Chapter 200: Tit for tat

Chapter Two Hundred
That evening, in the courtyard of the Ducal Mansion in Xiqiu City, a grand dinner was held. Local officials in Xiqiu, representatives of local aristocratic families, and some celebrities with good looks were all present, just to welcome the Duke Tulip and his party. 's arrival
In a banquet hall in the other courtyard, the men and women were all dressed in costumes and shuttled back and forth. The surrounding bands played brisk music, people talked in low voices, the clinking of wine glasses from time to time, and the brisk sound Movement, these sounds are mixed together. Roddy and Nicole appear together.
Tonight Nicole wore a red evening dress. The back part of the dress showed a "v"-shaped split, revealing half of the white and smooth back, and the golden hair was twisted behind his head. The simple knot was then draped on the smooth back. The whole person was like a delicate and blooming rose, attracting the eyes of countless men at the banquet.
And Roddy wore a very exquisitely tailored dress, which perfectly showed his slender and strong figure. There were not too many gorgeous decorations on the dress, which made him look full of masculinity!
Nicole gently took Roddy's arm and snuggled against Roddy's side. The smile on his face was full of the smell of a happy woman. From time to time, his eyes intersect with Roddy's eyes beside him. Everyone around him can see clearly the tenderness of water.
Many people are wondering what the identity of the young man standing next to the Duke’s sister is—then they learned that the young man named Roddy is the commander of the guarding army for the Duke’s trip this time. An officer of the Royal Guards, Viscount Roddy of the Empire.
Some people have some doubts in their hearts: This young man, who is obviously favored by the Tulip family, is not from a big family? Just a little officer of the Royal Guard, a little viscount?
But more people think deeply-the interpersonal relationships in the upper social circles are complicated, maybe this young man has some background behind him...
There are also one or two well-informed people who have heard the rumors about Roddy as a young man in the imperial capital. Seeing Roddy's eyes can't help but feel relieved and awed.
Many people surrounded Nicole and Roddy. Although Roddy didn't like this kind of communication between nobles, but fortunately he had undergone strict training, and the status of the former Duke of Tulip also made He has considerable experience, and he can deal with it easily-and the feeling in the hearts of others, they all feel that this young man's behavior has a standard aristocratic temperament, and all affirmed the guess in his mind: this young man There must be an extraordinary background!
Seeing Miss Nicole cuddling next to this young man all night, and that young man clasped Nicole's waist with one hand, and kept the two of them together in a standard couple's posture-which made a lot of The men with high ambitions tonight are extremely depressed.
Many people attended the banquet tonight, they came prepared. Although they knew that Duke Tulip would not be present, Miss Nicole was also their target! As the eldest daughter of the Tulip family, Miss Nicole's beauty has long been famous! Moreover, she currently has no partner of the opposite sex, which gives many people hope! Especially some young aristocrats with good family background and a little bit of influence, tonight are all dressed in grand costumes...
Without giving anyone any chance, Roddy and Nicole were together throughout the dinner, just like a pair of lovers in love.
Nicole always has a smile on her face tonight. The rumored indifference and arrogant temper of the eldest daughter of the Tulip family is completely different-but it can be seen that her tender smile is just To Roddy alone. When she talked to other people, that smile was entirely ceremonial.
Especially in the face of a few flies who do not live or die, Nicole simply looks cold and daunting.
Halfway through the dinner, Nicole's cheeks were already stained red, and she seemed to have had a lot of wine tonight. As the heroine tonight, she is the focal point among everyone and the only representative of the Tulip family. Gradually, she was a little overwhelmed with alcohol, and she hung softly on Roddy's body, and her scent of wine steamed, filling her face with a seductive blush, delicate and charming.
Roddy sighed, only he felt Nicole's abnormality tonight-she simply drank so much alcohol on purpose. In fact, since the conversation between the two in the afternoon, Nicole's mood has been a little strange. Although she is calm on the surface, Roddy can feel the waves in her heart.
What surprised Roddy was that he actually saw Nedith at the banquet tonight! ! !
When Nedith walked in, the banquet was already halfway through!
