On the east side of the third floor of The Windchaser Inn, there is a pond. Nothing grows in it, just a few floating duckweed leaves.
The breeze brings a hint of dampness; even in midsummer, The Windchaser Inn remains refreshingly pleasant.
On the east side, half the building juts out into open air. Sitting there offers a superb view—not only of The Windchaser Inn’s scenery, but also the main hall on the first floor, where couplets flutter in the wind, rippling like waves and creating a unique charm.
Today, Prince Nolan has booked The Windchaser Inn, so the usual rule of matching couplets to enter has naturally been suspended.
When entering, Adrian glanced around instinctively, but found nothing unusual, nor did he see Prince Nolan come out to greet the guests.
Touching his now unswollen cheek, Adrian’s eyes flashed with hatred that quickly disappeared. He strode toward the third floor.
He wanted to see for himself what Prince Nolan intended by inviting them to the Capital.
As the host, Prince Nolan hadn’t gone out to welcome everyone, but had arrived early and naturally taken the chief seat. At his sides sat William Wang and Holden Cui.
Adrian paused, greeted Prince Nolan, then looked at Holden Cui and William Wang, half-joking, "You two sure came early."
"With Prince Nolan hosting, how would we dare arrive late?" Holden Cui replied with a smile, not bothering to stand.
William Wang only inclined his head slightly in greeting.
Adrian was displeased, but couldn't show it. Seeing Prince Nolan reminded him of being slapped in public by him.
Prince Nolan wasn’t old, but his seniority was high. He could slap Adrian in public, but Adrian couldn’t disrespect him in return. Even if he disliked the seating arrangement, Adrian kept it to himself.
Adrian would never sit below Holden Cui or William Wang, so he chose a seat directly opposite them.
Soon, Prince Jason, the Hsieh Clan Patriarch, Dominic Zhai, Felix Fuller, and several National Dukes and first-rank ministers all arrived. Seeing Prince Nolan and Adrian already there, each broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly apologized.
They’d thought they were early, but these high nobles had arrived even earlier.
"You’re not late." It’s just that the others arrived early.
"Yes, yes, yes." These usually imposing bigwigs now stood before Prince Nolan like juniors, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Who would dare be late to a banquet hosted by Prince Nolan? Arriving early is the only safe move.
Now that everyone was here, there was no reason to wait. Prince Nolan glanced at William Wang, who smiled and nodded.
The banquet began. The attendants moved quietly, serving dishes and pouring wine for the guests at each table.
The Windchaser Inn’s attendants were used to big shots, but seeing so many gathered tonight, they were still nervous—veins bulging on their foreheads.
The attendants were nervous, and so were the guests. News of Prince Nolan slapping Adrian in court had already spread; several first-rank officials had witnessed it themselves.
At this moment, with Prince Nolan silent, no one dared speak. Given the occasion and atmosphere, even these powerful figures were too embarrassed to use their usual social tricks.
The room was quiet and a bit stifling. William Wang shook his head with a wry smile and tapped the table, hinting at Prince Nolan not to let things get too awkward—he was the host, after all. But...
Prince Nolan simply ignored it, sitting quietly and barely eating or drinking, making everyone even more tense—especially Adrian, who couldn’t figure out what Prince Nolan was up to.
Wasn’t tonight’s banquet supposed to be an apology to him? Why was there no reaction at all? Holden Cui and Felix Fuller sensed something was off; both frowned slightly, uneasy.
Prince Jason looked thoughtful, the ministers were anxious, but the only one truly focused on eating was Dominic Zhai.
Dominic Zhai buried himself in his food from start to finish. He figured this had nothing to do with him; Prince Nolan’s mind was impossible to guess, and since he hadn’t offended him, he might as well just eat.
The food at The Windchaser Inn was excellent—he usually couldn't even get in. Since Prince Nolan was hosting, he intended to eat his fill.
Seeing this, William Wang took the lead in breaking the heavy silence, sharing some light court anecdotes and jokes—like a certain official who wore the wrong robe to court yesterday.
With William Wang leading, everyone played along, exchanging remarks. Of course, no one dared joke about the princes or Prince Nolan, and mentioning the Crown Prince was strictly taboo.
Especially regarding Prince Nolan—everyone was still guessing his real motive for inviting them to a banquet right after returning to the Capital, and no one dared steer the conversation toward him.
As the drinks flowed and conversation loosened, William Wang’s cheeks grew rosy, almost as if he’d put on rouge. Smiling, he deliberately shifted the topic to Prince Nolan.
"Come to think of it, Prince Nolan is a rare guest at The Windchaser Inn. Even His Majesty has visited, but tonight is Prince Nolan’s first time here."
With William Wang setting the tone, the others joined in, each adding their own comments.
Prince Nolan occasionally responded with a few words, and the atmosphere relaxed. As the banquet wound down, Adrian, emboldened by wine, stood up and raised his glass to Prince Nolan. "Uncle, I was in the wrong today. Allow me to drink first as an apology." Having led troops, Adrian had the bearing of a general.
This time, Prince Nolan was gracious enough to raise his cup and take a sip in response, but said nothing.
Adrian stood there awkwardly. He’d thought that by starting things off, Prince Nolan would reciprocate and apologize for slapping him in court. Instead, Prince Nolan didn’t acknowledge him at all.
Annoyed, ashamed, and a little drunk, Adrian didn’t hide his resentment. He slammed his cup and plate loudly, feigning drunkenness: "I’m drunk, everyone, please forgive me."
"No worries." Prince Nolan saw that Adrian was only pretending to be drunk—his eyes were perfectly clear. Nolan smirked and said, "I barely survived an assassination attempt. Just making it back alive and seeing everyone is a blessing."
After speaking, Prince Nolan drained his cup and said in a low voice, "Compared to that, Adrian’s little offense means nothing."
The relaxed mood instantly vanished. Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, realizing that the real drama was about to begin.
......