BXBX NOVEL Chapter 347 Winter Banquet (2)
"T-this… it can\'t be!" The noblemen could not help but murmur among themselves upon realizing that Eli had entered the hall with the same prestige and introduction as the others.
\'The Imperial Family\' was the description used by the chamberlain which could only prove one thing.
The Emperor has approved of the relationship between Third Prince Leon and Great Inventor Eli!
"Contain yourselves and do not cause a ruckus. Even with the gesture of the entrance, it could not mean any real thing until the formal announcement." A senior member of the brewing faction calmed his allies.
"Y-yes... Yes. The Count is wise!" The members of the faction wiped their nervous sweat and agreed with their senior\'s advice.
Meanwhile, the ladies looked rather constipated as they saw Eli standing elegantly with her striking gaze befitting of a dazzling queen.
There wasn\'t any formal announcement yet, but their hearts could not help but resent the fact that she went ahead of them.
The only thing they could do is to try to hide the annoyance on their faces as they shot a glare in Eli\'s direction with their teeth grinding in envy.
From Eli\'s position, she could feel the piercing gazes from every part of the ballroom.
But who was Eli?
She had interacted with countless stern personalities and made them believe in her ideas and proposals in the modern world.
How could she cower with mere gazes?
And so holding Leon\'s hand, she stood proud and unwavering while Leon looked at her with gentleness and care.
"My Lady, would you like to dance with me?" Leon bowed as he took Eli\'s hand, kissing it gently.
"It would be my pleasure, Your Highness." Eli looked at Leon with her eyes smiling sweetly.
They stepped into the dance floor and moved along with the rhythm of the music. As if their bodies are one, their graceful figures hypnotized the crowd, as if they were witnessing the couple profess their love and affection through their movements.
Leon was like the wind, carrying the flower, Eli with his swift yet careful movements. Eli\'s flowy silver dress matched Leon\'s blue suit with silver embroideries.
Leon was like the sky embracing the twinkle of the star, Eli as it shined the entire evening for everyone in the hall. The look on their faces was telling everyone who was watching them how they were meant for each other.
"Whew~ Look at that!" Antoine nudged Kazimir with a teasing smile, he was looking at Leon who was behaving unusually in their eyes. "When did he ever learn to become such a gentleman?!"
Kazimir rolled his eyes and sternly replied, "When you are with the woman you love, aren\'t you also bound to put your best foot forward for her? Isn\'t that what you exactly did when you finally proposed to Princess Consort Evelyn?"
The two continued to bicker, not minding the blushing faces of Arielle and Evelyn. Both men talked about how many times they went against their nature for their wives.
The two consorts could not help but feel a flush on their cheeks as they also could vividly remember those romantic scenes their respective husbands did to get their affection.
"Eherm…" Finally, the two brothers caught the shy reactions of their wives as they awkwardly cleared their throats to stop their conversation.
Exchanging a meaningful glance with each other, they invited their wives onto the dance floor.
The entire banquet hall seemed to have stopped as their attention was captured by the three princes dancing happily with their respective partners.
"Are you not joining your sons?" Governor Fidel greeted Emperor Valentin who was watching with contentment upon the harmony between his sons.
"As you can see, I cannot appear to only dance just one of them…" Emperor Valentin looked at Queen Lucia and Tehila who also answered Governor Fidel with a nod of understanding.
"That is such a simple problem, let me help you then! It\'s not rare for brothers-in-law to share a dance with their sisters-in-law anyways." Governor Fidel chuckled helplessly as he suggested.
The three gave him permission before Governor Fidel went in front of Queen Lucia.
He bowed and let out his hands as he politely asked for Queen Lucia\'s permission for a dance.
When the music changed, he and Lucia, along with Emperor Valentin and Queen Tehila stepped onto the dance floor and joined their sons in the dance.
When the waltz changed the melody the two brothers also exchanged partners. Now the entire Imperial Family was actually dancing in the ballroom with smiles on their faces.
Such a rare and beautiful sight.
Even the elders who were in the hall could not help but express their amazement as they never witnessed in their lives a scene such as this.
This moment also gave a clear message to everyone, that the Imperial Family was now working as one, and that the previous discord in their family no longer existed.
Just as the Empire stood up and recovered from the war, so was the Imperial Family and their relationship with each other.
After the dance, Emperor Valentin called for the three princes for a meeting with Governor Fidel, the Grandmasters as they wanted to take this time to hear the report from the investigation from the east.
On the women\'s side, Queen Tehila, Queen Lucia, Ariel, and Evelyn went into the lounge to also take a break.
But before they do so, they looked at Eli who remained standing in the banquet hall. Eli knew that she was yet to be recognized as part of the Imperial Family and so she decided to not act as if she had already assumed her place in the family.
However, the women thought otherwise.
Queen Tehila was the one who took the lead in calling her into the lounge to join them. "Young Lady Eli, come and join us in the lounge. I know that dancing with The Third Prince is tiring so why not take a break with us?"
"Ah, Her Highness… I don\'t dare to be brazen and join Your Highnesses in the royal lounge! I am fine joining the ones prepared for the guests." Eli politely declined Queen Tehila\'s offer.
"No, don\'t think like that, Lady Eli. Tonight, Leon brought you as her partner and so you have the right to join us in the lounge regardless of the formalities." Queen Tehila gently shook her head as she replied with pleading in her eyes.
"That\'s right Lady Eli, come and join us." Queen Lucia also seconded, while Arielle and Evelyn nodded as they looked at her with encouraging expressions.
"Then, I must accept Your Highnesses\' offer. This humble one will remember your graces." Eli no longer declined their suggestion as it was already the two queens who spoke up. Also, it was rather impolite to repeatedly reject a royalty\'s offer in public.
The women smiled as they took Eli away from the banquet. The happiest was Queen Tehila who even hooked her arms to Eli and leaned over her shoulders as if she was already long familiar with her.
To the rest of the women in the Imperial Family, it was rather a pleasant sight as they have no personal grudges or dislike towards Eli.
The actions of the queens and princess consorts were all witnessed by everyone in the hall. Once again there was another great wave of discussion on how amiable the Imperial Family was treating Eli.
Speculations and denial were circulated among the social circles. There\'s a delight for some, and amusement for the others but for those who have been aiming for the vacant position as the Third Prince\'s wife, it was a mix of disappointment and anxiousness.
But the women didn\'t mind these discussions. They also expect Eli not to take the gossip into her heart.
For if she happened to really enter the Imperial Family, these are one of the things she needed to resist and try to live with. Rumors, gossip, slander, and all sorts of plots are not uncommon inside the palace walls.
Attacks may come from anywhere, they may come from outside the palace or they can appear directly inside. Nevertheless, this is something that comes with the fact that they are a member of the Imperial Family.
"Lady Eli, I\'ve been looking forward to the day I would be able to meet you and have a talk like this!" Evelyn was like Antoine in terms of how she socialized with people.
During her youth, she was the Rose of the High Society in the Seirende Empire, capable and dazzling that only a man at the level of a prince could match her prestige.
She opened the conversation as they entered the lounge where the servants attentively served them tea and refreshments as they sat comfortably on their chairs.
"Yes… Lady… would you want to tell me how you came up with the water pressure and heater device? Oh, you don\'t know how much my maids were rejoicing when it was installed in the palace! It was truly a life saver!" Arielle also seconded.
"Well it all started with my desire to have my life become much more convenient… (because I was pregnant at that time…)"
Eli then obliged to answer their questions generously as long as it won\'t lead them to the exposure of Little Han.