It seems that Miss Jialinna not only dislikes such banquets, but also has other troubles today.
Miss Jialinna very sensitively spotted Xia De's gaze in the crowd below, and she subtly shook her head at Xia De, not knowing what she wanted to express.
Without making a speech on the stairs, Queen Diana, surrounded by the Cavendish Family's princesses, princes, and Noblewoman, walked down the cleared passage from the stairs to the grand terrace on the second floor, accompanied by music. Standing here, not only the guests on the second floor and in the courtyard, but even pedestrians on Silver Cross Avenue, and people on the second and third floors of nearby places like Saint Delan Square, could see her.
This terrace itself was where the King gave formal speeches to all his subjects.
Because there were so many people, Xia De did not try to squeeze to the front to watch Queen Diana's speech. He helped Dorothy, carefully sitting back on the sofa. When Leia followed the Queen to the second floor and entered the terrace just now, Dorothy almost fell forward onto Xia De.
"Really, knowing it would be like this, you shouldn't have come to this banquet."
Xia De made Dorothy sit down, originally intending to use Cindyia's Silver Moon Grace for treatment, but Dorothy waved her hand to refuse.
"It's alright."
Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, her face was very pale, and her voice was almost completely drowned out by the Queen's amplified voice through a megaphone.
"It was just a moment of discomfort; I thought the distance was far enough."
She wasn't lying; her complexion was indeed recovering at a visible rate. However, there was still sweat on her forehead, and the slender golden strands of hair she had intentionally left down, not pinned up, were sticking to her cheeks from the sweat.
"Is Leia alright?"
Xia De was more worried about Leia suddenly collapsing in front of everyone.
"It's alright, she took painkillers in advance."
"What?"
Xia De frowned in surprise, but Dorothy pursed her lips and shook her head:
"That's all we can do; there's no other way. As long as we don't get close, this won't happen. In this life, I'm afraid we'll never truly be able to look each other in the eye."
Fortunately, Dorothy's Writer friends were all standing on tiptoes behind the crowd, trying to directly see Queen Diana who was giving a speech, so Dorothy's abnormality was not noticed by too many people.
After the Queen finished her speech, the lively banquet officially began. Queen Diana did not leave, but accepted interviews from reporters and chatted with familiar Noblewoman. The young princes and princesses of the Cavendish Family also chose to do their own things. Xia De counted carefully, and there were more than ten of the King's children who appeared today alone.
Larus III's reproductive capability was truly the strongest among all previous kings.
Marquis Graselli quickly sent a servant to tell Xia De to meet them at the gambling table by the wall on the second floor. However, before Xia De could bid farewell to Dorothy's Writer friends, another Black-haired maid came from the third floor; Miss Jialinna wanted Xia De to come up.
So he could only temporarily bid farewell to Dorothy and ask the servant to apologize to Marquis Graselli, as he would probably be a little late.
When he met Miss Jialinna on the third floor, the Duchess, who was dressed exceptionally pretty tonight, seemed a bit troubled. She had Tifa ensure no one was eavesdropping outside the door before quietly telling Xia De a slightly startling fact:
"There is a Thirteen Ring Sorcerer at this banquet."
"What?"
"Don't worry, it's a Thirteen Ring Sorcerer from the Orthodox Church, the Creation Church's 'Steel Right Hand' Sari Pirot."
Miss Jialinna sat in front of the dressing table, her chair facing Xia De's position, frowning slightly displeased, but combined with the red ball gown trailing on the carpet and the sparkling hair accessories in her hair, it made her look even prettier:
"I only heard about this at 7:40. Steel Right Hand was originally stationed outside the Darkness Domain, and only temporarily returned to the City after swapping shifts with 'Sunlight Greatsword' these past few days. It was Queen Diana who invited him, which is quite unexpected; the royal family rarely invites high-level Ring術士 from the Orthodox Church."
"What did the Queen invite this gentleman for?"
"Nothing, just a simple invitation. It's normal for her to send invitations to influential people in the City for her own birthday. But my nephew, Larus III, is a bit angry about this. He was originally going to show up just now, but didn't appear because of this matter. He has always opposed royal family members bypassing him and privately contacting high-ranking officials of the Orthodox Church."
