Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

Then Nadine sincerely said, "I really admire Mr. Aaron and I am very grateful to him. Birmingham is my hometown, and the government building is very close to where I live. Many of my friends live there, and I know that they were safe and sound thanks to Mr. Aaron. I am very grateful."

Then, Nadine said in a rather solemn tone, clutching her chest, "Thank you, Mr. Aaron."

Aaron was stunned. When he looked at Miss Nadine's face again, although it was still as beautiful as before, he realized that Miss Nadine was not the naive girl he had imagined. She was more serious and kind than he had thought.

Just then, a gust of wind blew by, lifting Miss Nadine's skirt. Miss Nadine suddenly pointed to the stage and said, "Ah, the bishop is coming up! The celebration is about to begin."

Aaron snapped out of his daze and looked at the front desk. Indeed, the celebration was about to begin.

The bells of Shelton Palace rang, their solemn toll echoing through the palace and gardens. Servants had already hoisted the royal banners and formed long lines. People who had just been chatting and laughing suddenly seemed to realize something, their expressions turning solemn. This meant that the open-air celebration had finally begun.

The waiters carrying trays had quietly retreated. Looking up at the white clock tower in the distance, a large flock of white doves had gathered there. They were the pigeons released that morning, who had circled the area and returned to their original spot. They looked down at the gathered crowd, their bulging, glass-bead-like pupils faithfully watching the opening of this grand event.

The king, draped in a purple cloak, slowly ascended the white steps, surrounded by his servants. He stood ramrod straight, wearing a golden arched crown. Several attendants tugged at his robes, and amidst the ancient chimes, he solemnly sat on the throne at the head of the table.

Queen Mary was with him, sitting gracefully beside the king with a dignified smile.

Following closely behind were the king's right-hand men, including Archbishop Cantrey, Duke Heriot, and the Count of Iron. They sat in seats below the king, each with their own assigned seat. Aaron gazed at the Count of Iron in the crowd, noticing his expression as cold and hard as steel, truly befitting his name.

Today he sat very close to the King, only slightly further away than Queen Mary.

Looking at the Iron Earl on the stage, Aaron realized once again that the Iron Earl was a big figure standing at the top of the pyramid in this country.

Following them up the steps were the bishops of the Church of Nature. They could be distinguished by their robes alone. The ones in white were the archbishops, who usually held the authority of an entire diocese. A large diocese often had millions of people. The old man walking at the front, wearing a white cloak with a deep black lining, was the Holy See of the Church of Nature.

He was an old man with gray hair, deep-set eyes, and a thick beard. At first glance, he seemed perfectly suited to his white robe, like a wise man who had stepped out of a painting. But when he revealed the abyss-like black lining beneath the white robe, one was struck by his imposing presence, as if he were an old man who had emerged from the abyss.

An old man in a white robe walked to the front of the stage and lightly drew a triple spiral on his chest. The nobles all bowed their heads reverently and lightly drew triple spirals on their chests as well.

The triple helix is ​​the symbol of the Church of Nature. The helix consists of three spiral arms rotating in the same direction, forming a triangle. In the doctrine of the Church of Nature, these three helixes represent birth, growth, and death respectively. The triple helix, when connected, resembles a tree ring, representing the eternal and unchanging natural cycle.

Like most countries on the continent, the Kingdom of Dok has been permeated with a strong belief in the Seven Gods since ancient times. The Seven Gods actually refer to seven different forms of God. An old proverb says that God has seven faces, which means the same thing.

However, the goddess of nature and the goddess of death have always been the seven deities most commonly worshipped in this land.

Over the past millennium, the worship of not only the goddess of nature and the goddess of death, but also the gods of judgment, war, craftsmen, love, and wisdom (now mostly omniscient gods) has been widespread on this land, and still has a considerable number of believers. However, only the goddess of nature and the goddess of death have taken root in the Kingdom of Dok, deeply integrated with art, culture, and politics, and even become a part of the people's lives.

There are many different names for this deity: Goddess of Nature, Goddess of Nurturing, Goddess of Life, Goddess of Death. There are countless names and controversies surrounding this deity, but what is undeniable is that among the seven gods, He is the most unique one, namely, this deity is a two-bodied god.

The first sentence of the Natural Bible states: "Life and death are twin sisters, and they cannot be separated. The goddess of life represents life, natural maternal love and nurturing, while the goddess of death represents death, decay and the unknown, and new life."

As a result, the statues of this deity often need to have two sides, and there are strict requirements for the carving techniques and styles. The front is the loving goddess of life, while the shadow on the back is the goddess of death, which represents death. The goddess statue that has stood in the Cantre Church for thousands of years is like this. As a result, the surface of the Pope's cloak is pure white, while the lining is as black as an abyss.

