the-shoulder dress paired with black silk stockings and silver stilettos, highlighting her fair and smooth skin, making her look mysteriously noble and sensuously elegant.

“You will definitely be the focus of the party, dear!”

The compliment from her lover made Vera blooming with joy, her pretty face slightly red. Her fair and delicate hands landed gently on Colin’s shoulders. She pushed him gently onto the sofa chair and took the initiative to give him a deep kiss.

After some affectionate moments, Vera obediently laid on Colin’s chest, enjoying the gentle caresses of her lover.

While drawing circles on Vera’s soft back, Colin asked, “When do you think the Queen plans to meet you?”

Vera, comfortably squinting her eyes like a lazy kitten, murmured, “I should be able to see the Queen at the banquet tonight.”

Colin chuckled and shook his head, saying, “I’m afraid the Queen might still not show up at tonight’s banquet.”

“Why?” Vera finally opened her eyes, her gaze still somewhat blurred.

“Intuition,” Colin’s tone was somewhat solemn, “I’m afraid this trip to Dragon City might not go as smoothly as I anticipated.”

“Alright, stop worrying about it. Shall I help you change your clothes?” Vera offered in a soft voice.

“My beautiful lady, it’s my honor!” Colin stopped thinking about it and got up from the sofa while holding Vera.

“But you have to listen to my instructions, no rushing me!”

“I just hope not to be late…”

“If you behave a little, we won’t be late.”

It took them more than two hours to get ready.

Vera’s pretty face was flushed and she was panting slightly, it seemed that choosing clothes for Colin was indeed a major task.

Then, they boarded the horse-drawn carriage that had been waiting outside the hall and headed to Phoenix Palace for the banquet.

The magnificent Banquet Hall was already lit by crystal chandeliers. Hundreds of nobles from the Imperial Capital gathered together, making a lively scene.

Just as Colin had predicted, Emperor Reinhardt did not show up, and the banquet was hosted by Queen Midela.

Perhaps because Vera was not yet the Northern Duke, the scale of this welcome banquet was not top-tier, and the most significant person present was Queen Midela.

The Emperor, Prince Lexie, and the Prime Minister of the Empire, among others, did not attend.

Colin knew that one of the five Governors of the Senate was from the Hilde Family, who by lineage was Vera’s great uncle, but even he was not present at the welcome banquet.

Heh, this was interesting.

After some toasting, the grand welcome banquet officially began.

Colin no longer pondered the current situation in the Imperial Capital and started to focus on the delicacies on the table.

He was not very familiar with these big shots at the top of the Empire. Scholar Doan had gone to visit the Prime Minister of the Empire, and Colin planned to discuss the current situation with him afterward.

The lemon-steamed perch tasted very good, the fried giant rhino ribs were incredibly succulent, the butter lettuce was refreshing, and the wine whose origin and vintage he could not discern was intoxicating…

Except for the lack of Deer Blood Wine, Colin was very satisfied with the banquet meal, it seemed that the court chefs did have some real skills.

When the candles in the crystal chandelier were about to burn out, Queen Midela announced the end of the banquet. The guests all returned to their respective resting rooms, leaving the court attendants to clean up the tableware, replace candles, lay down carpets and prepare the venue for the dance.

Once everything was ready, the guests returned to the hall.

The melodious music sounded, and the Dance Ball officially began.

Colin danced the first dance with Vera and then planned to invite Queen Midela.

It was to express his gratitude for the welcome banquet she prepared, and also to take this opportunity to gauge the attitude of the yet to appear Emperor.

However, to Colin’s surprise, someone intervened.

“Viscount Angler, may I ask you for the next dance?”

Princess Judy stood before Colin, wearing a white petal gown, with a princess coronet on her head, and her milky-white face flushed.

“Of course, it’s my honor!” Colin had no choice but to respond politely.

To refuse a lady’s dance is not what a gentleman should do, especially a young lady.”

Colin took Judy’s tiny hand, stepped into the red carpet dance floor, and the melodious harp started playing a brisk tune.

Princess Judy was only eleven years old, around 1.4 meters tall, looked slender, but Colin still had to kneel and bend his body to match her pose for the court dance.

