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On September 12th, 18:00, the Sedang Fortress was already lit with the initial glow of lanterns, and the festively decorated fortress headquarters garden had gathered a multitude of guests dressed in opulent attire. Local officials and senior military officers, accompanied by their families, were enthusiastically lingering between the dining tables and the platters of hors d'oeuvres. An orchestra played soothing dance music, and servants with trays weaved among the guests, occasionally being stopped to refill a glass or serve a cup of expensive aged wine.
Inside Sedang Fortress, there was never a shortage of banquets and salons, but today's event exceeded any before it. One could say that the entire elite of the Champagne-Ardenne Region had converged within the fortress: Champagne merchants owning numerous plantations, University professors from Lutèce, local government employees, high-society ladies, and socialites, as well as many young Royal Army officers.
