Soon, the banquet officially began.
Different from the more social banquets between nobles in the past, the purpose of tonight's banquet returned to its essence, which was to really let the hungry Liliana eat well. So after a few simple opening remarks, everyone started eating directly.
The confrontation between the empire and the kingdom in recent days also began to end on the big dining table in the middle...
In order to keep the atmosphere at the banquet from becoming tense, the really sharp confrontation would definitely end during Liliana's rest period. Therefore, the topics discussed by imperial officials and kingdom envoys at the dinner table were relatively soft, such as discussing how bad this incident was, how to thoroughly investigate the case, how to prevent similar incidents from happening, etc. The content did not include positions, as if both parties in the conversation were their own people. .
Of course, under this layer of clothing, there are all the metaphors that should be included.
There is no escaping this.
The theater troupe was naturally unable to adapt to such a conversation and could not participate. They were on the other side, filling their bellies now.
Looking at Liliana sitting at the big table from a distance, having to stop and say a few words after taking two bites, one can't help but feel a little pitiful for her. It's a pity that with her and Leonhardt's status and positions, they can't eat with their heads down no matter how hungry they are.
"Sister Xiaoyue, don't you want to eat something?" Miku came to Xiaoyue, holding a plate with the dishes she selected on it.
Since Xiaoyue healed An's injury, everyone in the theater troupe has become much closer to her than before, especially Miku. Up to now, our relationship has been quite good and we chat frequently on weekdays. Shinozuki is about the same age as Miku, so Miku and others will simply call her sister.
Xiaoyue didn't answer immediately. She looked around before taking the plate and said, "Then it's better to be respectful than to obey."
Xiaoyue used a fork to put the cut pieces of meat into her mouth, chewing them carefully, her movements were elegant and etiquette. If it weren't for the hindrance of her maid uniform, at a glance, she might be mistaken for the princess of some great country.
"Is the one I picked to your liking?" Miku said with a smile.
A visible smile appeared on Xiaoyue's lips: "Of course, thank you for your trouble."
An looked at Xiaoyue, a little surprised that she would take the food from Miku.
Xiaoyue has always adhered to her duties as a maid. Even though everyone knew that she was not actually a servant, she herself remained indifferent. According to her past style, Xiaoyue would definitely eat something beforehand and never touch the dishes at the banquet...
Soon, An noticed that the hesitant officers nearby had their eyes fixed, some were discussing in low voices, and some began to arrange their clothes and approach him.
Is she cooperating with my disguise?
Ann came up with this idea.
Before he had time to think about it, someone stood in front of him.
"...Mr. An..., right?" Although the officer in front of him was trying to maintain a natural appearance, it could still be seen that he was a little restrained.
"What's the matter?" Ann put the fork in her hand on the plate.
This was his subconscious action, but the officer's movements suddenly became stiffer, and his eyes were a little excited.
The officer lowered his voice and said impatiently: "It's because of the incident in the capital that you..."
He didn't finish his words, as if he was hinting at something.
Including this officer, all the soldiers at the dinner had similar thoughts to Ion when they were on the shore. They believed that An was Leko and that the identity was not disclosed to investigate the person behind the attack.
But in fact, the investigation was true, but their perception of An's identity was biased.
——Just as An planned!
An nodded slightly: "That's right."
The theater troupe indeed planned to go to the Imperial Capital again after the incident in the Imperial Capital.
The person asking the question meant one thing, and the person answering the question meant another. However, both parties got the results they wanted.
The officer quickly calmed down after a moment of excitement, silently nodded to An and left.
An saw him connecting with a few people, and these people dispersed to talk to others. Then, the people who were about to move stopped approaching to talk, and everyone began to do their own things.
An raised his eyebrows, laughed, and continued to enjoy the food in front of him.
Those who still had doubts in their hearts saw his actions, and their last doubts were dispelled: If he was not a king, how could he still eat so calmly?
He is definitely the king!
With similar thoughts, the soldiers of the empire deliberately withdrew their sight one by one.
Fortunately it went well...
An An breathed a sigh of relief, it was not in vain that he deliberately added drama in the end.
