Chapter 15: Contention
After defeating the Siris allied forces, a grand celebratory banquet was held in the Macedonian palace. The city-state nobles who came to the banquet had already formed a long line in front of the palace gates.
After all, everyone could see that with King Philip’s decisive victory in this battle, Macedonia’s dominance over the Siris Peninsula was unshakeable.
As the King of Macedonia, King Philip had effectively become the master of all Siris.
It had become the consensus of the Macedonian aristocracy to curry favor with King Philip, or with his heir, Prince Alexander, whose future was bright, and thus gain benefits within the entire Macedonian-Siris system.
Moreover, it was said that Prince Alexander had not yet chosen his future queen.
Many Macedonian nobles even used their connections within the court to subtly inquire whether Prince Alexander had designated a female companion for this banquet.
The answers they received were surprisingly consistent: he had.
As for who it was specifically, no comment.
In a luxuriously decorated dressing room in a side hall of the Macedonian palace:
“I have a bit of a headache.” Peggy said, holding her forehead.
“Miss, perhaps the corset is too tight. I’ll loosen it for you.” The maid said immediately.
“Sylvia, I’ll ask again,” Peggy said irritably. “Why do I have to attend that celebratory banquet with your prince?”
“Because according to the customs of our kingdom, when His Highness attends royal social occasions, he must be accompanied by a female companion.” Sylvia said with a smile.
“Of course, this doesn’t mean that you have any relationship with His Highness, it’s just a formal accompaniment.”
“Then why not choose you?” Peggy said.
“My family background is a bit sensitive.” Sylvia still smiled. “In fact, the reason His Highness chose you is precisely because you have no background or connections, you’re as clean as a blank slate.”
“And His Highness hopes that this celebratory banquet will be a purely military celebration, not a political meeting that sends some sensitive signal, making other families suspicious and probing.”
“For His Highness, this kind of political struggle is not only boring, but also an insult to the Macedonian soldiers who sacrificed in this war.”
“I don’t understand.” Peggy sighed. “Forget it. Just don’t forget what you promised me.”
“You mean finding that Mr. Asker, right?” Sylvia said with a smile. “Of course, we will keep our promise.”
“And please remember, Miss Peggy: Your current identity is Andrea, a noble lady from Athens. Other than that, if anyone asks you about other identity information, you don’t need to answer anything, just keep smiling.”
“That’s too difficult.” Peggy said.
Sylvia: …
“Is there anything difficult about it?” Sylvia asked with a smile.
“It’s tiring to pretend to be a noble lady, and it’s even more tiring to keep smiling the whole time.” Peggy complained. “And, since it’s a banquet, why am I not allowed to eat! And I have to deal with conversations that might come up at any time!”
Sylvia was speechless.
In fact, countless noble ladies in Macedonia would be eager to be the Prince’s female companion at the banquet, and their families would be willing to pay a fortune for this precious opportunity.
But the lucky person in front of her didn’t seem to have any concept of this, just kept complaining.
As if being the Prince’s companion was a very troublesome thing for her.
“Please bear with it a little longer, after all, the banquet is about to begin, it’s not appropriate to change people at the last minute.” Sylvia could only patiently appease her.
Peggy sighed and let the maid braid her hair, boredly puffing out her cheeks at the mirror.
Half an hour later, Peggy, dressed in an evening gown, was escorted by Sylvia to the foyer before the banquet.
Prince Alexander was already waiting there. He was handsome and tall, with a polite smile on his face. He was wearing a well-fitting military uniform, his whole being looking heroic and extraordinary, even the maids standing next to him were secretly peeking and blushing.
“Your Highness, I have brought your little moon.” Sylvia said with a smile.
“Little moon?” Peggy asked.
“It’s a dialect from our hometown, used to describe a petite and beautiful young lady with fair skin.” Sylvia explained.
“Thank you, Sylvia.” Alexander nodded. After watching Lady Sylvia leave, he turned to Peggy with a smile.
