Chapter 655: Time to Dance Wildly

"It now seems there will be no operation tonight."

The round-faced girl turned around and pushed open a movable side door. The cheers from within almost drowned out her voice.

"Of course, that assumes you do not cause some disaster."

There will be no operation...

Thales did his utmost to hide his shock.

The prince followed her into the banquet hall, into the banquet hall surging with people.

"Do you have any other evidence? I... I cannot just casually believe..."

"Evidence? How interesting." The girl snorted coldly. "How many people do you think there are in this city, no, in the entire kingdom, who know what we know? How many know the mission His Majesty gave us? Does he need to send a raven? No, too dangerous. Does he need to send a royal minister to sneak up beside your ear and tell you?"

His Majesty's mission.

Thales' heart trembled.

Damn it.

"But this... this is too..." Thales stared fixedly at the indifferent round-faced girl. "In other words, you are actually one of ours, buried in Jade City..."

But the girl did not answer. She simply kept walking into the crowd. Thales had no choice but to do his best to keep up.

"Welcome, my friends who have come from afar and whom I have long awaited!"

Zayen Covendier's voice came from the center of the banquet hall. Because he stood on the second floor, his voice was louder than usual. It not only interrupted Thales, but also drew the attention of all the guests.

Almost all the guests.

Thales gritted his teeth and followed the girl before him through the crowd, all the way to a corner against the wall, squeezing in behind an expensive vase.

No. He had to ask clearly.

He had to ask clearly about her identity, her origin, and her purpose.

If things truly were as he thought, then his earlier conversation with Zayen, that conversation about the so-called indestructible Jade City...

Would all become a joke.

"The tradition of the Covendiers... the glory of the Queen's City... the southern pearl of the kingdom... Jade City opens its arms, and Emerald Palace has swept its paths to await you..."

Zayen's speech had perfect rhythm and emphasis. Perhaps the content was also good, for it won applause from time to time. But Thales did not care at all.

Ignoring the protests of several guests, he squeezed behind the vase, panting, entirely focused on keeping up with the round-faced girl before him.

"Wait. We are not finished!"

Thales watched the round-faced girl kick off her dusty boots, take off her satchel, and pull from it something that could at least be considered a simple formal dress.

The dress had clearly been modified. She shook it out, and without much effort, slipped it over her head in a few quick movements. It was swift and convenient.

Thales was somewhat surprised, but he still returned to the main topic and asked his questions.

"What you hinted at is too unbelievable, so I need more explanation. Your mission, your purpose, your position, your role, and whether you are actually..."

"Fine, fine, fine. We will talk in a moment," the girl replied perfunctorily. She scooped some water from the vase, carelessly wiped her hair, turning the bird's nest into a haystack, then turned her back to him. "Mind giving me a hand?"

Thales paused, but had no choice but to obediently help fasten the clasps on her back.

"All right. Now you can..."

"I cannot. Sorry. Not now." The round-faced girl, whose image had changed greatly, turned her head, yawned, and pointed above. "Now, it is time for me to appear."

Appear?

Thales froze and was just about to speak, when he saw the girl reach out and pull something.

One second later, her whole body rose into the air, shooting straight toward the ceiling and disappearing behind a corridor pillar.

No...

Thales stared blankly overhead.

How did she get up there again?

On the other side, Duke Zayen, who was giving his speech on the second floor, spread his arms and smiled at the guests throughout the banquet hall.

"...and the Iris Flowers, as always, loyally and faithfully fulfill our promises..."

At that moment, the surrounding lights flickered. A figure suddenly dropped beside Zayen, startling both the duke and all the guests.

Even Knight Cecil behind him had already drawn his sword.

"For the sake of friends!"

The newly arrived figure gracefully spread her arms. Her voice was thin, yet everyone heard it clearly.

"Not for the destruction of enemies!"

In that instant, everyone froze.

Including Zayen. The duke himself glared fixedly at the round-faced girl who had landed at his side. A flash of shock crossed his face, and Thales, who had spent several days with him, captured it precisely.

But once everyone saw the figure who had suddenly descended, there was one clap, then two. Soon, the entire Strife Banquet erupted into incomparably warm applause and cheers.

"Look! That is..."

"Allow me to introduce her, wise Lord Godaran. That is Lady Hilley!"

"Ah, amazing!"

"The people of the Stars really have a way with things. Even the way they appear is so special..."

"She has become even prettier!"

"What? The Emerald Pearl who lives in the legends of ladies' circles, yet whose limelight firmly suppresses the Karabeyan singing and dancing twins?"

"Ah, her dress. Did you see it? Did you see it?"

"Yes. Simple but not plain. It must have been specially made!"

"And the hairstyle! To arrange that kind of shape must have taken a lot of time and manpower!"

