Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 131 The Banquet Farce
Imperial Capital Royal Academy - Triumph Square

Hey Haven!

With a clear and melodious call, Uli's beautiful figure appeared at the entrance of the party. The girl smiled as she watched Haven walk slowly towards her, her large, watery eyes instantly curving into beautiful crescent shapes, sparkling with joy and anticipation.

Today, Uli wore a snow-white tulle dress. The skirt was as light and flowing as layers of clouds. The elegant white color made her skin look as white as snow and as delicate as if it could be broken with a touch, radiating a soft glow.

Her long, light purple hair was carefully styled into an exquisite and adorable bun, with a few strands playfully falling beside her ears, adding to her lively beauty.

Upon seeing the girl, Haven quickly walked a few steps to Uri. Looking at the young woman before him, his eyes revealed amazement, and he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:

"Hmm!!!"
"Uri, you look absolutely gorgeous today!"

Hearing Haven's sincere praise, she felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey, and a shy blush quickly crept onto her fair face. She then happily said:

"Thank you, Haven, you look very handsome today too."

Then, naturally, she reached out and gently took Haven's arm, and the two walked side by side to the center of the party like a golden couple.

At the party, people who had arrived earlier gathered in small groups, chatting quietly or raising their glasses to drink. The atmosphere was lively and bustling, and everywhere you looked, there were handsome men and beautiful women dressed in smart clothes.

Uri skillfully led Havel through the crowd towards the Imperial Roses' small group. Along the way, their striking good looks attracted the attention of many at the party, making them the center of attention for a moment.

However, the two people who came over noticed that something was wrong. Rihanna and her group were confronting another group of people.

"Yo yo yo~"

Rihanna, this is none of your business.

"You're overreaching."

A man with effeminate features looked at Rihanna, who was standing in front of him, and said in a gloomy tone. His body, which had been weakened by long-term indulgence in alcohol and sex, made him appear completely powerless in front of the tall and slender Rihanna.

“Enzo. This has nothing to do with Ilya. Stop making a fuss over nothing and leave now. I don’t want to embarrass you in this situation.”

The effeminate man looked at the girl hiding behind Rihanna, licked his lips, and stared at her like a jackal eyeing its prey. He then spoke in a sinister tone.

“Miss Rihanna, you’re joking. Although I know that the Imperial Rose you founded is dedicated to protecting vulnerable women, I didn’t force her.”
Ilya and I have the consent of both our parents; she is my fiancée.

You said I just wanted to say a few words to my fiancée, why are you stopping me? Could those rumors really be true?

After Enzo finished speaking, he stared intently at Rihanna, waiting for her reply, his eyes even revealing a strange longing.

Rihanna frowned slightly upon hearing Enzo's words, instinctively sensing that something was amiss, but she still subconsciously replied to the aggressive Enzo in front of her.

"That was just a private agreement between Viscount Komarin and Baron Sigelt, and it doesn't mean anything."

Besides, Ilya doesn't like you. I advise you to give up quickly and not make a fool of yourself. If you insist on persisting, then don't blame me for being impolite; I'm determined to get involved in this matter.

Upon hearing this, Enzo, who had just received Rihanna's reply, gave a strange smile and then suddenly charged towards Rihanna and the others.

"No~ Ilya, my beloved, I would do anything for you."

"You woman, you wicked woman, you can't separate us! We truly love each other, you can't separate us!"

Looking at the thin man being supported by Rihanna with one hand, Haven asked Uri with a bewildered expression.
"What kind of drama is this? A Hong Kong/Taiwanese tearjerker?"

Uri shook her head blankly and then went straight over to support Rihanna.

"I'm not quite sure either. I've been waiting for you at the door."

"Ilya~ Ilya~"

Enzo screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice seemingly piercing the night sky. His face was flushed red with extreme excitement, veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes were wide open like copper bells, making him look somewhat ferocious and terrifying.

As he started making a scene, the once lively party gradually quieted down. People stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the sound. They saw Enzo gesturing wildly and shouting like a madman, trying to make a bigger commotion.

Seeing this, the crowd of people attending the party began to slowly gather around. Naturally, the onlookers were very interested in this extra entertainment, whispering among themselves and showing expressions of curiosity, surprise, or amusement.

Rihanna stood to the side, watching as more and more people gathered around, and a sense of foreboding suddenly welled up in her heart.