This mysterious girl, who had suddenly appeared in his helicopter a few days ago, had no family background or social connections. Even after the Macedonian Ministry of Civil Affairs requested access to the Athens database, they couldn’t find any information related to her.
It was as if she had fallen from the sky.
The royal advisor advised him to stay away from this girl. However, after this period of observation, Alexander had confirmed that this Miss Peggy was just an ordinary girl.
She should have received a middle-class education, she was literate, and had some knowledge, but she knew nothing about upper-class etiquette.
She was also straightforward and without any scheming, with a bit of a temper from time to time, which made Alexander feel a little novel.
After all, in the Macedonian capital, no one who knew his identity dared to show him any attitude.
“Miss Peggy,” Alexander said politely, “you look absolutely beautiful today. I think the entire royal banquet will be enhanced by your presence.”
“Your Highness Alexander.” Peggy, following the etiquette taught by Sylvia, slightly bowed her head like a Siris lady, and then said bluntly, “You have too much powder on your face, it’s too greasy.”
“Is there a lot of powder on my face?” Alexander raised his eyebrows and touched his chin.
“Of course.” Peggy said, “It’s still falling off.”
“I understand.” Alexander nodded and said to the maid next to him, “Take me to the washroom, I need to wash my face.”
“But Your Highness!” The maid hurriedly reminded him, “The banquet is about to begin!”
“It’s okay to be a little late, after all, I won the battle.” Alexander said nonchalantly.
A moment later, Alexander returned, his face clean, and asked Peggy, “How about now?”
“It’s much fresher now.” Peggy frowned at him. “But you still look a bit effeminate.”
She took the ceremonial sword from the pillar next to her, handed it to Alexander, and said:
“Hang it on your waist and hold it with one hand, that will make you look more handsome.”
“Like this?” Alexander tried it.
“Yes.” Peggy looked him over. “Now you finally look a bit manly.”
“The Asker you often mention, does he usually dress like this?” Alexander asked casually.
“Yes, he’s a mercenary.” Peggy said, “Of course, mercenaries have to carry weapons with them to deal with all kinds of unexpected dangers.”
“But this isn’t a battlefield.” The maid next to her covered her mouth and smiled. “This is the royal palace of Macedonia.”
“So what if it’s the royal palace, can’t there be danger in the royal palace?” Peggy retorted. “Caesar was assassinated in the Senate!”
Who is Caesar? The maids looked at each other.
“Alright, alright.” Alexander said with a smile. “I’ve done as you said, Miss Peggy. Can you accompany me to the banquet now?”
Peggy frowned unhappily, feeling that this man was like dough, no matter how she attacked him with words, she couldn’t hurt him at all.
“After this banquet, you have to help me find Asker.” Peggy emphasized.
“Naturally.” Alexander nodded in agreement.
In fact, the people he sent out had almost turned the entire Thracian plain upside down, but they couldn’t find a mercenary named Asker.
Alexander gracefully offered his arm, and Peggy, with an unnatural expression, lightly placed her hand on his arm. Accompanied by the maids, they entered the banquet hall.
As the Prince of Macedonia and his female companion, the moment they entered the banquet hall, they were bathed in the gazes of all the guests.
After all, he was the tall and handsome Prince Alexander, known as the “Golden Noble.”
After a brief and appropriate speech, Alexander took Peggy to the main seat at the banquet table.
Peggy stared at the bowl of crème brûlée in front of her, stunned for a moment, and quietly asked Alexander:
“Can I eat this?”
“Yes.” Alexander also whispered to her, “As long as no one sees.”
So Peggy picked up a spoon and, while everyone around them was chatting and mingling, began to secretly eat the crème brûlée in the bowl.
Alexander watched her sneaky movements, finding it extremely amusing, and a smile appeared on his face.
A moment later, his expression darkened because a luxuriously dressed woman entered the banquet hall, accompanied by maids.
It was Cleopatra, his father King Philip’s concubine.
His so-called “stepmother.”
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