Almost every invited guest had arrived in Adenberd before the promised day. Even before the banquet, this was a great chance for the high society to mingle and together discuss the matters of business, power, and politics.
This would of course be done in the typical way that the rich and so-called sophisticated do—with the spice of gossip and the venom of jabbing words
And for this reason, Albaer had prepared many events as starters before the main course such as the Tournament between Wandering Knights and the hunting competition in the forest.
The news had already been circulated long ago, far and wide through various channels that a tournament would be held and so along with the rich guests, came their knights as well.
The nobles would entertain themselves by betting on the winner and seeing the spectacle of exciting battles. And in addition, they would send in their Family's pledged knights into the fray to assert themselves as strong among their counterparts.
Not only the knights in service but also those best known as 'wandering knights' or 'rogue knights' had arrived at Adenberd to participate.
The day was brimming with the vitality of youth as the sun shone brightly in the sky above the heads of the young knights in their shining armor in the castle's courtyard.
Luxurious tents were set up in the courtyard for the special guests made of silk while the curtains and carpets in them were of velvet with comfortable cushioned sitting arrangements.
Plates of fruits, snacks, and wine were being served upon demand by the servants as one by one both the audience and the participants started pouring into the made-up Arena.
It was a large enough battle ring with sufficient space to move around, the ground was covered with white sand, and fences were placed surrounding the field for the audience to see safely from a distance.
The entire White Family arrived in the courtyard at the very end after everyone else had been seated in their designated tent.
Both House Farley and Stout had been placed beside the central tent where the White Family's place was as the host.
Then there were the nobles with titles of Marquee, Earl, and Count along with allies, and dignitaries most significant such as The Royal Physicist, envoys, etc in an orderly manner according to their relations and significance with the White Family.
This was also the first time when Ethan showed his face in public in front of the high society. He was seated beside Albaer and his sister, Naenna.
Albaer stood, raised his arm, and the clamorous Arena calmed down immediately as everyone paid close attention to the opening speech he was about to give.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, today we gather on this auspicious day for this Knight's Tournament! Swords shall clash and blood shall be shed! This is the Arena of Men and Warriors! Those afraid of death, leave now! Those brave enough to face death in the eye, fight, and win! For the champion shall get the prize of 1000 Gold Coins!" Albaer announced with a resolute voice making everyone's blood pump faster in excitement.
"HOOOOO!"
Needless to say, no one left but instead, a unanimous, resounding war cry sounded from all the participants.
"Good! Then my brave warriors! The Tournament begins now!" Albaer announced in a loud and encouraging tone.
"Hooray!" The audience cheered happily scrutinizing every knight on the sidelines standing solemnly in a battle-ready state.
Albaer smiled with satisfaction as he turned his head from side to side going over everyone once again. He then sat down on his seat and Albert took the stage after bowing.
"Gentlemen, the rules are simple. You win by making your opponent incapable of fighting. In the Arena, it doesn't matter who you are! If you suffer any losses then you shall not harbor any ill feelings toward your opponent! What happens in the ring stays in the ring….!"
Albert began shouting out the rules and instructions of the tournament and shortly after the preliminary rounds began.
…
…
Meanwhile, as the tournament started, everyone was having their own discussions between their family, subordinate, or advisors. The topics varied individually as some observed the participants to decide who to bet on while some commented on the other guests present.
Some of them also speculated as to why the Stout Family was so close with the Whites all of a sudden. The possibilities were few but no one thought that the actual reason was matrimony.
"So that's our son-in-law?" Lady Stout whispered to Yunugiv as she averted her gaze from Ethan who was calmly observing the proceedings of the tournament.
"Yes, he is," Yunugiv said while nodding in approval.
"I am rather worried, you know…" She muttered, sneaking a glance at Anicia.
"Yes, I know. But you know as well my dear, this world in itself is cruel and on top of that when people have ever more of a reason to harm you, the risk becomes quite evident. Anicia is our daughter, she is also a noble just like us and him! She knows well what that means. Fearing what might happen is the last thing we, as nobles should do. I only hope that the boy will keep her safe and happy."
Yunugiv said with a sigh of helplessness as he looked at Anicia's face which was brimming with happiness as she keenly observed the proceedings of preliminary rounds.
While on the other hand, in one of the other tents, the Royal Physician muttered under his breath looking at Ethan, "Ohh… That boy has grown well! I see he hasn't changed that much from when he was an infant! Haha!"
"Clang!"
"Thud!"
"Shiiing!"
The sound of the clashing of swords suddenly rang out grabbing everyone's attention as the first match of the preliminary round ended even before starting.
To everyone's surprise, one of the knights could be seen collapsed on the ground with his sword thrown off far away as the other knight, their face covered with a helmet, had their sword tip pointed dangerously close to the knight's neck who was on his knees.
"I surrender! I surrender!" He yelled out desperately, sweat dripping down his face.
The Arena became silent for a moment as everything had happened too fast for anyone to see.
But then like a chain reaction, the Arena erupted into cheers and gasps of excitement after Ethan began clapping in praise.
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