The astonishing beauty who stood at the entrance attracted the eyes of all the guests.
Even the musicians who were playing music stopped their movements in unison. The entire banquet hall fell silent, followed by small exclamations and gasps.
Cassia of Candice truly deserved her reputation. She wore her hair in a high pouf with false hair added for padding. This gave her an amazing volume of hair which didn’t look heavy or clumsy at all, but rather fluffy and light like a cloud.
The current fashion of aristocratic women was to pile all their ornaments on a high bouffant, which made them appear resplendently covered with jewels. But she only wore two crimson camellia flowers at her temples, with a few extremely rare black pearls draped around them.
The contrast of deep blood red and sparkling jet black, set against the background of her golden hair, looked bright and vivid and made a strong visual contrast. Her small earlobes also wore two black pearls, which repeated the style throughout.
Her face was painted pale, but her cheeks were slightly tinted with peach powder, and her lips were very light pink. At first glance it looked like she’d just had a serious illness, weak but with a little vitality.
Her eyes were emerald green and should have been full of spring, but when placed on her face they were cheerless and cold.
She seemed well-accustomed to the sight of everyone swooning over her, and after looking around she walked into the banquet hall with graceful steps. The beauty and charm of the roses under her feet wasn’t even a tenth of her own.
A high-ranking nobleman hurried towards her, his voice full of excitement, “My dear, it’s so good to see you here! Since last we parted, I could only miss you bitterly in my dreams. Please allow me to dance with you!”
Cassia stared at the man for a few moments and didn’t seem to remember who he was. There were simply too many people who admired her. If all of them gathered together, they would form a queue from Polsa to Desolette.
But she quickly concealed the doubt in her eyes, extended her hand, and said in a gentle voice, “It would be my pleasure to dance with you.”
She spoke of pleasure but her beautiful face remained as cold as frost. It was difficult for onlookers to find even a trace of a smile in her deep, serene eyes.
When her lips parted and revealed a voice as beautiful as an oriole, the silent hall became even more quiet. It took a few seconds for the gathering to return to life. Music, conversation and laughter, clinking glasses, all kinds of sounds crowded the magnificent castle in an instant.
Many men went to Cassia, hurrying with eager steps and infatuated faces. They flocked to this peerless beauty, competing to say a few words and claim a dance with her.
Although the other noblewomen and courtesans still had decent smiles on their faces, their eyes were full of disdain.
Bitch! Perhaps they cursed like this in their hearts. Things that are too beautiful always inspire resentment.
Jian Qiao supported his forehead with one hand while the other gently stroked the round belly of his glass of juice, watching this Cassia with interest. As a jewelry designer he certainly knew how to appreciate beauty when he saw it.
“Is she beautiful?” Rege asked in a low voice. He expressionlessly drank up a glass of red wine.
“Quite beautiful,” Jian Qiao replied succinctly.
Rege grinned, and though he seemed to be smiling, the smile didn’t reach the bottom of his eyes. He beckoned to the attendant with a wave. “Bring me a bottle of spirits.”
Soon a bottle of liquor was delivered to him. He filled up a glass for himself and drank it all in one gulp, and his eyes darkened a few points. He didn’t know why but he suddenly felt very unhappy! He even thought it was a mistake to invite Cassia to the banquet!
The eyes of Prince Andrew, who was sitting beside him, were also dark. He stared straight at Cassia and said in a hoarse voice, “It’s said that she’s never sought a benefactor. Is that true?”
The so-called benefactor was a financial backer.
These great nobles liked to hang around the flowers, but they didn’t want the flower they fancied to be sniffed by other people at the same time. In order to isolate her from the bees outside, he would move the flower into his own garden and become its owner.
Of course, it was necessary to ensure he could provide enough fertilizer to support the flower so its blossom would open only for him.
Every courtesan wanted to find a distinguished patron, as this was the best outcome she could arrange for herself. Charles III’s mistress, Lady Dupont, had been a courtesan. It was precisely because she had a good benefactor that she achieved this leap in rank.
“Yes, it’s strange she’s never sought a benefactor,” Rege said, wrinkling his brow.
It was quite rare for someone like Cassia to choose to swim in sewage when she obviously had the means to go ashore. She seemed to enjoy everything that came with her identity, but her status was low.
As a result, Rege couldn’t help but have a few doubts. At the moment he could find ten thousand reasons to criticize this woman.
Prince Andrew said confidently, “No, it’s not surprising at all. She knows her worth, so she’s looking for the best home. She’s very wise to wait and sell for the right price. But the person she’s waiting for has already appeared, and that’s me.”
Rege: “…”
Jian Qiao turned his head away, concealing the ridicule in his eyes.
The rest of the noblemen, however, echoed Prince Andrew’s remarks. They encouraged him to go to the beauty to pay court. Maybe he’d be able to take her home tonight and win her affections.
An unfamiliar guest mingled among the group of great lords and said in a low voice, “Don’t you know Cassia’s routine? A benefactor is just a shackle to her, serving no purpose but to bind her free spirit, so she never seeks out a patron.
“But in every place she goes, she always seeks a lover. Before she wanders on to the next city, she gives this person all her tenderness and love. They nestle with each other in perfect harmony and indulgence. Together they forget the barriers of rank and status, forget the constraints of ethics and morality, forget everything at all, and live only for the happiness before them. What she wants is a pure, fiery, intense love. If you judge her thoughts and conduct by common standards, you really belittle her.”
The Cassia described by this man was undoubtedly a unique woman with the most passionate nature.
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Jian Qiao tilted his head back and gave the guest a keen look.
Rege noticed he was fascinated. His face couldn’t help but become gloomy.