The increasingly chaotic scene before her keenly sensed a conspiracy and instinctively wanted to distance herself from Enzo. So, she reached out and forcefully pushed Enzo away from her.

However, to Rihanna's utter surprise, Enzo became so weak and powerless in the face of that gentle push.

Rihanna gave him a very light push, a push so forceful it wouldn't even move a slightly larger dog, but Enzo staggered back several steps as if struck by a heavy hammer.

With a muffled thud, the flamboyant Enzo crashed heavily into a nearby table.

The next moment, a series of crashing sounds came, and the wine glasses, plates and other items on the table were scattered all over the floor.

Then came another loud crash as broken bottles of wine and food scraps flew everywhere, making a mess all over the floor.

Enzo, who had fallen, lay sprawled amidst the chaos, his body writhing and groaning in pain. Broken glass shards tore his clothes, and wine and soup soaked his entire body, making him look utterly wretched and miserable.

The onlookers gasped in astonishment at the sight, their eyes widening as they pointed and whispered amongst themselves.

Seeing the scene before her, Rihanna frowned and shouted at Enzo, who was lying on the ground, with a look of disgust:
"Get up! Get up right now! You disgusting bastard, you know I didn't even use much force!"

However, Enzo completely ignored Rihanna's words and continued to roll around on the ground, groaning and moaning, looking as miserable as if he had been trampled by a gigantic Titan.

Just as the crowd at the banquet was in a state of chaos, a series of crisp applause rang out.

clap clap clap...

The crisp applause from afar instantly drew the attention of the onlookers, standing out starkly in the noisy environment.

Upon hearing the sound, Rihanna instinctively turned around and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

"Tsk tsk tsk"

Accompanied by a slightly sarcastic smacking sound, a tall, brown-haired youth wearing half-body armor appeared in everyone's sight.

The brown-haired youth wore a smile, but the smile did not convey any warmth, especially his cold, expressionless eyes, which seemed devoid of any emotion.

Behind the brown-haired youth was a group of people, clearly also noble children. The young men and women surrounded the seemingly distinguished brown-haired youth, walking together towards Rihanna's location.

As they drew closer, the onlookers could clearly see the brown-haired youth's armor gleaming with a cold light, and the magical aura flowing across the armor gave off an invisible sense of oppression.

Rihanna stared at the approaching brown-haired youth, her face quickly darkening. She bit her lip, her cheeks puffing out slightly with anger, and forced out two words through clenched teeth:
"Zara!!! What are you doing here??"

However, Zara completely ignored Rihanna's angry glare and didn't even bother to respond.

The brown-haired youth quickened his pace towards Enzo, who was lying on the ground. Without hesitation, he knelt down, extended his right hand, and gently patted Enzo's cheek, asking softly:
"Hey sir, are you alright?"

Enzo, who had been unconscious, slowly opened his eyes after feeling the touch on his face. When he saw that the person squatting in front of him was the brown-haired youth Zara, an uncontrollable surge of excitement immediately welled up in his eyes.

Almost instantly, Enzo, who had been lying on the ground, sat up abruptly and opened his arms to hug Zara's legs tightly.

At the same time, tears gushed out like a burst dam, flowing freely down her cheeks and mixing with snot, creating a disheveled appearance.

"Young Master Zara, it's you! That's wonderful! You must stand up for me!"

I really just wanted to say a few words to my fiancée, but who would have thought that it was her, this vicious woman, who would attack me without saying a word? Look at all these injuries I have; they're all her doing!

As the man spoke, he pointed with his trembling hand at the girl hiding behind Rihanna. However, because Rihanna was tall, the girl behind her could not be seen at all.

Seeing Enzo's tear-streaked and snot-covered face, Zara frowned slightly, subtly pushing Enzo's face, which was almost pressed against her leg, away. She then took a small step back, cleared her throat, and continued:

"Of course, there is no doubt about that. Our great English Empire has always valued the rule of law and will never tolerate or condone any illegal or disorderly conduct."

As you all have witnessed, and with so many people here to witness it, we must ensure that fairness and impartiality are upheld to the end.

Today, I, the young master, stand here and will not tolerate any bullying or oppression of the weak. At this banquet today, there will only be one thing: fairness, fairness, and more fairness.

