“Actually, I still have something I want to ask,” Xia De said. Galina Cavendish was in an exceptionally good mood tonight, so she didn't blame Xia De for his lack of romantic understanding.
“Ask away.”
“What exactly does Queen Diana want to do? Why did she give me such a precious item? I don’t believe she has no ulterior motive at all.”
“I’m glad you realized that,” Miss Jialinna whispered. She leaned closer to Xia De, resting her head on his left shoulder, and they swayed slowly to the music.
Due to the change in position caused by their rotation, she could now see Leia directly. She gave a slight smile to her grand-niece, and Leia immediately returned the smile, but her expression looked angry no matter how you looked at it.
“The news of Sachs Cavendish being convicted of treason will probably spread tomorrow. I don’t want to involve you in politics, but there are some things you need to know. Although she is currently the Queen of Larus III, the Leaping Fire, she is not the first queen, and not all of the current Princes and Princesses are her biological children.”
“I understand. Using that card wasn’t to win me over, but to show goodwill towards you. Although you don’t participate much in politics, as a Duchess with real power, your mere existence can influence certain matters.”
Xia De nodded slightly.
“Very good,” she whispered into his ear, her red hair brushing against Xia De’s cheek.
“I’m glad you understand that. It’s hard to believe that two months ago you knew nothing, but now you’re showing more Knowledge and intelligence than anyone your age.”
“The past time has given me strength. My journey of time exploration is different from a normal investigator’s.”
This was the first time Xia De formally admitted this to Miss Jialinna.
“So that’s how it is.”
She didn't seem to mind, moving her head from Xia De's shoulder and looking at his eyes up close with her golden pupils.
“Dance this dance seriously with me, Xia De, just this one. Otherwise, I worry that little Leia will curse me in an even more vicious way in her heart.”
“No, she won’t.”
“Xia De, you wouldn’t know her better than I do. I even held her when she was born.”
Although Xia De didn’t know Miss Jialinna’s exact age, she would have been at most eight years old when Leia was born.
“Knight, be serious. Don’t step on my feet,” she said with a touch of playful blame as they changed positions.
“Xia De, quickly become stronger. This world will become more and more dangerous, and I cannot protect you forever.”
She whispered something, but then suddenly smiled brightly.
“Of course, if you can perform a little better in this dance, perhaps I can give you a reward.”
“Such as?”
“How about having Tifa change into an evening gown and dance with you before the ball ends?”
She smiled, holding Xia De’s hand and swaying to the music.
“That would be very interesting.”
Miss Jialinna was true to her word. After finishing one dance, she left the second-floor ballroom.
Seeing the Duchess dance with a man, which was a rare sight, others naturally wanted to try their luck, but they were stopped by Miss Jialinna’s maids.
As for Xia De, as soon as Miss Jialinna left, Leia immediately stood up.
Xia De first looked in Luvia’s direction. Since the others’ card game was still ongoing, Luvia was still working, while Dorothy was chatting with her Writer friends, clearly not going to compete with Leia for this opportunity.
So, after a long time, Xia De once again danced with Leia. The last time they danced was on a cruise ship in Coldwater Port, dancing on the deck in the afterglow of the sunset, and then they encountered the Fishbone Pirate Ship.
Xia De quickly discarded that memory.
“Who exactly was that man I forced away with a gun just now?”
Xia De finally found an opportunity to ask this question. This dance was slightly livelier, and Xia De still wasn’t very good at dancing, so Leia led him.
Compared to Miss Jialinna, Leia’s height was only within the normal range for women of this era. Even with the high heels hidden beneath her long dress, the top of her head only slightly surpassed Xia De’s eye level.
“Is he your suitor? His malice was too obvious,” Xia De asked casually, still recalling his conversation with Miss Jialinna earlier.
“Of course not. Do you remember the culprit you found at the Prophet Association who harmed Angelina?” Leia asked softly, her face slightly flushed, not knowing if it was from excitement or shyness.
“Of course I remember, Sachs Cavendish’s lover.”
“Yes. As for the young son of Count Dimoke, Xiao Dimoke, who clearly bore ill will towards you just now, he has always liked the girl you exposed. Do you understand?”
“I understand. Xiao Dimoke is a fool,” Xia De joked, and Leia also laughed. Her hair color was very similar to Miss Jialinna’s, a vibrant red that, as the girl danced with small movements, looked like a flickering flame, attracting Xia De’s gaze.
