Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 158 The Deepest Affection in the Imperial Capital
Seeing that Ethan couldn't answer for a while, Winter told him some interesting stories about Saint Mary. "Ever since she met you, she has suffered from panic disorder. Sometimes she would be busy too late and fall asleep in a chair, and then suddenly wake up and shout that the chair has turned into a bug. Many priests in the church have witnessed this scene with their own eyes."

She felt that Ethan was more talented in the Bazatos art style than the old artist Lao Ba. The Scarlet Dynasty lasted for nearly a hundred years, and Lao Ba created countless twisted flesh and blood creatures, but none of them could compare to the psychological trauma that Ethan left on Mary that night.

"I will be more careful next time."

Ethan conducted a deep self-examination. He felt that perhaps as a person who once lived in the information age, what he knew was too advanced for the people in this world, and he was just trying to replicate some cutscenes in games or movies.

"By the way, have you ever attended a royal banquet before?"

Seeing Ethan's uneasy look, Lin Dong contentedly changed the subject. Attending banquets is an activity that every upper-class person in the imperial capital has to get used to.

Ethan shook his head, "There's no chance to participate in this kind of activity."

"The Second Prince is hosting a banquet tonight. Many important people will be there. Do you want to go and see the world?"

From Lin Dong's increasingly excited tone, one could tell that she was up to something.

Lin Dong used to hate this kind of social activities. At the banquet, everyone seemed to be wearing masks when talking, and there might be three or four hidden meanings in one sentence. As a member of the Council of Seven, she had to attend these social activities. In addition, her identity as a northerner always made her receive strange looks from people.

It feels like being treated as an abnormal creature.

But it was different to attend the event with Ethan, and she even used invisibility potions to sneak into the venue. Whenever she thought about sneaking into the banquet hall, she couldn't help but feel excited.

Ethan noticed that Winter arched her feet and tensed her toes.

"I heard that the Pope and the Inquisitor will be present. Will we be discovered if we sneak in with the invisibility potion?"

As soon as he thought about it, he felt that this matter was a little unreliable. If someone could sneak into the venue easily after drinking the invisibility potion, then the security level of the royal family was really worrying.

"meeting."

Winter said immediately, "It's much more exciting than sneaking into the restricted area because we could be discovered by accident! But it doesn't matter. If we are discovered, we can use magic to escape."

Lin Dong couldn't remember how many banquets he had attended, but he always entered through the main entrance with an invitation letter and had never used an invisibility potion to sneak in.

Ethan was helpless. As a teacher, Winter always led him astray.

"Before sneaking into the library, I specially brewed several bottles of invisibility potion."

Lin Dong even used her skill of acting like a spoiled child, "Just spend more time with me, just treat it as a date."

As expected of a witch, dating is so hardcore that you risk losing your head if you’re not careful.

"Let's make three rules first. Don't make any noise when we get there."

Ethan felt a headache when he thought that the top three of the Imperial Capital Must-Kill List might all attend the banquet, but Lin Dong immediately assured him, "I promise to be a good boy~"

..............................

That night.

Ivy was wearing a gilded dress prepared for her by the mansion's maid and heavy jewelry as she walked on the red carpeted royal corridor. Her high heels were a bit tight and the hem of her dress was dragging on the ground, making her whole body look heavy. Her hair was also braided by the maid for most of the afternoon, and the golden hair was squeezed so that only a tip was left sticking out.

She hadn't worn such troublesome clothes for more than two years, and she felt uncomfortable all over.

Not only that, as one of the protagonists of the banquet, she had to keep smiling under the gaze of all the guests. As the eldest daughter of the Margaret family, all her actions were related to the family's reputation.

With less than half an hour left before the banquet officially began, the bigwigs in the imperial capital had arrived one after another.

Before entering the venue, Ivy sighed silently.

That's why she didn't want to rush home.

As the organizer of the banquet, Damian was like a fish in water. When he saw Ivy come in, he put on his charming smile and walked quickly towards Ivy under the gaze of the crowd. Before that, he was whispering something with the Pope.

"Ivy, I have a surprise for you tonight."

"Thank you, Your Highness the Second Prince."

Ivy lifted the hem of her dress and saluted Damian.

Perhaps this charming smile and affectionate tone would work on most girls, but Ivy was obviously not one of them. She just felt that her time was squeezed. Ever since she discovered the changing historical line in the book in the library, her mind was full of doubts and she was eager to devote herself to the decryption activity. However, now she had to tense her nerves and appear in this noisy banquet hall, facing the false smiles on people's faces.

The crowd saw this and laughed in admiration.

There were many "stumbling blocks" along the way. Almost every two steps she took, those nobles who had never dealt with her would come forward to greet her, just to make themselves familiar with her.

The eldest daughter of the Margaret family returned from the border of the empire. The Pope and the Chief Inquisitor also attended the banquet in person. Everyone knew what this meant.

It took her nearly ten minutes to make her way through the crowd. When she reached the woman in the white dress, she hugged her.

