国产精品久久国产三级国不卡顿

The most important of these was that Lady Juliet was the most irritating and cunning. Lady Vivienne, in contrast to the other ladies, was more direct and somewhat masculine.

Lady Elowen was one of the strangest yet most impressive women Morrigan had met. Her ability to speak to everyone with the same coldness, without a smile or false expression, was incredible.

The ladies representing the duchies of Thornvile, Thornfield, Orkney, and Stormwind were all present. All except Morrigan’s mother, Lady Isabella.

Morrigan could only thank her god that her mother wasn’t here.

In fact, everyone here was related in some way. Thornfield descended from Agravain, while Thornvile came from the line of Gawain.

Orkney claimed descent from Lot, the husband of Morgause, who was believed to be Morrigan. Then it was said that Thornvile and Thornfield’s lineage descended from Gawain and Agravain.

Morrigan, recalling Thomas’s lessons, was deep in thought. Historical texts suggested that King Arthur’s relationship with Morrigan resulted in Mordred’s birth, which gave rise to the Royal Family.

Of course, the Royal Family denied this, instead claiming they were a divine family created by the goddess with the blood of King Arthur.

However, this was sometimes rejected by Reformists, though the Royal Family denied any connection to Morgana.

Some claimed that King Arthur was a commoner, said to be the illegitimate son of Uther.

The most popular belief was that the Royal Family descended from Arthur Pendragon’s squire, a claim supported by some historical texts, though this was often asserted by Reformists or other countries hostile to the Kingdom.

Morrigan looked at the lady before her, Duchess Arabelle Thornfield, the Duchess of Thornfield, one of the four Duke families.

She was the wife of Duke Luther. As Morrigan looked at the woman, her eyes narrowed. Thornfield certainly lived up to its reputation.

The Thornfield Duchy was famous for its poisons and assassinations. A family that operated many casinos and bars, they were involved in crimes such as blackmail. In short, they had a criminal empire.

Additionally, they inherited Poison Magic from Agravain. According to legend, Agravain fought not as a knight but with poison injected into his sword.

They often carried out assassinations with butterflies and snakes, possessing an incredible ability to control snakes.

Even Morrigan was disgusted by the smell of poison and blood around the Duchess. Yet she still smiled at the Duchess’s compliment. "Thank you, and I see that you are very happy today?"

Arabella’s red eyes gleamed with joy. "Yes, you know, this is my favorite activity..."

"Tea parties?" Morrigan asked curiously. Arabella nodded excitedly. "Yes, isn’t it wonderful?!"

Morrigan felt a hint of bloodthirstiness emanating from the Duchess but chose to ignore it. Arabella offered a sly smile. "You get to see who’s talking behind your back, who’s spreading rumors about you. It’s an incredible thing."

"It just makes my job easier..."

Morrigan watched as Arabella waved cheerfully at Baroness Amara. For some reason, Amara seemed to tense up, but Morrigan didn’t care.

"Well, my Lady, I would like to invite you to my humble estate sometime," Arabella said, and Morrigan nodded. "I would love that, Lady Arabella."

Arabella waved joyfully and departed. After she left, Morrigan looked calmly at Countess Catriona, who was approaching her.

"I wanted to speak with you, but it seems you were talking to that woman," Catriona said, and Morrigan sensed the disgust in the Countess’s voice.

"Yes, what did you want to talk about?" Morrigan asked curiously. Catriona’s expression brightened, and she smiled. "I just wanted to invite you to visit Blackwood sometime."

"I could come next week."

"Good," Catriona replied. Then she looked at Morrigan kindly. "You are such a beautiful girl. You remind me of the Queen."

Morrigan was surprised for a moment; even her hair color was different from the Queen’s. Seeing Morrigan’s confusion, Catriona’s smile widened. "I didn’t mean in appearance..."

"Like the Queen, you are a strong woman who knows how to defend herself," Catriona said gently. When she spoke about the Queen, her voice was filled with admiration. "That’s a good thing, it’s fortunate you didn’t take after your mother."

"What is my mother like?" Morrigan asked. Catriona’s expression briefly twisted with disgust. "A very unpleasant and selfish woman. It’s a good thing you didn’t resemble her..."

She said as she tucked Morrigan’s hair behind her ear. Morrigan looked at the Countess curiously. "Why didn’t my mother come to the tea party?"

"She was forbidden to come by Duke Alfred," Catriona explained seriously. Morrigan’s eyebrows furrowed with curiosity. Why would her mother be banned from attending a tea party by her father’s order?

"The reason is simple, Isabella is often drunk and doesn’t know what she’s saying," Catriona said with a mixture of disgust and slight sadness. She continued, "At tea parties, she would often boast about her wealth and beauty."

"But once your existence was announced, many things changed." Catriona’s eyes softened as she continued, "This might seem like a simple thing to you, but it’s not..."

Morrigan’s brows furrowed, unable to understand why such a simple thing would result in her mother being punished. Catriona continued, "A noble abandoning her own daughter results in many rumors and slander."

Morrigan’s eyes narrowed as she heard this. "So, every slander and rumor about me is because of my mother?"