As soon as Zara finished speaking, the previously quiet crowd erupted into a clamor, with people whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

Meanwhile, the noblewomen in the crowd stared intently at the dashing and heroic Zara, their eyes filled with admiration. Some of them were even smitten, their faces glowing like peach blossoms.

Will, standing with Uri in the crowd, muttered quietly:

"This...this line, isn't that Zhang Mazi? But it's hard to say, it could also be Master Huang, or Master Huang Mazi?"

Uri heard Havel muttering something she couldn't understand again, so she turned to look at him.

"Havent, what are you saying?"

Haven, who was watching the show with great interest, held a bunch of fire crystal grapes in his hand and looked at Zara and Rihanna in the center of the crowd with a look of amused curiosity. When he saw Uri turn her head, he handed her the fire crystal grapes.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. Do you want some?"

Seeing that Haven didn't explain, Uri shook her head, indicating that it wasn't necessary. Having little familiarity with the noble children of the capital, Haven nudged Uri's shoulder with his elbow and asked:

Who is that man?

“Him…” Uri looked at Zara, who was confronting Rihanna, and said with a complicated expression:
He is Rihanna's fiancé.

"Huh? What?"

The strong melon aroma made Haven's Fire Crystal Grapes in his hand suddenly lose their appeal, and he became instantly excited.

"What's going on? What's going on?"

Seeing Haven's excited expression, Uri rolled her eyes at Will, feeling as if there was a dog's tail wagging behind him.

"No, Zara is the eldest son of Marquis Idia. For some reason, Sister Rihanna was betrothed to Zara by the family. By the way, Marquis Idia is now the Minister of Finance of the Empire and is highly regarded by His Majesty."

Looking at the two people in the middle of the field, Haven stroked his chin and said...
"This Zara looks alright too. He's quite handsome."

"No, that's not true at all. This young master Zara is a complete villain. According to Liya and the others, Zara, relying on his father, the Treasurer, has been committing all sorts of evil deeds in the capital."

Speaking of which, he has a particularly memorable nickname: "The Girl Harvester".

"Girl Harvester? What kind of nickname is that? It's so lame."

Looking at Uri's serious expression, Haven couldn't help but complain.

Uri, somewhat worried about Rihanna, ignored Haven's complaints and continued...

"I heard that when Rihanna was very young, her family got engaged when the two families formed an alliance, but at that time Rihanna had no idea about it."

Then one day, also at a party, Rihanna caught Zara and several other young noblemen harassing a maid.

"Play with? How do you play with them?"

Uri glanced blankly at Havent, whose attention had shifted, and sensing Uri's displeasure, Havent immediately raised his hand in apology, signaling Uri to continue.

"At that time, Zara and several other noble young masters were pouring red wine on the maids and making them crawl like dogs to the other side."

Listening to Uli's description, Haven pursed his lips in slight disappointment.

"Ugh, playing like this is boring~"

"Havent!"

"Ah! Sorry, sorry, please continue~"

Uri rolled her eyes at Haven again and continued:

"Rihanna happened to come out of the restroom and saw them doing something naughty, so she immediately went to stop them. But, but..."

"But what?"

Hearing that Wuli had stopped talking, he thought to himself, "Why is she acting like an unscrupulous author who has stopped updating?" He was listening intently, so he looked up and followed Wuli's gaze.

"Zara! What trick are you playing now!"

Rihanna glared angrily at the elegantly dressed young man before her, her eyes blazing with fury as she spoke through gritted teeth. Her beautiful face flushed slightly with rage, and her eyes blazed with fury.

Zara slowly raised her hand, gently flicked away the dirt stuck to the back of her hand, and a faint, mocking smile appeared on her lips:

"Tsk tsk tsk... Miss Rihanna."

Years have passed, and you haven't changed at all. You're still so impulsive and easily angered, and always so aggressive.

After saying that, he deliberately threw the white handkerchief in his hand on the ground. The next moment, the wine that was flowing everywhere on the ground quickly soaked the handkerchief, and the originally white cloth was instantly stained with a scarlet color, as if it had been soaked in blood.

"Hmph, you disgusting bastard, stop pretending! How did you suddenly appear here!"

Zara smiled slightly at Rihanna, whose face was filled with anger and disgust, and looked at her with feigned affection, saying softly:

"Dear Rihanna, do you know?"

