Book 3: Chapter 291: The Grand Banquet of Quebec

The camels traversed the mountain ranges, appearing and disappearing among the mist and clouds. Their steps seemed slow, but in reality, they advanced southward at tremendous speed.

Two days later, the camels came to a halt at Quebec on the northern shore of Meteorite Lake, resting there temporarily.

This was Hedra's nominal hometown. Even though they didn't need to pass through here to reach the Hidden Grove, the group deliberately stopped here for several days to allow Hedra to reunite with her family for a while.

Warm sea breezes carried moisture through the air as Sylutia descended from the tall camel saddle, catching the familiar scent of the sea in her nostrils. Memories of the few months she had lived here surfaced in her mind.

It hadn't been a long time, but she had gotten to know quite a few people.

She thought about this, then looked toward the white harbor city in the distance.

An hour later, outside the city walls of Quebec.

City Lord Brennan led a large crowd waiting outside the city gates. Seeing the young maiden slowly descend from the carriage surrounded by a throng of elite mages...

"Welcome, Miss Hedra!" Someone in the welcoming party shouted, followed by a burst of music, and others scattered flower petals from atop the city walls.

Though the form was somewhat unconventional, the enthusiasm truly came through.

The high-ranking mages following behind Sylutia curiously appraised the welcoming party. Apart from Brennan, whose strength was passable, most of the others hadn't even reached Third Tier. In these mages' eyes, the display was somewhat underwhelming.

So this is a mid-sized city of the Hidden Grove Alliance? Feels inferior to a secondary city of a Mage Alliance district.

In the middle of the procession, Ailofeis, the bard representative of the Hidden Grove Alliance, walked side by side with Sylutia. The two stepped into the city amid the warm welcome, then entered the City Lord's mansion for a brief rest.

In the reception hall, fresh fruits and tea had long been prepared for guests, and the fireplace blazed vigorously, with firewood crackling softly.

After everyone was seated, City Lord Brennan opened with polite pleasantries and reminiscing, then gradually steered the conversation toward the main topic.

"May I ask how long Lady Hedra plans to stay? I'd like to have my wife prepare proper accommodations for you."

"Not too long, about five days." Sylutia thought for a moment before answering.

"I see." Brennan nodded thoughtfully, not adding anything further.

While they conversed in the City Lord's mansion, over in one corner of Quebec, the Griffin household was in utter chaos.

"Hurry, find that set of treasured clothes!" Lady Haier sat before her vanity mirror, issuing urgent orders.

"Yes, we'll prepare it right away!" The maidservants in the room scurried about, extremely tense.

Everyone knew today was an extraordinarily important day, because the Griffin family's Third Young Miss had returned. The young lady once thought to be an unremarkable illegitimate daughter was now a figure of celestial stature revered by countless people and far beyond their reach.

Not only did Lady Haier need to appear impeccably dressed without a single flaw to welcome her, even the City Lord himself had to tread carefully, let alone servants like them.

On the other side of the estate, Ecor was also being dressed by maidservants, his golden short hair carefully combed, sprayed with a rare setting potion, and every wrinkle and hem of his shirt pressed flat.

The handsome young man sat before the mirror, his expression slightly resigned.

"Is all this solemn care really necessary? I remember Hedra being quite easygoing."

"Young Master." The head maidservant continued attending to him while explaining seriously.

"You must not appear indifferent. The young miss may not mind, but everyone else present will notice. If you appear anything less than solemn and sincere, people will think you're being disrespectful and lacking in propriety."

"Now that Miss Ecor's status is extraordinary, not long ago an envoy from Golden Harvest Horn even paid a special visit to the master, giving explicit instructions that there must be no-

"Fine, fine, I understand. No need to remind me again." Ecor conceded, no longer offering casual opinions.

While his appearance was being tended to, he recalled something else and spoke up.

"What about Eriel? Is she coming back today?"

"Although Miss Eriel is married now, she will also be attending today. There are people on that side overseeing preparations as well. Nothing will go wrong."

"Alright, looks like this is a very solemn occasion indeed." Ecor took a deep breath, adjusted his expression, and rehearsed a few times how he should smile and speak.

Who would have thought that in just a few short years, that sister with whom he'd had little connection would become such an important figure? The representative from Golden Harvest Horn had said she should be regarded as even more distinguished than the Queen herself, and even with blood ties, one must never overstep.

Her Majesty the Queen... What a distant term.

Quebec had once been a subordinate city of the Merchant Capital Alliance, and now belonged to Golden Harvest Horn. But in terms of city scale and economy, it was unremarkable within Golden Harvest Horn. There were plenty of cities with larger populations and better economies than Quebec.

Yet even so, this city that should have remained obscure had been the center of attention within Golden Harvest Horn for years, all because that person hailed from here.

Hedra, the young maiden who had been unknown just a few years ago when she left to study at the Mage Alliance, had not only made a name for herself there, but had gone on to win the championship at the Silver Bell Festival. The Hidden Grove Alliance representatives had spread the news back here, proclaiming her achievements far and wide.

Now, in Quebec, this young lady's reputation was known in every household. His family had also basked in considerable glory. His sister Eriel had married extremely well because of it, and he himself now received attention and confessions of admiration from countless ladies of prestigious families, leaving him spoiled for choice and unsure how to decide.

He should have married and started a family at his age long ago, but every time he settled on someone, circumstances would shift. The prospects coming to discuss marriage arrangements and betrothals improved year after year, causing endless postponements until today.

Come to think of it, he really should thank that sister properly. If not for her, those noble ladies probably wouldn't have given him a second glance with his status.