"But the Queen just..."
Xia De narrowed his eyes slightly:
"Did she really just invite him on a whim?"
"I'm glad you didn't just treat Diana as a simple person."
Miss Jialinna said with a smile, then gestured for Tifa to massage her shoulders. Xia De then brought up Darkness, as they were both in a hurry during their meeting in the afternoon and he hadn't had time to mention it:
"Darkness has already entered Tobesk. At least by last night, he had already entered the City area."
"You ran into him again?"
Miss Jialinna tilted her head slightly:
"Could it be that he really came to seek revenge on you? Oh, this is getting interesting."
She tapped the armrest of the cushion-backed armchair, which was engraved with the Cavendish Family crest, with her slender fingers:
"I thought I could have a few more days of leisure, but now I can't rest. Really, the Council wants me to kill Darkness with my own hands. Xia De, after this matter is over, I will thank you for your intelligence. If you have any other information, remember to tell me immediately, and never try to catch him yourself. You don't know the power of an Ancient Evil Spirit demon. Even a Thirteen Ring Sorcerer who rashly fights him may not easily win."
"No problem, Miss Jialinna."
The Duchess suddenly raised an eyebrow, a smile appearing on her face:
"Why not thank me now? Tifa, take the Detective to find little Leia. When I came back from the second floor just now, I saw her enter the east corridor, probably going to her lounge."
Although some rooms in the main building of Yodel Palace serve as living quarters for members of the royal family, it also plays a strong administrative role. Leia, as a princess who has already participated in government affairs, has her own study or lounge here. Among Larus III's unmarried daughters, few have such treatment.
"Remember not to pass through the banquet hall, to prevent being seen by those with ulterior motives. Take the east staircase. If you meet anyone, just say that I sent the Detective downstairs to get something."
She instructed, the Black-haired maid nodded, and Xia De also stood up from the chair:
"Miss Jialinna, I should be staying at Yodel Palace until around eleven o'clock. If there's anything else tonight, you can find me on the second floor at any time."
"I know, you have a rhode cards game arranged with someone. Speaking of rhode cards, Queen Diana will probably give you a surprise tonight; you can look forward to it a little."
She said with a smile, resting her face in her hand.
Under Tifa's guidance, Xia De circled a large part of the east side of the third floor before finding the narrow staircase used by servants. Walking through the maze-like building, he didn't encounter anyone along the way.
After stopping in front of the door with the nameplate "Leia Cavendish," Tifa gestured for Xia De to knock on the door himself:
"Princess Leia probably wouldn't like to see me."
The Black-haired maid winked playfully at Xia De. If this gesture from the younger Iluna was cute, then Tifa's gesture was playful and a bit charming. After that Detective assistant job, she seemed to have a different impression of Xia De:
"Then I'll go back first, Xia De. Miss Jialinna might still need me to do something."
She said in a low voice.
"Alright then, goodbye, Tifa."
"I wish you a pleasant evening."
With that, the Black-haired maid smiled at Xia De, then turned and left, her footsteps muffled by the carpet.
Xia De confirmed that her back had disappeared around the corner of the corridor before reaching out and gently knocking on the door.
"Who is it?"
Leia's voice came from inside, muffled by the door, but it still made Xia De smile:
"It's me."
He believed that Leia would recognize his voice.
However, after he finished speaking, there was no immediate sound of footsteps. Instead, after a short wait, footsteps that were clearly not Leia's approached the door.
When the door opened, Xia De saw a young man with reddish-brown hair, shorter than him, wearing a black swallowtail suit and a white shirt, with a pocket watch chain extending from his chest pocket and fastened to a button. His skin was a bit dark, his eyebrows were thick, and he asked Xia De at the door with some confusion:
"Sir, who are you?"
"He's my friend."
Before Xia De could speak, Princess Angelina's voice rang out from inside the room.
Xia De looked into the room; there were quite a few people inside, besides the servants, there were Princess Angelina, Leia, and several other young men and women Xia De didn't know.
