Capítulo 7: Chapter 7 "Nellie Lilith" and "The Hunt Begins" (Please Chase Reading)
Having had his fill of food and wine, Milton Cheney took small sips from his after-dinner drink.
Cheney had initially thought this was just a simple feast, but he had underestimated the luxuriousness of the kingdom's nobility.
The menu was incredibly varied, with some dishes being total strangers to him, dishes he hadn't even heard of before.
The feast even included some dishes composed of complex ingredients and boasting fantastical colors.
One such dish was a roasted swan, the chef had reattached the clean feathers, adorned in silver and gold.
Cheney also saw a peacock, seemingly alive, being served on the dining table.
The cooked peacock still wore its beautiful feathers and used a stick to stand erect on a plate.
A maid from the Lilith Family placed a bunch of alcohol-soaked straw in the peacock's mouth, then set it alight, creating an illusion of a fire-breathing peacock when served.
Another dish was turning one pigeon into two.
The chef skinned the pigeon and wrapped it in a mixture made of cheese, eggs, seasoning, and raisins.
Then they sewed the pigeon's skin back, and boiled this "new" pigeon.
Following this, the chef would roast the skinned pigeon.
During the roasting process, it was covered with a mixture made of breadcrumbs, then glazed with egg liquid.
In this way, one pigeon was made into two dishes.
It is undeniable that the opulence and power of the kingdom's nobility were fully embodied in this feast.
To conclude, they would enjoy some light desserts, cakes, candied fruits, and nuts, also known as "farewell desserts".
In other words, the feast started with desserts and also ended with desserts.
At the end of the feast, Cheney and Malcolm stepped out of the banquet hall together.
They had to attend the night's dance as well.
There was no avoiding it; socializing was inevitable among the nobility, even if Cheney was not particularly interested.
Cheney had a strange feeling that Nellie Lilith, the daughter of the Marquis of Dawnstar, seemed to glance at him a few times during the feast.
The Dawnstar Family had prepared specific rooms for all the nobles attending the Hunting Day.
Cheney walked into the room decorated with the Golden Lion Family Emblem.
Cheney didn't require much from his accommodation, but that didn't mean these rooms weren't extravagant to the extreme.
He casually picked up a book titled "The Kingdom's Architecture History" off the bookshelf.
Cheney sat in a wooden chair, carefully flipping through the pages.
William and Cheney were not in the same room, as guards had their rooms.
William's room was next to Cheney's.
The arrangement of the guards' rooms was to ensure a quick response in case of emergency; the Lilith Family had thought everything through.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was evening.
More Castle had a dance hall specifically for hosting dances. When Cheney arrived, there were already quite a few people present.
Malcolm had already begun conversing with a young girl over a glass of wine, and judging by their expressions, the conversation seemed to be going well.
Upon seeing Cheney enter, Malcolm promptly introduced the girl to him.
"Vernon, this is Fiona Corsley, daughter of the Silverflower Viscount. Fiona, this is Vernon Wesley, the son of the Earl Golden Lion."
Upon hearing Malcolm's introduction, Cheney and Fiona greeted each other with a smile.
The etiquette at the dance was not complicated, and exchanging names was a common practice.
The dance hadn't begun, so the three of them carried on their conversation in a hushed tone.
After a while, two more people joined their circle, creating a small social group.
This was why the Earl Golden Lion wanted Cheney to participate in Hunting Day.
Networking with other noble families was beneficial for Cheney in the eyes of the Earl Golden Lion.
After a while, the dance began as the musicians from the Dawnstar Family filled the hall with beautiful music.
The musicians from the Dawnstar Family were all formal court musicians.
Some of them had even performed in the royal palace, and the music they played was naturally pleasing to the ears.
Malcolm invited Fiona onto the dance floor, while Cheney stood by with a glass of sweet wine.
Without a doubt, Cheney was one of the most notable figures at the dance.
Naturally, several young girls' gaze often fell on Cheney, as if they wanted to dance with him, but lacked the confidence to approach.
"Mr. Vernon, may I have this dance?"
The soft voice that suddenly came from behind caused Cheney to instinctively turn around.
He was taken aback by who he saw next.
The one who had asked for the dance was none other than the Marquis of Dawnstar's daughter, Nellie Lilith.
