The story of the black silk female knight

The speech itself wasn't anything new; it was just the same old thing about everyone eating well, drinking well, having fun, and wishing everyone a better year ahead. People are actually tired of hearing similar speeches... but nobles, after all, like to be particular about these things.

After the speech, one after another, top-notch delicacies that even nobles rarely ate in their daily lives were served by the palace maids. Among them were soups that were so rare that every sip was precious, and excellent meats.

Valensa and Tia enjoyed their meal and chatted happily, but like most of the young nobles in the side hall, their eyes were fixed expectantly on the window.

It's about to begin~~

Snapped!

As the giant burning Bauhinia flower suddenly lit up the sky, the magical performance that King Wang performed every New Year's Eve finally began.

This magical performance looked similar to the fireworks in Valensa's previous life, but its destructive power was completely different from that of fireworks—the magic that kept exploding in the sky was beautiful, but its power was definitely not weak, and each one was at least at the level of a lighthouse.

It is both a celebratory performance and a display of force.

Happy New Year, Tia!

Chapter 185 The Cross-Cup Wine and Miracles

Amidst the dazzling magical performance, Valensa held a wine glass and smiled at Tia.

Happy New Year, Valensa.

Tia smiled and raised her glass, preparing to clink it lightly with Valensa.

"and many more."

However, Valensa stopped Tia from directly clinking glasses, and instead, smiling, had their arms intertwined, assuming a gesture as if they were drinking from the same cup.

"We're a couple now, so this is how we should drink."

"Is this another weird move you came up with yourself? It's so embarrassing..."

Tia gave Valensa a charming glare, but did not refuse. Maintaining the posture of drinking from the same cup, she and Valensa each took a sip of the sweet wine in their glasses.

As two of the most beautiful women in the side hall, Valensa and Tia were naturally the subject of many people's gazes, both openly and secretly.

Seeing them drinking from the same cup, many young people became curious and tried it with their partners.

As for those who are single and don't have a partner... well, they still have brothers and best friends, right? Anyway, not many people in this world know the meaning of drinking from the same cup, so everyone just drinks it for fun.

In a lively and joyful atmosphere, the magic show, which lasted for a full half hour, came to an end, and the Kingdom of Fran once again proved its strength to the people.

Those magical effects that just exploded in the air like fireworks could easily turn a city into ruins if used for an attack.

However, as the magic show ended, people did not look away from the sky; instead, they looked on with even greater anticipation... Many particularly devout believers even knelt down.

Because what's coming next is even more heavyweight.

miracle.

As the divine artifact in the Cathedral of the Sun Church reached its full power, a blazing holy light transformed the night sky into day once more, as if a new sun had appeared in the sky, radiating boundless light.

Under the divine light, everyone in the entire capital, regardless of wealth or status, could feel their bodies becoming more and more comfortable, and all their visible and hidden injuries and diseases were rapidly healing.

People with leg disabilities threw away their crutches and cheered in the light; the blind saw the beautiful world clearly again; the deaf sang off-key songs; and those who had lost their sense of taste ate delicious food with tears streaming down their faces.

This has become a regular feature of the Sun Church every New Year's Eve: using a divine artifact to activate a divine spell, restoring the bodies of all believers in the capital to their healthiest state, thus demonstrating the divine grace of the Sun Goddess.

Many soldiers and adventurers who were seriously injured or even disabled for life in war and adventure looked forward to this night the most, hoping that the miracle would remove all their pain and allow them to start their lives anew.

This is the fundamental reason why the faith in the Sun Goddess remains absolutely unshakable on the continent of Frenoia... and even throughout the entire world.

The Sun Goddess does exist, and she loves all people, regardless of wealth or status.

"That's why I've always been puzzled, Tia."

Gazing at the magnificent scene before her, Valencia sipped her red wine and murmured in admiration:

"Her Majesty the Sun Goddess is so good. As long as you believe in her, you will never lack food and clothing, and even injuries that cause lifelong disability can be healed... Why are there still cults? What makes those people who have to hide all day long and are constantly being killed by paladins or elite soldiers compare to the welfare of our Sun Church?"