"aunt."

This is the only person Ivy wants to see.

Compared to the last time we met, my aunt looked much more haggard. Even though she put on bright makeup before attending the party, she couldn't hide her inner fatigue.

Although the royal family has not yet announced the death of Henry VI, Ivy is very clear about what her aunt, who has loved her since she was a child, is going through.

"Good girl, it's good to be back."

The woman patted Ivy's back gently and spoke softly.

However, the reminiscing between the two was destined not to last too long. The queen was not the protagonist of the banquet. After a brief conversation with her aunt, Ivy had to return to her place - her father. Compared with the true feelings she showed to her aunt, Ivy just expressed courtesy to this majestic man in a formal way.

Of course, not everyone welcomes Ivy's return.

In a corner of the banquet, a girl in a gorgeous long dress had such jealousy in her eyes that it was almost overflowing.

"That's Prince Freeman's youngest daughter. She was trying to please the Second Prince before Ivy came back."

Winter and Ethan Cat were outside the banquet hall, saying in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "She is the least valued one in the family. If she could marry the Second Prince, she could change her status in the family, but the Second Prince ignored her. As soon as Ivy came back, the Second Prince held a banquet for her and invited so many big shots. Girls' jealousy is terrible."

The second prince has already received the support of the Holy See and the Inquisition. As the representative of the old aristocracy, Prince Freeman's interests are naturally highly tied to the Holy See. If nothing unexpected happens, it is a foregone conclusion that the second prince will become the next king. As long as she marries the second prince, she will be the legitimate queen of the empire in the future.

"How did you know?"

Ethan was a little surprised.

"When I came up to her just now, I heard people gossiping about her. She's so pitiful."

Although he said so, there was no sympathy in Winter's tone. Instead, he sounded like he was just having fun. "All the big shots from the Vatican are here for this banquet. Look, that old man is the current Pope, number one on the Imperial Capital's Must-Kill List. The second is the current Chief Judge of the Inquisition, 'Iron Fist' Gunness, and the third is Prince Freeman, the one standing behind the Pope..."

She introduced the names of those people to Ethan as if she was reading out the menu.

What followed was a formal process: the Pope gave a speech to congratulate the banquet, followed by the enjoyment of court dance.

"Can you dance a duet?"

Perhaps the only person who was interested in the banquet process was Lin Dong. She asked Ethan curiously that court dancing was a social occasion reserved for young people, but Ivy obviously had no interest in it and rejected all invitations using her aunt as a shield.

"will not."

The last time Ethan danced a duet was at a party held at school. He was voted "one of the worst dance partners" because of his stiff movements and frequent stepping on his partner's shoes.

He himself had no interest in dancing and was forced into it because of various activities.

"We can give it a try when we get back."

"Forget it. I'm afraid of stepping on your feet."

"If I stepped on it, why don't you rub it for me? Don't you like it the most?" Winter whispered slyly in his ear, "I didn't jump either."

She had attended such banquets countless times before, but she didn't need anyone to act as a shield. She only needed to let off some cold air, and those cynical young masters in the capital would stay away from her. Ethan was silently observing Ivy and the three people from the Margaret family who attended the banquet. He found a key common point, "Is aho-go the symbol of the Margaret family? Each of them has a tuft of golden hair on their heads."

It is very conspicuous in the crowd, but it doesn't seem as flexible as the one on Ivy's head.

"I heard that every heir of the Margaret family must be baptized by the Holy Word. Ivy's father is the current head of the family. This banquet is equivalent to announcing to everyone that Ivy will inherit the Margaret family. As for the queen...she left it this way on purpose."

"what?"

"It is said that this is how a family looks neat and tidy."

This was one of the few people in the imperial capital that Lin Dong found interesting. When she attended banquets before, the queen was the only one who could ignore the coldness she gave off and come over to chat with her. Later she learned that this was because the queen did not want anyone to be ignored at the banquet.

The atmosphere of the banquet was quite harmonious.

All those invited were respectable people, and everyone knew how to ensure the atmosphere of the banquet.

After the dance ended, everyone gathered in the ballroom. Damian saw that the time had come, so he gathered his emotions for a while, and at the Pope's signal, he walked towards Ivy.

This is a very important step for him.

The Pope spent an afternoon telling him about the importance of Margaret's family to the empire.

"I hope to take a moment of your time."

When the second prince opened his mouth, the guests present were all prepared. Everyone knew that this was by no means an ordinary welcoming banquet. All the big shots gathered here just to witness one thing.

The second prince said in a loud voice that everyone present could hear, "From the moment I first saw Miss Ivy, I fell in love with her at first sight. We are both at the age of marriage. I hope to take this opportunity to make a marriage contract with Miss Ivy-Margaret in the presence of all of you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd burst into thunderous applause. Everything seemed to be going as planned.

The second prince looked at Ivy lovingly, "Ivy, are you willing to respond to my passionate feelings?"

These are all lies of course.

