Before dinner time, under the protection of several teams of guards, the side door of the harem was opened. A bright red carpet was spread from the side door to the small flower hall, and carefully arranged lanterns were hung everywhere. This is the first time here.
The royal etiquette officer who appeared on such an occasion completed the inspection before the last ball, then put on a new dress and led a large group of assistants to the palace gate to greet the guests.
After a while, the people who were invited to the ball arrived in carriages one after another at the square in front of the gate. After checking the invitations, they passed through the palace gate in twos and threes and went to sign in front of the small flower hall. This was a large-scale dance, and was received by His Majesty the Emperor.
There were quite a few people invited, including not only high-ranking imperial officials and prominent nobles, but also representatives of foreign races and His Majesty the Emperor's confidants.
Among all the guests, the soldiers who came on horseback were undoubtedly a dazzling highlight. For tonight's ball, the young generals put on brand-new dresses, either white, blue, or pure black, with their chests decorated with glitter.
They were wearing medals and had silver-white ceremonial swords hanging on their waists. They all looked so energetic and their heroic posture made the ladies from the aristocratic families next to them look at them.
The carriages of the envoys from various countries also arrived. They were in a foreign land, so His Majesty the Emperor specially allowed them to bring their dancing partners into the palace. Although it was not easy to find a suitable dancing partner in a short time, the envoys obviously did it. They each appeared holding beauties in their arms.
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This kind of dance was held by His Majesty the Emperor in a private capacity, so all the arrangements for the dance were very casual. The waiter at the entrance of the small flower hall did not announce the titles of the guests loudly. The guests found their own seats and sat down in small groups.
Chat with familiar friends and wait for the owner of the ball, His Majesty Cohen, to appear. The ball will not officially begin until His Majesty arrives.
The Little Flower Hall is generally a circular courtyard, surrounded by a large garden outside and several small gardens inside. With careful design, the division of space is very reasonable, with both a small world suitable for communication between several people and a
The open-air dance floor can accommodate hundreds of people dancing. The dozens of rooms on both sides of the circular promenade provide relatively private spaces for couples to chat. Even for a period of time, these
The room is called the Rose Gallery.
Under the ever-changing lights, the band played soft music, and guests holding wine glasses walked on the parquet floor, greeting each other in soft voices. Most of the older nobles were chatting at the table; most of the young officers gathered together.
People are chatting freely at the long table where snacks are placed; and those whispering under the curtains, on the terrace, and in the paths are beautiful and lovely ladies from aristocratic families. They are playing a traditional game: guessing the names of the upcoming emperor and imperial concubines.
dress up.
"His Majesty the Emperor has arrived - play music!" After a long announcement from the chamberlain, the music to welcome His Majesty the Emperor sounded. Guests from all over the place hurriedly walked to the middle of the dance floor, stood according to their status, bowed slightly, and welcomed the arrival of His Majesty Cohen.
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Amidst the loud sound of the trombone, His Majesty Cohen appeared at the gate. Walking beside him was Prince Vissoux and his wife. The four princesses in full makeup also followed behind Prince Vissoux and his wife with smiles on their faces. Their hands were wrapped in white.
Berni Ebbinghaus, the Riva princess wearing a silk scarf, held the hand of Prince Vissoux, looking like a good girl. She was talking to the prince while walking, making the prince chuckle from time to time.
Compared with the familiar Princess Riva, the beautiful lady holding Lady Catherling's arm seems strange to everyone.
This is a tall beauty, her graceful figure is perfectly outlined by a light green evening dress. She seems not used to being paid attention to by so many people, so she keeps lowering her gaze. This unintentional behavior makes her
Her long and thick beautiful eyelashes were highlighted. Although her expression was already very modest, her smooth and delicate skin exposed outside the dress made most of the aristocratic ladies at the ball bow to her - this girl who amazed everyone was
Forna.
The smiling Emperor took Princess Qinlun's little hand and walked slowly onto the carpet. He kept nodding to the courtiers on both sides along the way. He would even stop to say hello when he met a noble lady. His Majesty was dressed in a well-fitting suit.
This exquisite black dress is more formal than unique. If you have to find something special, a bouquet pinned to the left breast can barely be considered, but it was Princess Qinlun who personally made it for him.
prepare.
