Lord Duke

Chapter 2 Royal Ball

Although Brunn Castle is called a castle, it is actually more like a palace, or a palace on the water.There is a clear lake in front of Brunn Castle, and the Thuringian Forest on both sides. There is a shortcut in this forest to reach a nearby small town.Many roads leading to the castle are hidden in the forest, and sometimes you can even hear the sound of the carriage walking.

The owner of Brunn Castle is the Duke of the West—Slant.

Slant will receive this title, which has a lot to do with himself.He took from his father the scepter and the golden crown, which symbolized the duke's status, both of which were inlaid with twelve gold leaves to distinguish them from the royal family.

He relied on his ability to deal with a group of older earls, dukes and other nobles and made profits.The industry he operated gradually developed, and in the end, it not only penetrated the two small counties under his jurisdiction-Lorcestershire and Yorkshire, but was everywhere in the west like light and shadow.

There are actually many dukes in the west, but people only know the name of Slant.Not only because of his youth and promise, but also because of his mystery.

Whether it is the royal family or other dukes and marquises, the duke has sent various invitations to the duke, such as balls, banquets, dramas, etc., but Slant rejected them all.Therefore, the only people who really dealt with Slant were those nobles with some reputation in the west, and the name Slant was therefore covered with a veil of mystery.Countless noble ladies sighed and regretted their wrists, and then... became even crazier.

When Slante picked up the rose gold-stamped invitation and casually scanned it, the housekeeper trained by the family stood aside and began to conceive the reason for the rejection this time.Who knew that Slante weighed the invitation in his hands, and lightly shaved his cheeks with one hand, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.The butler caught a glimpse of Slanter's iconic movements when he was thinking, and was a little surprised, but his professionalism made him still look respectful.

Slante lazily ordered: "Housekeeper, get the carriage ready. You can handle the rest. I'm going this time. Then you can go." He didn't even look at the housekeeper as he spoke, just coping He waved his hand, very inconsistent with the so-called aristocratic etiquette.

The butler watched him grow up, and had a general understanding of his character, and was already used to his behavior, so he stepped back to make arrangements after saying yes.

There was only one person left in the room.Slant threw himself on the bed, stretched his limbs and rolled a few times, then turned over and stared at the famous painting on the ceiling.Sure enough, I need to relax every day, Slant thought silently, he is still a 25-year-old young man.He picked up a piece of fallen blond hair, put it to his mouth and blew gently, with a frivolous smile on the corner of his mouth, and a pair of emerald eyes sparkled.Tsk, after dealing with the property, it's time to find other fun.

Slant stood up, walked across the scarlet carpet, and looked down from the third-floor window of Brunn Castle.The whole person seems to have completely changed from the beginning to the end, turning into the elegant and gentle Duke of Slant that outsiders often see.Outside the window, a four-wheeled carriage stopped at the gate.

The guards of the royal city lined up outside the palace, welcoming visitors from all over.In the palace, King Phil stared at the map of the Kingdom of Eaton, unable to look away for a long time.The west, central, and east are clearly divided on the map.King Phil let out a long sigh, frowned, and put down the map to deal with business.

Queen Isa directed the servants in the palace with great interest, "Put a bouquet of cornflowers here!" "Take down that painting and replace it with this one!" The servants were busy and gradually arranged the main hall of the ball Be what Queen Isa wants.

Queen Isa shook her feather fan and went to find King Phil in a white floor-length dress with intricate patterns.She opened the door and walked into the room where the king was. King Phil looked up, saw her, put down the documents in his hand, got up and grabbed her, and said softly, "Why are you here?" Queen Isa saw the map on his desk, He sighed in his heart, but said with a smile on his face, "Phil, you have to trust my brother Payne..."

King Phil held her hand, "Isa, I believe in your brother... I also respect him very much. I am very relieved to have him in the East... I am only worried about the Duke of Slant who holds a heavy army ..." Queen Isa comforted him softly, suddenly thought of something, smiled brightly, and whispered a few words into the king's ear.

As night falls, the dance begins.Not long after, a carriage stopped outside the palace.A bouquet of small tulips is painted on the outer wall of the carriage, and golden rice ears surround the tulips to form a circle, which is the family emblem of the Sosa family.

The waiter in front of the palace saw the family emblem and knew it.A person stepped forward to lift the curtain for the guest, a bony hand holding a cane appeared first, followed by a black top hat with a blue ribbon, and then this person landed firmly on the ground. off the ground.

It was the Duke of Payne who came.Payne nodded politely to the waiter, verified the invitation, and then led his attendants to the main hall of the ball without saying a word.

In the main hall, the crystal chandelier hangs high, and the interior decoration is very gorgeous, and the golden yellow tone almost dazzles people's eyes.The melodious music is flowing, and there are people dancing on the dance floor.

As soon as Payne entered, people surrounded him.Picking up the wine glass, Payne greeted them politely, but his eyes wandered around the whole dance party.He shook the wine glass in his hand, walked to a place with fewer people, and declined the noble ladies who came to invite him to dance.

The dark red wine in the glass was shining, and Payne, who had a cold temperament, seemed particularly incompatible with this kind of scene.Queen Isa came to him at some point, "Brother Payne." Payne smiled slightly, but his eyes were still neither sad nor happy. He and Isa had the same father and mother, and they had a good relationship.

The crown on Isa's head was dazzling, and she was smiling at this moment: "Brother Payne, can you stay for a while after the dance?" She is not too old, so this kind of coquettish tone like when she was a child is not too uncomfortable. People feel awkward.Payne said, "Okay."

Suddenly the crowd became noisy, and several noble ladies shook their feather fans, looking very excited, and a person walked in from the main entrance.

Blonde, blue-eyed, neither too much nor too little smile.His demeanor was elegant and courteous. Just by walking over, he compared some aristocrats who claimed to be elegant and aristocratic, which perfectly explained what it means to be personable.Not only that, but people seem to think that the most suitable expression on that face is the slightly curved eyes and a frivolous smile, which is completely different from the current gentleness. This contradictory temperament fascinates those noble ladies even more.

It was the one who only heard his name but never saw him——the Duke of Slant.

The name of Slant represents a lot.His duke position, his endless wealth, and his appearance and demeanor all made these ladies' hearts flutter.

The dance music changed, and more couples of men and women twirled on the dance floor.Slant went around among the ladies who came to invite the dancer, and occasionally tried each other with some nobles deeply and shallowly, and casually glanced at the list of participants.Well, let me see if there is anything worth befriending.

Payne looked away, his opinion of the Duke was... no opinion.Although he came to the ball just to see what kind of person the duke was, his first impression couldn't make him come to the so-called opinion.Payne put the wine glass on the tray of the waiter wandering in the ballroom, intending to socialize with a few nobles.The purpose of the ball was originally to socialize, Payne smiled faintly and walked forward.

The author has something to say:

roll around~

~(￣▽￣～)(～￣▽￣)～