36 – The Salmon Family’s Young Lady
The close-fitting tuxedo, the wavy hair-style, and the forcefully applied bright powder on his face, the freshly dressed up Liszt looked radiant.
“Perfect!”
Meopal patted Liszt on the shoulder: “You will be the focus of all the women at tonight’s ball.”
“Sorry cousin, but I do not have such intentions. Perhaps a few years later, I will also be enthusiastic about it. But now, I have no intentions of meeting any aristocratic gentlewomen.”
“Words that are not from the heart, I will not believe them. Rest assured, Liszt, the best thing in life is to find the right person at the right time. One should not let the nature take its course, but instead seize any available opportunities.”
“Then, Cousin, how come you have been unmarried for so many years?”
“We are talking about you, do not change the subject.”
Liszt shook his cuffs. Meopal had been very good to him. In fact, he wanted to tell his cousin that instead of chasing after the Sapphire Grand Duke’s promiscuous daughter, which could lead to tumultuous upheavals in the Longtaro Family, it would be better for him to find another aristocratic woman to get married to.
However, when he was about to voice his concerns, he ultimately chose to keep his mouth shut.
The marquis’ will was bound to be behind this affair. The Longtaro Family boasted of their shrewdness; it was quite possible that the affair of marrying the Sapphire Grand Duke’s daughter was their attempt at cementing the status of the family.
As a baron of a small town in the countryside who ate coarse bread, he could not worry about the marquis.
After dressing up, he followed Meopal to the hall where the ball was about to be held. The aristocrats had already hurried over, chatting in twos and threes in the hall as they enjoyed the drinks prepared by the servants.
“Sir Meopal, you are finally willing to appear?” An aristocrat carrying a cup of wine came over.
“It is not yet time for the ball, no need to worry, Martell.”
Martell looked at Liszt: “And this is?”
“This is my cousin. His father is the Count of Coral Island.”
“So you are from the Tulip Family. Nice to meet you, I am Martell Crossbowsting.”
“Liszt Tulip.” Liszt maintained a polite smile. However, he was not very enthusiastic. He was not a gregarious aristocrat, yet had no other choice but to participate in this ball.
He could only helplessly endure and make acquaintance with the Red Crab Island’s aristocratic youths under Meopal’s constant introductions. On the whole, these aristocrats were the Longtaro Family’s followers to whom the marquis had conferred a title and who had vowed loyalty towards the marquis.
The interesting thing about the aristocratic system.
Aristocrats enfeoffed by the states’ rulers were vassals of said states’ rulers, while lesser aristocrats enfeoffed by other aristocrats were vassals of said other aristocrats. However, the lesser aristocrats enfeoffed by other aristocrats were not vassals of the states’ rulers, nor did they have to vow loyalty to the states’ rulers. Take the Count of Coral Island, Leewilliam, as an example. He was enfeoffed as an aristocrat by the state’s ruler and was a follower of the state’s ruler. However, Liszt was not, he only had to vow loyalty to his father.
After his father passed away, he would have to vow loyalty to his brother, Levis.
“Is there a pretty gentlewoman who had caught your fancy? If there is, then tell me and I will mediate for you. Do not stand on ceremony.” Meopal, who had returned from greeting the guests, returned to Liszt’s side, “Look at your brother, he has adapted to the ball scene and has already hit it off with three daughters from viscount families.”
Following Meopal’s gaze, he saw Levis say something, which made a young gentlewoman laugh.
“And your sister, she also has people ingratiating themselves to her.”
There were two aristocratic gentlemen beside Lvera talking to and laughing with her. Although she was not pretty, but with a little asking around, one could realize that Lvera had the title of baroness. For chevaliers or those who could not inherit their families aristocratic titles, she was an excellent marriage partner.
Marrying her, they could continue to enjoy the aristocratic status.
Liszt raised the cup of fruit wine in his hand and clinked with Meopal: “I wish them to soon find their happiness. As for me, Cousin, there is no need to worry.”