That night, the City Lord's mansion blazed with lights as a grand banquet was held. The attendees were all notable figures from the city, along with many important personages from Golden Harvest Horn who had traveled from afar, as well as the high-ranking mages accompanying the delegation.

"Vincent, want to try some of the local wine? The flavor is quite excellent." A mage with slightly curly hair approached, holding a swaying glass of wine.

"I'll pass." The bespectacled mage named Vincent shook his head slightly.

"Really? It's a rare chance to visit a seaside city. Let me tell you, the climate here is warm and the sunshine is plentiful, so the grapes produced here make wine of far better quality than what the Mage Alliance offers."

"Look, this glass was brewed from grapes harvested twenty years ago, during the peak of the Season of Rising Winds. There's still a trace of Scorching Sun lingering in the wine. Drinking it is like basking in bright sunlight, utterly refreshing."

"Oh? If this wine really was brewed during the Season of Rising Winds, then it's indeed quite rare." Vincent smiled, but given his friend's earnest hospitality, he accepted the glass and took a small sip.

"Indeed, the flavor is quite unique."

Both men were Fifth Tier mages, and among those supporting the Hidden Grove delegation, they held the highest status aside from Sylutia. Standing at one side of the banquet, they savored wine and chatted.

"Lady Hedra's hometown city. But I've heard that in her early years, Lady Hedra wasn't well-regarded in her family. Did you see earlier? That nominal aunt of Lady Hedra's seemed rather afraid of her. I suspect she may not have treated Lady Hedra well back then, which is why she's so fearful now."

"Is that so? I rarely pay attention to such matters." Vincent smiled and took another small sip of wine.

"However, Lady Hedra doesn't really resemble that family, you know. As someone from the Appraisal School, my observational skills are quite sharp."

"Lady Hedra's facial structure and bone composition differ greatly from the Griffin family members. It's like seeing a radiant golden immortal lily blooming in an ordinary mustard patch. Utterly inconceivable."

"Oh, you can even discern that?" His companion was curious.

"Yes, and the aura about Hedra makes it hard to believe she's an illegitimate daughter." Vincent remarked thoughtfully.

"If someone told me she came from a great noble family, I wouldn't be surprised in the least."

"I myself come from a minor noble family, you see. I've seen how legitimate daughters of prestigious houses are raised, but I've also seen the children of common folk and how merchants raise their offspring."

"Merchants, because they need to do business and travel around, habitually liven up the atmosphere and say pleasing things in social interactions. Through constant exposure, their children unconsciously adopt these habits and become very skilled at reading the room."

"Great noble families vary widely. Some raise their children to be arrogant, spoiled, and overbearing. Others have strict upbringing, and their children become masters of surface courtesy. But even the best-bred noble offspring will show a hint of distance and aloofness toward servants and commoners that they themselves don't even notice."

"This aloofness can be understood as them not really looking at a person, but at a tool. It's not necessarily malicious, just an unconscious habit."

"Great families have so many servants and attendants that they simply cannot invest emotional energy into all of them, so they get used to treating them like household objects." Vincent spoke slowly.

"But neither of the two cases I just described applies to Lady Hedra. That strangely pure aura she possesses, I honestly can't imagine what kind of environment could have produced it."

"She can interact with ordinary people with warmth and gentleness, completely without noble airs, and at the same time, she can calmly converse with all sorts of distinguished guests, without a trace of a merchant's sycophancy or flattery."

"It's truly a kind of miracle." Vincent lightly swirled his glass and shook his head.

"Ahahaha, I didn't expect you to observe so carefully." His companion clapped him on the shoulder.

"Let me think, what nicknames does Lady Hedra have?" The other man rubbed his chin.

"The Untouchable Black Griffin. Actually, that's a misconception, isn't it? Lady Hedra's personality is actually quite gentle. It's just that her talent is so overwhelming that her presence in battle gives people too strong a sense of pressure."

"The Despair Chief of Tetis. Apparently, every year during finals, no student who faced Hedra ever won, and that's how the name spread."

"The Morning Star of Peloppi. When she rushed to reinforce Candela, all the members of the Ninth Train crew held her in great admiration. She single-handedly pursued and slew several high-ranking Blood Clan members, and also resolved the crises at several northern strongholds."

"The Princess of Mishil District. Because under Lady Hedra's leadership, Mishil District achieved tremendous development, the locals often call her that. Occasionally, people even print this title on posters of her and sell them, and they're quite popular."

Hearing these nicknames, Vincent couldn't help but laugh. The few of them knew Hedra's experiences exceptionally well, so they naturally understood how many misunderstandings were contained in these titles.

"Better keep our voices down. I happen to know that lady's hearing is exceptionally sharp."

"Oh, is that so?" The other man scratched his hair, then glanced at the breathtaking young maiden surrounded by distinguished guests at the center of the banquet.

Her silky smooth hair was styled into an intricate and elegant coiffure, with pearl-veiled ornaments sparkling brilliantly under the banquet lights. Tonight, Sylutia was unquestionably the center of the entire gathering, the object of countless people's admiration and affection. She was currently smiling as she conversed with those around her, her bearing and grace nearly flawless.

Just as the two thought they were in the clear, the young maiden chatting with guests cast a brief glance their way. Though she said nothing, both men immediately straightened their postures, because they knew the conversation they'd just had had definitely been overheard by her.

Truly terrifying. In such a noisy environment, while simultaneously conversing with so many guests, she could still discern and notice their idle chatter.

Indeed, nicknames are never given without reason. Though Lady Hedra's personality is gentle, in a certain sense, she is absolutely terrifying.