I just returned to the capital today, and upon learning you were here, I rushed over immediately. Just now, I happened to see you arguing with someone from afar.
As your fiancé, I'm naturally extremely anxious, worried that you might suffer even the slightest harm.

However, Zara's seemingly sincere words could not conceal the cunning and cold glint in his eyes.

Just then, Zara suddenly raised his right foot and stomped hard, landing precisely on the back of Enzo's hand.

The sudden, excruciating pain was like a lightning bolt striking Enzo's body, and he couldn't help but let out an extremely piercing scream, like a pig being slaughtered.

"Tell me! What did you do wrong? How did you manage to upset my Rihanna!"

Zara glared fiercely at Enzo and shouted at him.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh."

Enzo was in so much pain that tears were almost streaming down his face. He screamed in agony as he desperately tried to break free from Zara's legs.

"Young Master Zara, I really didn't do anything wrong! I wouldn't have dared to do that! I just... I just wanted to say a few words to my fiancée!"

Enzo explained to Zara with a sob in his voice.

"Hmm? Really?"

Zara raised an eyebrow, seemingly not believing Enzo's explanation. However, she slowly released her foot from Enzo's hand.

Immediately afterwards, Zara turned around, her face instantly changing to a gentle and kind smile, and softly said to Rihanna:
"Honey, it's great that this guy didn't upset you."

After saying that, he let out a long sigh of relief, as if he had just completed a very important task.

Standing opposite her, Rihanna was like a silent iceberg, her lips tightly pressed together, not uttering a single word. Her icy eyes, like still waters of a frozen pool, stared unblinkingly at Zara, who was putting on a show. Her face was extremely gloomy, as if shrouded in a thick layer of dark clouds, so somber it seemed as if water could seep from it.

"Enough, Zara, stop with that disgusting, fake smile! You make me sick!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Zara, who had been all smiles and radiant like the sun, froze instantly after hearing Rihanna's insults.

Immediately afterwards, his face turned as cold as frost in the dead of winter, and his eyes revealed a chilling coldness as he stared intently at Rihanna, as if he wanted to pierce through her with his gaze.

"Ha, you're still as arrogant as ever, Rihanna."

Zara sneered, her tone full of mockery and disdain, her eyes fixed on Rihanna, while she raised her foot and gently kicked Enzo, who was lying on the ground.

Upon receiving the instructions, Enzo seemed relieved; his whimpering stopped abruptly, and he quickly got up from the ground.

"Illya~"

Enzo, now back to normal, called out to the girl with deep affection, his gaze passing straight through Rihanna.

"My beloved, I am Enzo!"

With this shout, Enzo's emotions became visibly agitated again. With Zara's support, Enzo shouted loudly at the girl behind Rihanna without hesitation.

Rihanna frowned, looking at the dirty man before her with disgust. She stepped forward again, firmly blocking Enzo's view, and said decisively:

"She doesn't want to see you! Stop bothering her."

“No, no, no~”

Before Enzo could call out again, Zara's deep voice came through.

"Whether she wants to see him or not is not up to you! If you ask me, Rihanna."

Zara's tone was cold and sharp, like the biting wind of the North.

"Didn't you always say that everyone is an independent individual? If that's the case, then let her stand up and explain herself. I remember you said that three years ago!"

Every word was like a sharp icicle, piercing deep into Rihanna's heart.

Hearing Zara's aggressive words, Rihanna bit her red lips in anger, about to retort, but just then, the girl who had been hiding behind her gently pulled her arm, seemingly trying to stop the escalating argument...

"Ilia?"

Feeling the touch on her arm, Rihanna turned to look at the pale-faced girl. The girl was trembling violently, whether from nervousness or fear, and looked at Rihanna like a drowning kitten, giving a very forced smile.

"Thank you, Rihanna. I think I have to step up. This is my business, and I can't let you continue to be in a difficult position."

Having said that, she walked out from behind Rihanna, trembling. Zara saw the girl finally come out, and a strange blush flashed across her face. She clapped her hands and walked up to the girl, staring at her with cold eyes for a while before lowering her head and sniffing the girl's neck.

"Ilya, right~"

As Zara took a deep breath, goosebumps quickly rose on the girl's snow-white skin, and the hair on her body stood on end, as if she were being stared at by a large wild beast.

“I’m glad you stepped forward…”

(End of this chapter)