“Viscount Angler, my brother Harrison told me that you’re a talented storyteller,” Princess Judy whispered in Colin’s ear.

Colin gently guided the young girl in a slow spin around the dance floor and smiled lightly at her words. “Prince Harrison is quite generous with his praise.”

However, he was somewhat perplexed.

From Prince Harrison’s reaction upon seeing Colin earlier, Colin had seemingly left a significant psychological impact on him. Why would he compliment his storytelling skill?

As he was pondering this, he suddenly felt a weight on his foot, followed by Princess Judy’s apology.

“Oops, sorry, Viscount Angler, I accidentally stepped on you.”

“Not a problem,” Colin smiled, unfazed.

“Could you tell me a story when you have the time?” Princess Judy asked coyly.

“Err… Actually, my stories aren’t really suitable for children…”

Colin was busy making his excuse when he felt another weight on his foot.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Viscount Angler, I stepped on you again!”

As Colin looked down, he saw an innocent face filled with contrition.

But, Colin had come to believe her ‘innocence’ might not be unintentional.

“Your Highness, you still need to practice your court dance much more,” Colin remarked.

“Yes, why don’t you teach me then?”

“Your Highness, you flatter me. I’m not qualified to be your dancing instructor.”

“Viscount Angler, you’re too modest. I think you dance much better than my current dance teacher…”

As they conversed, Princess Judy narrowly missed ‘accidentally’ stepping on Colin several more times but Colin subtly evaded all her attempts.

With the reaction speed of a fifth-rank knight like Colin, dodging the stomps of a little girl was as easy as pie.

However, Princess Judy was persistent. Her crystal-encrusted shoes would peek out from under her skirt over and over, seemingly intent on stomping on Colin’s foot no matter what.

Her facial expression alternated between frustration, anger, and grudging determination, her playful nature fully unveiled, contrasting strongly with her earlier guise of an obedient and adorable girl.

Colin smiled, elegantly sidestepping Princess Judy’s attempts.

Meanwhile, he teasingly observed, “Your Highness, you are losing your rhythm.”

“Humph!”

Princess Judy ignored Colin and continued to concentrate on her ambitious ‘stepping’ project.

Now, their dance was no longer graceful but clumsy instead. The audience around them had also discerned the situation and laughed bemusedly. Apparently, they were quite familiar with Princess Judy’s temperament.

Seeing that she wasn’t able to step on Colin no matter what, Princess Judy was nearly in tears. Her pitiful look was heartbreaking to all.

However, Colin wouldn’t be fooled, suspecting that this might be another of the girl’s tricks.

Seemingly realizing that Colin wasn’t falling for her ploy, Princess Judy changed her tack and asked out of the blue, “Viscount Angler, do you know why my father didn’t attend the banquet?”

Colin’s eyes flashed with curiosity. “Why?”

However, Princess Judy simply smirked smugly without answering.

Understanding her game, Colin sighed resignedly, and let Princess Judy ruthlessly step on his foot without trying to dodge it anymore.

The girl immediately broke into a triumphant smile, as if she had achieved a great victory.

She ground her shoe against Colin’s foot a couple of times, while whispering, “Because… father is ill.”

“Ill?” Colin felt his heart skip a beat and was about to inquire further when the music abruptly ceased.

Princess Judy, her head held high, picked up her skirts and curtsied to Colin before flouncing away.

Watching her rush in the direction of Prince Harrison, Colin figured she must be going to flaunt her achievement to her brother.

Colin chuckled and shook his head, only to see Queen Midela gracefully making her way towards him.

Wearing a court-style, low-necked, purple, fitted, floor-length gown that accentuated her voluptuous figure, the queen revealed her rounded shoulders and an expanse of pale bosom. Her golden hair was elegantly wound up into a lady’s chignon. Graceful and enchanting, her dignified yet seductive charm took Colin by surprise for a moment.

“I’m sorry, Viscount Angler, for Judy’s playful mischief,” she said.

Colin smiled slightly. “Not at all. Her Highness is quite adorable.”

As the music began again, Queen Midela, smiling sweetly, extended her left hand.

Colin quickly stepped forward to hold the queen’s slender waist, and they began to sway in time with the music.