crown of stars

Carnival Night

In the center of Brett Town, there is a secluded villa with well-manicured flower gardens and a never-ending fountain, surrounded by heavy guards, which is rare for ordinary people to see.

An open horse-drawn carriage passed through the quiet wealthy district, and the glass lights in front of the carriage swayed gently with the sound of horseshoes, emitting a warm yellow light.

Leaning against the soft velvet cushions of the carriage, Dick clenched his hands nervously.He has a masculine and handsome face, like an ancient hero fighting monsters in a painting. His short curly brown hair hangs uncomfortably on his forehead, and his thick eyebrows are tangled together.The slim black dress was wrapped under a dark blue cloak, and the gold thread satin decorated with fine gemstones trembled slightly in the night wind.

"Is this really good?" Dick looked hesitantly at the gray-haired old man beside him.The old man was much more plainly dressed than he was. The dark red wool coat was buttoned up to the neck with silver buttons, and the hat of the same color was buttoned obliquely on top of his head.

"Don't worry." The old man said kindly, with encouragement in his brown eyes, "Today is Cupid's Day. Princess Erina and you are gathered in the carnival streets. I believe His Majesty Edward will not punish you."

A hazy apprehension crept into Dick's mind.He met Elena at a year-end dance and fell in love ever since.He is the earl's son and will definitely inherit his father's territory in the future.King Edward was a kind and soft old man who ruled the country bordering the North, and his daughter was just as slender and beautiful.The original status gap is not enough to be an obstacle, as long as he can continue to work hard and make some achievements, the king can also break the rules and give up using Erina as a pawn in the royal marriage and marry him instead.

But everything broke five years ago.The sons of King Edward died one after another for no reason, and the blood flowing from their mouths stained the whole ground when they died.The mournful king refused the requests of experienced coroners and court mages, and insisted on burying several princes with complete bodies.Since then, the curse about the royal family has been secretly circulated among the nobles.

Not only did his dream not become achievable, but it became more and more out of reach.The only surviving princess, Princess Erina, was strictly protected by the old king, who kept instilling the knowledge needed to be a crown prince, including how to choose a powerful husband-in-law.This greatly annoyed the seven powerful electors in the country. The royal family has never had a female successor to the queen. The current royal family is extinct, so it needs to be selected from the remaining nobles with close blood.The royal city was full of turmoil, and even his family, the Fife family with blue and white iris flowers, could only keep themselves from being involved in this maelstrom.

King Edward was old and frail. In order to prevent his only daughter from dying in the bloody conspiracy again, he chose to send Erina away from the imperial capital and live in Brett Town, which could overlook the royal city.Dick couldn't help but feel even more desperate.

At this time, Duke Ivan threw an olive branch to him.

The carriage passed through the dark alleyway and stopped in front of the closed iron gate of Moonlight Flower Villa.The guard at the gate illuminated the face of the old man, who was one of the servants that Duke Ivan often sent.

The guards bowed slightly to the two people sitting in the carriage, and opened the iron door decorated with curly leaves.

"Go," said the old servant, and quietly parted ways with him.Stupid boy, the old servant thought contemptuously and mockingly, young people in love are always blinded by enthusiasm and do things that do not make sense.Marrying an earl's son will weaken the princess's authority, but it will not lose her inheritance rights. The earl of Fife has many sons, and if one is gone, there will be another.All of them have only one goal, one solution once and for all - to kill the princess.

Dick pursed his lips, and Elena's slightly sad face came to his mind.Those vague doubts dissipated like morning mist.

The moonlight flowers specially planted in the flower garden emit a clear silver-blue brilliance at night, and the scattered pollen floats in the air, and a few grains fly to the white terrace with the wind.

"Aunt Rosalia, I heard that today is the festival of the God of Cupid." Elena stretched out her hand to enclose the floating pollen, and some fluorescent light in her fingers illuminated her slender and elegant neck like a swan. "I seem to hear There was laughter in the town."

The woman whom Erina called Rosalia moved her mouth helplessly, and the wrinkles on her face became deeper.The situation in the royal city is almost out of control, and King Edward can no longer protect Princess Erina, who is the heir.After they left the royal city, all kinds of rumors and rumors were flying in the sky, some said that His Majesty Edward had passed away, and some said that one of the seven electors had already ascended the throne... They stayed in this paradise-like villa, seemingly a protected secret. It is airtight, but it is not much different from house arrest.