Mass has begun.

Although the celebration has long since lost its strong religious ritual over the years, the Mass before the celebration is still sacred and solemn, with everyone bowing their heads and praying devoutly for God's blessing.

There was only one exception; she was neither affected by the sacred atmosphere, nor did she draw a triple spiral or bow her head in prayer. She simply stood there with her spine straight.

That's Claire.

She stood high on the steps, seemingly even taller than the king, far from the crowd, draped in a silver cloak, as if isolated from the world.

She did not pray, but no one there felt that she was blasphemous, because she herself was holy. When people finished praying and looked up, they felt that she was full of holy aura, as if an angel had descended. Only Aaron felt that she was full of a sense of alienation from the world as she stood on high.

Chapter 134 Miss Nadine's Performance

“It’s beautiful,” Nadine said, lifting her skirt as she stood up from her seat.

"Mr. Aaron, may I pass by for a moment?" Nadine smoothed her hair with one hand to keep it from falling, and tried to snuggle into Aaron's arms like a cat.

Aaron paused, realizing that Nadine wanted to pass by him, but they were too close. Nadine's soft purple hair fell on his shoulder, and the strands brushed against the tip of his nose, making it tickle. He could smell the faint, refreshing fragrance of a young girl.

Nadine tickled as she passed by him. Despite being a singer from the Kingdom of Dok, she moved with the agility of a cat. She smoothed her hair, lifted her skirt, and slipped past Freya and the other noble ladies. Although she was wearing high heels, her leaps from the audience made her resemble a nimble deer or a hummingbird hopping among the branches.

The singer from the Kingdom of Dok left, and the seat next to Aaron suddenly became empty. Only then did Aaron realize that Nadine had come to this celebration not just to observe the ceremony.

She shouldn't even be sitting in the stands. She should be backstage preparing. She's a performer with a heavy responsibility. It's against the rules for her to be in the stands. She broke the rules to see her hero. Although no one will blame her, that's why she needs to quietly leave her seat halfway through, abandoning her delicate appearance. It's actually quite a willful act.

Aaron snapped out of his reverie. The Mass was drawing to a close, the Holy See had left, and the Archbishop of Cumberland was giving his address, which had become humorous and witty again, no longer as serious as before.

As mentioned earlier, over the years, as social trends have gradually shifted from serious to relaxed and romanticism has risen, celebrations are no longer as solemn and dignified as they were hundreds of years ago, and the religious feeling has also diminished. Nowadays, in order to allow more people to experience the atmosphere of the celebration, performances are even held along the way.

The solemn Mass had just ended, and it was time to lighten the mood with a performance. This was the moment Miss Nadine had to step in. Apart from the cold and hard Earl of Iron, smiles appeared on the faces of the King and Queen. Infected by them, the atmosphere in the audience became joyful and lively. Aaron could feel the anticipation around him. It seemed that many nobles already knew in advance who would be performing on stage today.

Surprisingly, today's performance is exclusively for Miss Nadine, and the celebration stage seems tailor-made for her.

In the past, large orchestras would often take the stage, with hundreds of musicians forming an extravagant performance array. However, perhaps because the King was concerned about making the atmosphere too serious, he arranged for Miss Nadine to perform alone. Moreover, today's celebration was not for the ceremony itself, and Miss Nadine's charm was sufficient. Arranging for her to perform alone made it easier to control both the duration and the number of performers.

The light in the sky dimmed slightly, no longer so bright. Just as Aaron was wondering what Miss Nadine's performance would be like and how it would start, the light on the circular stage to the side suddenly dimmed, as if a circular black curtain had been cast over it.

Aaron was amazed to himself that it was extraordinary power.

When the circular black curtain was lifted, Miss Nadine, who had just been sitting next to him, appeared there, her skirt fluttering lightly, and a flawless smile on her face.

From Aaron's position, he could only see Miss Nadine's profile, including the three beauty marks on her face. However, this did not detract from Miss Nadine's beauty in the slightest. Nadine was clearly a seasoned veteran, as her profile remained flawless from any angle. She gently pressed down on her billowing skirt, shrugged her shoulders, and smiled slightly, her delicate eyes already alluring.

Her figure on stage was so charming, even the way her skirt fluttered was so alluring. She was clearly far from mature, and her figure and temperament were still those of a young girl. Therefore, when the charm of a young girl naturally flowed out of her, it naturally stirred people's hearts.

Looking at that faint, elegant yet alluring smile, Aaron thought, this is Miss Nadine's true self on stage.

When everyone's attention was drawn to her, Miss Nadine stretched out her hand, covered by a thin white silk glove, gently covered her chest, and began to sing a cappella.

Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone on the lawn could hear it clearly. The moment the voice came out, Aaron realized that Miss Nadine had used supernatural powers.

