Chapter 53: The Duke's Banquet

The House of Dacros is a renowned and illustrious aristocratic family in the imperial capital.

The grandfather of the current duke was the late Nemoton Daccenis, who served as the Prime Minister of the Empire for more than forty years. Under the heavy pressure of the Emperor, he stubbornly insisted on defending the collective interests of the imperial capital's nobility, winning the widespread respect and affection of the capital's aristocracy for the Daccenis family.

To this day, the current Duke of Daccenis still lives off the legacy left by his grandfather. Even though he is too incompetent to hold any court position, many imperial capital nobles are still willing to step forward and protect him when necessary, to the extent that even the royal family treats him with a certain degree of apprehension.

Logically speaking, such a prestigious and prominent noble family was far beyond the reach of someone like Rein, the son of a border marquis.

Unfortunately for them, this time they had left incriminating evidence in Rein's hands, so there was nothing they could do.

The family knights of Faehl were jubilant, secretly remarking that Lord Rein was truly worthy of being the old marquis's most valued person. During his time in the imperial capital, he had not only become the commander of the imperial capital garrison and won the favor of Her Majesty the Queen, but now he had also received an invitation from the Duke of Dacros... His future was boundless, truly boundless!

Could other Faehls achieve this? They only knew how to thrust in bed and litter the world with offspring like breeding boars!

The banquet invitation delivered this time was addressed to "Rein Faehl and his wife." It was sent to the inn where the family's traveling entourage was staying, indicating that the Duke of Dacros was not issuing a formal ultimatum to the imperial capital garrison, but rather engaging in social interaction with Rein, a noble of the Faehl family—the so-called building of connections and cultivation of relations.

Although Rein did not feel he had any relations with this duke, being unacquainted did not matter—such ties could be cultivated slowly.

Accompanied by Aelrina, he changed into the finest formal attire brought from home, and then took a carriage to the Dacros estate.

Upon arriving at the gates of the estate, Aelrina looked at her surroundings, her expression turning peculiar.

In the era of the ancestral Elven Empire, this was not some noble mansion, but a filthy market for trading human slaves.

Because elven nobility loved scenic and tranquil environments, while this location sat at a major crossroads, though prosperous, it was also noisy.

Who would have thought that the dignified House of Dacros would actually choose to build its family estate on the ruins of an ancient slave market?

Naturally, Rein did not know this place was originally an ancient slave market. He simply stepped down from the carriage, assisted Aelrina to the ground, and nodded to the noble butler waiting by the entrance to welcome them.

The butler was over fifty years old, with graying hair meticulously slicked back with pomade. He bowed politely and gracefully, gesturing for the maidservants to present bread and cheese.

Having completed the guest etiquette, the two were led into the mansion and brought into the dining room.

In the brightly lit dining room, the table was already laden with various rare delicacies.

However, Rein's mind was not on dinner at all. He merely frowned as he stared at the host sitting across the dining table.

It was not the Duke of Dacros, but his son.

From the perspective of social etiquette, there was indeed no need for the duke to personally show up to entertain the son of a border marquis. Having his own son host in his place was an arrangement of equal social standing.

Yet you have your weakness in my hands, and you still dare to treat me with such disdain?!

"Reylo Dacros," the young man stood up and shook hands with him.

"Rein Faehl," Rein said expressionlessly, extending his hand.

"Both of your names start with the prefix Rey," Aelrina remarked out of nowhere.

Rein glanced sideways and found that the elven princess's face was full of a sweet, fake, social smile, just like when she had first been resurrected by him.

No, it wasn't a hundred percent fake smile either. The bird in the cage was in a very pleasant mood right now, probably because she was gloating over seeing him lose face.

He would deal with her properly when they got back.

"To be honest, I didn't originally have the time to host you," Reylo, the duke's son, said with restrained pride. "I am attending Her Highness Princess Dorothy's banquet tonight... Well, you know of that Highness, right?"

"The Third Princess," Rein said indifferently.