This incredibly seductive woman wore a very conservative long dress tonight, and wrapped her impressive figure tightly!
It's just that the charming smile on her face, and the attractive look in her eyes, formed a very sharp contrast with the outfit on her body!
This woman is definitely a fairy who understands the psychology of men very much!
In the hearts of most men, when such a seductive woman wears clothes that look like a saint, this kind of stark difference will inspire reveries in men's hearts...
And what makes Roddy a headache is that Nedith clearly saw Roddy-in fact it is impossible to not see, Roddy stood next to Nicole tonight, has become the focus.
There was a bit of hatred in Nedith's eyes, and then she put on a smile, and walked over with a silver wine glass...
In just a dozen steps, every step she took, her waist gently swayed like a willow, making the eyes of the men around him almost straight!
Roddy felt a little headache right away-did this woman come to make trouble?
The gazes of the straight-eyed men around were full of fascination. It was obvious that they all knew Nedith. A few people of not low status immediately gathered around, with a flattering smile on their faces, leading Nedith to come. Roddy and Nicole's side.
The introduction by the person next to him made Roddy slightly surprised-originally he meant that Nidis was just a tavernkeeper.
"This is Miss Nedith, the president of Xiqiu's liquor guild."
Xiqiu's Auxiliary Officer began to introduce, and then Nedith gracefully raised the wine glass and nodded slightly. Said softly: "Miss Nicole, hello, this is Nedith. It is my honor to witness the charming style of the Tulip family tonight."
Although a little drunk, Nicole's eyes immediately showed a bit of vigilance-this is a woman's nature, when a good woman meets another strange and good woman, this vigilance is natural.
Almost subconsciously, Ni relied on Roddy's gesture to become more intimate again, then raised her chin slightly and said in a low voice, "Miss Nedis, hello."
Nedith smiled slightly, and slowly stretched out her hand to Roddy-with the back of her hand down.
Roddy hesitated for a while, frowned and pulled up Nedith's hand, making a kiss.
Immediately a few people began a hypocritical conversation. The kind of harmony that was deliberately disguised made Roddy a little uncomfortable-the only thing that made him a little puzzled was that Xiqiu was no stranger to this place!
In fact, after returning from the Northwest War, he put down the rebellion of the last adjutant in Xiqiu! At that time, he killed many people in Xiqiu, and almost shuffled the power pattern of the entire Xilin Province! And this Nedis, when he reorganized Xiqiu, had never heard of it!
But in this posture tonight, it seems that Nedis's status in the upper circle here does not seem to be low, even the adjutant next to her, when talking to her, has a faint respect...
"Miss Nedis." Roddy finally said: "Just now, your magistrate mentioned that you are the leader of the Xiqiu Winery Guild, but based on what I know, it seems that you have never heard of your name before—of course, please Forgive my ignorance in the imperial capital."
Nedith smiled lightly and looked at a noble man in his thirties next to him lightly. After Nedith's gaze swept over the man, his face was immediately red, and he straightened his back and said with pride: "Lord Roddy , You don’t know. Miss Nedith just came to Xiqiu half a year ago. Her business covers several provinces in the empire, not just in Xiqiu."
Nedith smiled and said softly, "Thank you for your compliment." The man immediately showed a somewhat fascinated expression, and he couldn't help but stretched out his hand to grab Nedith's waist. Nidis smiled slightly, took a step back calmly, and avoided the opponent's hand.
Roddy frowned and smiled slightly: "Really? So I'm ignorant. Today I only heard that a tavern near the barracks is Miss Nedis's property... Well, my soldiers are still making trouble there. It's not pleasant, but now everyone is friends, I hope Miss Nedith will not mind." He picked up the wine glass, gestured slightly, and drank it all.
These remarks were very subtle, but they were faintly apologizing to the other party-after all, everything I did to this woman today was a bit too much.
Nedith didn't seem to care, she just smiled, but cast a charming look at Roddy.
The auxiliary officer noticed that the atmosphere seemed a little strange, and hurriedly smiled: "Miss Nicole came from a long distance, naturally a little tired. Let's sit down and talk slowly. There is still a little trouble here."