To Damian, Ivy was just a cousin he had met a few times before. Later, for some unknown reason, she ran away to the border of the empire alone and he hadn't seen her for more than two years. But when the Pope mentioned the Sword of Darklimo, the golden fleet that the empire was proud of, he became very interested in Ivy.

The Margaret family holds the key to unlocking ancient technology, and this power must be in the hands of the royal family.

The strongest bond is marriage.

Damian believed that no girl would refuse to become the queen of the empire.

He saw Ivy's surprised expression, what a surprised look it was.

Even his mother was shocked by his sudden confession.

"No."

Ivy blurted out, but considering the face of the royal family, her attitude was more tactful, "I mean, I'm not ready yet."

She caught a glimpse of the Pope's somewhat gloomy face and immediately understood what was going on.

Ivy bowed to Damian to express her apology, and that was all she had to say. She hoped that the Second Prince would be tactful enough to let her save her face and not lose face in public. She had noticed that his face had turned pale and blue.

It seems that there are fewer rejections.

Damian took a long time to calm down after receiving such an unexpected answer. He finally managed to squeeze out a trace of affectionate expression and said, "I've been waiting for you."

Prince Freeman saw this and stepped out to smooth things over with a smile, "Your Highness, don't rush into this matter. Miss Ivy has just returned to the imperial capital, so this is a bit hasty. After she has rested for a while, she will definitely give you a satisfactory answer. Am I right, Miss Ivy?"

"I was a little impatient."

The second prince said, "After you have rested for a few days, I will prepare a grand engagement banquet for you."

The atmosphere of the banquet soon returned to its lively state, but Lin Dong, who was watching the fun, had cold hands and feet. Ethan suddenly felt someone grabbing his arm, and then a body with a fruity scent approached him.

"Teacher? Are you okay?"

"Just a little uncomfortable."

Lin Dong's tone was a little weak. She had originally been in the mood to watch for fun, but when she saw the Second Prince's face turning pale and blue after being rejected, as well as the teasing expressions of the onlookers, she couldn't help but feel a little scared.

After a long moment, she whispered, "It's a good thing you agreed."

Lin Dong suddenly realized that her behavior that night seemed a little too bold. If Ethan had pushed her away and rejected her, she would probably want to find a hole to crawl into. This level of psychological trauma is definitely not something that can be cured in a short time.

Ethan said nothing and let her lean on his shoulder.

The rest of the party was just random chatting. When everything was over and the guests left, they immediately received a call from Ivy through the energy storage crystal. She didn't even have time to change into her evening gown before she hurried to the secret meeting place.

"This person is sick!"

Ivy untied the braided hair at random, and the golden retriever, finally freed, nodded repeatedly in agreement.

She hadn't recovered from the shock yet and now had goose bumps all over her body.

"This is normal. The royal family needs the ancient technology passed down by Margaret's family. Intermarriage is the most common means. You are the only daughter of this generation and you have no sisters."

Said the other side.

As far as she knows, the same was true of Henry VI's marriage. "Your behavior of running to the border of the empire and constantly opposing the church should make many people uneasy."

Logically speaking, the Holy See, the Inquisition and the old nobility were a powerful community of interests, and they would prosper and suffer together. However, no one had ever imagined that such a rebellious heir would appear in Margaret's family.

However, it is precisely because of this status as the heir. Otherwise, with Ivy's previous series of actions, any other family would have been burned at the stake by the Vatican long ago.

"There's a reason why your teacher and aunt didn't recommend you come back at this time."

After the death of Henry VI, the imperial capital entered a critical period of power transfer, and everyone had to express a clear political stance.

Ambiguous neutrals will be swept away - this is a fact that Bi'an has verified through personal experience.

"I understand the reason."

Ivy's face was full of disgust. "I just feel uncomfortable all over. When I visited my aunt's house before, I often saw him behaving indecently."

Among these cousins, the one she disliked the most was Damian. He was never serious about his work and was a typical playboy. Her aunt had to endure a lot of his bullying.

Who could have imagined that Damian would become the strongest contender for the throne.

Ivy said, "Now is not the time to talk about this. I think the family will talk to me soon. Father seems very dissatisfied with my performance today."

So she urgently needed to gather people for a small meeting, "Maybe I will have to move back home tomorrow."

"I can help you assassinate him."

Rowena, who claimed to have had dozens of dating experiences, was the first to speak up and said, "The acquaintance price can be discounted by 20%."

"Ethan, I need a plan now."

Ivy skillfully ignored Rowena and looked at Ethan seriously. The current situation was a mess, and she was counting on Ethan to come up with some constructive suggestions.

"I have no plans, it's up to you to choose."

Ethan never liked to interfere in other people's lives. Moreover, he was just a newcomer and didn't know much about the entanglement between Margaret's family and the empire.

As a friend, there was only one thing he could promise.

"I know Lao Ba's character. If someone tries to force you to change your choice, he will not sit idly by."

(End of this chapter)