"Wow, that must be natural makeup. Barely there, fresh and natural. Jade City truly is at the forefront of fashion!"

"Not Jade City. Covendier! As expected of a ducal house!"

"Ahem, Father, our family has quite a bit of money too, right? Look, do I still have a chance?"

"By the Great Sunset Lord, this is far too improper!"

"Yes. We have always suggested that the duke properly discipline his sister. She is a Covendier, after all. She cannot simply do whatever she wants. The Sunset Temple is also willing to contribute to that effort. Unfortunately..."

"Damn it, I come to Jade City every year and have barely seen his sister a few times. That blasted duke hides her tighter than something in his pants. So it was all to show her off at the celebration?"

"So she has been inside Emerald Palace all these days, never stepping out?"

"Then the rumors are all false. She and Prince Thales do not actually have any conflict?"

"Duke Zayen also did not coldly tear the pair apart or beat the mandarin ducks with a stick? I thought his relationship with the prince was poor?"

"Look. Heroes cherish heroes. That is the breadth of vision great figures possess. To sit in that position and manage affairs of state, how could they let private grudges interfere?"

"Guess how much dowry there would be if the duke's sister married?"

"Ah? Does that mean this marriage is going to happen?"

"Heavens, how romantic!"

"Romantic my ass! You people have too little experience. Those of us who often travel to the capital know what it is like there. From officials to merchants, damn it, they are all bloodsuckers!"

"Shh! Watch your words! I hear the Emerald Celebration also has vampire guests. The real kind!"

"Hey, you are all still too young. If you have the ability, go do business in Eckstedt. I have a Camusian friend whose pitch crystal mine contract over there has been broken countless times. The most ridiculous reason one time was that the king died!"

Amid the thunderous cheers filling the hall, Thales narrowed his eyes, countless thoughts in his mind.

The situation in Jade City had changed.

And it had changed suddenly, leaving him caught off guard.

The round-faced girl, dressed in her borrowed finery, waved both hands and smiled as she greeted the guests.

But Thales, who had fastened the clasps on her back, knew that she had hidden all the dust and stains from the journey behind her, where no one could see. The girl was even barefoot, though that could not be seen from below.

And Zayen stood behind the girl. The Duke of South Coast made no extra show, only his brows tightened further and further.

In the crowd, the two Karabeyan sisters, who still looked somewhat disheveled after washing and tidying themselves, saw the round-faced girl steal the entire Strife Banquet's spotlight. They could not help snorting coldly, and raised their fans together, hiding their aggrieved expressions behind the words "Brother Is a Fool."

"Your Highness!"

Thales turned and found Mallos standing beside him with a solemn expression.

"Where did you go? How did you make yourself so dusty and gray..."

Thales was already vexed, his thoughts in turmoil. How could he still have the mind to deal with parental nagging?

"Tor, please!"

Seeing the prince's expression, Mallos understood something and immediately stopped.

"All right." The Watchman looked toward the girl who had appeared abruptly on the second floor, doubt in his eyes. "What is going on? Was that lady not always..."

"Yes."

"Did Duke Zayen not always dislike you and..."

"Yes!"

"But she has appeared..."

"Yes!"

"Your Highness, we need to..."

"Yes!"

"But..."

Thales sighed at length.

"Please! Truly not now, Tor!"

Mallos looked at him and nodded, saying nothing more.

At the center of the crowd's cheers, Zayen stood behind the round-faced girl, his face unmoving.

"Hilley, you! No matter what, you cannot just appear here like this!"

The girl shrugged carelessly.

"Fine. If you need reminding, this is my home too."

Zayen suppressed the anger in his tone.

"When exactly did you come back? Why did you not notify me in advance..."

"Stop wasting words. The whole city is waiting. Announce it." The round-faced girl smiled and waved, then forced one word out from between her teeth. "This is the Emerald Celebration, unless you want to smash the family signboard."

Zayen took a deep breath.

Even with his excellent self-restraint, he still spent several seconds before recovering his smile.

In the end, the Duke of South Coast's reason gained the upper hand. He stepped past the girl and spread his arms to the guests.

"I announce that midnight has passed!"

The atmosphere was fervent. Cheers surged like a tide in response to his words.

"The Strife Banquet is concluded!"

Zayen glanced at the round-faced girl. She tilted her head.

"And Queen's Day descends upon us!"

A rush of anger came over him, carrying some measure of emotion, real or false. The master of the Covendiers looked toward the guests and announced loudly,

"Jade City, in the name of the Sunset and the kingdom, from this moment on..."

"Revel!"

The moment the duke's words fell, on every outward-facing viewing platform of Emerald Palace, the fireworks that had long been prepared fired at the same time. They rose into the sky and exploded with rumbles in the night, flashing with tens of thousands of lights.

Boom!

In an instant, the guests' cheers became deafening.