"No gifts, everyone, this is just a small dance." After walking to his seat, His Majesty turned to face the crowd and said loudly: "With everyone's efforts, the empire's government affairs have returned to normal, and daily life has returned to normal.
Life should be restored. This dance is just the beginning. In the days to come, I promise there will be more interesting things waiting for everyone."
"The special thing is that there are envoys from various countries at today's ball. They are my guests. Everyone should help me take care of them." He raised his hands to calm down the applause. His Majesty Cohen said with a smile: "There is one more thing.
, My lovely ladies, there are many handsome officers at our dance today, all of them are chivalrous and gentle good men. If the ladies like any of them... you can take them away. It doesn't matter. I guarantee it in the name of the emperor! They will definitely
Won’t resist!”
After hearing His Majesty the Emperor's words, the ladies with blue silk scarves wrapped around their hands were all bursting into laughter. Many of the officers remained normal because they had long been accustomed to His Majesty Cohen's jokes.
"In order to avoid some misunderstandings, I declare in advance that my first dance will be with Princess Qinlun, my second dance will be with Princess Berni Ebbinghaus of the Riva Empire, and my third dance will be with me.
My favorite mother dances..." Everyone can see that His Majesty the Emperor is in high spirits tonight. He finally holds out two fingers: "Beautiful ladies, I don't leave you many opportunities. Two
It’s just a song. Everyone who wants to dance with me, you have to come on - the dance begins!"
The surrounding light dimmed, but the light in the middle of the dance floor brightened. The music slowly started playing.
His Majesty Cohen led Qin Lun into the dance floor. The two passed through countless gazes and stood face to face in the middle of the dance floor. His Majesty put his hands behind his back and stared at the little princess with a smile, while Princess Qin Lun was not artificial at all and sparkled.
Her big bright eyes looked back at His Majesty. She was wearing a dress carefully chosen for her by her concubines and sisters, with hair accessories given to her by Crow in her smooth hair, and two thin braids wrapped with colorful ribbons hanging down from her ears.
The gentle night breeze blows by, and every movement and silence is not ordinary cuteness.
In the sound of music, His Majesty casually handed out his hand, but the little princess stamped her foot and turned her head away without hesitation. She had a proud expression on her face when she rejected His Majesty, and she peeked at His Majesty's reaction after rejecting her cute eyes.
The people on the dance floor were surprised and burst into waves of applause. Prince Victoria, his wife and several royal concubines laughed particularly happily.
As if he just remembered something now, His Majesty Cohen tapped his forehead with his fingers in annoyance, then bent down solemnly and stretched out his hand in a very standard posture. Princess Qinlun then held the hem of her skirt and squatted down slightly, returning a lady's greeting.
.The performance of the two people is natural and cordial, making people feel the strong family affection between them.
After bowing to each other, with everyone looking forward to it, Cohen held Princess Qinlun's hand and let her step on his instep. Before anyone else had time to be surprised, the two of them had already danced a warm song with a smile.
Slow dance.
Court dance pays great attention to steps. Although it is interesting to have the dance partner stand on the insteps, it is not an easy thing to do. However, His Majesty Cohen danced this dance very smoothly. Although it was impossible to intersperse fancy tricks, it was not easy to do.
The footwork was not messy at all. The most important thing was that the little princess was very happy. She followed Cohen's movements, her skirts were flying, and her laughter never stopped.
Before the ball, His Majesty Cohen had completed formal, systematic and painful ball training courses under the supervision of several royal concubines. Not only did he learn all the court dances from Prince Visa and his wife, but he also learned from Sister Lucy.
Most of the popular dance steps are varied. Coupled with Cohen's already flexible body and the dance foundation laid by a certain prince in the past, he is now more than enough to cope with the scene.
In fact, to be fair, Cohen's dancing is already very good. Coupled with his majestic figure, just the right clothes, the black eyes with seductive eyes, and the face composed of firm lines but never stiff.
The face... If it were in another place, all this would be enough to make the ladies scream.
"The emperor's behavior is really unexpected." Seeing Cohen's behavior, Prince Vesuvius smiled, stood up, and stretched out his hand to his wife: "Madam, will you dance the first dance with me?"
