At noon the next day, Kenzir arrived at Cardoj's camp. He was accompanied by a large group of nobles, all of whom were at least viscounts.
What surprised the soldiers in Cardoj's camp even more was the fact that they were surrounded by an entire corps of thousands of people. It wasn't appropriate to say that they were surrounded, but rather, protected. This well-equipped and high-spirited regiment was Kenzir's personal guard regiment, and was also the most elite unit of Lion Corps.
Kenzir had already hurried into the central tent to meet his sister, leaving a group of nobles staring at each other. Kenzir's decisive and resolute character was well-known among the nobles. This large group of prominent nobles were not jealous at all. They gathered in groups of twos and threes and chatted with each other.
"How did the princess come back?" This was a question asked by a viscount who was not well-informed.
"I think she was brought back by a soldier," replied a noble who was standing close to him.
"I didn't expect her to come back after being chased by the Blood Red. The princess is indeed an amazing woman." This was a small noble who was also a viscount. Viscounts were indeed small nobles among the big shots around them.
The few nobles standing in the middle of the circle looked at the nobles gossiping around them without batting an eyelid. Unlike the nobles who didn't even know how the princess came back, they were at least counts. Last night, they received the news that the princess was brought back by a soldier under Cardoj.
Some of the well-informed nobles even knew that the soldier and Princess Angelina had crossed the Bering Mountains before coming out.
However, these nobles did not speak. Firstly, they disdained to speak to people of lower rank than themselves. Secondly, the two nobles at the center of the circle had not spoken yet. How could they overstep their boundaries and speak on behalf of others?
The two in the middle of the circle were De Sandro and Marmen. Angelina had appeared in Falcon's garrison, so of course, they were the first to receive the news. Kenzir was directly informed of Princess Angelina's safe return by the two margraves through a magical flame transmission.
After a long time, Marmen finally smiled and said, "It's all thanks to Baron Cardoj that the princess was able to return safely."
"Of course, Little Cardoj has always been good," praised De Sandro who was next to him.
The group of nobles around them also began to praise Cardoj in twos and threes. After saving the sister of the heir to the throne, Kenzir, Cardoj was a lazy nobleman who was just waiting to die. It was time for him to make a fortune, not to mention that he wasn't one yet.
Among these nobles, the one with the lowest rank was Cardoj. Although he had always been proud of himself and was quite capable, the nobles did not look at ability, but strength and heritage. Each of the surrounding nobles with the rank of viscount and above was an ancient family with at least three hundred years of heritage. The heritage of the nobles was much deeper than that of the Cardoj family, which had just reached the fourth generation.
Cardoj had always been a foil in the conversation between the nobles. Now that he was mentioned by the two marquises, he finally attracted the attention of the people around him. Cardoj also stood up at the right time and became familiar with the nobles. He knew that the two margraves were helping him build connections.
There weren't many upper-class nobles that the baron could come into contact with, not to mention that the group of people standing here were all on Kenzir's side. In the future, when Kenzir inherited the throne, at least half of the people around him would rise in status. Cardoj was also working hard for his family to enter the upper-class of Faustian.
Everyone more or less complimented Cardoj, to which Cardoj replied humbly, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare." From the looks of it, he didn't seem to be proud of his contributions at all. However, everyone knew that this was just on the surface, and they still had to reward those who deserved it. This "crippled" Cardoj's battalion would definitely be a bright spot in this war between the two countries. Cardoj, who had suffered a great loss in strength, would definitely be able to become a viscount or even higher. It was not impossible.
Not long after, Kenzir walked out of the central tent, followed closely by Angelina. The nobles standing outside immediately stopped their discussions and turned to greet Kenzir and Angelina.
At this time, Angelina was not wearing the robe made of moonlight wolf fur. Instead, she was wearing an exceptionally gorgeous court dress. Of course, Kenzir didn't come empty-handed. He was accompanied by a group of court maids who served the princess. Of course, the moonlight wolf fur was also carefully kept by Angelina.
Prince Kenzir came out of the tent with a good complexion. His sister had returned safely. This was probably the best news he had received in the past month. Even though he was worried about the irreversible things that had happened at the frontlines, Kenzir still had a faint smile on his face.
The nobles outside also noticed that Kenzir was in a good mood at this time. Some of the bolder nobles even whispered, "This is probably the first time Kenzir has smiled since Margrave Woode died in battle."