And then there are the Furui of the Barren Ridge... oh, and the wild beasts too. They could solve all their survival problems instantly simply by worshipping the Sun Goddess, but they refuse... For this reason, they even send nearly a million surplus people to their deaths every year to alleviate resource pressure.

"Tia, you read a lot of books, do you know why?"

"I'm not too clear about the issue of the wild beasts... The most mainstream speculation right now is that the higher-ups of the wild beasts don't want to give up their power, so they use all sorts of sweet talk to brainwash the lower-level wild beasts, tricking them into attacking the kingdom every year to die rather than worshiping the Sun Goddess."

Tia shrugged:

"Logically, there's nothing wrong with this statement, but I still feel something's not quite right... You saw the beast killer we encountered in the trial maze. It clearly believed what I said, but it remained unwavering in its mission."

Such unwavering will and sense of mission make them seem nothing like the kind of people who were tricked into coming to their deaths... Therefore, the various questions about the wild beasts remain mysteries to this day.

As for cults... I can understand them to some extent.

"Oh?"

Valensa raised an eyebrow curiously, urging Tia to continue with her alluring eyes.

"The grace of Her Majesty the Sun Goddess is indeed great, and all beings are equal."

Tia first praised the sun goddess before continuing:

"But humans are not all the same. Most people probably think the same way you do, that they are content with living an ordinary life under the grace of the goddess."

But there are also some people who are born with strong desires. After they can eat their fill of bread, they will start to crave other people's roast meat. After eating roast meat, they will continue to crave even more luxurious delicacies... Desires are endless.

They are unwilling to be ordinary; they strive, they want money, beautiful women, power, and prestige; they want to become great nobles like us.

A small portion of these people succeeded, either by making outstanding contributions on the battlefield or by making a fortune in business and rising to high positions.

But many more people become losers; they are unwilling to accept defeat, yet they lack the power to change the outcome of their failure.

At this point, if they come into contact with some forbidden knowledge and power... even if they know the cost of this knowledge and power, many people are willing to take the gamble.

Because for truly ambitious people, letting them live an ordinary life is more unacceptable than killing them.

"Hmm... So Tia, you mean that many cultists who worship evil gods aren't truly devout, but rather just want to use the power of those evil gods to achieve their goals?"

Valensa seemed lost in thought, her gaze gradually clearing.

"Unlike the requirement that one must first pray devoutly to Her Majesty the Goddess in order to use the Holy Light, many evil gods will grant power to the sacrificer as long as there is an offering."

"Yes."

Tia nodded, her expression suddenly becoming a little serious:

"Since we've come to this topic, there's something you, Valencia, must pay attention to."

"Ok?"

"If one day you encounter the cult that worships Aunt Teresa, never let your guard down just because you think you are Aunt Teresa's daughter."

Tia said very solemnly:

"The faith of cultists is unreliable. They most likely just want to use the power of evil gods, and they are probably better at dealing with you who have the blood of evil gods than others."

So if you encounter those people, never reveal your identity easily... Your evil god bloodline might be your weakness, but it could also be your trump card to turn the tide.

Chapter 186 An Invitation from Princess Jing

Amidst the soft conversations of the girls, the holy sphere in the sky, which resembled the sun, gradually disappeared, and the stars and moon, which had been obscured by its radiance, returned to the night sky.

By this time, apart from the emperor and his ministers in the main hall who were still somewhat reserved in their celebration, the young nobles in the side halls were free to enjoy the New Year's Eve banquet.

The handsome young men couldn't wait to invite the girls to dance together.

Bold noble ladies might flirt with handsome men they fancy, send them flirtatious glances, or even pretend to accidentally fall into their arms or let them fall at their feet.

Young people, although many focus on their studies or careers, all yearn for love.

Those who are looking for love are active, while those who have already found love are mostly sitting in the corner, enjoying food and whispering intimately with their partners.

It's also exciting to sneak a hug or a kiss when no one is looking.

"Damn it! You ambushed me again!"

