Chapter 102. The Xino Covenant (4)
"……" Luo Nan didn't know how to respond.
Only then did he rember—this Archbishop was sothing of a Matchmaker who loved to play cupid for young people everywhere.
Of all the people delighted by the Marriage Pact between himself and Serela, aside from Emperor Isarian III, this Archbishop was probably the most pleased.
"Ha ha ha…… off you go, off you go—never mind this old fellow. You young people have your own social circles. I'm off to find so old friends."
The Archbishop naturally caught the flash of awkwardness that crossed Luo Nan's face, but paid it no mind. Instead he laughed heartily, waved a hand at Luo Nan, and walked into the Xino Palace on his own.
"Oh, that's right, Luo Nan—don't forget to receive your princess on ti." The Archbishop had barely gone through the door when he turned and ca back, giving Luo Nan a solemn reminder.
"Naturally," Luo Nan gave a nod. "Your Grace, was there sothing else you wanted to say to ?"
Luo Nan felt the Archbishop probably had other matters he wished to discuss—surely he hadn't co back just to remind him of that.
"Nothing else—I just wanted to remind you: Serela is a good girl. You'd better treat her well." The Archbishop replied with a kindly squint.
With that, he lingered no longer. He turned and walked into the Xino Palace.
"……"
'He really is that kind of person.'
Luo Nan checked his pocket watch. "It's not seven yet—the lady's side should be arriving at seven…… no point standing out here like a fool. I'll go get a bite to eat first. Knowing the ceremony, once it starts I won't be able to get near any food."
With that thought, Luo Nan made his way to the dining room inside the Xino Palace.
In the vast dining room, there weren't many people present at this hour. Even though all manner of dazzling food had already been laid out at the buffet counters, the vast majority of guests had not co here to eat.
Furthermore, at the Contract Ceremony itself, a formal dinner service would be provided—and the formal dinner's standard was far more lavish than this freely accessible spread.
As a result, most of the food here would ultimately end up being thrown away.
"Such waste…… oh well. Saving even a little is sothing. I'll eat first!"
Luo Nan, who deeply understood that frugality was a virtue, imdiately picked up a plate and tongs and embarked on a sweeping conquest.
"Pork knuckle…… one piece please—poultry aspic…… one serving, blood sausage…… might as well try it……"
Right as Luo Nan had taken a heaping plate of at dishes and was preparing to dig in with gusto, his peripheral vision suddenly caught a familiar figure.
That figure was wearing an ill-fitting blue lady's formal dress, with chestnut hair tied into a high ponytail, swaying slightly with her movents.
Her high heels were also probably a bad fit—she kept lifting her toes and tapping them down repeatedly, seemingly trying to adjust the position of her foot inside the shoe.
"Anya? Anya Sivans?"
Luo Nan rubbed his eyes. He confird he wasn't hallucinating—the one sweeping the dessert section like a locust was indeed the "Chosen Hero" Anya Sivans!
"How did she get in here?"
Luo Nan furrowed his brow, montarily unable to work out how Anya had gotten in. She was neither nobility, nor an official, nor a notable socialite of the capital.
By rights, she should not have received an invitation.
"Forget it—I'll just go ask her directly."
As the absolute protagonist of the "Hero Storyline" in The Shining Myriad Trails, Anya Sivans was a walking trouble magnet—wherever she went, a chain of accidents was sure to follow.
'Not that it matters. This Contract Banquet was never going to be a quiet one anyway,' Luo Nan consoled himself.
Thwap—
Anya felt soone pat her on the shoulder, giving her such a fright that she jolted violently—nearly sending the desserts on her plate flying to the floor.
"Who—who's there?"
The girl steadied her plate, shielded the desserts on it, then spun around to get a look at whoever had sneaked up on her with such disregard for fair play.
"Luo Nan? Why is it you?" When Anya saw the face of the person who had snuck up behind her, she asked on reflex.
"…… What do you an 'why is it ?' I'm one of the stars of this banquet, aren't I?"
Anya set her plate down on the table and pouted slightly, her tone carrying a trace of sullenness. "That I obviously know…… I ant why are you here. Shouldn't you be out in the main hall trading pleasantries with the nobles and officials and all that?"
"Naturally, it's not ti yet…… and that's not called 'trading pleasantries.' That's necessary socializing." Luo Nan replied sowhat helplessly.
Anya lowered her head and began counting the number of multicolored sugar sprinkles on the choux puffs on her plate.
For so reason, she found she was rather disinclined to talk to Luo Nan right now.
Seeing Anya give no response, Luo Nan didn't mind, and continued asking. "Why are you here? Or more precisely—how did you get into the Xino Palace?"
"Soone invited
in, naturally."
"Who?"
The girl tilted her head up, fixing her gaze on Luo Nan's face for a long mont—long enough to make him a little uneasy.
After a brief while, those beautiful golden eyes shifted away. Anya picked her plate back up and turned to leave.
"Not telling you."
'Hey, this person……'
Luo Nan watched as Anya carried an enormous plate of desserts to a corner and silently sat down to go wild on them. He had no idea what to say.
'There's no getting through to soone whose eyes are only on the food.' He left. He left.
Not wanting to get ignored for his trouble, Luo Nan likewise carried his own heaping plate of at dishes to a different corner, picked up his cutlery, and silently set about filling his stomach.
In the dining room, a man and a woman were seated in two separate corners, each wordlessly tending to the food on their own plate. The only sound that rang out from ti to ti was the occasional clinking of silverware.
'About ti…… should go see if Serela has arrived.'
Having demolished everything on his plate, Luo Nan rose and headed for the exit.
The mont he left the dining room, on instinct, he glanced back.
He happened to et that pair of slightly lancholy golden eyes.
"……" Those golden eyes, upon eting Luo Nan's gaze, imdiately fled as if startled.
Their owner also hurriedly picked up her plate and walked back to the buffet counter, leaving Luo Nan with nothing but a retreating back.
'What an odd one.'
Luo Nan had no idea what he had done to provoke Anya. He thought about it, and didn't think much of it.
His relationship with Anya would stay at this state for now—neither friends nor enemies.
With that thought, Luo Nan made his way toward the exterior of the Xino Palace.
The only one left in the dining room was Anya, who was at this mont cutting at her desserts in a sowhat distracted manner.
The girl herself wasn't quite sure why she found looking at Luo Nan's face a little irritating right now.
After a brief mont's thought, Anya attributed the cause to the Crow-Beak Mask who had told her to "stand by and await orders."
She absolutely hated commissions that gave no clear mission objectives!
'Eat a bit more—who knows, I might not get to eat once things start.'
"Her Highness Serela has arrived!"
Just as Anya was eating with full enthusiasm, a commotion filtered in from outside the dining room. Among those sounds, Anya could faintly make out this particular phrase.
"Her Highness Serela…… has arrived?"
The hand Anya had been raising to pop a candied fruit into her mouth froze mid-air. The girl pressed her lips together, set down her cutlery, gritted her teeth, and ultimately decided to head into the main hall to join in the excitent.
'The Crow-Beak Mask's task is probably about to begin—I'd better go stand by outside!'
Having found herself a reason, Anya stuffed the last remaining food on her plate into her mouth all at once and walked out still chewing.
"Excuse , coming through……"
Anya squeezed through the crowd, finally securing a spot near the front. She turned to look—and at last she saw the most beautiful star of tonight's Opalia.
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