Chapter 428
“Last night at the banquet, I noticed that Lucy and her colleagues were all dressed like this,” Xia Er said, her voice muffled beneath the mask. She asked, “Is it not appropriate to dress like this for a royal banquet?”
“It’s not that...” Seeing Xia Er’s insistence, Ai Wei Na didn’t elaborate further.
After all, she was wearing a new dark red gown today and had prepared a matching black gown for Xia Er, hoping they could attend together.
But now it seemed that Xia Er had other reasons for attending the banquet, and it wasn’t just a simple invitation.
“Will it make me stand out? This outfit at a royal banquet?” Xia Er continued to inquire.
Her main purpose for attending the banquet was to find Lafayette in the basement of Windsor’s home.
There was a good chance that Qiang Yin might also appear at Windsor’s banquet, and Xia Er didn’t want to draw too much attention to herself. She aimed to blend in as much as possible, hoping not to attract Qiang Yin’s notice.
“No, it won’t,” Ai Wei Na shook her head. “At larger banquets, there are usually people from the Dutton Group present. It’s quite normal.”
“Alright,” Xia Er nodded.
“Are you coming with me, or should we go separately?” Ai Wei Na asked one last question.
“Let’s go together.”
Xia Er had only received a verbal invitation from Windsor, and she wasn’t sure if she could actually enter the banquet. Going in with Ai Wei Na was the best option.
After all, Windsor knew about the “friendship” between Xia Er and Ai Wei Na, so their appearance together wouldn’t raise any special attention.
“By the way, wait a moment,” Xia Er pointed towards the door and said, “I need to confirm something with Tara.”
“Sure, the carriage is ready downstairs. I’ll wait for you in the carriage,” Ai Wei Na nodded.
After bidding farewell to Ai Wei Na, Xia Er walked directly out of the room and headed downstairs.
Last night, she hadn’t kept Tara waiting outside the door. Instead, she had taken Tara and other members of the Holy Order to the Eastern District’s Holy Church area, entering a temporary stronghold located in the sewers.
Among the people Tara brought was a member of the Holy Order who had helped construct this underground stronghold, and he was very familiar with the situation down there.
From him, Xia Er learned the exact location of the Saint Bernard Church—a historic church that had existed for centuries and had been continuously rebuilt and expanded.
Xia Er led them through the sewers and directly infiltrated the cathedral.
This church was located on the edge of the Eastern District, and its defenses were not very tight. At the time, there was only a third-tier “Crown Guard” stationed there, easily manipulated by Pei Er Xi, who didn’t manage to relay any information.
After they took control of the church, Xia Er provided a blood array diagram, instructing them to set up the blood array using the blood of the brainwashed followers of the Order of the God of Order.
This was a contingency plan, one that might never be used—Xia Er hoped it wouldn’t be necessary.
To that end, she had also placed a vial of “Physician” potion in the pocket of her long gown—the “Physician” blood was thicker and more suitable for bloodletting.
Now, she was going to find Tara to confirm the completion of the blood array.
As Xia Er walked up the stairs, she happened to see Tara coming up. Tara slightly bowed her head towards Xia Er and said, “Lady Xia Er... everything is ready.”
Tara felt a bit excited because Xia Er had shared some information with her... This sacrifice array was meant to summon a saint...
The Holy Order had performed sacrifices before, but each time it either resulted in some horrific creature made of spiritual materials and flesh or nothing at all.
But this time, the Mother Goddess herself was personally overseeing it... Tara was confident it would succeed.
“Good,” Xia Er nodded and said, “You wait outside Windsor Palace for my signal.”
“Yes, Lady Xia Er.” Tara nodded, respectfully stepping back a few paces. “I’ll go change into my outfit and get into position.”
“Go ahead.”
Tara hurried downstairs, just as Ai Wei Na was coming down. She saw Xia Er still standing on the stairs and asked, “So soon? All done?”
“Everything’s prepared,” Xia Er slightly turned to the side, extending her gloved left hand towards Ai Wei Na and said, “We should get going.”
“Is there anything you need my help with?” Ai Wei Na placed her right hand in Xia Er’s palm, allowing her to hold it.
“Not at the moment...” Xia Er thought for a moment, “but there might be later.”
Ai Wei Na didn’t respond, only letting out a soft sigh and said, “You need to take care of your mental state...”
“I will.”
...
In the Western District, Westminster, outside Windsor Palace.
Although this wasn’t a formal evening banquet, just a more private luncheon, Windsor was still waiting at the door early, welcoming the invited friends.
Most of the guests were young noble ladies or gentlemen, and the purpose of this luncheon was for Windsor to introduce these circles to Ai Wei Na, helping her better integrate into the aristocratic society of An Su.
“Sure... next time for sure...”
“Is your necklace new? It’s as dazzling as you are...”
“Ha, I don’t remember inviting you, Opode...”
“...”
Windsor politely received the majority of the guests, and after what felt like an eternity, she finally spotted two familiar figures.
She’s here too...
Windsor’s slightly irritated mood lifted instantly, a smile creeping onto her lips as she looked at the figure taking off her trench coat and handing it to a servant.
Although Ai Wei Na didn’t seem to carry the same cold demeanor as before, which slightly disappointed Windsor... she was very intrigued by Ai Wei Na’s friend.
Mysterious, beautiful, dangerous... most importantly, there was a unique charm about her that Windsor found hard to resist. The heartbeat brought on by those dark red pupils excited her... she couldn’t quite tell if it was fear or exhilarating attraction.
“You finally made it, Ai Wei Na.” Windsor stepped forward, reaching out to grasp Ai Wei Na’s hand with a smile. “Let’s head into the banquet hall first; let the ladies-in-waiting take care of the others...”
Windsor deliberately tried not to show too much interest in the girl named Xia Er, but the moment her hand clasped Ai Wei Na’s, she felt a sharp, icy gaze that made her hand jerk back as if shocked, releasing Ai Wei Na’s right hand.
“It’s great to see you again, Xia Er,” Windsor turned to Xia Er, and the moment she locked eyes with the pair of pupils beneath the mask, her heart raced, “... I thought you wouldn’t come.”
“Since it’s the princess’s invitation, I certainly wouldn’t miss it,” Xia Er slightly lowered her head, no longer looking directly at Windsor, and said softly. “Just thought I’d come and see the world.”
“If you want to see the real world, you might need a few weeks to prepare,” Windsor controlled her gaze, trying not to look too lasciviously, and said, “This is just a casual gathering among friends... If you don’t mind, please accept the invitation for the next banquet...”
After saying that, Windsor realized she had said too much and looked towards Ai Wei Na, saying, “Of course, you too, Ai Wei Na.”
At that moment, Ai Wei Na narrowed her eyes slightly... she seemed to sense that Windsor was being overly enthusiastic about Xia Er.
Windsor thought Ai Wei Na had some concerns and quickly changed the subject, saying, “Don’t worry, Qiang Yin won’t be coming today. I specifically told him not to show up.”
She assumed Ai Wei Na was worried about Qiang Yin.
“No,” Ai Wei Na shook her head, dropping her forced smile. “I was just reminiscing; it’s been a long time since I’ve been here... it’s still the same as before.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Windsor led Ai Wei Na to the banquet hall, where they would first enjoy a reception with drinks before moving on to the dining area, a relatively relaxed segment meant for conversation.
Xia Er had no real intention of attending the banquet; she merely found an excuse to head directly to the restroom on the first floor.
This restroom had a secret passage that connected directly to Qiang Yin’s chamber below... but Xia Er had no plans to go to that chamber.
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