"Oh, it seems you did your homework after coming to the imperial capital," the duke's son said in surprise, his face full of unexpected bewilderment that a country bumpkin actually knew the princess's name. "Very well, then I suppose I won't need to waste my breath."

"The serial murders in the South District have dragged on for far, far too long. Your predecessor was good for nothing, exhausting the patience of the royal family and the public. Therefore, my father... I mean, you must conclude the case as quickly as possible to restore the confidence of the citizens of the imperial capital, rather than continuing to waste time chasing after some illusory true culprit. Do you understand?"

The other party's attitude grew increasingly arrogant and rude, evidently convinced that Rein would not dare to flip the table on his home turf.

Rein was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled slightly:

"Of course, I believe that compared to searching for an elusive true culprit, restoring a sense of security to the public as soon as possible is of the utmost importance."

"Ah, I knew you were a smart man," the duke's son said with utmost satisfaction, smiling. "Idiots don't last long in the imperial capital."

"Thank you for the reminder as well," Rein raised his glass in a toast.

The duke's son did not reciprocate the toast, merely taking a sip of the wine in his glass. Seemingly because things were progressing too smoothly, he momentarily did not know what else to say.

"Oh, right," he finally spoke again. "The inquisitors and witch hunters locked in the dungeon should also be acquitted and cleared of their names, or at least compensated for their illegal detention during this period."

"They can be released, but nothing more," Rein replied coldly. "Her Majesty the Queen is furious about this matter, believing that the Inquisition deliberately provoked her authority and went head-to-head with the imperial garrison commander she appointed, so I cannot make any additional public statements about it."

"Tch." The other party's expression turned somewhat sullen, but ultimately, constrained by the banner of Her Majesty the Queen, he did not dare to push Rein too hard on this matter, only complaining, "The Queen is being overly sensitive. The inquisitors were merely doing their duty. That being said, release them as soon as possible... When can they be freed?"

"I'll let them go tonight when I get back," Rein said with a smile. "Late at night when no one is paying attention, it will also save them from embarrassment."

"Very well, very well." The duke's son had nothing more to say. The purpose of this banquet had been achieved, and he had no interest in continuing small talk with a " lowly son of a border marquis." "Then you may continue your meal. There are many dishes here that you could never eat in your Riverlands, hahahaha!"

He laughed heartily, stood up, and left to report back to his father in the study, leaving Aelrina and Rein at the dining table with an atmosphere that had turned chillingly awkward.

"Why aren't you laughing?" Aelrina rested her chin in one hand, her beautiful long white hair cascading over the table, her smile as sweet as drinking honeyed wine. "Don't you want to smile?"

"Eat a bit before we leave," Rein picked up a lamprey and placed it on his plate. "We can't go back on an empty stomach."

"Whatever face is lost can only be made up for in other ways," Aelrina recited a maxim like a song, her mood extremely pleasant. "Eat, eat."

Deep within the estate, inside the study, after listening to his son's report, the Duke of Dacros also breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

A bumpkin noble from the Riverlands had used sweet words to win the trust of Her Majesty the Queen and actually managed to secure the position of the imperial capital garrison commander; he must have had some scheming ability.

But a countryman was a countryman after all. For the duke himself to step forward and communicate with him—he simply wasn't worthy.

Now that his son had successfully negotiated with the man, it showed that the countryman still had some self-awareness, which set the Duke of Dacros at ease.

He knew what was good for him!

Inside the dining room, Rein dined leisurely. After completely filling his stomach, he took Aelrina with him and bade farewell to the butler waiting outside the dining hall before leaving.

His calm and collected demeanor actually caused Aelrina, after her initial joy, to harbor a slight suspicion.

To be magnanimous, to swallow insults without retaliation, to offer the right cheek after being slapped on the left—that was something that should only happen to a priest or a templar.

As for a naturally evil necromancer... if he possessed such virtues and breadth of mind, would he even have become a necromancer in the first place?

Aelrina looked back at the brightly lit ducal residence, suddenly seized by an extremely ominous premonition.