Xia De had seen some of the girls before at the Prophet Association, but since he didn't remember their names, he treated them as strangers.
"Mr. Hamilton is my friend. I asked the servants to find him to wait with us for the ball to begin."
Princess Angelina spoke again, and the young man at the door moved aside to let Xia De in.
He looked at Xia De suspiciously, and then, as Xia De brushed past him, he suddenly realized:
"Hamilton of Thunder Jeed!"
"Yes, it's me."
Xia De nodded in acknowledgment.
"You are the rumored lover of Miss Jialinna?"
Xia De stopped in his tracks and frowned at him:
"Sir, that's not polite, please don't tarnish Miss Jialinna's reputation."
Not only him, but even Leia and Angelina frowned.
Although the rumors were rampant, such things should not be spoken aloud.
This noble youth, whose name was unknown, clearly harbored some hostility towards Xia De.
While the source of this hostility was unclear, Xia De was not one to swallow his anger, and being slandered for doing nothing was what truly angered him:
"Sir, please apologize to Miss Jialinna."
"Yes, I misspoke."
As it involved the Duchess, a powerful figure in the country, the other party evidently realized that his words, blurted out in emotion, were inappropriate.
But after a very insincere apology, he looked Xia De up and down again, raised an eyebrow, and slightly tilted his head:
"Mr. Hamilton, I heard you are a Detective from Saint Delan Square? Look, you certainly look the part."
This tone was extremely frivolous, in other words, impolite.
"Then, Detective, why don't you deduce what we were doing just now?"
He said with a smile:
"A Detective from Saint Delan Square should possess such ability."
Xia De looked at the others; most of them also found such words very impolite, while a few young ladies tried to convey to Xia De with their expressions what had just happened here.
"Is that so?"
Xia De turned and walked towards the Black-haired maid by the wall, his back to everyone, and extended his hand to Mrs. Hels, Leia's head maid, saying:
"Madam, lend me a gun."
With that, he drew the gun of kindness from his waist.
Although this scene was witnessed by two other maids besides Mrs. Hels, no one dared to make a sound.
"This gentleman, besides being a Detective, I am also a Knight."
Xia De lowered his head and deftly spun open the cylinder.
Because the gun of kindness could generate bullets using a Ring術士's spirit, he usually didn't keep bullets in it, so all six chambers were empty.
Xia De reached into his pocket, then took out a bullet, showed it to the astonished crowd, and then pressed the bullet into the cylinder.
"And the most important thing for a Knight and a Detective is courage."
Spinning the cylinder back into the correct position, he showed the pistol to the thick-browed noble youth at the door:
"Since you're questioning my Detective abilities, how about we make a bet? No, rhode cards are too boring for a bet, let's bet on this."
With a flick of his finger, the cylinder immediately began to spin.
Once the cylinder was fixed again, Xia De picked up the gun and gestured to the other party:
"You first or me first? I think you understand what I mean."
"Oh, you, you lunatic!"
The young man in the black tailcoat looked at Xia De in disbelief, and Xia De shook his head:
"This is a bet of honor.
In the old days, Knights were very willing to use this method to defend their reputation."
"Mr. Hamilton, you don't have to take risks for this person.
This is Mr. Jason Dimoke, the youngest son of Count Dimoke."
Princess Angelina's voice came from the side, but Xia De was not interested in knowing who the other party was:
"Then, Mr. Xiao Dimoke, you first or me first?"
"You this—"
"Alright, I'll go first."
Xia De pointed the gun of kindness, which could absolutely not be used for suicide, at his temple and pulled the trigger before the others could react.
Click~ a sound, and as expected, no bullet was fired.
"Your turn."
Xia De quickly took a few steps and handed the gun forward, but Mr. Dimoke clearly dared not take it:
"You—"
"Oh, two shots each, right?"
Saying that, he was about to raise the gun again, and the young man in the tailcoat immediately stopped him:
"No, no, I mean—"
"Oh, still one shot each, but you want me to shoot?"