“No wonder my friends at the theater complained to me that the competition for acting is too fierce now, and some actors are even using supernatural powers to perform. So that’s what they were talking about, Miss Nadine,” Freya whispered in Aaron’s ear.

Using extraordinary power to compete with them, although it may be somewhat unfair to ordinary practitioners, it must be said that the effect of the performance is unparalleled by ordinary people, especially when paired with Miss Nadine's beauty. This is a performance that is perfect in every aspect.

At this moment, the lights fell from the sky onto the stage, and Miss Nadine's sequins and jewels sparkled. It even seemed as if white wings had grown from Miss Nadine's back. The divine light emanating from Miss Nadine made her appear even more dreamlike.

"I heard these light magic spells were borrowed from the Church of Love, and they look really good," Freya whispered.

Aaron looked down and saw a person who looked like a stagehand standing below the stage, controlling the stage lights with both hands. It turned out that was the light magic they had borrowed.

That's extraordinary power, Aaron thought.

The singing performance ended with Miss Nadine's long note. Miss Nadine took a deep breath and finally stopped. Amidst enthusiastic applause, Miss Nadine blushed slightly, put her hand to her mouth, and blew a kiss to the audience.

Whether it was an illusion or not, for a moment, Aaron felt that Miss Nadine's kiss was coming towards him. The evidence was that Miss Nadine's eyes were fixed on him when she gave him the kiss... Not only should it be an illusion, but every audience member should have felt the same way. This is where Miss Nadine's superb technique lies.

Miss Nadine's act of giving a kiss was considered very bold by the nobles, but at the same time it was very effective. The stands became somewhat agitated. In the midst of the completely stirred atmosphere, the stage went dark, the performance ended, and for a moment, people looked on with disappointment as they searched for the girl who had performed.

As Aaron was slowly calming down, he heard a small commotion beside him, and then he saw Miss Nadine darting back like a cat.

She was panting, having just finished her performance and still breathless. Besides the sequins, she seemed to have a slight sheen of sweat on her body. Perhaps because his nose was too sensitive, he felt that Miss Nadine's fragrance was even stronger, carrying a sweet scent of someone who had just finished exercising. Especially at this moment, Miss Nadine returned to his side, slightly out of breath, and said softly, "Mr. Aaron, excuse me for a moment, I'm coming back."

Chapter 135 Awarding Ceremony

Aaron tried his best to lean back, but because the seat was narrow, Nadine's body inevitably bumped into his. Even though Aaron had leaned back as far as he could, when Miss Nadine crawled back from in front of him, Aaron still saw her fair, hair-streaked nape.

But the scene flashed by quickly, and Miss Nadine sat back down beside him shyly, combing her hair and adjusting her skirt.

Aaron stared straight ahead, pretending not to care, when he heard a soft voice calling his name beside him: "Mr. Aaron..."

Miss Nadine breathed softly in his ear and said, "Were you satisfied with your performance just now?"

Are you satisfied? It seemed like he wasn't in a position to say such a thing, but Aaron still said sincerely, "It's so beautiful. I never expected Miss Nadine to sing like this."

This was Aaron's true thought, completely from the bottom of his heart, but Aaron still felt that Miss Nadine beside him was happy. This feeling was very strange. Your answer, your action, your look, your praise can affect the emotions of the girl beside you. You can easily disappoint her, but you can also easily make her happy. This feeling of nostalgia made him a little lost for a moment.

"Did Mr. Aaron receive the last one?" Nadine then whispered, leaning close to Aaron like a small animal, her voice tickling him.

Miss Nadine's question was difficult to answer. When Miss Nadine blew him a kiss, Aaron felt a strong sense of being struck. Although he quickly realized that it was just wishful thinking, wasn't it just wishful thinking on his part?

Aaron didn't know how to answer, but it seemed to have satisfied the girl beside him. Her breathing gradually calmed down, but her smile and fragrance were still sweet.

Aaron also noticed that some people who had been watching him closely had noticed his interaction with Miss Nadine, especially some young noblemen who looked at Aaron with envy and even jealousy.

But Nadine, standing beside her, didn't seem to care at all; her face always wore a sweet, pure, and happy smile.

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause, and even the VIPs on stage clapped, as if the performer was not Miss Nadine, but an entire orchestra.

The cannons lit up the sky once more, and as the church bells rang, the king, the saint, and the lords all stood up. At the same time, Aaron saw two familiar figures: Simon and Helena.

Simon wore a black tailcoat with a high collar, while Helena wore a light blue evening gown with wavy hair. Simon led Helena to the front of the stage, where the King took Helena's hand, and Simon stood next to the Earl of Iron.