"Very happy." Kasseling nodded and put her hand into her husband's.
Halfway through the dance, people around were looking for partners to join in, and couples were surrounding His Majesty the Emperor and the little princess, like stars over the moon. Some ladies tried their best to dress themselves up before the dance, hoping to attract His Majesty the Emperor and the little princess with their beauty.
They dance together. But now, the facts in front of them have told them that they have all been defeated by the little princess. Even the little princess can't win, let alone overwhelm several graceful princesses.
One, two, three, the accompanying dance music was no longer slow, but gradually became lively and lively, and the atmosphere at the dance also became lively. Many male and female guests began to approach, talk, and introduce their friends to each other's friends.
, after getting acquainted a little, they walked onto the dance floor in pairs, interspersed with jokes about a certain officer stepping on his partner's feet.
"Did you see those girls over there? Yes, those three are very sweet." In a corner of the dance floor, the mighty Lieutenant General Helter was walking back and forth, cheering for his three subordinates: "How are you? You guys have
no confidence?"
"Sir." A young brigadier general asked doubtfully: "What confidence? What do you want us to do?"
"Do you still need to ask? Of course I want you to end your bachelor life." Haiert learned a lot of new terms from His Majesty the Emperor, and taught his subordinates to follow His Majesty's example: "The three of you go over immediately and follow this
He struck up a conversation with a few girls, asked them to dance, and took them away after the dance..."
"Sir." The other brigadier smiled sheepishly: "There will be no problem in fighting, but we can't dance."
"It doesn't matter if you don't know how to dance. You can ask them to teach you. You are all great generals, will they refuse?" Lieutenant General Haiert frowned and thought: "You can use the excuse to find a secluded place to study, and then take the
Let them go..."
"What if they want to teach us here?" Another brigadier asked: "If they insist, we can't force them."
"Trying with me? Then step on her foot, step hard, until she can't walk." Helter snorted coldly: "Then take her away with an excuse to send her to treatment!"
"Sir..." The three guys were almost crying: "His Majesty the Emperor will scold us..."
"Of course His Majesty the Emperor will curse a few words, but when he turns around, he will prepare a betrothal gift for you." Lieutenant General Haiert waved his hand: "Go out - this is an order!"
Under the coercion of Lieutenant General Helter, the three brigadiers finally walked out. Helter watched them chatting with the ladies before leaving, and went to drink with Lieutenant General Moya in high spirits.
"It's almost time, let's start. Remember to seize every opportunity." Among the envoys in another corner, the envoy Bansai nodded slightly to everyone. The envoys who received the instruction stood up one after another and walked towards each other with their dancing partners.
at the party, and started chatting with the ministers attending the ball.
However, Prince Carl Ulysses, the envoy of the Tansi Empire, did not do this.
From the moment he entered the ball scene, this extraordinary-looking prince stayed quietly and only talked softly with his dance partner, as if he really didn't know what was happening around him. Among the guests in the venue
, it’s not that no one wanted to go up and greet her, but the way the prince talked to the young beauty was more intimate, so it was not easy to disturb her.
On the dance floor, His Majesty Cohen had already danced with each of the imperial concubines, and was walking to the terrace accompanied by the two generals.
"Look! There are so many pretty girls in the venue, why don't you get to know a few of them?" As soon as he got to the terrace specially prepared for himself, His Majesty Cohen took off his disguise. He leaned down and rested his hands on the railing.
Go up and say to the people around you: "Based on your status and official title today, this little thing shouldn't be a problem. Do you have a thief's heart but not the courage?"
"Your Majesty, I am quite courageous." The general staff officer shook his head resolutely: "But on a special day like today, it seems that I shouldn't just focus on getting to know beautiful ladies, right? Besides, graduates from the Royal Academy
After the dance, I never danced again. If even I, a talented student of the Royal Academy, step on someone else's toes, the dean will not let me go."
"After all, I still have stage fright." Cohen chuckled and turned to ask another general: "What about you? Major General Kenan, the son of the dignified leader of the blood clan, can't he blush even if he can't talk to a young lady?"
"Your Majesty, I have an engagement." Kenan replied with a smile: "She will come to the Holy City soon."