"Princess Erina, please be patient. There are too many people outside, and no one knows if there are any assassins." Rosalia comforted her earnestly. As the battle for the throne was approaching, the old king's daughter became A thorn in everyone's side.It is said that the deaths of Princess Erina's former brothers were not due to divine punishment, but due to court conspiracy.Someone mixed microscopic gemstone powder into the diet, grinding through the stomach and killing several crown princes.

"I really want to go out at this time. I heard from the maids that there will be a grand dance and carnival in the evening. The long table is full of roast chickens and cakes, and everyone is laughing heartily."

Aunt Rosalia could only return a look of pity.

Dick looked up mysteriously.

The dreamy Princess Erina is standing in the moonlight on the terrace, and there are large blooming moonlight flowers downstairs.

She was wearing a long white dress, with a fluffy veil pulled into her long hair, and the moonlight shone on the golden crown, reflecting a cold luster.A little fluorescent light flickered in her long gloves, illuminating Erina's moon-like face.Dick felt his throat seemed to be choked by something, and he could only make meaningless breath sounds.

Elena also saw the long-lost lovers.

Aunt Rosalia's face darkened.But the princess didn't listen to her advice, she lifted her skirt and threw herself into the knight's arms like a bird returning home.

"Where are we going?" Erina raised her face from Dick's arms and asked excitedly but shyly.

Dick felt his heart beating uncontrollably. He struggled to get the mask out of his pocket and put it on each other's faces.The two looked at each other through a thin mask, both were very surprised, and both smiled sweetly.

"Let's go...go..." Dick trembled, "We slipped outside the villa and walked around. No one could recognize us."

The rest of the shipment was very popular, and it didn't take long for the halfling to return with a full load.

"Aren't you going out for a stroll?" Sam took out a few masks from his arms, which he bought casually, and they fit the face just right.

"Go shopping?" The mage raised his head from the book, and the feeling of being interrupted made him very uncomfortable. "What is there to go shopping? I want to stay here more."

"Study spells?" Sam scratched his head, "I always don't understand what you mages are thinking, is the charm of spells really so great? Even the most knowledgeable and wise men in our town have warned us that work and rest Combination. When you are tired, go out for a walk more, so that you will be inspired. Besides, you may meet a beautiful girl outside and spend an unforgettable night."

Sam teasingly poked the dazed Messiah:

"You are so handsome, why do you always stay by Nigel's side? Are you afraid that no girls will like you? No, even if you wear a mask, there will always be girls who will fall in love with you."

The mage closed the spell book with a snap, exhaled heavily, and interrupted with a cold face.

"Sorry, I haven't learned the spell to remove the disease yet."

Who knows if those girls who are entangled are wandering warblers who need to pay, the hidden meaning of the half-elf made Sam shut up.

"Where's the priest?" The half-elf turned the conversation to the priest of Milwyn again. "I remember she's been gone since sunset."

"Who knows? There is a Temple of Love here, maybe she went back there, and the priest of the God of Love stays there for free." The halfling replied indifferently.

"It's good to go down and have a look." Messiah's opinion was exactly the opposite of that of the half-elf. "I don't know there is such a custom."

The most detailed mind of an illithid is the study of underground customs, psionics, and arcane arts.Regarding everything on the ground, the long-dead illithid has never come to the ground in person, and he can only get a vague impression from past materials.For the Messiah, the different customs of various places on the ground are still very novel experiences.

The half-elf frowned disapprovingly as he opened the window.

Someone outside the window moved out the fireworks—those expensive things disappeared after burning, leaving only ashes on the ground.Although it is extremely gorgeous when it is lifted into the sky, few pragmatic citizens are willing to pay a lot of money to buy it.

Changing lights and loud explosions streamed through the open windows.The half-elf looked away from the rising and falling fireworks, and lingered all the way to Messiah's face by the window.Those eyes are always lofty and indifferent, and there is no shadow of anyone in them.The gleam of brilliance that penetrated from the window fell on the face like a god, as if it was contaminated with fireworks in the world.

Nigel's hand quietly squeezed the spine of the spell book.

At that moment just now, he actually began to fear that the Messiah would leave him.He is still too cowardly, even after becoming a mage, is he still subconsciously longing for help from others?

"Forget it." The half-elf finally compromised, and stretched out his hand to Sam, "Bring me the mask."

The author has something to say:

OTZ's JJ database crashed last night, I couldn't upload it, moved it to today, beat me as much as you want!