To attend more parties, many nobles would stay on their estates during the busy seasons of spring planting and autumn harvesting, then leave for the bustling big cities afterward. Cities like Valencia, for example, were ideal for those who loved excitement but didn’t have the rank to maintain a residence in the capital.

Upon receiving the invitation from the Jiménez family, the nobles were simultaneously impressed by the duke’s skill—first marrying his sister to a prince, then securing an engagement with a Gonzalez family lady. These alliances only further solidified his position. 

At the same time, they were eager to meet the Gonzalez duke, reputedly the wealthiest in all of...