TGS - Chapter 49
Chapter 49: A Signal at the Luncheon
Although both sides were well aware of their opposition to each other, they still had to keep up appearances. The next day, the Lord of Wash City invited them all to a banquet.
These few days were the preparation period for the festival of the God of the Earth, so the situation was rather unique. The local residents had to return home before dark and were forbidden from going out.
Therefore, the banquet, which should have been held in the evening, was moved to noon.
If the banquet arranged by the Lord of Yilulaila was proper and followed etiquette, to the point where it could have been a political meeting with a simple change of topic, then the Lord of Wash City's luncheon was more inclined toward entertainment, filled with the extravagance and debauchery characteristic of noble gatherings.
The floor was covered with solid-colored wool carpets. Around an open space, everyone sat at separate tables, with two people to a table.
Attendants served dishes and fruit drinks, and then a group of dancing girls entered with mincing steps, dancing gracefully to the accompaniment of two young male harpists.
The dancing girls who could appear on such an occasion were either exceptionally beautiful or highly skilled dancers. These women were clearly both.
For a time, no one present spoke. They began to eat while listening to the harp music and watching the dancers twirl.
Lotus needed to take care of the Princess, whose "arm was shot by an arrow and couldn't even be lifted." To make the effect realistic, she forked a piece of roasted squab and brought it to Alyuin's lips, saying considerately, "Your Highness, try this."
This act of feeding had not been discussed beforehand, but it was necessary. In front of the people of Wash City, Lotus's role was that of the Princess's personal lady-in-waiting, responsible for caring for the injured princess.
Caught off guard by being fed by the goddess, Alyuin almost froze on the spot. Fortunately, she remembered the current situation and bit into the squab calmly and without any sign of surprise.
The dish was cooked to perfection, but her mind was not on it at all. The feeling of satisfaction overshadowed the deliciousness of the squab itself. Alyuin savored it, and then was met with a date.
So this was the kind of treatment an injured person received!
The Princess understood.
At this moment, the sound of the harps slowly faded. The dancers' prepared performance had ended. They did not withdraw, but instead walked to the side of each guest, knelt gracefully, and poured them wine.
There were no dancing girls by the Princess's side, but the Lord of Wash City clapped his hands, and the two young men who had been playing the harps approached from the left and right, reaching for the wine jug.
Alyuin, who had just been immersed in satisfaction: "..."
Her face turned cold. "Lord, what is the meaning of this?"
The Lord of Wash City: "A gift for Your Highness, of course. Do you not enjoy wine?"
Alyuin's lips twitched. "I appreciate the Lord's kind intentions, but I am currently injured and cannot drink."
The Lord of Wash City then said, seemingly very apologetically, "How thoughtless of me, how thoughtless. I thought that after spending so long on the border, Your Highness would have no reservations about drinking."
The Princess scoffed and glanced at the two harpists. Intimidated by her frigid gaze, they looked at each other, not daring to approach.
The Lord waved his hand, and only then did the two retreat from the hall as if granted a great amnesty.
Lotus was very calm. While the Princess and the Lord exchanged verbal blows, she sat to the side without a word. When their conversation ended, she resumed feeding the Princess, paying special attention to balancing meat and vegetables.
The Lord of Wash City watched, and some of his doubts were dispelled.
He also knew the Princess had achieved many merits on the border battlefield; she was a famous figure, after all. To let a lady-in-waiting feed her on such an occasion probably meant she truly had no choice. Otherwise, who could bear such a loss of face?
"Oh, it seems I haven't introduced my only son to Your Highness yet." The Lord of Wash City suddenly slapped his forehead as if remembering something and pointed to a young man sitting in a lower seat. "He is of a similar age to you. Young people should have more in common. Come, Kopal, aren't you going to greet Her Highness the Princess?"
The youth named Kopal was small and slender, with delicate features. He seemed not to have expected to be called upon. He paused for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Greetings, Your Highness."
The Lord of Wash City's expression darkened slightly. He glanced at Alyuin and paid no more attention to his son. Kopal, for his part, seemed accustomed to being treated as if he were invisible and lowered his head to eat on his own.
Alyuin subconsciously observed the situation opposite her.
Kopal was the Lord's only son, yet his seat was further back than many of the subordinates. Not only was the Lord's attitude lukewarm, but the others did not seem close to him either, as if there were a vacuum around him.
Lotus followed her gaze and narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Alyu."
Alyuin responded softly, "Yes, I'm listening."
Lotus's expression was subtle. "There's something discordant about Kopal. I can't be certain, but... he might not be the Lord's son."
The Princess: "..."
She couldn't help but compare the facial resemblance between the Lord of Wash City and Kopal, only to find they really didn't look much alike.
Lotus's original meaning was quite serious, but seeing Alyuin's pensive expression, she knew her thoughts had gone astray and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "That's not what I meant. We'll talk about it when we get back."
Because of the goddess's words, Alyuin diverted a sliver of her attention to Kopal.
Midway through the banquet, Kopal rose and left his seat.
The others from Wash City paid no mind to his departure. Alyuin thought for a moment and gave Lena a meaningful look.
Motis and Luca also noticed the look, but while those two were still looking back in confusion, Lena had already nodded knowingly, found an excuse to leave the hall, and followed Kopal.