Prince Andrew and the cluster of great nobles, however, listened with interest and admiration.
Cassia had the hardness and coldness of ice, the warmth and gentleness of a spring breeze, and the unbridled passion and enthusiasm of fire, and these contradictory qualities combined to give her a lethal attractiveness.
There wasn’t a man who didn’t want to conquer such a woman!
“I must have her!” Prince Andrew stared fiercely at the woman who was surrounded by many men.
“Trying to get her is difficult if you say it’s difficult, easy if you say it’s easy.” The unfamiliar guest continued to summarize the situation. “It’s said that in every city, the first person who makes her laugh will eventually become her lover. All of you can try to see if you have the capability.”
“Just be the first to make her laugh?” one of the nobles asked before Prince Andrew could speak.
It seemed he also had his heart set on Cassia.
All the nobles here showed restless and eager expressions. Without their support, Prince Andrew was nothing. If they wanted to grab something from him they felt no apprehension.
“Yes, just be the first to make her laugh. That’s how every one of her lovers was chosen.” The unfamiliar guest nodded firmly.
“Andrew, you have one more competitor,” said another nobleman in high spirits.
“I’m in.”
“And me!”
They raised their hands one after another, igniting a war without weapons. Even if Prince Andrew had a hundred misgivings his mouth couldn’t say a word.
Rege was the only one who didn’t take a position. Not only that, there was a touch of mockery and disdain between his eyebrows. Would it be harder to make that woman laugh than the gentleman Earl? He didn’t think so.
Instead of spending a lot of effort to please that woman, he should think of ways to please the gentleman Earl. If the Earl’s unparalleled face were to blossom into a smile, what a surpassingly magnificent sight would that be?
Thinking of this, Rege’s eyes revealed a trace of longing.
Jian Qiao happened to catch a glimpse of this eagerness, so he asked in a low voice, “Do you want to participate too?”
“No! Not at all!” Rege hurriedly shook his head and resolutely denied it.
He wouldn’t dare dive into this mess in front of the gentleman Earl.
Prince Andrew joked, “My dear, why do you answer with such trepidation? Are you afraid of upsetting Jian Qiao? For God’s sake, don’t tell me you’re serious about Jian Qiao, you’re completely chained to him. In that case, I must give you a piece of advice—men and men are just a tool to vent desire, men and women are the rightful marriage of opposites. Come on, join our game to conquer the most beautiful woman in the world! You used to be an undefeated champion!”
“Who’s afraid of him? Who’s chained to him? There’s no such thing!” A feeling of unexplainable panic arose in Rege, whose heart was poked hard by these words. And the sensation of panic prompted him to say without thinking, “Fine, I’ll join too.”
Jian Qiao: “…”
He looked at his only good friend in silence, with an expression on his face that would take too long to describe. As expected, his earlier judgment was correct. This person was only three years old at most.
Only kindergarten children would participate in this boring, moronic game.
Rege scratched his nose in embarrassment, and his heart was suddenly filled with remorse. He felt he’d done something to wrong the gentleman Earl but couldn’t identify where he’d gone astray.
Prince Andrew, who was still a bit unhappy, had now become the most excited. He liked to play games, and this kind of game was undoubtedly very novel and exciting.
“Gentlemen, I shall defeat all of you today because I happened to bring a trump card,” he lifted his chin and declared smugly.
“Bring Zoe to me.” He clapped his hands.
The footman standing to the side disappeared, and a moment later returned with a short-figured, comical-looking female dwarf wearing a colorful bubble skirt. She lifted her hem and saluted this group of great nobles in the most elegant manner, but the more serious she was, the more of a gimmick she became.
Her short, chubby, winter melon figure made her look extremely ludicrous in everything she did.
Before she even began to caper about or act the fool, the crowd of great nobles were falling over themselves with laughter.
Rege also couldn’t help but laugh.
Only Jian Qiao frowned watching all this, with deep discomfort hidden in his eyes. No matter how long he stayed here, he was completely unable to get used to watching people treat a living person like a toy.
Rege glanced at him, so he also curbed his laughter. He knew it was the hardest thing in the world to make the gentleman Earl smile!
Prince Andrew pointed to the center of the stage and said to Zoe, “Go up and perform a show. Remember, your job is to amuse everyone here. If even a single person doesn’t laugh, I’ll flog you with a barbed whip!”
Zoe’s face went pale, but in the blink of an eye she put on a comical grin.
“Very well, you’ll see, master!” She ambled like a short winter melon to the center of the dance floor.
Looking at her rounded back, there was another burst of jeering laughter.
When he heard this exchange, Jian Qiao was taken aback, then he reached out his fingertips and stroked his pale thin lips.
TL Notes:
绝色佳人 – a stunning beauty – a stunner, a knockout. The title of chapter 7 was “绝代佳人”, “a peerless beauty unequalled in her generation”, referring to Lady Mia, the phrase is used again in this chapter for Cassia.
the rightful marriage of opposites – 阴阳的合一 – the unity of yin and yang, the two opposing principles in nature
常胜将军 – undefeated champion – ever-victorious general
侏儒 – dwarf – This is an AU so it’s possible a race of fantasy dwarfs really exists. However, it’s strongly implied that the Zoe character introduced in this chapter is a human with dwarfism / achondroplasia. I’ve chosen the word “dwarf” instead of more offensive terms that were suggested by the MTL. In my judgment it’s the least offensive and easiest to understand in context. Also, who knows, she could really be a fantasy dwarf. I may use “little person” at times, even when that term doesn’t exist in the raw. If you have suggestions or thoughts, feel free to comment, thanks.
Transliterated names, titles, and places—new in this chapter: