George silently counted and found that there were altogether 10 women. The number did not exceed what the royal family was allowed to have. Among them, six were guards, wearing short robes and leather pants for convenience. As soon as they entered the hall, they scattered and each took a position at a corner.

It was not surprising for a lord to keep some female guards. Actually, George also kept two in his mansion. He did not really expect them to fight but just had them for fun, especially when he went hunting in the wild. It always aroused him when he took off their seductive leather armor and cleaned their feet landing on top of them.

But it was weird to bring them on such a formal occasion.

In terms of physical strength, women were born to be weaker than men, and the gap between them was insurmountable. Therefore, most outstanding guards and knights were men. Except for having fun, no one would bring those women guards who were mere eye candies.

Not to mention the appearances of these women were... so unbearable.

George was not picky, but he believed that these women would be kicked out even in some low-grade brothels in Redwater City.

From their homely faces and rough skin, he guessed that they were about 30 or 40 years old. Wrinkles and dark spots spread nearly from their foreheads to chins. They had a slender figure due to long-term exercises, but their faces really turned any men off.

Did Roland Wimbledon have such a special taste?

However, when he turned his eyes to the woman holding the new king's arm, he immediately repudiated his previous a.s.sumption.

That was a gorgeous young woman who looked perfect from every angle. Her lake-blue eyes were like crystal gems and attracted anyone who looked at them. No doubt they were the most beautiful eyes George had ever seen.

Once she entered the hall, the crowd fell into silence for a moment. Even the appearance of Edith Kant, the Pearl of the Northern Region, had not created such a stir. If the girl had not stood beside the new king, she would definitely have been surrounded by most of the n.o.bles in the hall.

The last two women were veiled. It seemed that they did not want others to see their faces.

That was rare at a banquet, though acceptable. If you did not want to be seen, you could choose not to attend it. Dressing in this way would attract more attention.

"Have a drink?" Guye came over with two gla.s.ses of wine at the moment.

"Thanks," he took the gla.s.s, followed him to a corner of the hall, and asked, "Did you notice anything?"

"The woman beside Roland is... a little weird," whispered the Earl of Tririver. "Don't you think she's too gorgeous?"

"Did you notice that too?" George touched the G.o.d's Stone of Retaliation in his pocket and whispered, "I guess... she's probably a witch."

"I also think so. If she were from any n.o.ble family, it's impossible that we had never heard of her."

If was not a secret that Roland recruited a lot of witches. News of this kind spread from the king's city to Redwater. At first, the news only spread among the Rats, but then after the king's city was occupied and the church was defeated, more and more people talked about it. The new king did not publicly proclaim his att.i.tude, but people gradually stopped persecuting witches, as no one dared to go against the new king regarding this matter. However, few n.o.bles took the "recruitment" seriously.

In their opinion, a witch was like a woman guard. She would be kept for appreciation, and be used when they had special needs. After all, witches were renowned for their beauty. Even during the period when the church and Timothy were hunting down witches, some people would hide witches at risk of their lives.

Nevertheless, it was not understandable as to why Roland brought a witch to the banquet.

Did the constant victories make the new king lose his head and start to act recklessly in his private life? Or was he really serious about the woman...

George immediately denied his second guess.

Witches were infertile. That alone made it impossible for her to be his wife. Perhaps he brought her to the banquet on a whim.

However, that was good. When Roland was in his hands, this was undoubtedly excellent "evidence" of his crime.

He could blame Roland for ignoring the n.o.ble traditions, and even for insulting the ladies who came to the banquet with the n.o.bles. Of course, the criticism would not affect a royal family member much but would definitely incriminate that witch. As for how to punish her, of course, it would be decided by him.

Earl of Tririver apparently also had the same thought. He grinned and said, "You can't have her alone."

"Of course I won't forget you, old friend," said George, raising his gla.s.s, "I'll surely let you take the first shot."

They looked at each other, and could not help laughing after a moment.

The banquet went well. After drinking a toast with the new king, the n.o.bles with similar t.i.tles gathered together. The men talked about their recent hunting, harvest and affairs, while women talked about their delicate silk garments and luxurious jewelry.

George Nery was also surrounded by lots of n.o.bles. At least it appeared that his supporters were no less than that of the lord of Redwater City. Some people who had been on the fence also started to approach him, as they had apparently heard the rumor that the king was prepared to abolish their feudal power. George had more confidence now, and his previous inexplicable uneasiness gradually faded away.

That was right. He had enough time.

Roland Wimbledon, after all, was an outsider, and he had to make exponential efforts if he wanted to make any changes. However, the Rock family had been living here for hundreds of years, so he was naturally at a geographical advantage. This advantage became even more palpable when Roland appeared to be reckless and arrogant. Now George even believed that they could directly capture the new king just with the guards of his and those of the earl of Tririver's, as well as Levitan and other n.o.bles.

However, after thinking for a moment, George gave up this idea. After all, the Lakeside Villa was an open s.p.a.ce and was hard for them to hold. They also have difficulty in transferring troops, so it would be more appropriate to carry out his plan when Roland lived in the castle.

Just after two days, the young king would be a caged bird.

"Please be quiet." Just then, Earl Delta suddenly clapped his hands and drew everyone's attention to the center of the hall. He said, "His Majesty wants to tell you something."

George put a piece of juicy spareribs into his mouth and thought, "Is he going to make the closing speech? Finally, the banquet is over."

"First of all, I would like to thank Earl Delta for preparing this sumptuous banquet. I'm also pleased to see so many people be invited here," said Roland, looking around the hall with a smile, "If I remember correctly, nearly all the n.o.bles around Redwater City have come?"

Seeing his smile, George could not help feeling a chill. He thought, "It's that smile again... A fake smile. His smile simply hanged his lips... What's he thinking?"

"Except for two who are ill, the rest of the invitees are here, Your Majesty," Delta nodded.

"Well, I'll take this opportunity and tell you directly," said Roland slowly, with his hands behind his back, "From now on, Redwater City and the domains around it will belong to me, the king of Graycastle. It won't be conferred in the future. In other words..." He paused and said, "None of you will be hereditary n.o.bles any longer."