Chapter 106. The Xino Covenant (8)
Things unfolded exactly as Luo Nan had anticipated—the lavish spread of dishes at the covenant banquet had absolutely nothing to do with him.
The mont he stepped into the banquet hall, countless nobles, officials, and prominent social figures materialized with wine glasses in hand, seizing every gap to toast him one after another.
Not giving him a single mont to breathe!
Luo Nan felt as though his stomach was nothing but alcohol right now!
This reminded him of his experience in the Listone Mine Shaft a week ago.
Back then, he'd just been pierced clean through the chest by an Abyssal creature transford from Jeraf, and Anya, desperate to save him, had dug out every last potion she had and poured the whole lot straight down her own throat.
Without paying the slightest attention to whether those wildly different potions might conflict with one another.
Luo Nan couldn't help but shake his head in exasperation.
Could you really call her the "Chosen Hero" with a straight face?
"Young Lord Luo Nan, please allow
to offer you a toast—may the friendship between dillion and Austrein endure forever."
Here we go again. Sigh......
After finally seeing off the last wave of toasters, Luo Nan strode quickly into the washroom and bent over the basin, retching.
"Nearly burst my stomach open......"
He splashed water on his face, straightened his formal attire, tidied himself up in the mirror, and walked back out of the washroom.
Taking advantage of the banquet's attention gradually shifting from him and Serela toward the other great nobles and certain high-ranking officials, Luo Nan seized the opportunity to slip away from the banquet hall and made his way up to the second-floor balcony of Xino Palace.
"Get so night air, clear my head, then leave—no sense in letting this drag on."
Beneath the night sky, a platinum silhouette leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance—leaving Luo Nan with an exquisite view of her back.
"Serela? Isn't she supposed to be with those noble ladies?"
Spotting Serela on the balcony as well, Luo Nan halted imdiately and prepared to retrace his steps.
"Luo Nan, is that you?" The golden-haired Imperial Princess didn't turn around, asking softly.
It was phrased as a question, but her tone brooked no doubt.
"......It's , Serela." Luo Nan stopped where he was and answered from where he stood.
Her Imperial Highness turned around and offered him a perfect, gentle smile. "Luo Nan......do you truly......not wish to co closer to ?"
"No, it's not that—I suddenly rembered there are still so matters to attend to back at the manor. The covenant ceremony has concluded as well; I should be heading back."
Serela gave a slight shake of her head and walked gracefully toward him, carrying an air that left no room for refusal.
"What's the rush? This covenant ceremony......is a precious mory we'll only experience once in our lives—aren't you prepared to......leave behind sothing even more precious?"
The mont the Imperial Princess finished speaking, a gust of wind swept the balcony's large door shut, accompanied by a click.
'This is bad—I'm locked on the balcony with Serela.'
Luo Nan had a sudden urge to cry for help at the top of his lungs.
"Haha, Serela, look at what you're saying—we're only bound by this marriage pact on our parents' orders; I imagine......your feelings should be the sa as mine, shouldn't they?" Luo Nan silently stepped one pace back from Serela and replied offhandedly.
The Imperial Princess naturally noticed Luo Nan's resistance. A fleeting loneliness crossed those breathtaking violet eyes before vanishing instantly. She stopped her steps and extended her right hand toward Luo Nan—gloved in long white lace.
"Have a seat, Luo Nan. Let's talk."
"Very well."
The two sat down. Serela personally poured him a cup of clear tea and said gently, "You've had quite a lot to drink just now, haven't you? Have so tea—it'll help clear the alcohol."
"I had this specially prepared and sent for you in advance—sobering tea."
"Your Highness is too kind." Luo Nan offered a polite word of thanks, then picked up the teacup and drank it down in one go.
"Mm? Still calling ......'Your High-ness'?" The Imperial Princess narrowed her eyes, deliberately drawing out the ending.
"It's still Serela who's the more thoughtful one—I hadn't even thought of that myself......" Luo Nan, realizing his slip of the tongue, imdiately yielded.
Hearing Luo Nan yield, the corners of Serela's mouth curved upward—but that arc vanished in an instant. She directed her cool, clear gaze toward the distant night sky and asked in a voice that was calm yet distinct:
"Luo Nan, do you know......just now, when Archbishop Kolitio was reciting the 'Sacred Covenant Preamble'—which line do I like most?"
Luo Nan's heart stirred slightly; he responded with a trace of puzzlent: "I'd love to hear it."
He had no idea what Serela was thinking—he himself hadn't listened to that long preamble at all.
Serela didn't answer imdiately. Instead she lowered her gaze slightly, as though carefully searching through the scroll of mory for sothing precise.
The next instant, she lifted her head—unhesitating, with incomparable clarity and precision, and in ancient syllables that rang like tal striking stone, she spoke word by word:
"Firmior Mithrilio, Aeternus Polus Borealis (Steadfast as Mithril, eternal as the North Star)."
What flowed from her lips was none other than Rossan.
Rossan was the sole official language of the Rossan Empire—a superpower that had once nearly unified the entire Estherya Continent before perishing at the end of the previous era.
And in The Shining Myriad Trails, the Rossan Empire also served as one of the world-building backdrops, much like the gods themselves.
Because the Rossan Empire had left behind a countless wealth of magnificent cultural heritage, the upper echelons of the Fifth Era's human nations—and even many foreign races—took pride in speaking fluent Rossan.
Furthermore, compared to their own native tongues, nations generally preferred to use Rossan—with its gravity, precision, and minimal ambiguity—when drafting important docunts and treaties.
Not even the Dawn Church was exempt from this convention.
And when Serela chose to speak in that ancient tongue, it was decidedly more than re recitation.
The casual ease she had carried during her earlier conversation with Luo Nan was gone from her voice, replaced by a solemn confirmation and a formal declaration that brooked no dispute.
"......"
Luo Nan naturally understood the deeper aning behind Serela's words spoken in Rossan.
'It seems......her attitude toward this marriage pact......is quite different from mine?'
'This is getting a bit troubleso.'
Luo Nan found himself montarily at a loss for words. He looked up—and t squarely with the Imperial Princess's pair of violet eyes.
"What do you think, Luo Nan?" Serela pressed forward.
"Oh......right, Serela, I just realized I forgot to ask—how did the handling of the Perez Family......turn out?"
Luo Nan, finding it sowhat difficult to parry Serela's advance, had no choice but to forcibly redirect the subject.
The handling of the Perez Family had long since beco public knowledge.
Seeing Luo Nan's blunt subject change, the exquisite Imperial Princess showed no displeasure. She picked up her teacup, took a light sip, and said softly:
"Naturally, it was dealt with cleanly in full accordance with Imperial law. Their illicit holdings have all been seized and shut down. As for the rest......"
Knock knock knock—
An urgent knocking at the door cut off Serela's words.
"Young Lord, Young Lord—are you on the balcony?"
A girl's voice ca from outside the door, carrying a trace of anxiety.
"Peini? What's the matter?"
Luo Nan stood up at once, opened the balcony door, and saw the maidservant Peini co rushing in, grabbing tight onto Luo Nan's sleeve.
"Young Lord, Young Lord—it's Aina, she—Aina she......" Peini was montarily too breathless to get the words out.
Luo Nan's pupils contracted. He placed both hands on Peini's shoulders and said in a low, steady voice: "Take it easy, take it easy. Tell
slowly—what's happened to Aina?"
With Luo Nan's large hands resting on her shoulders, Peini seed to find sothing solid to hold onto. She drew a deep breath, and at last managed to get out what she needed to say:
"Young Lord—Aina......she's gone missing!"
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