The Nellie Lilith he saw now was completely different from the stern figure at the banquet. She was now wearing a flowing, long-sleeved satin dress, which flaunted her tall and sleek physique.
Her long silver hair was elegantly twisted into a bun, her playful red lips slightly curved into a smile.
A pair of bright eyes looked at Milton Cheney, her body radiating an undisguised air of self-confidence and sophistication.
The whiteness of her skin accentuated her deep-set pupils and elongated nose, making her appear as a perfect sculpture.
Milton naturally had no reason to refuse.
As the son of an Earl, social dance is something Milton Cheney couldn't exactly claim mastery of but was certainly well acquainted with.
Naturally, many in the banquet hall took notice of the scene.
Upon seeing Milton agree, envy and jealousy inevitably arose in the eyes of the men.
However, the eyes of the noble ladies revealed hints of regret and disappointment.
If they'd known Milton would agree so easily, they would have taken their chances too.
On the dance floor, Milton and Nellie danced the social dance.
Milton could sense that the young girl in front of him was not particularly well versed in social dance either.
Thus, their pace was slow, but surprisingly synchronized.
During the dance, Milton maintained an appropriate distance and posture, without being overly familiar.
He exuded an impeccable display of courteousness and gentlemanly conduct.
Nellie Lilith could feel sincerity and respect in his words and actions.
Unlike the people Nellie had met before, she could see that Milton's gaze was clean, without any impurities.
In fact, upon seeing Milton for the first time at the banquet, Nellie had a good impression of him.
Her impression had only improved since then, to the extent of considering a marriage alliance between their families.
But after a moment's thought, Nellie kept this idea to herself, after all, including the banquet, this was only their second meeting.
As the youngest and most favored daughter of the Marquis of Dawnstar, Nellie even had the right to marry of her own choice, a right many other noble ladies did not have.
This clearly shows how much favor the Marquis of Dawnstar bestows upon her.
Through the eyes of some nobility, daughters are simply commodities for marriage alliances.
However, in the Dawnstar family, the Marquis does not need to sell his daughter to elevate his power and status.
So, he entrusted the choice of love entirely to Nellie.
This was unimaginable in the eyes of many nobilities.
At the end of the dance, Nellie appeared slightly flushed.
Nellie had already hosted Hunting Day three times consecutively, yet this was the first time she invited someone to dance.
Usually she just made an appearance at the party, she never actually danced on the dance floor, which is why she seemed a bit rusty.
The blush on her face was partly due to shyness, and partly because towards the end of the dance she became flustered, feeling she made a fool of herself in front of Milton.
"Princess Nellie, your dance is quite graceful, dancing with you is an experience I will never forget."
Milton, noticing the girl's awkwardness, spoke kindly, his gaze clean and pure.
In the Frostwinter Kingdom, the title 'Princess' doesn't belong exclusively to the King's daughters, daughters of Marquises and Earls can also bear the title.
Nellie looked up at Milton.
All she saw were his luminous eyes, which sent a thrill through her heart.
......
After the party, Milton returned to the exclusive room prepared by the Dawnstar family.
Perhaps due to the influence of the original Milton's seventeen years of life, his living habits were quite regulated, with no habit of staying up late.
The next day, Milton got up quite early. After freshening up, he put on his formal attire. Today was the day the hunt began.
Starting from today, the nobles could enter the forest for hunting.
They could go in alone, or form small groups.
The Dawnstar family had a variety of armor and bows ready for the nobility to choose from.
Malcolm invited Milton to form a group, but Milton thought about it and declined.
After all, due to the simulation, he didn't completely trust Malcolm.
Milton chose light armor and a bow and arrow set.
Guards would also follow during Hunting Day, but only incognito.
They would only appear when life was in danger, and would not assist in the hunt.
After all, if the guards were to hunt for them, Hunting Day would lose its meaning.
However, the hunt wasn't particularly dangerous.
Sun Mountain had already been swept clean by the knights of the Dawnstar family, leaving no dangerous beasts behind. After all, this was hunting, not a death march.
Before entering the forest, Milton looked around. He did not spot William, it was all too easy for the Grand Knight to follow him undetected.
Hefting the longbow in his hand, Milton stepped into Sun Mountain.
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