CHAPTER 474: CHAPTER 05: HIGH COURT_2

Jones and Belle were at a loss for words.

"Alright, I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Good news."

"The good news is, the most beautiful girl in the whole place already knows us. She is standing right in front of us, Belle!"

"What about the bad news?"

"The bad news is, the most beautiful girl here is Belle, and we’ve come to the wrong place!"

...

Two kilometers away, on the other side of High Court Mountain.

A massive castle with an expansive area.

In the spacious and exquisite garden, a few elf gardeners wearing shackles were meticulously trimming the flowers.

On the second floor of the castle, Tiris was peering through the window, a sullen expression on her face, seemingly still unsettled from the recent conversation.

Isido was sitting on the sofa behind her, his legs crossed.

"Sister, do you think he’s serious? About declaring war."

"What do you think?"

"I... I don’t know. He is indeed the Lich King’s adopted son, but from what I know, he hasn’t received much support in the past. He doesn’t seem particularly favored. The Lich King is currently caught in a confrontation between Heaven and Hell. It’s unlikely he has any spare power to assist him. However, when he said he would declare war... I felt he wasn’t joking. This confuses me."

"Giant Snake City houses over a hundred Ten-thousand-year-old Liches. If you count those who are not yet ten-thousand years old, there would be several times more. That level of support can’t be called insignificant."

"That’s the most perplexing part. The Lich King, while confronting Heaven, still has the leisure to station over a hundred Ten-thousand-year-old Liches in Giant Snake City. Is he really that confident he can defeat Heaven, or does he have another purpose?"

Tiris’s eyes slowly narrowed into slits, staring into the distance from the window, seemingly lost in thought.

*I can’t figure out his reason for rejecting us. Has he already made proper arrangements? Has the Nikolaus family already made their move? I think there might be significant gaps in our intelligence.*

Isido raised his head, his eyes wide as he looked at his sister’s back.

...

At an unknown dance party, Belle held Jones’s hand as they walked to the center of the dance floor.

Honestly, even without knowing who they were, this pair was striking enough. Although Belle was still a minor like Adelle, they were both about to come of age and in terms of height, nearly indistinguishable from normal adult Blood Clan members. As for Jones...

Well, he was two heads shorter than them, looking just like a child.

Alright, within the Blood Clan, Jones was indeed just a child.

They exchanged a standard bow and, to the tune of music playing again, they gracefully danced hand-in-hand.

The Blood Clan members around them glanced their way, faces full of curiosity.

"I thought you were coming tomorrow, but didn’t expect to see you today."

"Adelle said to come early so we could look around. If the hearing goes badly, I might not fit in at High Court anymore."

"Hmm, that’s true. Everyone around here has been talking about you lately. The City Lord of Giant Snake City is about to stand trial at High Court."

"I’m not here for a trial, I’m attending the hearing."

"I know, but that’s how they’re saying it. I guess you can hear the hostility in that."

"Yes, it’s very clear."

"You’ve offended a lot of people, and the key is, you refused to meet them. This lost you the chance to build alliances by pitting one group against another. The Blood Clan in High Court has never been united, if they have any strength, it must be internal strife. Endless internal strife. If you could attend parties like this more often, maybe some people would be willing to step out and support you."

"That would be tiring, and I’d have no time for anything else."

"Alright, suit yourself."

"Why are you at High Court?"

"I’ve been here for a year now, due to business matters. You haven’t attended the Brotherhood for over a year, right? If Adelle hadn’t passed some business opportunities from you to us, we’d have assumed you’d forgotten about us. Didn’t Adelle tell you he’d given me the task of procuring some rare materials from High Court for Giant Snake City?"

"He mentioned it, but he said he had given it to your father."

"That’s what he thinks, but I don’t. I’m not as naïve as Jordan and his siblings, handing opportunities directly to my father. I’ve decided to handle this myself. I want to save up some dowry for myself. After all, I’m about to come of age soon. Also, I recently got a new younger brother two years ago, so my father isn’t likely to give me much dowry."

"Alright..." Jones pouted reluctantly.

Honestly, despite their mismatched heights, they danced quite well together and in harmony. Of course, this should largely be credited to Belle’s excellent dancing skills.

As they danced, Belle glanced at Jones with smiling eyes and softly asked, "Do you really not know how many people want you as their son-in-law?"

"I really don’t know." Jones shook his head.

"Now you do. If I shout, ’The City Lord of Giant Snake City, Jones, is here,’ you’d immediately become the center of attention. There would be countless people lining up to invite you to their homes and introduce their daughters to you. And those not inviting you are likely those without daughters."

"Really?"

"Of course, I’m thinking the same. Why don’t you consider me? Kind, considerate, intelligent, and the most beautiful girl at this unknown dance party. Hmm, that sounds pretty good, right?"

"I... we have a sixty-year age gap. You’re almost twice my age." Jones blushed: "Maybe you could consider Adelle."

Saying that, Jones looked towards Adelle. Following his gaze, Belle also glanced at Adelle.

Not far away, Adelle had already hooked up with two unknown Blood Clan girls. Yes, this guy hooked up with two, even more ruthlessly than some mercenaries.

"Thank heavens, if I went for him, I’d have countless rivals. After marriage, the situation would only get more severe. He’s great as a brother, but definitely not so as a partner. I wouldn’t want to spend every day caught between cheating and being on the way to catch cheats. Speaking of, even though I’m not a Knight, I really admire one knightly principle."

"Loyalty to love till death." They uttered the phrase in unison and smiled at each other knowingly.

"You’re a Knight, you surely have many Knight friends. Why don’t you introduce me to one?"

"There are indeed many, but they’re all Liches. Do you want that?"

"Skeletons? No thanks. Maybe you should consider developing members of your Silver Moon Knight Order among the Blood Clan and then introduce me. If his rank is above Duke, that would be even better."

...

The melodious dance music floated around, while the Blood Clan members at the party danced joyously, drinks flowing.

After dancing three songs in a row, Belle finally led Jones out of the center of the dance floor.

Before they reached the edge, Adelle appeared behind them, extending his arms to embrace them, then forcefully turned them around to face the other direction.

In the distance, a tall man with slick brown hair, a little mustache, dressed in a brown suit, was looking at them from afar. He raised his wine glass and walked towards them.

"Do you see that guy who’s looking at you?"

"I see him, what about it?"

"He’s the host of the party, so we should leave."

Dragging Belle and Jones, Adelle dashed off. He ran so quickly that the host was left bewildered, standing there with his glass in mid-air, not knowing what to do.

...

"Whoa-ho—!" Without even getting onto his carriage, Adelle dragged Jones on a mad dash along the mountain road, gazing at the boundless city-state below.

Belle lifted her long skirt and chased after them.

"So, how was it? Pretty interesting, right? Honestly, I kind of like High Court, especially when they don’t know who I am."

"How did you know that was the host of the party?"

"Those two sisters told me."

"Sisters? They looked older than you."

"No, that’s where you’re wrong. Every unmarried woman is my sister. You should start thinking like me."

Jones was speechless: "I thought you’d be tirelessly leading me to meet important people, but instead..."

"Isn’t this great? When was the last time you attended a dance party and danced freely? Things will always get sorted out, and life will always go on. You can’t bury yourself in work all day; you’ll miss out on a lot of interesting things. Like High Court, or an unfamiliar dance party."

"But I didn’t find High Court interesting. What’s interesting is you, Adelle." Jones smiled.