Chapter 245 Noble Banquet

Moreover, it was already 1913. Although Constantine did not know whether the war sweeping across Europe would be the same as in the original time and space, he understood one thing: Greece would inevitably be involved in this war that claimed to end everything.

Constantine also hoped that the emergence of new antibacterial drugs in this cruel war would reduce the casualties of Greek soldiers.

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Sophie Manor in the east of Thessaloniki on June 14, 1913.

This was the royal asset that Constantine personally purchased here after Greece regained Thessaloniki. It is said that this manor used to belong to officials stationed in Thessaloniki by the Ottoman Empire.

The vast green lawn in the manor stretched out with the ups and downs of the terrain, with tall trees sparsely planted in between.

Looking through the dense green lawn in the manor, you can vaguely see the main building of the manor, which is a gorgeous building with a Baroque style and a thin spire on top.

Luxurious carriages kept passing by on the tree-lined path on the grass, breaking the silence in the manor.

Constantine and Crown Princess Sophie, as the initiators of the banquet, stood at the steps in front of the main house to welcome many guests.

Behind the two were two rows of servants, the male servants wore tuxedos, and the maids wore black skirts.

Two rows of six copper lamp holders, burning white candles, dispelled the deep night.

Constantine and Crown Princess Sophie invited all Greek nobles to come to Sophie Manor to participate in the royal banquet.

After the war, under the auspices of King George, a ceremony of ennobling nobles was held again to reward those soldiers who performed well in the war of 1912.

Due to the brilliant victories and outstanding achievements of Greece's continuous foreign wars, Greek society and the people have greatly changed their willingness to reward military personnel who have won merits in the war and ennoble them as nobles.

After Greece defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Macedonian War in 1895, the royal family only conferred titles on a few people. It was not that King George did not want to confer titles on more people, but that the social sentiment at that time did not allow it.

For the Greek society at that time, Greece was more of a republic than a kingdom.

Suddenly conferring titles on a large number of nobles, in the original society, a group of upper classes appeared, oppressing the people, which could easily arouse the people's resentment and put the royal family in an embarrassing situation.

As an outsider, the royal family had a shallow foundation in Greece at that time, weak influence, and not many supporters.

King George agreed to appoint the leader of the majority in parliament as the Prime Minister of Greece, which was also a side confirmation of the unstable status of the Greek royal family at that time.

In a country where the monarch's power is stable, the right to appoint the prime minister is an extremely important political right in the hands of the monarch.

As the head of the government, the prime minister has an important status.

At that time, only a few people were conferred titles on nobles, and they did not want to arouse the resentment of the Greek people.

Even though only a few nobles were canonized at that time, the royal family was under tremendous political pressure and finally had to agree to the exchange conditions of the then Prime Minister Trikoupis - the position of Greek Prime Minister shall not be held by nobles.

The number of people canonized as nobles this time is relatively large, reaching more than 30 people, because the Greek people are no longer as sensitive to such behavior as before.

The victory of the war has made the Greek people more and more recognized by the monarch.

As the crown prince, Constantine naturally understands that the aristocracy is a class that is destined to die. After all, it is the 20th century, not the Middle Ages, and the aristocracy is destined to be submerged in the tide of history.

Capitalism, which pursues freedom and equality, is incompatible with the privileged class of feudal society such as the aristocracy.

There is a saying that the butt determines the head - it is not the head that decides where to go and the butt follows behind, but after the butt occupies the position, the head immediately starts to think and plan for the position of the butt.

What would happen if Greece had no aristocracy except the royal family?

I am afraid that the Greek Parliament will initiate a discussion every once in a while, whether it is necessary for Greece to maintain the monarchy?

This is entirely possible.

Therefore, as the crown prince, Constantine must consider the fate of his class and safeguard the interests of his class.

A carriage slowly stopped in front of the door. After the driver opened the door himself, Constantine took the initiative to come forward to greet the most respected guest of all today, Emmanuil, the Chief of General Staff of the Kingdom of Greece.

In view of the fact that the Greek army won consecutive victories in the war during Emmanuil's tenure as the Chief of General Staff of Greece, Emmanuil, as the actual supreme commander of the Greek army, was awarded the title of earl at the enthronement ceremony and obtained a manor around Thessaloniki as his territory.

"Welcome to Sophie Manor, Your Excellency the Chief of General Staff," Constantine said enthusiastically to Emmanuil and his wife who walked hand in hand.

"It is an honor to accept your invitation, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess," Emmanuil and his wife said in unison.

Emmanuil was the last guest to arrive today. Constantine, Sophie, and Emmanuil and his wife walked into the hall together.

The floor was made of extremely pure marble. Because it was polished and smooth, under the bright lights in the hall, the surface seemed to be coated with a layer of light.

The spacious, bright, and magnificent hall accommodated nearly a hundred people without seeming crowded.

Many Greek nobles who had been waiting in the hall saw Constantine and Emmanuel enter the hall and hurried forward to greet them.

Under the crystal chandelier in the middle of the hall, a variety of food was placed on the table.

Among them, the huge golden fruit tray placed in the middle of the table was the most eye-catching, filled with many fruits, such as purple grapes, orange citrus, green olives, and bright red strawberries.

Around the fruit plate, there were roast goose, sausages, caviar, truffles, goose liver, white bread, barbecue, jam and other high-end ingredients. Next to the table were several bottles of deep red wine.

On the left side of the dining table, the invited band was playing melodious music. The soothing rhythm made people in the hall relax involuntarily.

The conductor of the band saw that the host of the banquet, Constantine and his wife, had entered, and took the initiative to change the music.

The lights dimmed, and Constantine and Sophie walked into the venue and danced the opening dance.

Two minutes later, Constantine and Sophie left the dance floor, and the men invited the ladies and young ladies to enter the dance floor one by one, and danced to the music.

The first thirty minutes were free time for everyone to move around. The invited guests either enjoyed the food, chatted in groups of three or two, or danced with the opposite sex.

When everyone was a little bored, Constantine nodded to Sophie, indicating that it was okay.

Then Sophie, as the hostess of the banquet, led the ladies and young ladies in the venue to visit her dressing room and wardrobe.

The ladies and young ladies in the hall were very curious when they heard that they could visit the private collection of the Crown Princess.

After all, the invitees were all "new nobles" in Greece, with shallow family backgrounds, and naturally could not be compared with Sophie, who was born in the Hohenzollern family.

Sophie's own rich dowry, plus the additions over the years, it is not an exaggeration to say that Sophie can open a European luxury museum.

It is a rare opportunity to be able to see the luxury goods of the Crown Princess.

While sending the women away, Constantine and a group of nobles came to the small meeting room on the second floor.

This time, all the Greek nobles were invited to a simple entertainment and fun.