Xia De immediately raised the muzzle, and Mr. Dimoke immediately raised his hands:
"Knight, calm down, please listen to me, why should I bet with you?"
"Because you offended Miss Jialinna and my honor."
Although Xia De put down the revolver with a smile, he still stared at the other party:
"Or, do you want me to pull the trigger three times first, and then you try the last three times?"
Because he was confident that this gun could absolutely not kill him, Xia De's expression showed that he was absolutely not joking.
"No, I—"
Jason Dimoke looked at the others in the room, trying to ask for help, but no one spoke at this moment.
Not only because Xia De was holding a gun, but also because Xia De's words actually made a lot of sense.
Even if they really played a dangerous gamble here and someone died because of it, the living would not be severely punished.
"I, I, I'm feeling a bit unwell, sorry."
Seeing no one helping him, the noble youth in the tailcoat backed away towards the door, then pulled open the door and slipped out, regardless of what his friends in the room thought.
"Tsk."
Xia De shook his head, holding the gun, and turned to look at the group of people sitting on the sofa.
Seeing no one speaking, he opened the cylinder again and took out the bullet inside.
From the position of the bullet, the sixth pull of the trigger should have aligned it with the barrel.
"You are too impulsive."
Princess Angelina immediately said from the sofa, and after speaking, she winked at Xia De, a very playful gesture.
"I'm so sorry that this happened, please go to the banquet hall first."
Leia, the true host here, said to her friends, so people walked around Xia De and left the room, but most of them smiled and nodded at Xia De.
It seemed that what had just happened would definitely spread throughout the banquet.
After the guests left, Leia looked at the servants standing by the wall.
After a slight nod, Mrs. Hels led the servants away first.
After everyone had left, besides her and Xia De, only Angelina Cavendish remained, sitting on the sofa.
The little princess had originally been holding a porcelain teacup, but seeing her sister stand up from behind the desk and quickly walk towards Xia De, who was standing in the center of the room, tucking the gun into his waist, she subconsciously placed the teacup on the coffee table and then craned her neck to look at them.
Leia extended her right hand and gently lifted Xia De's lowered head.
The red-haired girl put her left arm around him and then kissed him.
"Oh~"
The little princess whispered, her face flushed, her eyes fixed on them.
"What exactly is your relationship?"
After a long while, she picked up her teacup again, turned sideways, and asked softly, holding the teacup.
Leia pushed Xia De away, panting heavily, and brushed some loose red hair from her ear; the blush on her cheeks could not be concealed even by blush.
Her breathing was a bit uneven as she spoke, but the smile on her face was very obvious:
"Xia De saved me, this is gratitude."
None of the three present believed this, but Angelina did not ask again.
"I wanted to do this last time."
Leia said to Xia De with a smile again, looking at him closely, her eyes bright at this moment:
"After our hurried parting in the west, I've always wanted to thank you.
I wanted to kiss you on Saturday, but those damned things got in the way.
Now I've finally done it, and it feels really good."
"Sister Leia, that last sentence should be a male character's line."
The little princess immediately reminded her, but Leia ignored her sister.
"Xia De, Angelina doesn't want to be married off for political reasons by her father to someone she doesn't like, so she asked me for help.
She is trustworthy, so it's fine that she saw us just now."
Leia continued:
"I sometimes leave Tobesk.
If you can't find me but encounter trouble in the City, you can also ask Angelina for help.
She is always at Yodel Palace, but her Black-haired maid can enter and exit relatively freely.
I'll have her give you her contact information in a moment."
"I don't encounter much trouble in this City; it's very peaceful here."
Xia De said, carefully wiping off the lipstick on his lips with the back of his hand:
"Then Leia, when you went upstairs just now, were you alright?"
He was still worried about this.
"I'm fine.
Come sit down, let's have a good chat.
I know you're eager to play rhode cards, but delaying for an hour or two shouldn't matter."
"Actually, whether I play cards or not is irrelevant."
Xia De said lightly, Leia chuckled covering her mouth, and Angelina also seemed to want to say something, but then, the door was knocked on again.