Many rumors had circulated before today, but when the news was announced, a huge gasp still erupted from the audience: Princess Helena was officially engaged to Simon Jagger, the eldest son of the Earl of Iron.

This will be a momentous marriage, no less significant than Helena marrying a prince or king. The bride and groom are so perfectly matched and deeply in love. They were childhood sweethearts, a perfect match, and each other's first love. The groom is young and promising, a future pillar of the nation; the bride is youthful and beautiful, a princess of a country. Looking at their happy smiles, no one could have a sweeter future than theirs.

At this moment, the Earl of Iron and the King clapped together, their faces showing an infected expression. Even the Earl of Iron had a rare smile on his face. Although the smile was fleeting, Aaron felt that those smiles were genuine. The Countess beside him couldn't help but shed tears.

Even Leopold and Lord came forward with the other princes and princesses. At this moment, they looked like a loving family. They were all dressed in grand and proper attire, embracing each other, kissing each other on the cheek, and exchanging cheek kisses. They were like a model of a loving family. The nobles noticed that the Iron Earl's family was happily together with the princes, which meant that the royal family had already accepted Jagger before the marriage. In the future, the name Jagger would have more meaning.

Aaron stared silently at the happy family on the stage, speechless for a long time. With Aaron's current status, he was not qualified to join the happy family on the stage. Perhaps he could join after he got engaged to Freya. But what puzzled Aaron was that Freya did not join the party. She watched them silently from the audience until the Countess called her name. Only then did she go up on stage and stand with her brother and future sister-in-law.

According to the tradition of the Natural Church, the priest would present dyed shawls to engaged couples as a blessing. The shawl given to the woman would be a spotless white one, while the shawl given to the man would be a dyed one. However, here, the one who personally bestowed the shawls upon them was the Holy See of the Natural Church. At this moment, the old man became a kind old man, just like the parish priest in the village, sincerely offering his blessings to the newlyweds.

This marriage will be blessed by the entire kingdom and even the whole world, and in the future they will even enjoy the honor of being received by all nations. They are destined to be a newlywed couple favored by the gods.

"That's wonderful." Nadine said softly as they applauded from below the stage. Aaron turned his head slightly and saw the envious look in Miss Nadine's eyes. Did Miss Nadine also want such a grand wedding?

After the blessings, it was time for the actual gift-giving. The nobles had obviously received word of this early on and had prepared gifts for the newlyweds, including the king.

Fireworks lit up the sky once more. The dignitaries waved, the nobles applauded, and the spectators raised their hands above their heads in cheers. The kingdom's nobles appeared close-knit and harmonious.

The king then coughed and announced that he would announce another important matter. The nobles returned to their seats in the stands, while Simon, Helena, and Leopold stood upright beside the king, clearly concerned with what was to be announced.

At this moment, the servants brought in the king's sword, which was forged from fine gold and inlaid with rubies on its golden hilt. The king held the sword, wearing a crown and a cloak of sky and imperial blue. Aaron was surprised to find that the king was dressed so solemnly today, as if he had traveled from an ancient portrait.

That luxurious sword was, of course, a ceremonial sword used in the ceremony, but it represented the king's supreme will.

The formal ceremony is about to begin.

Chapter 136 Awarding Ceremony II

White Oak Medal Award Ceremony.

The Order of the White Oak, officially known as the Order of the High Knights of the White Oak, is said to be the oldest knightly order in the world, and those awarded it are called Knights of the White Oak. Only the monarch could bestow this order, and for many years it was considered the highest rank of honor, with only a very few people able to receive this honor.

The White Oak Medal awarding ceremony is usually held annually, with the King concentrating the awarding of medals on a fixed day throughout the year. However, today is clearly an exception, as the King will be making an exception and awarding Simon the White Oak Medal.

Simon, draped in a dyed shawl, knelt before the king. The king took a wreath woven from thorns and laurel blossoms from a silver tray from a servant beside him and placed it on Simon's head. Laurel blossoms are considered the flower that saves the nation, and this is one of the symbols of the Order of the White Oak.

After placing the wreath on Simon's head, the king recited the oath, picked up his sword, patted Simon on the shoulder, and awarded him the Order of the White Oak. The crowd erupted in applause once again, marking the birth of yet another Knight of the White Oak.

Aaron clapped along, engulfed in the crowd, surrounded by enthusiastic applause. But then, Aaron subconsciously looked up at the angel standing on the steps. The angel remained motionless. Although she was not far away, she seemed to stand outside the wave of applause, detached from the world.

Besides Simon, another person was awarded a medal, Leopold, who was specially awarded a medal by the king in recognition of his performance as a national war hero.

Leopold changed into his scarlet battle robe and stepped to the front of the stage. He had received the Order of the White Oak in his early years, and the medals on his chest were countless, like a wall covered with medals.