"That's right! When you get here, you have to introduce me." Cohen turned around and nodded to Marfa who walked up to the terrace: "How did things go?"
"We are fully prepared here. It is almost as we expected. The intelligence systems of various countries are operating outside the palace." Mafa walked over and took a look at the ball: "Even the ball is not so peaceful."
"Let me just say it! Dance parties are a good thing and we should hold them more often." Cohen took the red wine from Bai Ying and distributed it to the three of them: "Take your time, we can't let them find the line so easily.
Give it to them when they're going crazy."
"I've already made more than 300,000 yuan." Mafa couldn't help laughing: "Boss, how will you set the price next?"
"First five hundred thousand, then one million. If you don't make this kind of money, I'm sorry to God. After this is over, I'll treat everyone to a meal. You can eat whatever you want." His Majesty Cohen raised his wine glass: "The Demon Alliance has arranged it.
How's it going? You can't make any mistakes in terms of timing."
"Don't worry, boss, we are professionals." Mafa took a sip of wine: "But it would not be good if the intelligence obtained by each country is the same. Should we help them differentiate it? If the starting point is different, it is better to let them
Let’s compete.”
"Do we still need to do this?" His Majesty Cohen looked at the crowd on the dance floor: "How broad-minded do you think these envoys are? How could they really be willing to share good things with others? Some people eat meat.
, some people can only drink soup, I’m only worried that some countries can’t even catch the dregs.”
"But there has been no movement in the Tansi Empire's intelligence system. His Royal Highness the Prince has been excused from showing up due to illness in recent days. We don't know what he is thinking, but we are sure that he already knows the news."
"That's an old fox! Do you think anyone can be the commander-in-chief of the Divine Alliance? When it comes to conspiracy, he is an expert. We may not be able to lure him into taking the bait this time." His Majesty Cohen tapped lightly.
Holding the fence: "It's not necessarily that he has other plans. I'll go talk to him in a minute and speed up the things you are doing."
Just as Cohen was about to leave the terrace, a crow in armor came up from the stairs. Seeing him coming up, Cohen couldn't help but feel shocked: If there was nothing special, this man would not take the initiative to talk to someone.
"There was something strange at the dance, and it was those two sisters who looked like humans but not human beings." Crow's words were shocking. He looked back and pointed it out to Cohen: "I've been watching them for a while, but they haven't done anything."
"It's strange, aren't those the two daughters of Governor Durang Hisoka? Some time ago, Governor Durang brought them to see me when he left the Holy City." Cohen folded his hands and touched his chin: "But
It's a little strange, their personalities should be more lively, and their eyes are not so smart... Nothing will happen to them, right? I promised Governor Durang to take care of them."
"There must be something attached to them. We're not sure yet whether they are okay." Crow replied calmly: "It's a very clever method! When did you get into such trouble?"
"What troublesome thing? Who among the people I know has such a method?" Cohen spread his hands, but his eyes were still fixed on the two sisters: "I am innocent, okay? Could it be an intelligence agent from a certain country who did it?"
"A certain country? I told you that it's not human." Crow paused for a moment: "Maybe it came from there."
"No way? I have already rejected the pursuit of the little demon princess, why are you still coming to pester me?" Cohen stretched out his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Two innocent and pure good girls, we have to find a way to save them.
That’s all.”
"That's right." Crow agreed with Cohen for a rare time: "Since you said that, it's up to you to find a solution."
"That's how you treat yourself as brothers? They are two people! I only have one." Cohen complained in a low voice: "But then again, you don't seem to be afraid of demons! And you can also find something wrong with them... Hey,
Can you teach me?"
"My insight is innate." Crow snorted coldly: "You don't seem to be afraid of demons!"
"So we are friends!" Cohen chuckled: "Tell me, how do you plan to send them away?"
"If I take action, the situation will be very bad." Crow shook his head: "Since they deliberately sneaked in, there must be something they want here. If you don't want to hurt those two sisters, I suggest you let them get what they want.
alright."
"Really?" Cohen held onto Crow's shoulders: "My brother, what if they want your virginity? Do I agree for you?"
"Little monster, my answer is only one word." The crow's words were full of disdain: "Kill!" (To be continued)