This group of visitors from the royal capital didn't come alone—aside from the knights who had received formal invitations, many brought along their squires and attendants. A typical knight would at least be accompanied by a squire, and those of higher status often had additional personal servants in tow. Nobles like Allen and Adonis, who held hereditary titles, couldn't avoid bringing an entourage of guards and servants even if they wanted to—failing to do so would be considered highly inappropriate. Such was the expected pomp and circumstance of the nobility.
So, when this large party arrived on horseback at the borders of Felix's domain, they immediately drew public attention.
Slot's population had been steadily increasing, and with that came a growing need for public security. Felix had therefore stationed several new checkpoints along the road from Princia to Slot and on to Sardinson. Soldiers were tasked with inspecting the goods of traveling merchants, verifying their legality, and ensuring there were no bandits or spies hidden among them. Though minor private "tokens of gratitude" might still change hands, no official tolls were collected.
Allen's group was too conspicuous. They were stopped for questioning at the very first checkpoint, and word quickly reached Felix long before the party arrived at the castle. Hearing that his friends—and a royal representative—were on their way, he ordered the gates opened wide to give them a proper welcome.
Weiwei naturally joined him in receiving the guests.
After nearly four weeks of postpartum recovery, and with her health well restored, this marked her first public appearance outside the inner quarters of the castle. It was also her first time leaving the castle itself since giving birth.
Weiwei had recovered remarkably well. Nearly a month after childbirth, her belly was flat again, without visible stretch marks, and her waist had returned to its slender shape. Were it not for the obvious signs of breastfeeding—namely, a noticeably fuller chest—and the maternal radiance she now exuded, she still looked like a carefree young maiden.
To someone who didn't know her, it would be hard to believe she was a new mother.
She didn't bring the baby with her. Although the warm weather of early June would have made it suitable for a near one-month-old infant to be brought out for sunlight and fresh air, this wasn't the right occasion. The arrival of so many horseback riders would kick up dust—not a healthy environment for a baby. So Weiwei had left the sleeping child with the maids, praying he wouldn't wake up before she returned, or else he would likely cry nonstop until she came back.
If it had been only their close friends visiting, Felix and Weiwei greeting them would have sufficed. But with Count Adonis Aldridge present as a representative of the royal family, Felix had to bring out Dolores and Caroline as well, as a gesture of respect.
They all stood at the castle gates, servants in tow, awaiting their guests. Felix had timed it well—they didn't wait long before soldiers atop the walls signaled the arrival of the entourage.
Although most of the guests came on horseback, Adonis, as the royal envoy, naturally arrived in a more refined fashion—by carriage. Besides, no one attending a naming ceremony would come empty-handed, so carriages were needed to transport the gifts.
Knights surrounded two carriages, one bearing the Aldridge family crest and the other the Princia family's emblem.
Of course, Allen de Princia himself wasn't in a carriage. He rode in at the front with the others.
As soon as they saw Felix waiting at the gates, the knights grinned widely and waved. These were old friends of his. Although social dynamics had shifted somewhat after Felix inherited his title, their bond remained strong—provided Felix himself hadn't changed, there was no reason for them to act differently either.
"It's been too long, Felix!"
Allen was the first to reach him, leaping off his horse with practiced ease. The others followed more slowly, mindful of Adonis's status, but all of them dismounted and came to greet Felix warmly with embraces and cheerful words.
"Dear Weiwei, you're as beautiful as ever," Allen said with a look of open admiration as he walked around her.
He wasn't just being polite—he had seen many noblewomen after childbirth, but none had recovered as gracefully as Weiwei. She seemed even more radiant than before.
"You're as handsome as ever too, Allen," Weiwei replied with a bright smile. After spending so much time among warm, demonstrative Europeans, she had grown quite adept at exchanging such pleasantries.
She then greeted the rest of Felix's friends warmly. These were knights she had met in the capital—some more familiar than others, but all had left a good impression. She greeted them all by name, even those she had only met briefly two years prior.
Her friendliness took them by surprise—and delighted them. That she remembered their names, whether from good memory or careful preparation, won her many approving smiles.
Adonis exited his carriage only after the others had greeted their hosts. The young count was not at all offended by the delay. He stepped forward gracefully and exchanged formal handshakes and pleasantries with Felix.
As he stepped down, Weiwei couldn't help but hear a stir among the maids behind her. They were whispering in awe at how handsome and young Count Adonis was. She had to admit, the seventeen- or eighteen-year-old nobleman did possess a refined, almost ethereal beauty—a kind of elegant, scholarly handsomeness that contrasted with Felix's rugged masculinity. If he were any younger, he might have looked almost androgynous, like a celestial being from a storybook.
