Arc of Fire

Wang Zhong and Ludmila spent a joyful picnic afternoon on their own estate.

When they returned in front of the stables, Wang Zhong astutely noticed the maids’ attitudes toward him seemed to have changed.

When they had first entered the estate, all the maids had been guarded and hostile, but now the older maids looked at Wang Zhong with some confusion, while the younger ones did not hide their curiosity.

What’s going on?

The maids were busy setting up the venue for tonight’s ball in the garden, so there were maids everywhere. Wherever Wang Zhong went, he felt people talking about him behind his back. Turning around, he saw the maids arranging the venue in an orderly manner, not even speaking.

It felt like a classic “mermaid” moment.

Wang Zhong was curious, so he turned his head and asked Ludmila, “What’s going on?”

Ludmila shrugged, “Maybe something happened while you were napping on my lap at noon?”

Wang Zhong replied, “What’s the difference between that and not saying anything? Obviously, something happened, right?”

He was about to stop a maid to ask for clarification when the Crown Prince appeared, “Why did you leave me after coming out from the duke’s place?”

Wang Zhong exclaimed, “Ah, that’s because you fell asleep on the sofa after drinking, and you were sleeping so soundly that I didn’t…”

“That’s because you were in there for two hours! You got scolded badly this time, didn’t you?”

“Uh…” Wang Zhong was somewhat embarrassed. How was he going to tell the Crown Prince that his slacker brother had suddenly become a top student?

The Crown Prince yawned and turned to look at the venue, “Such a small dance floor can only accommodate one band. It seems like another meet-and-greet for the bigwigs. And here we have a much bigger maze!”

Wang Zhong turned his gaze towards the maze in the garden.

He vaguely remembered that in Western aristocratic balls, this kind of maze game essentially provided opportunities for mischief: girls would enter the maze first, followed by boys who would find them, playing out a “you chase me, I chase you, catch me and you can hehehe” scenario.

By the time they emerged from the maze, everyone’s attire would be disheveled.

The Crown Prince continued, “It’s a pity that you, Alyosha, are usually so good at this, always able to find the prettiest ones among them!”

Wang Zhong suddenly remarked, “Nonsense, I’ve never found Liu Xia.”

Ludmila said, “I’ve never participated, how could you possibly find me? Not only that, but every time you bring a tuft of a girl’s hair to me, it’s almost annoying me to death.”

Wang Zhong was shocked. What kind of high-level play was this?

“Do you keep those tufts of hair?” he asked.

“Of course not!” Ludmila raised her voice a bit.

The Crown Prince added, “It’s a shame, otherwise you would receive several tufts of hair again today.”

Wang Zhong replied, “Not anymore.”

Ludmila said, “He won’t.”

The Crown Prince looked at Wang Zhong suspiciously, “Alyosha, what’s wrong with you? Ever since you came back, nothing seems right.”

Wang Zhong confidently said, “It’s your illusion!”

Just then, he saw several strong men placing a clay pot on a lit bonfire in the distance.

Driven by curiosity, he approached and asked, “What’s inside this clay pot?”

Actually, Wang Zhong could smell the aroma of spices; it must be some dish, but the decorations on the clay pot were so curious they piqued his interest.

The worker carrying the pot said, “It’s a braised dish that needs to stew for hours, and it also has to cool naturally. It’s the most troublesome dish for tonight’s dinner.”

Wang Zhong reached out to open the pot and saw that it was brimming with vegetables, including eggplants, potatoes, bell peppers, carrots, and more.

The aroma of spices became even more intense once the lid was opened, making Wang Zhong wonder if the chef had thrown in a handful of “masala.”

Seeing this dish, the Crown Prince exclaimed, “This… is Grand Patriarch Belinsky coming tonight?”

The worker respectfully bowed, “You’re right, the Grand Patriarch is coming.”

At that moment, a blue-capped Judge appeared. He quickly stepped between Wang Zhong, the others, and the clay pot, “During the stewing process, it cannot be opened; after it’s removed from the fire, the chef has to taste it first!”

Wang Zhong said, “Alright, I was just curious, not deliberate.”

The Crown Prince also said, “I can vouch for him, it wasn’t deliberate.”

The Judge glanced at Wang Zhong, nodded, and after covering the pot again, he stood guard over it without moving an inch.

After walking away from the clay pot, the Crown Prince muttered, “What does the Patriarch want with you? Did you commit some sins that need confessing, or did you hype up your battle achievements so much that you incurred divine punishment?”

To this day, the Crown Prince still thought Wang Zhong was a “packaged” war hero.

Wang Zhong was too lazy to get more entangled with his mischievous friends. After all, the gear was a gift from the second princess, and from now on, it was more important to curry favor with her!

————

At 2030 on July 9th, nearly all the nobility of Argesukov had gathered at the banquet hosted by Duke Rocossov.

Just as the Crown Prince had predicted, it was a “simple meal” aimed at chatting about the situation; the nobles with high military ranks were all discussing affairs, and the progeny brought along to get familiar with social occasions were bored to tears and started chatting idly.

Now that’s the situation.

The dandies gathered around Wang Zhong, same as always.

Wang Zhong was tired of dealing with the low-brow jokes of the dandies, when suddenly someone struck the ground with a heavy object and shouted, “His Holiness the Grand Patriarch has arrived!”

The nobles who were idling away immediately looked up and then respectfully watched the Grand Patriarch arrive at his place—

But the Grand Patriarch bypassed his designated spot, coming over to where Wang Zhong stood: “Aleksei Konstantinovich! I’ve heard much about you!”

Wang Zhong shook the hand extended by the Grand Patriarch but did not know what to say.