The few people then walked towards the back of the banquet hall, behind which was a side hall dedicated to private use-of course, only sufficiently high-profile guests could be invited here by the host.
Only the two masters, Roddy and Nicole, accompanied Nicole. In addition, Nedith and the apostle were added. In addition, the 30-year-old noble man who introduced Nydis just now also followed—others A few people, considering their status as insufficient, did not follow.
One wall of the side hall has been completely transformed into a huge window, slowly opening the curtains, you can see the charming night outside-Xiqiu is located in the northwest of the imperial capital, which is a bit of the bustling city , It also implies a bit of northwestern scenery, especially the Duke’s Mansion here. From this huge special window, you can see the lofty mountains in the northwest in the distance, and the birch forest of northern specialty outside the window, the night breeze In bursts, the sound of rustling leaves in the woods, coupled with the stars in the sky, really has a somewhat charming scenery.
The Auxiliary Officer was an exquisite person. Before Roddy and Nicole could speak, they had ordered people to bring some drinks and snacks, and immediately led everyone to sit down.
In the Duke’s Mansion, there is no one here on weekdays. If it hadn’t been for the Duke to come to Xiqiu for training at this time, it would have been abandoned here. All the arrangements to welcome the Duke were arranged by the adjudicators, so he was far familiar Above Roddy and Nicole.
Several people sat down one after another, only Nedith finally showed a bit of embarrassment on her face. She gave Roddy a calm look and sat down slowly on a chair, but her eyebrows showed a little bit. The unnatural expression, like that, seems a bit painful...
Roddy couldn't help being a little funny-thinking of the day when he was spanking each other's buttocks severely today, and now wondering if he was doing too much, and seeing the other person sitting there in such an unnatural posture, you can imagine it. Thinking of this in his heart, he couldn't help showing a somewhat weird smile on his face, but he did not guard against Nedith's gaze and swept towards him. Seeing Roddy snickering, Nedith glared at him. At a glance, he blushed first.
Nicole caught a glimpse of the gaze between the two and her face was a little weird, and couldn't help but feel a little unhappy, cleared her throat and glanced at Roddy. Only then slowly he said: "Miss Nidis, although Xiqiu is a fief in our family, I rarely come. I heard that you are the leader of the wine industry here, so you must know the wine industry very well. ."
Nedith smiled and slowly said: "Miss Nicole is overwhelmed. Most people like wine. Especially men..." At this point, her eyes swept over the scene intentionally or unintentionally. The few men from, this continued to get tired of saying: "But in fact, the culture contained in wine is still very profound, but in this world, most people like to enjoy the fun of wine, but few people are interested in its culture. ."
"Oh?" Nicole laughed, picked up the glass in front of him, took a sip, and said, "Then what's the profound culture in the wine?"
Nedith picked up the wine glass gracefully, stood up slowly, walked to the middle, turned slightly, raised the wine glass in her hand, and said, "Did you see this glass of wine in my hand... …"
The few men present only glanced at the wine glass in her hand—and most of their attention was intentionally or unintentionally swept over her soft waist like a water snake. This woman is simply a natural fairy, just like that. Randomly turned around, but with a strange alluring charm.
Roddy saw her leave the seat and walked to the middle, but couldn't help but wonder if she stood up because of her sitting there with sore pain...As for her walking posture so attractive, it's probably because of her hips. Pain makes walking in an unnatural posture...
Nedith’s tone seemed very calm: "Miss Nicole, I want to ask you a question...Do you know what the most romantic thing and the most serious thing in this world are?"
Nicole smiled slightly: "Miss Nedis, you are trying to compare me..." She pondered a little, and said slowly: "The most serious one, I think, naturally it is God's religion. Religion has always been The most serious thing. I think there is no objection to this. The most romantic..." She said here, couldn't help but smile, gave Roddy a warm look and said softly: "The most romantic The thing is naturally love."
After she finished speaking, several men nodded in praise.
Nidisye smiled, and whispered: "Miss Nicole's point is reasonable. But I want to ask, then what can I do to combine the seriousness of religion with the romance of love?"
Nicole is so clever that she immediately understood what she meant when she listened to her, and couldn't help but said, "Is it wine?"