He was, in short, a rare beauty who had not grown into awkward adulthood.
Weiwei, having lived in a modern age surrounded by celebrity culture, anime characters, and digital beauty, had a higher tolerance for such appearances. She was briefly struck by his looks but recovered quickly. The other women present, however, were visibly stunned—eyes shining as they stared at the young earl.
Weiwei glanced toward Dolores and saw her looking down, face slightly flushed, stealing glances at Adonis.
That made Weiwei a little uneasy. Could her sister-in-law be developing feelings for the count?
It wasn't impossible. Dolores had always seemed uninterested in men and had avoided the subject of marriage. But considering her brother Felix had once fallen in love at first sight based on looks alone, Weiwei had to wonder if Dolores might be the same way.
And if she was interested in Adonis… well, that could be complicated. Weiwei didn't know much about the young count's background or personality. Although he was still young, this era encouraged early marriages—especially for nobles who had already inherited titles. If he was already married…
Ah, pregnancy did make one overly sentimental. Weiwei found herself spinning hypothetical dramas about her sister-in-law getting her heart broken over a married man—despite not even knowing Adonis's marital status.
Thankfully, the moment passed quickly. Adonis came over to greet her, and she smiled warmly, offering a formal reply as was customary in noble society.
Soon after, their attendants began unloading gifts from the carriages—both personal luggage and presents for the Williams family. Some were from the king, others from Adonis himself.
Allen's carriage, meanwhile, was filled with gifts prepared by himself and the knights.
Though the gifts varied in value, they were all given with sincerity. Felix thanked them and left the task of cataloging the items to Butler Barton before inviting everyone inside.
"Lunch is ready," Felix announced. "Today's meal was prepared personally by my wife. I hope it suits your tastes."
Though spoken as a polite formality—especially toward Adonis—his pride was unmistakable. He adored his wife's cooking.
Strictly speaking, Weiwei hadn't made the entire meal. The castle chefs had done most of the work. But she had overseen the seasoning and final tasting, and that alone elevated the food beyond even what the head chef could prepare.
Felix was known among his friends for having a wife with exceptional culinary skills. He often bragged about her in letters, sometimes even sending along recipes. If followed properly, they produced dishes far better than the usual bland or dubious fare nobles endured.
So when the guests heard that Weiwei had prepared the meal, they were thrilled.
And the food did not disappoint—it was, without a doubt, the most delicious meal any of them had eaten in recent memory. Even better than the wedding feast, which had been prepared by temporary chefs from the capital.
Because most of the guests were knights, Weiwei had also specially prepared drinks—not the more refined and aristocratically prized wine, but good, hearty beer, the drink knights preferred. The wine was for sipping with elegance. Beer was for drinking in great gulps without worrying about etiquette.
And this wasn't just any beer—it was brewed with hops, or humulus lupulus, a plant that gave the beverage a thick, foamy head and a distinct bitterness.
When the beer was poured and thick foam frothed at the top of the mugs, the knights were stunned.
"What is this? So much foam!"
As beer lovers, they were immediately intrigued. Even if the food were subpar, the promise of excellent beer would have made them just as enthusiastic.
Felix looked at his wife with adoration. "Weiwei brewed this herself, just for your visit. The flavor is truly unique—you're going to love it."
Weiwei could only smile under all their admiring gazes. In truth, she had brewed the beer not so much "for their visit" as because she had finally gotten her hands on hops, which had been unavailable locally until now.
At this point, beer was consumed even more frequently than water—every month, the castle went through a large quantity of it. Made from malted barley, beer was often enhanced with various herbs like spruce, pine, and rosemary to improve flavor and slightly extend its shelf life. Still, even the best beer was only kept for two weeks or so. Thus, beer had to be brewed and consumed in batches. Long-distance transport wasn't practical, which is why few merchants sold it in bulk—most beer was brewed by households or small vendors supplying local taverns. Nobles typically had their people brew it rather than buy it.
Although beer had a long history in Europe, adding hops to it had never been a common practice. Weiwei hadn't paid much attention to the matter before, as Sardinson had no wild-growing hops. Even if she had known hops could improve taste and dramatically increase shelf life, she couldn't use what didn't exist.
However, while hops didn't grow in Sardinson, they were native to Europe. People here already used them—just not in brewing. Locals used hops for dyeing cloth brown or yellow, or for making rope and hemp fabric, but no one thought to add them to beer.
