Read Novel Full Chapter 227: The Wedding Part 1
Chapter 227: The Wedding Part 1
Richard had many enemies who hated him to the bone.
They could not do anything to him, but dealing with Sister Lisa and Mrs. Wilson would be extremely easy.
He understood Lilith’s decision, so he nodded.
What mattered was that Mrs. Wilson and Sister Lisa would still be able to witness the wedding.
"Alright, then I’ll head out first," Richard said.
He stepped out of the inn, and Grace did not follow.
She seemed to want to accompany Mrs. Wilson instead.
Once outside, Richard found the chief steward waiting with a group of white-armored knights on horseback and a luxurious carriage completely plated in gold.
The chief steward immediately approached him with a friendly smile.
"Sir Richard, we are here to escort you. Please board the carriage. We will accompany you to the palace," he said.
Richard nodded, glanced at the carriage, and then stepped inside.
It even had a set of stairs, making it easy for him to board.
Inside the carriage, there was only a single enhanced seat facing forward, along with the driver’s seat.
Apparently, the chief steward himself would act as the coachman.
"Chief steward, have the guests already arrived?" Richard asked as the carriage began to move.
"Yes, most of the guests have already arrived," the chief steward replied.
"Are there any guests from foreign nations?"
Richard had not been involved in the invitation process, so he did not even know who had been invited. As for domestic guests, only the most elite nobles had been invited, since it would be impossible to invite them all or the palace would be overcrowded.
"We sent invitations to all top factions in the Eastern Region, as well as some factions from other regions that have friendly relations with the Royal Family. They all sent representatives. For example, the Order of the Peak World sent Gray," the chief steward replied.
Hearing Gray’s name, Richard finally knew that he was doing well.
"Oh right, the Holy Light Kingdom didn’t send anyone," the chief steward added with a laugh.
"But we can assume they’re simply too busy repairing the damage to their capital."
Richard nodded. He had already expected that they wouldn’t send anyone.
After all, it was no secret that their prince, Prince Charles, had long been in love with Lilith.
They were even the same age. Now that Lilith was marrying another man, Prince Charles was likely filled with anger.
"What about the Order of the Crimson Veil?" Richard asked again.
"They sent a group of young people led by the grandson of their youngest Great Ancestor, Luke," the chief steward replied.
"Oh, him again." Richard had not expected his arrival.
Though there was conflict between them, it wasn’t too severe.
Still, Richard couldn’t help but stay vigilant. Anyone from the Order of the Crimson Veil could potentially come looking for trouble.
With the knights escorting them, Richard’s carriage easily made its way toward the city center, which was now extremely lively.
Not everyone could enter the palace, but many people were watching from outside, holding their own celebrations as a show of respect to the Queen.
It was already night, and the capital was dazzlingly bright with countless light sources lit up.
When Richard finally saw the palace, he was quite shocked to find that its walls seemed to glow.
The gates were open, but heavily guarded by knights.
Richard even spotted Augus among the guards.
He and his team were responsible for inspecting arriving guests to ensure that they posed no threat.
When he saw Richard’s carriage, Augus immediately stopped all activity and cleared the way so the carriage could enter without delay.
Only the carriage entered. The mounted knights escorting it stopped outside the gate.
Richard quickly saw the palace courtyard filled with tables laden with various seafood dishes, along with guests who all looked distinguished.
Domestic and foreign guests were naturally separated.
The domestic guests were near the palace entrance, while the foreign guests were closer to the walls, seated at larger tables with more food.
Richard felt countless gazes focusing on him as he entered through the gate.
Among the foreign guests, Richard immediately spotted Gray, dressed in a black cloak, standing beside a tall woman with short black hair. She was Laura, Gray’s actual girlfriend.
Elise was naturally absent. She was from the Central Region, and her clan did not have close ties with the Holy Star Kingdom, so they had not been invited.
Luke’s group from the Order of the Crimson Veil was naturally the most eye-catching, even though they were just a group of young people.
Almost no one dared to treat them disrespectfully.
