The story of the black silk female knight

"I told you not to sneak up on me while I'm changing clothes, why couldn't you resist? Luckily, Enochie is a good driver, otherwise we might have been late!"

"I'm sorry~~"

Valensa, knowing she was in the wrong, could only obediently apologize. She even took Tia's white-stockinged feet in her hands, bent down, and gently kissed the insteps of her feet as if giving a hand kiss.

"Please forgive my infatuation with your beauty, my dear Tia~~"

"You... Hmph, all you know is sweet talk!"

Tia may be sharp-tongued, but she's clearly won over by it; her eyes are full of joy.

"Fool……"

She muttered something under her breath, then pulled her foot back and took Valensa's hand:

"Let's hurry up, or Father will definitely scold us severely if we're late."

"Ah."

Valensa responded, and the two walked out of the carriage hand in hand, followed by the red-haired maid Enori and the blonde maid Melina.

For large social events like royal banquets, participating nobles were required to bring entourages.

If Valensa were to come alone, she would most likely be secretly ridiculed by the other nobles, and might even be completely regarded as a vassal of Tia.

So even though the Adventurers' Guild was also very busy tonight, Melina still took leave to attend the royal banquet with Valensa.

After all, Melina's primary job was Valensa's maid, and her work at the Adventurers' Guild was only a part-time job.

As a renowned genius girl in the capital, Tia was naturally recognized by the palace guards, who greeted her warmly upon meeting her.

On the contrary, Valensa had changed a lot since leaving the capital for three years, and even the palace guards who knew her before didn't recognize her at first.

"Are you Lord Wilson's daughter?"

One of the palace guards, who had previously served under Valensa's father, was quite surprised and looked Valensa up and down with an incredulous expression.

"How is this possible... Four years ago, I was invited by Lord Wilson to be your basic swordsmanship instructor at the Earl's mansion for a few days. Back then, you couldn't even hold a sword properly, and now this..."

It seems like they're even better than me now, right?

The guard even tried to sense Valensa's strength, only to find that he seemed unable to defeat her.

How is this possible?

There are geniuses with extraordinary talent who reach the Pearl level at a young age; the elite soldier department of the War Academy is basically full of such geniuses.

But it's a bit unbelievable that a young lady who couldn't even hold a sword properly four years ago has become stronger than a royal guard who has been on the battlefield.

Fortunately, there are many incredible things on the continent of Frenoia, and most of them can be explained by a reason.

"All of this is a gift from Her Majesty the Sun Goddess."

Valensa, without hesitation, pushed her goddess to take the blame, and elegantly opened her left hand, gathering a small ball of holy light in her palm:

"By the grace of the goddess, I have been granted the power of a paladin."

"So you have been blessed by Her Majesty the Goddess."

The palace guard suddenly realized what was happening, and there was no longer a trace of doubt in his eyes.

After checking the two women's invitations, the palace guards quickly allowed them to enter the palace.

The grand banquet had not yet begun, but the atmosphere was already quite lively. Everywhere, nobles gathered in twos and threes, chatting and laughing. Handsome waiters and beautiful maids carried trays through the crowd, quenching the thirst of those engaged in lively conversation with juice and wine.

"Hello..."

Seeing that no one was paying attention, Tia couldn't help but mutter a complaint about Valensa in a low voice:

"I remember your strength has grown rapidly in the past three years, which seems to have little to do with Her Majesty the Goddess, but rather all thanks to that place of opportunity you had, right? Aren't you afraid of divine punishment for using Her Majesty the Goddess as a shield?"

"fine."

Valensa waved her hand dismissively.

Divine punishment? It's just kicking my butt... I already experienced that once when my counterfeit Holy Light was discovered, it's no big deal... Does the Goddess really think she can drag me into her divine kingdom and make me bend over there?

"...Your appearance is making me very worried."

Tia frowned, looking somewhat worried:

“I know your family has a special status in the church, and Her Majesty the Goddess may dote on you... but if you become too arrogant because of this favor, the consequences could be dire.”

"Divine grace is as vast as the sea, divine might as deep as a prison. If one day you truly anger Her Majesty the Goddess, even if I become a sage, I cannot save you."

"Don't worry... and what I just said wasn't actually disrespectful to Her Majesty the Goddess."

Valensa quickly comforted Tia, and after thinking for a moment, said:

"Although it's just my guess, it should be pretty close to the truth... One of the masterminds behind the place of opportunity that made me stronger is very likely Her Majesty the Sun Goddess."

So it's not entirely a lie to say that I became so strong so quickly thanks to the goddess's grace.

"...Huh? Is that so?"

Tia blinked, feeling somewhat relieved.

The two continued walking and chatting with their respective maids until they had to stop at the T-junction of the two corridors, where the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Because the people walking towards them all shared the same surname as Valensa: Baldr. They were among the most powerful members of the Baldr family and the most fiercely vying for the position of family head. Valensa's cousin, who had once dueled with her because of Melina, was also among them.

They fought tooth and nail for the position of family head, only to have it discarded by Valensa... More importantly, Valensa is now clearly doing better, and has even managed to get close to Britannia, a powerful figure in the family.

Strength is everything; dignity resides only in the edge of the sword.

So, although the men each had their own opinions about Valensa, they could only bow slightly to her outwardly.

"Young Miss."

Nobles are very particular about etiquette and status. Even if Valensa gave up her family inheritance rights, she would still be the eldest daughter of the Baldr family, not to mention that she now has Britannia as her backer.

Her uncles and cousins ​​had to lower their stance and show friendliness.