In this way, his plan to pretend to be the regent was almost successful. This is a great guarantee for the safety of the theater troupe and is also a prerequisite for the implementation of follow-up plans.
All this is thanks to Xiaoyue's help.
An speculated that the reason why those soldiers put aside their hesitation and talked to him was because they saw Xiaoyue's unusual behavior!
Perhaps in their eyes, only Regent Leko could make Xiaoyue put aside her stubbornness and eat at the banquet.
She was a big help!
An found a plate, put a few glasses of juice and wine on hand, and came to the side of Xiaoyue and Miku. He reached for the wine glass and suddenly felt something. He picked up a glass of juice and handed it to Xiaoyue solemnly. He took another piece for the confused Miku and took one for himself.
An raised his glass and said to Xiaoyue: "Thank you for your hard work along the way..."
Due to the situation, he could only give this kind of vague thanks.
"That's where the responsibility lies." Xiao Yue lowered her head and said.
Seeing her return to her usual appearance, An felt helpless.
The conversation and behavior between the two confused Miku for a long time, and finally, she figured it out.
"Are you playing riddles again?!" Miku pinched the soft flesh of An's waist with his fingers and twisted it hard.
Ann took a breath and grabbed Miku's wrist.
"Is your head working all the time?" An pointed his finger at Miku's smooth forehead, "Now is the time for you to do this?"
"That's really rude~" Miku, who was grabbed by the wrist, lifted up her skirt with one hand and apologized. Her behavior was so perfect that even Shino Yue couldn't fault her at all, as if she wasn't the one who pinched the person just now.
An laughed and flicked her forehead again.
"Hmph!" Miku didn't resist, but he didn't give An a good look either.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the dinner party.
An turned around and looked around. It turned out that the conversation at the big dining table had ended. The queues on both sides became less formal and the positions became more casual.
Liliana and Leonhart immediately walked toward An.
The imperial officials could not ignore the kingdom's envoys. Although some people were interested, they still followed Alvin honestly.
"Oh my God, you finally listened to my advice?" Liliana looked at the dinner plate in Xiaoyue's hand and said to her in an exaggerated manner.
Shinozuki looked away from Miku and glanced at Liliana expressionlessly: "Your Highness, what do you mean?"
The look in her eyes silenced Lily for a moment, and she threw the joke she had planned into the back of her mind: "Uh...no...it's nothing."
Xiaoyue turned around, finished the last food on the plate, put down the plate, wiped her mouth, and then stood behind Liliana. She was back to being the perfect head maid she had been before.
Xiaoyue like this put even more pressure on Liliana. She felt a chill on her back: "No...it doesn't have to be like this. If you're not full, can you eat some?"
"That's enough... Whatever else your Highness wants to eat, I can choose for you."
"You're full, you're full." Liliana said repeatedly.
Xiaoyue stopped talking and completely changed into her former self.
"Is it over?" Ann said to Liliana, "Are you tired?"
"It's okay. Most of the time it's Qing Yin and the others who are talking. I can just say a few words now and then."
Liliana's casual tone made Xiaoyue, who was standing behind her, frown.
Before Xiaoyue could speak, An said in a scolding tone: "How can you use the word "cope"? You are a representative of a country, and the conversation is about the peace of the two countries, how can you cope?!"
"...It won't be the case soon." Liliana muttered.
Noticing that An's face was really angry, Leonhardt quickly smoothed things over: "There's something wrong with your choice of words... She was actually very serious just now, and she definitely wasn't dealing with it as she said."
The second half of his sentence was addressed to An.
An rubbed her brows, suppressed the inexplicable anger rising in her heart, and then said: "I noticed it. I'm not saying this because she made a mistake just now."
An looked at Liliana who was shrinking her neck: "You have to know that you are the princess of the empire. Thousands of people are watching your words and deeds. In their eyes, everything you do will be magnified. In their eyes, everything you do will be magnified. It's normal to be casual in front of people you're close to, and it's okay when there are few people around, but you have to pay attention to your words and deeds in formal occasions, because the consequences it brings are beyond your control...at least not yet."
"What Mr. An said is true!"
An old but powerful voice came from behind Liliana.