Nedith finally narrowed her smile, her eyes showed a pious and serious look-this kind of look surprised Roddy a bit. It was a seriousness to the truth of her pursuit. In the past, Mr. Qiu talked about it. As for the sword, when the black yarn saints talked about magic, they all saw this look in their eyes. It seems that Miss Nedith is not a simple seductive woman. In her heart, drinking something like wine is a lofty pursuit in her heart.
Nidis slowly said, "For example, this glass of red wine in my hand is brewed with grape juice and veiled with calf blood. The color is bright red and crystal clear. As far as I know, it seems that both men and women in love are I like to use it to reconcile the atmosphere. In a candlelight dinner, a glass of red wine can not only make people more pleasant, but also a symbol of romantic love."
Nicole smiled slightly: "Yes, this is a custom."
Nedith nodded and said lightly: "But few people know that the origin of this red wine... has nothing to do with love at all!"
She sighed and said slowly: "As early as about 800 years ago...Humans learned to make wine--but not in the Bright Continent! But in the Roland continent! On the Roland Continent, the Lorna Valley of the Gordon Kingdom, count There used to be a beautiful vineyard a hundred years ago. The beautiful scenery inspired the inspiration of human creation. The people there used grapes to make fine wine. But, do you know? The earliest such wine was not recognized by the world! Because At that time, the Kingdom of Gordon was not a legal kingdom! Until about five hundred years ago, the temple on the mainland of Roland recognized the status of King of the Kingdom of Gordon and recognized that the Kingdom of Gordon was a religious kingdom recognized by the temple, and wine became a religious mass. An indispensable utensil in the ceremony is a kind of wine used in religious baptism!"
Nicole smiled: "You mean, wine was originally used in religious ceremonies in the religion?"
Nedith nodded and smiled: "It's not easy to say..." Her eyes were a little cunning: "It should be said that wine is used by the heretics in the northern continent in their evil religious rituals. The great cult of our Guangming Continent does not recognize this evil ritual." The assistant political officer and the noble man immediately raised their wine glasses and said in a serious tone: "Long live the cult of Guangming!"
Roddy and Nicole couldn't laugh or cry, so they could only raise their wine glasses and give a gesture-after all, under the influence of the religion of the Guangming Continent for hundreds of years, it is impossible to openly oppose the religion!
Nedith looked feminine, but she raised her neck proudly and drank the wine in the glass in one sip, then smiled gently, and then said: "This wine was later flowed into the Empire from the northern continent, and then Roland In the mainland, this is a sacred and serious wine for religious ceremonies, but in the empire, after hundreds of years of evolution, this wine has become a kind of wine for the love and harmony between men and women."
Several people joked and laughed for a while. Nedith always shifted the topic to Roddy, intentionally or unintentionally. She didn’t need to speak, she just inadvertently knocked on the side, guiding the adjutant next to him and the noble man to ask questions. Roddy was surprised, and the exquisite long-sleeved dance style made Roddy a little tired.
Gradually late at night, the banquet was over, and everyone came out to bid farewell to the guests outside. Nicole was already seven points drunk, leaning softly in Roddy's arms. Although Nedith's cheeks were red, but her eyes were still sober, when she said goodbye, she gently kissed Roddy and said bitterly in Roddy's ear while others were not paying attention. One sentence: "Boy, you wait!"
Roddy was stunned, Nedith had slowly jumped away, but took Nicole's hand to bid farewell, and then walked away under the gaze of a group of men.
When everyone left, Nicole, who seemed to have collapsed in Roddy's arms and couldn't stand, suddenly stood up straight from Roddy's arms, and the drunk-eyed look instantly lost a few points. Roddy's eyes were clearly awake, and then she curled her lips, as if her tone was a bit sour: "You are not allowed to approach that woman in the future!"
Roddy glanced at Nicole in a daze, and couldn't help sighing: Woman...
Before he recovered, Nicole had already hooked his arms around his neck and said in his ears: "Hold me back, don't forget, you used to be my little servant, Roddy... "
A rush of blood surged in Roddy's heart, he hugged Nicole sideways, and laughed in a low voice: "Yes, my mistress."