Chapter 120: The Banquet (Part One)
In the Adolph Palace.
The venerable old noblewoman arrived with her servants to inspect the tidied palace, ensuring it could properly receive esteemed guests.
The old noblewoman resembled a mother hen, with several maidservants following her like little chicks, heads bowed.
“I can’t believe the Emperor is actually inviting a succubus to the celebration banquet,” the old noblewoman said. “I’ve heard that succubi only wear underwear, shamelessly exposing large areas of skin, and wiggle their backsides like springtime deer. What if she shows up wearing so little? Kicking her out would be disrespectful to the Emperor.”
“Lord Walkma will be there too.” Walkma is the representative of the Sigma Church.
“He is devout, but he is a man, so he wouldn’t chase the succubus away. Men are like that,” the old noblewoman said, troubled. “Why is this tablecloth so short? It doesn’t even cover the legs of the table completely. What kind of implication is this? Hurry and get a longer tablecloth to cover the legs properly!”
“Yes, my lady.” The head maid turned and said, “Quickly, get a longer tablecloth.”
The original tablecloth, which only covered three-quarters of the table legs, was replaced with one that covered them thoroughly.
“No good!” The old noblewoman shook her head. “The tablecloth is too thin. You can see the shape of the table legs; what’s the difference between covering them and not? Don’t you have any loose, long pants? Put them on.”
“Yes, yes, my lady.”
The maidservants hurriedly scurried away.
“Why are all the maids young girls? It’s truly a moral decline,” the old noblewoman said. “The world is getting worse.”
Her servant quietly reminded, “Madam, this is what the Emperor requested.”
“I know. He is still a living Sigma. He could have been a better ruler, but regrettably, he was led astray in his youth by the filthy ‘whorehouse.’”
“The whorehouse” is a euphemism for the crude and filthy word for brothels.
“You are right, my lady.”
The maidservants were busily moving around, carrying out tasks, following the noblewoman and her servant.
The old noblewoman pointed at a nearby maid and shouted, “You! Stop.”
It was a maid with faint freckles, her figure covered tightly by a dark and gloomy uniform, but her youthful exuberance could not be concealed. The freckled maid approached obediently and softly asked, “Esteemed lady, what is your command?”
The old noblewoman swung her cane and struck her on the ankle, making the maid yelp in pain.
“Dare you cry out? You indecorous woman!” the old noblewoman said angrily. “Your skirt is so short it exposes your ankles.”
With tears brimming in her eyes, the freckled maid looked down at her skirt, which barely covered her ankles, and whispered, “Is this long enough?”
“Still trying to argue? You are exposing your ankles even when you run!” The old noblewoman struck her ankle again, causing the freckled maid to cry. “Do you think I don’t know what’s going on in the minds of you morally corrupt women? Do you think I wouldn’t notice if you secretly cut your skirt by a couple of centimeters?”
The head maid quickly rushed over and bowed, saying, “Esteemed lady, thank you for your guidance. I will surely punish her severely when we return; she will not appear tomorrow.”
The old noblewoman arrogantly nodded.
The head maid hurriedly took the freckled maid away.
The old noblewoman’s servant said, “May Sigma bless, my lady, though you are aged, your eyes remain keen.”
“Contact lenses. Many people think my eyes have grown dim and my mind muddled, underestimating me,” the old noblewoman replied. “But what they don’t realize is that without moral guardianship, morals will gradually decline. What’s the difference between those without morals and beasts?”
“My lady sees clearly.”
“It’s truly heartbreaking that the Emperor cannot see this. A man like him, seasoned in battle and wise, would not be enchanted by a succubus. But tomorrow, there will be many minors at the banquet, the future of the empire. The succubus will harm their psychological health, leading them to moral decay and sullying their pure eyes.”
“There is no need for concern, my lady. All the nobles will heed your call and resolutely avoid even glancing at the succubus tomorrow, ignoring her. If she is wise, she will find some excuse to leave early.”
“I have given her a decent opportunity; let’s see if she can grasp it.”
The old noblewoman and her servant walked around the palace several times, finding multiple points of moral decay, such as flowers by the restroom being too dull in color and too few.
By noon, the old noblewoman wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, looking at the palace, now much cleaner in moral standing.
A nearby servant praised, “My lady, you truly have worked hard, coming out to supervise on such a cold day.”
Finally, a smile appeared on the old noblewoman’s face as she said, “Let’s go back and have a good rest.”
Behind her, the maidservants were sweating profusely in the cold.
…
…
In the imperial capital of Adolph, afternoon.
The streets were bustling, with houses piled closely together on either side, and shop doors hung with “Victory Day Discounts” signs. A group of people draped in white towels walked by, beating a copper basin and shouting, “Chuname Bathhouse, Victory Day 20% off! Hot water is ready!”
“Old Charlie’s Bathhouse, Victory Day 20% off! Hot water ready! New beautiful laundry maid!”
“Hot water is ready…”
One voice louder than the other, these bathhouse workers tried to overpower each other like fighting roosters, seeking to outdo their competitors.
Four horses pulled a lavish carriage, slowly making its way along the stone road.
Jima sat in the carriage, bored, pulled open the window, leaning her hand on the frame, looking down at the shouting bathhouse workers. As a few of them were about to shout even louder, they caught sight of Jima and simultaneously fell silent.
Only a few stray calls could be heard, but it wasn’t long before the street quieted down. The annoying noises finally ceased.
The bathhouse workers shifted their gaze from Jima’s face to the lavish carriage and self-consciously stepped back.
Jima lowered the window and said to the seated Jenna beside her, “Good, now no one will be shouting to outdo each other anymore.”
Jenna radiated a faint white light, her demeanor pure and elegant, dressed in a spotless white dress, making it difficult to associate her saintly face with the rolling eyes she had upon losing last night’s match.
“Jima, you look particularly charming today,” Jenna said.
“Oh, I put on some makeup, with your assistance, of course.”
“I’m starting to regret it,” Jenna said. “The atmosphere in Adolph is very conservative, unlike in Malin City. I might lead you astray.”
Jima flicked her hair and smiled, “Today, I intend to be bold and flamboyant.”
Jenna glanced at the outfit Jima was wearing, hesitating to speak.
Jima smiled and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“This provocation doesn’t seem appropriate.”
“Is there a problem?” Jima spread her hands, “I’m not revealing anything, and I’m wearing proper underwear.”
“You look beautiful even in a skirt.”
“That would be boring,” Jima said. “Long skirts that drag on the ground aren’t convenient for dancing.”