Dinner was still as sumptuous as yesterday, but it was even better than yesterday. The only difference was that the location was moved from Cardoj's camp to Kenzir's guards' camp.
The tent that Kenzir entertained the nobles in didn't look like a tent. Instead, it looked more like a small palace. Whether it was the chandeliers overhead, the exquisite candles lit around the tent, or the maids and servants that constantly passed by and served the nobles, they all surprised Locke, a country bumpkin.
Indeed, Locke was also invited to dinner with Kenzir and the nobles, and was invited by Kenzir in public. At that time, many nobles who were not well-informed were still wondering who Locke was and why they hadn't heard of him among the nobles.
Only the two Marquises, as well as a few of Kenzir's senior supporters, roughly knew who this person called Locke was.
At this time, besides the nobles, there were also maids and servants coming and going in the tent. Locke, a soldier in leather armour, was really out of place. The nobles talked among themselves, pointing at Locke from time to time and whispering to each other. It seemed that they had roughly guessed who this' commoner 'who had sneaked in was. The maids diligently served tea and wine, as well as exquisite food that Locke had never seen before.
Although Locke was just a commoner, this group of nobles didn't want to show off and cause trouble for him. Everyone here was smart. Since Kenzir had publicly invited this commoner to dinner, it meant that the prince valued him. It was only a matter of time before Locke became rich.
However, they didn't have the intention to curry favor with Locke. He was just a commoner, and his identity was enough to make them not want to waste their breath on him.
Since no one cared about him, Locke was happy to be idle. To be honest, he was now very uncomfortable with this inharmonious environment. Everyone around him, including the maids and servants who delivered the food, were dressed more respectfully than him. The armours and swords worn by the soldiers on guard were more exquisite and sharp than his, let alone the elegant nobles.
Of course, Locke was not stupid. He saw that even Cardoj was submissive and willing to play a supporting role in the group, so he knew who this group of people was. It was also the first time he saw the appearance of a noble. It turned out that the mysterious and cold Cardoj had such a side to him. This made Locke feel emotional.
Dishes were brought out and placed on the long tables around the tent. Bottles of purple wine were also poured into goblets, but no one here moved. They were still chatting and talking. The main character hadn't arrived yet, so the banquet hadn't started yet.
Locke was tugging at a maid and asking her about this and that. He wanted to know what the dishes were made of, or where the wine came from. He even asked about the chandelier above the tent.
The maid was very polite and patiently answered Locke's questions. She was also a little curious about this commoner who could actually sneak into the prince's banquet.
Just as Locke and the maid were tugging at each other and chatting, Kenzir finally came out with Angelina.
As soon as the prince entered, the tent quietened down.
Prince Kenzir had the demeanor of a future monarch. He said to the nobles present, "Today is an important day. Today, I will be reunited with my younger sister." … …. After four years of war, Faustian is finally in the fifth year of the war against Shalor. Although there are some people close to us who have disappeared from our side forever, we will always remember them … Let us cherish Margrave Woode's memory! "
The prince's speech was very beautiful. Every two sentences, the nobles would applaud.
Locke was also applauding, but he suddenly realised something was wrong. Margrave Woode died in battle?!
When did this happen? Woode was one of the four margraves of Faustian and the commander of Gale. Anyone could die in battle, but how could he?
On the stage, Kenzir's eyes were already red. As he spoke, he even accidentally exuded a fierce aura. Locke was very familiar with this aura. Kenzir was actually a high-rank Knecht!
Angelina, who was next to him, was also surprised. It seemed that she had just heard about Woode's death. Angelina seemed to have a good personal relationship with Woode. It was supposed to be a joyous banquet to reunite with her brother, but Angelina actually burst into tears.
Marmen, who had always been an old rival of Gale's Marquis Woode, also had a heavy heart at this time. He and Woode were both enemies and friends. Neither gave in to the other in the officialdom, but in private, both admired each other at the same time. If not for the shackles of nobility, and both were ordinary people, they might have become good friends.
The prince continued to speak, but Locke could no longer bear to listen to anything else. The death of an important figure like Woode was too much of a shock to him. Through the prince's narration and the maid's introduction, Locke roughly understood what had happened.
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Thank you to readers L _ Merry and Shuefriend 54784168 for your support of 500 Crosstalk coins. Thank you, old friend!
I'll be busy these few days, but I'll take the time to add more chapters to thank my readers for their support. Thank you, thank you!