Chapter 556: Birthday Banquet

Translator: _Min_

Gu Dai recalled the guard’s words and inquired with curiosity, “How did you come to know about us?”

The guard replied with a smile, “The news of the princess inviting you to her birthday banquet has already spread throughout the castle.”

As his words trailed off, they arrived at the garden.

The guard announced, “Here we are, you can go back now.”

Gu Dai responded with a smile, “Thank you. Without your guidance, we might have gotten lost in the castle and couldn’t find our way back.”

After the guard had left, Gu Dai whispered to Su Ting, “It’s time for us to act.”

Su Ting agreed, “Alright.”

The two were fortunate; they explored the castle for several hours without being detected by the guards, yet they found no clues.

Su Ting frowned slightly, “There’s no disturbance in the castle; perhaps it wasn’t someone from the royal family who captured uncle and auntie.”

Gu Dai nodded, “Possibly.”

But if it wasn’t someone from the royal family, then who could it be?

After pondering for a moment, Su Ting looked at Gu Dai and asked, “Daidai, did uncle and auntie mention any distinctive features of the person who held them captive?”

Gu Dai paused, “Features?”

She recalled what Zhu Zhe and Meng Xian had mentioned, “They had a scent of flowers on them.”

Realizing this, Gu Dai’s eyes lit up, “We’ll look for someone with a floral scent at the birthday party tomorrow.”

The next day.

After fixing up the garden, Gu Dai wanted to explore the castle further, but Miss Aad’s watchful eyes were everywhere, forcing her to abandon the idea and wait obediently for the birthday banquet.

Gu Dai and Su Ting, dressed in the elegant clothes provided by the servants, attended the banquet.

The guests at the banquet were all slightly taken aback upon seeing them.

“I’ve never seen them before; who are they?”

“I heard the princess invited two commoners to her birthday feast.”

“Do you mean they are those commoners? That’s hilarious; they don’t look like lower-class people at all.”

“If they were just simple lower-class individuals with nothing special about them, how could the princess, who is so particular about appearances, take an interest in them?”

“You have a point.”

Aad had been busy preparing for the birthday banquet all day. When she finally looked up and saw the refined appearances of Gu Dai and Su Ting, her mood instantly brightened.

Her gaze stuck on Gu Dai, she walked over, took her hand, and complimented, “You look exactly as beautiful in that dress as I imagined.”

Gu Dai smiled in response, “It’s all thanks to the beautiful dress you provided, Miss Aad.”

Aad’s smile grew even brighter, and she then proceeded to introduce Gu Dai to the guests attending the evening party.

Su Ting watched Aad holding Gu Dai’s hand, taking a deep breath to suppress the urge to pull them apart.

Seizing a moment when Aad was conversing with others, Gu Dai leaned in and whispered to Su Ting, “I can’t get away at the moment. You go around and look for someone whose scent is a mix of floral and fruity.”

Su Ting responded, “Alright.”

After replying, he looked at Gu Dai with a hint of grievance, “Daidai, can you not let Aad touch you, please?”

Gu Dai was taken aback, “But she’s a woman.”

Su Ting muttered, “But she likes women, and I get jealous when I see her touching you.”

Unable to resist Su Ting’s pitiful look, Gu Dai quickly agreed, “Okay.”

Su Ting’s eyes brightened, “Really?”

Gu Dai nodded firmly, “Yes!”

Holding a glass of wine, Su Ting moved around with a casual air, his demeanor relaxed. However, his nose was actively sniffing the surrounding scents.

Ever since Gu Dai had made a sachet for him, Su Ting had taken an interest in studying fragrances, gaining some expertise in scents.

Yet, after making his rounds, Su Ting only smelled the overpowering scent of perfume, not the mix of floral and fruity scents Gu Dai mentioned.

Could it be that the mysterious person didn’t attend the banquet?

Just as Su Ting entertained this thought, he suddenly stopped, a gleam in his eyes, and followed the scent to a middle-aged woman.

The lady lifted her gaze, “Can I help you?”

Listening to her ambiguous voice, a shadow flickered in Su Ting’s eyes.

Su Ting said, “I find the scent on you very appealing and would like to buy some for my girlfriend.”

The lady scrutinized Su Ting, and seeing his indifferent expression, she looked away, “This is a secret blend made by our family’s perfumer; it’s not available for sale or disclosed to the public.”

Pretending to be disappointed, Su Ting said, “I see..”