Just as Tia was stomping on Valensa's foot under the table in embarrassment and anger because Valensa had successfully stolen a kiss for the third time, a royal maid with a different demeanor from ordinary maids walked over.

This should also be a combat maid like Enori, with light and efficient steps. She may seem to be just lifting the hem of her skirt as she walks through the crowd, but she is actually always alert to everything around her... There may be a weapon hidden in the hem of the maid's skirt that she is holding in her hand, ready to launch a thunderous attack once an enemy appears.

"Both of you."

Battle maids don't seem to like talking much. When this maid approached Valensa and Tia, she only gave a slight bow before getting straight to the point:

"Your Highness, please step aside for a chat."

"Your Highness?"

Valensa blinked curiously:

"Is it His Highness the Crown Prince or Princess Cynthia? Aren't they busy with His Majesty in the main hall, greeting the heads of various families and their wives?"

"No, it's not His Highness the Crown Prince and Princess Cynthia."

The maid shook her head slightly, expressionless.

"It was Princess Elsers who invited you two."

"Princess Elsers?" x2

Valensa and Tia exchanged a glance, their expressions both somewhat strange.

. . . . .

"Hello..."

On the way to the princess's room, Valensa quietly nudged Tia:

"Do you think we might be in danger tonight? You know, that's Elsers... What if she tries something against us?"

"Probably...not right?"

Tia's voice was also uncertain.

Princess Elsers simply doesn't have a very good reputation.

At Tia's coming-of-age ceremony, the fact that Valensa and Tia were lesbians shocked many nobles from the provinces, but the nobles in the capital accepted it quickly, and there was a reason for that.

Because long before them, a woman of noble birth publicly announced that she liked women and even created the famous Pink Rose.

That woman was Princess Elses of Fran, the Crown Prince's younger sister, who was about ten years older than Valensa and Tia, and was also the true First Lady of Fran.

Rumor has it that Elsers was extremely licentious, having slept with almost every young maid in the palace. Her initial purpose in creating Pink Rose was also to gather beautiful women for her own enjoyment.

Fortunately, Elsers never forces anyone. Even if a noble lady is pursued by her, as long as she clearly refuses, she won't pester her too much... This put Valensa and Tia at ease, and it's also the reason why they dared to accept the invitation to the appointment.

After passing through two short corridors, they soon arrived at the princess's room. The maid who led the way remained as taciturn as ever, only giving a slight bow before stepping aside.

Valensa and Tia exchanged a glance, then stepped forward and gently knocked on the door.

"your Highness?"

"...Valenza and Tia? Come in, the door's unlocked."

Several seconds later, a charming yet slightly languid female voice came from inside the room.

"Thank you, Your Highness Princess."

Valensa politely responded again before opening the door and walking into the house with Tia.

The room was a large suite. Upon entering, you were greeted by a spacious living room, decorated mainly in light pink and sky blue, with a rather girly style.

Sitting in the very center, atop a head of long, flowing hair, was a stunning woman with the same blonde hair as the Crown Prince, a tall and voluptuous figure, and wearing a backless dress. She was none other than Princess Elsers of Fran.

Beside her was another petite, blue-haired girl in a robe, who seemed to have just gotten up from the princess's arms. Her face was a little red, her breathing was still heavy, and her robe was slightly disheveled.

"Huh? It's you?"

Valensa couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

She recognized the blue-haired girl; she was the senior student who was skilled in ice magic, whom she had met on her first day of school when she broke through to the Pearl level in the meditation room.

After that, Valensa tried to get to know this senior properly, but found that the senior's whereabouts were very elusive and she was not in the dormitory most of the time.

I never expected it to be someone from the princess's side... That makes sense now.

"Oh? Valensa, you know Gina?"

Elseris seemed a little surprised at first, but quickly figured it out:

"Oh right... speaking of which, Gina hasn't graduated from the War Academy yet, so she's your senior. There aren't many girls in your War Academy's elite soldier department, so you must have bumped into her a few times in the dormitory, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness has excellent judgment," Valensa nodded with a smile.