Chapter 1484: Invitation
After waiting for what felt like no more than half an hour, the door opened and a few people walked in.
Ning looked at the men and immediately understood that these were bodyguards, who were coming in to check if the route was safe.
They moved aside and finally, two people walked in.
At the front was a man in his late 30s, with very unkempt hair and a tired expression. Some of his hair had already become white from stress and his overall body was lean as though he was overworked.
His eyes were drooping too, with large dark circles underneath them.
Behind him was a teenage girl with long brown hair that fell to her shoulder. She was quite beautiful but not on the same level as Jasmine.
“I heard we had a few guests,” the middle-aged man spoke. “I’m sorry to have kept you all waiting.”
Ning looked at the man. “You’re Sir Zarius?” he asked.
“In the flesh,” the man replied with a small grin.
Ning stood up and reached his hand out for a shake. “My name is Ning. It’s nice to meet you, Sir Zarius.”
The guards all watched Ning with great scrutiny, but none told him he couldn’t get a handshake or did anything else to reprimand him for his behavior.
“Hello,” the man said and reached for Ning’s hand, shaking it. “I hear you came to talk about some investing opportunities. I look forward to what you have to say.”
Ning shook the man’s hand vigorously before letting go of it. A look of disappointment flashed through his face that no one else noticed.
“Please excuse me for a moment,” the clearly human Zarius said and walked toward the prince, ignoring Ning and the others for the moment.
Ning said nothing, letting the man go toward the prince. He looked toward Tim and Jasmine who were watching him curiously for the main information.
He shrugged, letting them know that this one was a bust as well. Zarius Bracksfort was not Zurinus. They would have to find someone else.
Ning turned to look at Zarius and Prince Edward who talked in low voices amongst themselves. They tried to whisper, but Ning heard every word as clearly as it could be heard.
“My grandfather is turning 100, and it is a very important birthday anniversary. So, we are inviting people from all around the world to come to the event,” the prince said and pulled out a small envelope with a golden wax seal on it. “I was specifically tasked to invite you. Please come to the celebration, and bring anyone else you wish to bring with you.”
“Oh,” Zarius gave a surprised look. “His Royal Majesty is turning 100? This is an incredible event indeed. I will absolutely be there no matter what.”
The prince nodded. “Just finding you took too much time on my end. Thankfully, I wasn’t too late,” he said. “Please do come.”
“Of course, Your Highness. His Royal Majesty’s birthday party, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
The prince stood up. “That is all I came here to say,” he said. “I wish you good luck with your next invention, Sir Zarius. Young lady.”
He gave a short but respectful bow to both Zarius and the girl who followed behind him and walked away. On the way, he stopped next to Jasmine.
“Would Miss care to give me her name?” the prince asked.
“I’m Jasmine,” she said without much change in her expression. By now, she had been approached by enough men that she didn’t bat an eye at even a prince.
“Miss Jasmine, I am glad to have seen you today,” the man said. “I wish to talk to you some more, but I’m afraid I do not have the time to do so today. If you wouldn’t mind, my Grandfather’s birthday is coming up very soon, and I would like for you to come to it, so we may converse some more there.”
“Your grandfather?” Jasmine asked with a curious look.
The prince raised an eyebrow. “You must not be from around here to not realize who my grandfather is,” he said with an amused smile. “No worry. I’m sure the people here will explain it to you soon. I just wish to invite you over to his 100th birthday celebration.”
Jasmine looked around for any sort of hint on what to do next and saw Ning nodding. “Thank you for the invite, Prince Edward. I am more than happy to come to the party which you’ve invited me to.”
The prince smiled. “I’m sorry I do not have any extra invitations to hand out right now,” he said. “Sir Zarius, would you mind allowing Lady Jasmine here to come to the celebration under your invite? You’ll have to show it at the reception.”
“Of course,” Zarius said.
The prince turned back to Jasmine with a smile. “Let us meet again.”
He left the room, along with all the others he had come with, leaving only the scant few remaining in the room.
Zarius broke open the envelope and pulled out the invitation on a thick piece of paper on the inside.
He read through it quickly and raised an eyebrow in surprise. He handed over the paper to the girl behind him who read the invitation with a bit of amusement in her eyes as well.
Jasmine turned toward Ning. “Whose birthday celebration am I going to exactly? A prince’s grandfather… that would have to be the Emperor’s father? Or…”
“It’s actually the Emperor himself,” Ning said. “You were invited to the Emperor’s 100th birthday celebration.”
“Damn,” Jasmine couldn’t help but exclaim. She herself couldn’t believe that she had been invited to such a party.
“The prince said it is an important one, so you should look forward to being in a place with a lot of important figures,” Ning told her.
Jasmine narrowed her eyes. “Shouldn’t you be excited for such a place like that?” she asked.
Ning raised an eyebrow. “Now that you mention it, that’s correct. I should go to this birthday party too.”
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