“There is no need?”
“None.”
“Alright, but I will still help you keep an eye for the right gentlewoman.”
“No need.” Liszt was at a loss for words. This cousin of his was too much; was he that obsessed on playing the role of a matchmaker?
Meopal shrugged lightly and whispered to him: “Actually, this is what grandfather hopes for. He knows that you are not regarded with importance in the Tulip Family, so he wishes for you to move to the Red Crab Island. Besides, I also need help. The Longtaro Family is low in numbers. As you know, I have no siblings. I quite hope that you would move here.”
Liszt felt that Meopal was being sincere.
According to his conversion of measurement units, he reckoned that the Coral Island’s surface area was equivalent to that of a prefecture-level city, about 10,000 square kilometers in surface area.
The Red Crab Island was ten times the size of the Coral Island, about 100,000 square kilometers in surface area.
It was equivalent to the surface area of Zhejiang. Without highways and with transportation mainly relying on horse-drawn carriages, the bigger the surface area was, the more difficult it was to manage. Besides, aristocracy was not a centralized way of government, and the increase in the number of lesser aristocrats made the management all the more chaotic, to the point of even swaying the roots of the ruling family.
Thinking about it, it would be a lie if he said that he was not intrigued. The Flower Town, that remote and desolate place, really did not have too many things of value to exploit.
If he moved to the Red Crab Island, then at the very list, the Longtaro Family would raise his title by a grade, to that of a viscount. He could have a small city as his fief.
However, a goal that had to be achieved by relying on a woman, Liszt was quite opposed to it: “Let nature take its course. Cousin, if there is someone I like, then so be it, but if there is no one, then do not insist anymore.
“Alright.”
……
The ball began at nightfall.
The soothing tunes of a piano came from below the fingertips of a pianist, giving rise to an appropriate ambience for the ball.
As the host, Meopal along with the daughter of a viscount were first to jump into the first dance and then retreated, indicating that everyone should partner up at their leisure.
Liszt sat in a corner, watching the young men and women dance gracefully in the middle of the dance floor.
He was not moved
He had already seen all the women participating in the ball. Tall, short, plump, thin, beautiful, and ugly, he had seen all. But unfortunately, not a single one had moved his heart. Even though there were several mature women who agreed with his aesthetic standard, yet the age was an obstacle. After all, he was only sixteen years old.
At this age, a lot of aristocrats had already started to live lives of debauchery.
However, it was not a marriageable age, which was 20 and 18 for men and women respectively.
His gaze moved past the crowd of people and landed in an unknown void. A moment later, formless smoke gradually emerged before forming twisting Serpentines.
“Mission: not only cows like to eat the fresh, juicy, and tender alfalfa, horses also like to eat it. This is the basis for setting up a horse field. But first, please find a place for the alfalfa sprite worm to settle down its worm stalk. Reward: three stalks of wild maize.”
This mission had already been around for quite a few days, making him feel slightly anxious.
“After the hold up of quite a few days, the alfalfa should have already sprouted. I can probably settle down the alfalfa sprite worm upon my return… Wild maize, ah. Although it is unknown what it is like, but the yield should at least be several times that of wheat, right?”
When he was pondering over the mission.
Suddenly, a sweet voice, alike a tune from an Oriole, sounded beside his ear: “Hey, Liszt, can I sit here?”
The smoke suddenly dissipated.
Liszt came back to his senses. It was a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl that looked a bit like Edith from [Downton Abbey]. She had beautiful flax-colored wavy hair, a sharp nose, profound eyes, and thin lips which seemed to carry a smile.
Very standard, 8 points.
Previously, Meopal had introduced her to him. She was a viscount’s little daughter called Athena Salmon, whose family was famous for producing salmon.
Liszt revealed a gentle smile and hinted with his hand: “Beautiful Young Lady, sit wherever you like.”