It was pure chance that Weiwei discovered them. The paper mill had recently been experimenting with colored paper. A merchant, knowing this, brought in some plants used as dyes—including hops. Kama, who happened to see the delivery, immediately recognized them. She remembered that Weiwei had once described a plant she was looking for and had even tried to find it herself. Upon seeing these dried samples, she brought one straight to Weiwei to confirm.
Even though they were somewhat dried out, Weiwei recognized the hops at a glance.
Once confirmed, she had Kama buy the merchant's entire stock and also requested more if he could get it—preferably seeds or live plants, for which she'd pay extra. The merchant left cheerfully to acquire more. Meanwhile, Weiwei used the hops to start brewing batches of beer.
The brewing process was simple and didn't take long. Including fermentation, it only took about two weeks. Since this discovery happened shortly after Weiwei gave birth, the beer was ready just in time for the knights' arrival—thus becoming Felix's so-called "specially prepared gift" for his friends.
It was pure coincidence. But since Felix was so pleased with the idea, Weiwei saw no reason to ruin his happiness by telling him the truth.
When the guests heard that the beer had been brewed just for them, they beamed with delight. One by one, they raised their mugs to toast Weiwei and then took big gulps—only to end up with a mouthful of foam.
The servants had never poured this kind of beer before. While traditional beer did foam a little, it lacked hops to stabilize the foam, so it would quickly disappear. But this beer was different—it produced a lasting head, and the servants didn't know how to properly judge the pouring ratio. As a result, the mugs were mostly foam on top.
So the first sip was, quite literally, all foam.
Still, even the foam carried flavor. At first, the bitterness of the hops made the men wrinkle their brows. But very quickly, the bitterness transformed into a rich, pleasing fragrance—something unique and surprisingly enjoyable.
Unable to resist, they took a second gulp. This time, the flavor of the beer truly came through. The initial bitterness melded beautifully with the beer's crisp body, creating a smooth, mellow finish.
One taste was all it took. Every beer lover at the table was hooked.
They raved about the flavor, praised Weiwei's brewing skills, and asked her what had been added to make it taste so special.
"It's a plant called hops," Weiwei said generously, without keeping it secret. She even told them that beer brewed with hops had a much longer shelf life—it could last for years.
"Please teach us how to make this beer! We want to enjoy it at home too!" one knight pleaded, and others echoed him. They weren't thinking about selling it—just about handing the recipe over to their wives so they could drink this kind of beer regularly.
Weiwei saw no reason to refuse. She smiled and promised to have the recipe written out for them later.
That earned her another round of heartfelt toasts. She even took a small sip herself—though everyone was mindful of the fact that she was still recovering from childbirth. No one pressured her to drink; the real target for heavy drinking was, of course, Felix.
The surprise of the day was young Count Adonis Aldridge. Though he looked refined and gentle, he turned out to hold his alcohol remarkably well. He had been traveling with the knights for days, and although they were initially reserved around him due to his noble status, their lively personalities had gradually warmed the atmosphere. Adonis, for his part, had tried to blend in—and succeeded. Soon, he was joining in on their rowdy drinking contests.
The banquet transformed into an all-out beer fest.
Weiwei and Dolores didn't stay for long. As an unmarried noblewoman, Dolores wasn't expected to remain at such boisterous gatherings. Once the atmosphere became too raucous, she quietly withdrew.
Weiwei, as the hostess, should have stayed to keep the guests company. But just as the drinking began to heat up, her baby woke from his nap. Realizing his mother was gone, he started wailing inconsolably. The maid assigned to watch him had no choice but to rush downstairs in a panic, babe in arms, to find her.
Naturally, Weiwei excused herself from the table immediately. She returned to her room to nurse the hungry little one.
As she expertly rocked and soothed her son, she didn't forget her promise to the guests. She instructed Kama—who was familiar with the brewing process—to write out the recipe. Kama had attended literacy classes and could write well enough to record the instructions herself.
"Make several copies," Weiwei said. "One for each guest."
Kama asked, "Should I make one for Count Aldridge as well?"
"Yes," Weiwei nodded. "He was at the table when it was discussed. Everyone present gets one."
At the mention of Count Aldridge, Weiwei's thoughts drifted again—to Dolores.
She turned to Penny and said, "Go ask Butler Barton if he knows anything about Count Aldridge—anything at all. If he does, tell me. If not, have him send someone to inquire with the Count's servants. Just say I want to better understand our guest's preferences so I can host him properly."
"Yes, Madam," Penny replied and left to carry out her task.