They looked busy enjoying fruits and wine, only briefly glancing at Richard before acting indifferent.
Richard’s gaze shifted to the domestic guests.
He even saw his cousin from the Moonshadow Clan, Jack Moonshadow, who still looked young but noticeably plumper.
As the young master of the strongest clan under the kingdom, all the guests treated him very well.
Even the dukes greeted him.
Richard also saw Duke Dasmond speaking with several middle-aged men around his age.
Each of them was accompanied by their wives.
Three of those women were actually friends who had gotten drunk together with the Red Star Empress.
However, although Richard saw Prince Alex standing alone in a corner, he did not see the Red Star Empress.
Naturally, it was impossible for her not to attend.
She might not be Lilith’s mother, but her status in the palace was far from ordinary.
Richard suspected that she was inside the palace together with Lilith.
The chief steward quickly stepped down from the driver’s seat and walked to the carriage door.
"Sir Richard, please step down," he said.
Richard stepped out of the carriage, tidying his robe—even though it wasn’t actually wrinkled from sitting. The fabric itself was the type that didn’t crease.
It was merely a reflexive action.
He looked toward the gate as guests who had not yet entered were ushered inside.
Among them, Richard quickly spotted Sister Lisa’s group.
Naturally, they were an unfamiliar group.
Whether it was Sister Lisa or Mrs. Wilson, many people wondered who they were, especially since they didn’t possess any noble aura.
Fortunately, Grace was with them.
Her stunning beauty, cold demeanor, and threatening aura were enough to make most nobles refrain from looking down on their group.
Grace clearly had no interest in joining the Moonshadow Clan’s group. She chose a table in a corner instead, followed by Mrs. Wilson and Sister Lisa.
Young men stared at her with admiration, but none dared to think of approaching her.
Many of them knew her identity.
Not only was she a powerful Magus at a young age, but her mother was Rebecca—a woman who had the right to look down on all men in the Holy Star Kingdom. No one felt worthy enough for Grace.
No one guessed that the groom of the day had slept with her many times already and knew every hidden detail of her body.
"Sir Richard, the Queen still needs some time to prepare. Please feel free to interact with anyone, or if you prefer, you may simply sit and wait," the chief steward said with a smile.
Richard wondered what he should do while waiting for Lilith.
With so many eyes on him, he felt awkward doing anything at all.
To his surprise, Duke Dasmond suddenly walked toward him with his group.
Richard immediately frowned, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
Although not all members of Dasmond’s group were on opposing paths with him—and some were even close friends of the Red Star Empress—Richard still felt uneasy facing Dasmond, who practically harbored deep resentment toward him.
Still, they were all high-status individuals. Even the palace chief steward saluted each of them.
"Boy, why are you still standing there? Greet them properly. These are the highest nobles of the kingdom who also carry royal blood. In other words, they are your seniors, and you should show them respect," Dasmond spoke directly to Richard in a tone that sounded like he was lecturing him.
Naturally, it was reasonable for someone who was about to marry the Queen to become acquainted with nobles of royal blood.
Richard forced a smile despite his displeasure toward Dasmond.
"Greetings, sir and madam," he said, greeting the nobles.
Some smiled back at him, while others looked cold.
"I’m Richard," he continued, introducing himself.
They even called their children over to be introduced to him.
Although the idea had come from Dasmond, no trouble arose during the introductions. In fact, some of them were quite friendly toward him.
Richard felt that this was not solely Dasmond’s idea, but rather the will of the other nobles. Dasmond had merely stepped forward to lead, showing off his influence as Lilith’s uncle.
"By the way, Richard, you said your name is Richard, but you didn’t mention your full name. Of course, we know you grew up in an orphanage, but considering that you now possess power and influence, you should have already discovered your background. We want to know—are you truly from the Moonshadow Clan?"
Suddenly, one of them questioned Richard about his identity.
She was a friend of the Red Star Empress, the same woman who had once wished for her husband’s death so that she could take a young lover.
The topic of his identity was one of the biggest questions surrounding him.
Others who heard the question turned their gazes toward Richard.