The Favored Heiress
Chapter 536: He is Duke Charlman

Chapter 536: Chapter 536: He is Duke Charlman

British Empire, five in the evening, Count William’s Mansion.

Located in the suburbs of London Port, tonight the earl’s mansion is hosting an unprecedentedly grand noble evening banquet.

It is said that not only were many famous nobles invited, but members of the Royal Family will also grace the event with their presence.

And the initial purpose of the banquet was to celebrate Count William being re-elected as a member of the House of Lords.

At this moment, in the mansion’s rear garden, goldfish were kept in a circular pool, and the evergreen shrubs were also neatly trimmed into crisscross patterns.

Beside the undulating steps stood a beautifully sculpted statue of the twelve zodiac signs.

Feng Yi, as the second son of Count William’s Family, did not go to the mansion’s front hall to entertain guests, but instead took a leisurely moment in the back garden.

He leaned against a Roman column next to the statue, fiddling with the pocket watch in his hand, and lifting his eyes to the man on the steps, "I’ve never met Charlman in person, I heard he never attends these banquets, are you so certain he will come back tonight?"

Shang Yu was dressed in an extremely formal black suit, with a dark gold on a black bow tie at his collar and half a shirt sleeve as well as canary diamond cufflinks peeking from his wrists.

The cufflinks and bow tie both featured a dark gold background, complementing the colors on the man’s overall attire.

He bowed his head to adjust his sleeves, his thin lips slightly turned, "He will come."

Feng Yi chuckled with a hint of surprise, "From the way you speak, it seems like you know him very well."

Shang Yu’s motion of fixing his sleeve cuff subtly paused, as he tilted his head to look at Feng Yi, his lips curving up meaningfully.

In the time it took to smoke half a cigarette, Feng Yi stepped away from the statue and walked to the man’s side, "Did your younger sister really go back to her country?"

"Mmm."

Feng Yi furrowed his brows, "Aren’t you afraid that she’ll run back again using the identity of Tan Sri?"

Shaoyan did not want Li Qiao to have any contact with the Charlman Family, which he had implied subtly when he came to the British Imperial.

The man glanced at the cufflinks on his wrist, then lifted his head to look ahead, "She won’t. If Tan Sri appears on camera again, the Customs Administration will notify me."

Feng Yi pressed his lips together, nodding in understanding.

Soon after, the two walked down the steps side by side. A few seconds later, Feng Yi abruptly stopped, his eyes revealing a trace of disbelief, "You have connections in Customs Administration as well?"

Shang Yu glanced at him from the corner of his eye, his profile exuding a lazy casualness, "Is that so strange?"

Feng Yi narrowed his eyes, watching the man descend the steps, and suddenly felt that if one day he became a member of the British Imperial Royal Family, it wouldn’t seem like such an unacceptable thing.

After all, Shang Shaoyan, the South Sea merchant, was indeed unfathomable.

...

The Western noble evening banquet always presented an unparalleled scene.

Tonight, Count William’s Mansion was practically filled with more than half of the British Empire’s nobles.

After all, with Count William re-entering the House of Lords, it was enough from a political standpoint to attract numerous nobles to forge relationships.

The honor of British Imperial nobility had lost some of its prestigious luster over the years since the last century.

The Royal Family had not spared efforts in stripping the nobles of their rights in these years.

The banquet was arranged in the mansion’s most luxurious William Dam Hall, where women wore splendid gowns and head crowns showcasing their status, while most men donned sharp suits or tailcoats, as gentlemanly culture has always been a personal symbol of nobility.

It could be said that this was a gathering spot for the wealthy and influential.

With half an hour to go before the banquet started, every corner of the mansion was already brilliantly lit, and Count William, who was over sixty years old, stood by the fountain wearing the most formal tailcoat, discussing state affairs with his staff.

Suddenly, the butler whispered a few words into his ear, his wrinkled face showing a touch of joy.

Count William hastily excused himself and hurried after the butler toward the mansion’s main entrance, his retreating figure marked with urgency. From a distance, one could still hear his inquiry, "Is it really Prince Wu Lv who has come?"

...

In another area, the courtyard of William Chapel.

In front of the brown spired chapel on the lawn, Shang Yu stood with his back to the entrance, his hands clasped behind him.

Around the chapel stood numerous knights from the William Family, all wearing solemn expressions and keeping a vigilant watch.

In just a few minutes, a steady and rhythmic sound of footsteps came from the lawn behind the garden wall.

Two rows of Royal Knights marched in formation, clearing the way ahead. The man in the center, dressed in an elegant and dignified gray checked gentleman’s suit, his left hand donning a white glove, approached the church lawn at a leisurely pace.

As the distance closed, the Noble Knight Order, upon seeing the Royal Knights and the red cap badges on their chests, immediately bowed in unison, "Your Grace."

This man was the British Imperial Duke Charlman, of Xiao lineage, who had ascended to his title three years earlier.

When the Royal Knights came to a halt, Shang Yu also slowly turned around from in front of the chapel.

The two men stood facing each other in the magnificent courtyard of the chapel, eyes locked.

Duke Charlman had a gentle temperament. Unlike Shang Yu’s sharp features, his thin lips were often curved in a smile, giving off a warm and spring-like gentleness.

But upon closer inspection, one could see that his eyes held no laughter, cold and desolate.

"It’s been a long time."

Duke Charlman spoke first, his hand resting against his abdomen, every gesture oozing the gentility and elegance of a nobleman’s son.

Shang Yu’s expression was stern as he raised an eyebrow, his hand in his pocket, his demeanor proud and aloof, "Indeed, it has been quite a while."

The smile at the corner of the other man’s lips deepened, his voice as mild as water, "It seems you were quite certain I would come tonight?"

The man’s gaze was profound, his thin lips lifted in a mocking smile, "Without her, you have no reason not to come."

"You’re right," Duke Charlman said, slightly lowering his gaze and strolling forward casually. "Although we don’t share the same ambitions and paths, we still share an understanding on this matter."

Shang Yu’s lips curved slightly, his eyes sharp, but before he could speak, from behind the lawn wall beside them, a very faint sound of footsteps emerged.

All knights immediately assumed defensive positions.

In the dimming light, only the luminance from the glass lamps around the courtyard allowed one to discern the stiffness of the figure in the black tasseled dress.

She stood alone by the edge of the lawn wall, holding a champagne glass in her hand, her face covered by a black veil, with only her doe eyes, absurdly transfixed on Duke Charlman.

The wind blew, stirring her veil.

And Shang Yu’s pupils constricted to the utmost, his composure usually unshaken now visibly altered.

It wasn’t just him; even Duke Charlman clenched his hand suddenly, his gaze darkly shifting to Shang Yu. But upon seeing the other man even more shocked and panicked than himself, something inside him seemed to collapse.

Li Qiao’s presence here was beyond everyone’s expectations.

She took unsteady steps forward, unaware of the disarray in her gait.

Accompanied by the sound of shattering, the champagne glass in her hand broke, the liquid mixing with traces of blood, dripping onto the grass, while she continued to clutch the fragments without releasing the slightest bit.

Li Qiao walked up to Duke Charlman, the few steps between them felt like crossing mountains and rivers.