Since they've lowered their stance, Valensa certainly won't keep a cold face... although she really wanted to stab her heart with a sword to the heart by that uncle who was so eager to marry her off after the accident.

Happy New Year to all my uncles and cousins!

There's no need to dwell on the past now, but a few sarcastic remarks are still acceptable.

So after greeting her with a sweet smile, Valensa then took Tia's arm in a showy manner:

"As you can see, my relationship with Tia has been approved by the strategist. After graduating from the War Academy, I should soon be changing my surname to Britannia."

So, the Badr family is in the care of all you uncles and cousins! You're all so capable, you'll surely manage the family business very well, right?

Chapter 184 An Unexpected Gift

"You can be really mean sometimes, Valensa."

Shortly after parting ways with the Badr family, Tia muttered annoyedly to herself:

"Speaking of which, those people are all your elders, right? Was it really okay for you to be so sarcastic and mocking towards them? They all looked very upset at the end."

“There are differences between elders… I really can’t respect those short-sighted, power-hungry old guys who always want to marry me off for personal gain.”

Valensa curled her lip in disdain:

"Tia, you don't know... just now, one of my uncles was worrying about my marriage all the time, even before my parents had that accident, trying to sell me for a good price."

I was already being lenient by not slashing him; did you expect me to give him a friendly look? No way!

"You... sigh?"

Tia was about to complain a bit more when she suddenly saw several more people walking towards them. She quickly grabbed Valensa's hand and they both bowed slightly in greeting.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness Cynthia."

"You're welcome, gentlemen."

The man who spoke was about thirty years old, with dazzling blond hair, a tall and imposing figure, and a handsome face. He was the eldest son of the current King and the Crown Prince.

Beside the Crown Prince was a gentle woman who looked two or three years younger than him, dressed in a magnificent palace gown that was predominantly white with gold embellishments, and holding the hand of a very well-behaved little boy.

Along with several palace maids, the guests were none other than the main characters of the evening: the Crown Prince and his family.

However, at this time, the Crown Prince should obviously be preparing for his speech at the banquet, so how could he have time to wander around with his wife and children?

"Actually, I came here specifically to see you two."

Seemingly noticing the confusion in Valensa and Tia's eyes, the Crown Prince smiled:

"Tia, Valensa, do you mind if I call you by your first names like this?"

"It is our honor, Your Highness."

Tia pulled Valensa aside and bowed slightly before subtly expressing her curiosity:

"I wonder why His Highness the Crown Prince has sought us out...?"

"Actually, it's nothing much, just a gift for each of you."

The Crown Prince chuckled again:

"The Britannia family has always been one of the pillars of my Kingdom of Fran, and the Church of the Sun is our best friend and most reliable partner."

I heard that you two went public with your relationship at Tia's coming-of-age ceremony a few days ago, right? So I'd like to send you a small token of my blessing, and I hope you won't refuse.

"I'll be very busy after the banquet officially begins, and I probably won't have time for this, so I came here early to deliver the gift."

I see……

Valensa and Tia exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning behind the Crown Prince's words.

Simply put, the royal family was well aware that with Valensa and Tia's marriage, the Church of the Sun and the Britannia family would become even closer... hence their gesture of goodwill.

However, the Britannia family were staunch royalists, and the Church of the Sun had no interest in worldly power struggles, so neither woman had any reason to oppose the royal family.

Of course, I'll accept the gift.

"Then thank you very much, Your Highness." x2

"OK."

The Crown Prince's smile widened, and he immediately gave a wink to the maids behind him, instructing two maids to each present a long, rectangular box to Valensa and Tia:

"The drifters from the Eastern Continent once said something that I've always liked... 'Flowers are given to beauties, and swords are given to heroes.'"

"But with your beauty, any flower would pale in comparison, so I'll simply not send you flowers. I hope you won't mind?"

"of course not."

Valensa covered her mouth and giggled:

"In fact, if Your Highness were to send flowers to me and Tia, we would be flustered... What if Princess Cynthia misunderstands?"

"Haha... You two can rest assured about that. I'm not the kind of person who would ruin something beautiful."

The Crown Prince also chuckled in a friendly manner:

"I prefer to see two beautiful flowers bloom side by side rather than pick them, using their vibrancy and color to make the world a better place."

"Thank you very much, Your Highness." x2

Valensa and Tia accepted their gifts and bowed slightly again.

"As long as you like it."

The Crown Prince waved his hand:

"Then I won't disturb you from enjoying your evening."

After saying goodbye to the Crown Prince, Valensa and Tia did not interact much with anyone else until they found their places, at most exchanging polite New Year's greetings.

The main venue for the royal banquet was the main hall of the palace, where the king and queen personally hosted the event, entertaining nobles from all over the capital.

The main hall of the palace was very large, but the total number of nobles in the entire capital was even greater, so noble children like Valensa and Tia were not qualified to attend the banquet in the main hall... Those who would remain in the main hall were the heads of various families and their wives.

The banquet for the noble children was held in a side hall next to the main hall, which was equally magnificent and decorated to the extreme.

Although the location and view are not as good as the main hall, the participants are mostly young people, so it is more free.

At this moment, many noble children gathered in twos and threes, chatting and laughing. Occasionally, a beautiful noble lady would be teased and make a shy sound, which would make everyone smile.

This is where the benefits of open dating become apparent. Valensa and Tia both possess the best figures and looks among noble ladies, yet no man is so tactless as to bother them. At most, they would come over to greet each other politely because of family ties.

Soon, the banquet officially began. First, the king delivered his New Year's address in the main hall, which could also be seen simultaneously in the side hall through a magical projection.