“However, are you planning another dangerous adventure recently?” Leia asked again.
“Why would you think that?” Xia De raised an eyebrow.
“Dorothy said you seem very busy lately, but you don’t have many pending commissions, so we think you’re planning another dangerous adventure like the Coldwater Port operation.”
She looked up at Xia De.
“I hate it when people lie to me, so you don’t have to give me an answer, just ensure your safety.”
She glanced around, leaned forward, and lightly kissed Xia De on the cheek.
“Angelina said she wants to dance with you. Remember to invite her later.”
So, after Leia, Xia De first danced with the sixteen-year-old Princess, and then finally danced with his actual date for the evening, Dorothy.
They all seemed very skilled at dancing in high heels, while Xia De, wearing flat leather shoes, appeared somewhat clumsy.
After Dorothy was Luvia. She took some time to dance with Xia De and then returned to work. While dancing, besides quietly discussing Xia De’s adventure with the Doctor last night, the purple-eyed girl also teased Xia De about how tired he must be tonight.
“How many more girls are waiting to dance with you?”
Xia De initially thought Luvia was being sarcastic, but to his surprise, when he wanted to go find Dorothy and rest on the sofa, a strange girl actually invited him to dance.
Out of politeness, Xia De didn't refuse, but then invitations came non-stop. After dancing with three unfamiliar girls, Xia De finally excused himself, citing fatigue.
But by then, Dorothy was nowhere to be found. After asking around, he learned that these Tobesk Writers had all been invited by Queen Diana to chat on the third floor and likely wouldn’t be down for at least half an hour.
Leia had also left. She had originally been waiting for Xia De to find her when he had time, but it seemed something came up that required her attention, so she regretfully had to leave the banquet early.
Seeing nothing else to do, Xia De told Luvia and then left the second floor as well, intending to get some fresh air in the courtyard.
The Yodel Palace has a rather large overall area, and it’s quite normal for strangers to wander in and get lost. Although this was the Queen’s birthday banquet, only a small portion of the area was open for guests to enjoy.
When Xia De arrived downstairs, the fireworks display had just reached its climax. Most people stopped and looked up at the sky, watching slender light projectiles fly into the starry sky with a whistling sound, then explode into sparkling points of light under the stars and the march.
The weather tonight was quite good. The wind during the transition between autumn and summer temporarily dispersed the thin fog in the city, so standing in the courtyard and looking up, one could see the vast starry sky.
“I wonder if the sound of these explosions will scare Mia.”
Because Saint Delan Square was so close to Yodel Palace, Xia De was very concerned about this.
He stood with his hands in his pockets, facing the flickering light of the fireworks, looking up towards Saint Delan Square from in front of the building. If Yodel Palace could be seen from his home, then of course the kitchen window of his home could also be seen from Yodel Palace.
But due to the distance, Xia De couldn't see the situation at home through the window.
“I wonder if Mia is lying on the bed, or if she’s running around on the third floor again, or if she’s gone to room two on the second floor to sharpen her claws on the wall.”
Xia De guessed wildly in his mind, but he had already decided that the next time he came to Yodel Palace, he would definitely bring a telescope to observe the situation at home.
He wandered around the courtyard and soon saw a group from the Dawn Church near a long table in the front courtyard.
Bishop Owen, Priest Augustus, and two other high-ranking Priests Xia De had seen at the Dawn Church, were talking with several southerners dressed in brown formal wear and speaking carson rick. Bishop Owen's carson rick was quite good, while Priest Augustus could only speak it with difficulty.
Because only people from the Church wore robes at the banquet, Xia De spotted them at a glance. And seeing Xia De walk over to greet them, Priest Augustus quickly called out to Xia De.
“Xia De, I remember you said you understand carson rick?”
“Yes, do you need my help?”
“Oh, quickly help me translate. This foreigner speaks too fast.”
Saying that, he pulled Xia De over. After the Priest introduced Xia De’s identity in somewhat broken carson rick, he let Xia De formally begin the translation work.
Although Xia De’s carson rick could only be understood and not spoken, because he understood it completely, he wasn’t slow in learning the language. Even though he hadn’t formally studied it, only flipping through a dictionary in his spare time, during the translation process, if Priest Augustus had a unclear point, Xia De could also prompt him with his own equally broken carson rick.
Thus, the two people speaking broken languages were finally able to communicate basically smoothly with these foreigners.