Whenever a situation required understanding a silent glance, Alyuin would only look to Lena. After all, signaling the others was more likely to backfire.
The banquet was nearing its end, and the two who had left their seats had not returned.
Alyuin stalled for time by pretending to discuss the caravan's business matters. Only when Lena silently returned to her seat did the Princess conclude the discussion in a few sentences and lead her party back to their quarters.
After confirming no one was watching nearby, Alyuin asked directly, "What did you hear?"
Lena said gravely, "Bandits."
"Bandits? The Lord's son is involved with that gang of bandits?"
"No, he wants to deal with the bandits." Lena tried hard to recall what she had seen and heard. "After he left the banquet, he met a girl in a secluded place. The girl was wearing slave's clothes and asked him if the Lord of Wash City had put suppressing the bandits on his agenda."
"Kopal said not yet, but he promised to do his best to persuade his father. Then the girl suddenly lost control of her emotions and cried for a while. Kopal kept comforting her."
At this point, Lena's expression became a little strange. "I was worried I might miss some important information, so I didn't dare leave. I listened to one cry and the other console for a long time, until the girl stopped crying and was sent away. I thought that was all, but then I saw..."
At the time, Lena was hiding behind a small rockery in the garden, maintaining a distance where she could hear their voices but not be discovered.
There was a small hole near the bottom of the rockery, through which she could vaguely see the scene opposite. Lena put her right eye to the opening and watched with bated breath.
The sound of the slave girl's soft sobs gradually faded into the distance. Kopal stood alone under a tree, arms crossed, standing quietly.
Lena waited for a moment, thinking there would be nothing else worth noting. Just as she was about to turn and slip away, she saw a man look around warily before approaching Kopal's side and bowing.
Lena considered herself to have some talent for remembering faces.
She clearly remembered that this man was one of the advisors who had been with the Lord of Wash City yesterday. Judging by his position, he could be considered a confidant.
Kopal spoke, his tone lacking the gentleness he had used with the slave girl, nor the caution from the banquet.
"Has my father made any moves in the last two days?"
The advisor said, "Yes, but it has nothing to do with Wash's affairs. He has his eyes on the Princess."
"The Princess." Kopal paced two steps, his voice suddenly rising slightly. "If I recall correctly, the Princess's caravan encountered bandits outside the city?"
"That's right. Her Highness was injured by the bandits."
Kopal said nothing for a long time before finally speaking: "Continue to keep an eye on him for me. Inform me immediately of any moves my father makes."
The advisor: "Yes, rest assured."
Then, they each went in opposite directions. Having heard the entire exchange, Lena now had a clear picture and hurried back to the banquet hall.
After listening to the deputy commander's account, Alyuin tapped her knuckles on the tabletop, lost in thought.
"You said you were hiding behind the rockery."
Lena was very confident in herself. "Yes. I wasn't discovered, and I cleared my tracks before leaving."
Alyuin gave a faint smile. "Kopal indeed did not discover you, but he knew someone was there."
Lena was startled. "How could that be?"
"Kopal is a member of the Lord's household. He is more familiar with this garden than you are. Why would he choose to discuss secret matters near a rockery where someone could hide?" Alyuin said calmly. "He knew someone was following. Those words were perhaps meant for me to hear."
"Then can his words still be trusted?" Lena asked hesitantly.
Alyuin recalled the attitude of the people from Wash City toward Kopal at the banquet and pondered for a moment. "It's highly likely they're credible. We can try to make contact."
As she spoke, Alyuin's fingers paused, and she turned to the caravan master.
"In previous years when you passed through Wash City, did you ever encounter bandits?"
The merchant said, "We used to, but they were just petty thieves. We haven't seen any in recent years, though."
"In recent years," Alyuin repeated, then nodded. "I have an idea. To verify Kopal's information and the rumors about the bandits... I'll have to ask you to inquire about these things."
The caravan master waved his hand. "It's nothing. Your Highness need not be so polite."
The discussion came to an end. The others left the room to attend to their duties, leaving only Lotus and Alyuin.
Lotus was turning her bracelet in thought when she happened to look up and see the Princess gazing at her with a kind of eager, expectant look.
Lotus guessed, "Did you not eat enough just now?"
Alyuin struggled to weigh her options. Realizing that even if she said she hadn't eaten enough, the goddess wouldn't personally feed her again, she said, "It's not that. At the banquet, you said Kopal isn't the Lord's son—"
"Oh." Lotus's eyes lit with understanding. "Indeed, he is not. She is the Lord's daughter."
Alyuin truly hadn't expected this. Her eyes widened, her round, dark pupils fully revealed, like a stunned cat.
"She is well disguised, but I can sense a certain discordance, her energy is off." Lotus paused. "However, I cannot be certain if the Lord of Wash City is aware of her true gender."
According to the information they had gathered beforehand, the Lord of Wash City had nearly ten daughters and only one "son," Kopal. If he had his daughter disguise herself as a man to inherit the lordship, it would make sense.
If that were the case, the Lord's attitude could be explained, but what about the contempt from his subordinates?
Could it be that the Lord would make it widely known that he had instructed his daughter to disguise herself as a man?
Alyuin's intuition told her it wasn't that simple.
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