Catriona’s calm expression faltered at this. She held Morrigan’s cheeks. "Don’t think of it that way. After all, you are here now, and you can leave those rumors unfounded."

Morrigan softened as she saw the concern in Catriona’s eyes. "Why are you worried about me?"

Catriona’s expression grew sorrowful as she looked at Morrigan. " Just take this as a kindness done for you, please..."

Morrigan looked at Catriona and became curious but did not probe further as she desired. Returning to her stoic expression, Morrigan smiled. "Thank you for telling me this, Lady Catriona..."

Catriona smiled gently and nodded. "Don’t worry, if you have any questions, I’m always here."

"Good, when will the Queen be here?"

Catriona thought for a moment before answering Morrigan’s question. "Don’t worry, she will be here in 10 minutes."

"Is there a reason for her being late?" Morrigan asked. Catriona shook her head. "Yes, she always does this."

"After all, she is the Queen. Naturally, if she arrives first, she has to wait for the others," Catriona said. "To maintain Royal Authority, she arrives after everyone else has."

"Is the Queen watching us right now?" Morrigan asked curiously. Catriona chuckled lightly. "She has her personal servant watching from her place. When all the noble ladies have arrived, the Queen will come 5 minutes later."

Morrigan nodded and did not ask any more questions. Everyone had arrived except Baroness Livia de Montclair and Countess Seraphina Valmont.

After chatting with different ladies for a while, Morrigan drank the water offered by the waiter and returned the empty glass.

Soon, another lady arrived. She had long black hair and beautiful blue eyes like Morrigan. Her posture was upright and her facial features were serious.

Once the Countess arrived, her stoic expression softened and she greeted the attendees. "Lady Elowen, Lady Juliet, Lady Arabella, and lastly, Lady Morrigan."

Juliet offered a pleased smile, while Elowen nodded. Arabella stepped forward and smiled cheerfully at Countess Seraphina. "How are you, Sera! Long time no see!"

"Please do not call me ’Sera,’ Lady Arabella," the Countess said calmly. Arabella nodded dismissively. "And ’long time’ means one week, my Lady."

Arabella simply laughed. "Your absence felt like a year to me, Sera..."

As Seraphina sighed, Lady Juliet giggled and teased. "You’re as energetic as ever, Lady Seraphina."

The Countess ignored Juliet and looked at Elowen. "It’s been a while, Lady Elowen..."

The long-silver-haired woman smiled and looked at Seraphina with curiosity. "Even though you’re nearly 42, you’re still unmarried."

"When are you going to get married?"

Juliet’s eyes lit up with curiosity upon hearing this question. "She’s right, marry while you’re still beautiful, or no one will marry an old crone."

Juliet said as she adjusted her hair. Seraphina shrugged indifferently. "I just can’t find a suitable person."

"You haven’t found the right person for 16 years, Sera!" Arabella said with a smile. Seraphina merely sighed. Finally, her gaze turned to Morrigan.

She bowed slightly and looked at Morrigan. "Hello to you too, Lady Morrigan."

"This must be our first meeting," Seraphina said. "I am Countess Seraphina Valmont."

Morrigan nodded. "Yes, indeed. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Seraphina..."

Seraphina nodded. "Where is Baroness Livia?"

Upon the mention of Livia, a smirk appeared in Juliet’s eyes. "She must be in her wizard tower again."

Seraphina furrowed her brow in curiosity, and soon a high-pitched voice echoed. "Sorry! I’m late!"

Despite the rude tone, the other ladies seemed unconcerned.

"Once again, disgusting behavior from someone not of noble birth..."

Juliet’s tone of disgust surprised Morrigan. She had never seen such a hateful tone from Juliet before.

Fortunately, Arabella intervened. "Lady Juliet, there’s no need to be so rude. After all, even the Queen allows her."

Following Arabella’s words, Juliet looked away sharply. Baroness Livia looked gratefully at Arabella.

"Now that the last person has arrived, it means the Queen is about to come..."

Hearing Seraphina, Morrigan became curious and was eager to meet the Queen. Soon, the sound of clicking high heels could be heard.

"The Queen of the Holy Mary Kingdom, Queen Anna, is here!"

Seeing the other ladies curtsy, Morrigan gently bent her knees as she had learned from Thomas, stepped back with her left foot, bowed, and lowered her eyes to the ground.

A short time later, the Queen’s voice was heard. "Raise your heads..."

Morrigan rose as instructed and admired the Queen. She wore a golden dress and many jewels.

With platinum blonde hair, sky-blue jewel-like eyes, a stern and sharp gaze, and an aura that seemed to command reverence from everyone, she was truly impressive.

Her platinum hair was styled in a half-updo, with wavy strands cascading down the sides of her face. She wore a small but perfectly placed crown.

It was impossible for Morrigan not to be impressed.

The Queen held a legendary ring said to belong to Guinevere. After a while, the Queen continued. "Thank you for coming all this way; now we can sit down."

Following the Queen’s guidance, Morrigan moved to the place where the tea table was set.