The order of play was decided after seven people politely yielded to each other. Xia De was in the very middle, the fourth one.
He found it amusing to see his opponents taking off their coats, dressed in white shirts and looking eager to start.
He had played many rhode cards games at banquets, but this was his first time playing a coin-tossing game.
“I wonder what Mia is doing right now.”
When bored, he thought of his cat, and then suddenly wanted to laugh.
Because his opponents at this moment, with their enthusiastic and deliberately showy demeanor, truly resembled a cat that wanted to eat in the middle of the night, desperately acting cute and affectionate towards him:
“The nobles of Huntington City are really interesting.”
The crowd gathered, discussing the Princess’s banquet game.
The first to appear was Mr. Mig Hercyus, the 20-year-old youngest son of Marquis Hercyus.
The young gentleman wore a white shirt with a warm brown vest over it.
Clutching a coin, he was blindfolded by a servant at the starting line.
Then, amidst the cheers of the crowd, he waved his hands around before tossing the first coin:
“Go!”
“Oh!”
He threw it with such force that the coin flew directly over the coffee table, nearly hitting the wife of the Huntington City Mayor, who was sitting on another sofa.
People burst into laughter, and the plump Noblewoman also laughed, softly and elegantly cursing under her breath.
Even Margaret Anjou covered her mouth and chuckled, which made the atmosphere even livelier.
Mr. Hercyus, blindfolded, could see nothing, but hearing the laughter, he knew he had definitely missed.
So, he held a gold coin in each hand and threw them forward simultaneously.
This time he knew how to control his strength, but unfortunately, both gold coins only touched the tabletop and then rolled off to the side.
The second to appear was Baron Gallar, 29 years old, with a pair of delicate mustaches under his nose.
He also clutched a coin and had a servant blindfold him, then held one of them, testing and shaking it.
The gold coin reflected the gaslight, and Xia De also wondered if the other party could hit it:
“God bless!”
Baron Gallar said softly, then suddenly raised his hand.
The coin was tossed high into the air, almost hitting the ceiling.
After falling in a parabolic arc, it accurately flew towards the tabletop, and with a clanging sound, it actually landed in the glass cup.
“Baron Gallar, you hit it!”
Someone immediately said, followed by applause and cheers.
Regardless of whether it hit or not, people enjoyed the process, not the result.
Since he had just been blindfolded and knew the exact position of the cup, it was not surprising that the first coin hit.
But the Baron did not have such luck next.
The remaining two gold coins both touched the coffee table, but failed to touch the glass cup.
The third to appear was a Duke's grandson; Xia De didn't quite catch his identity.
This young gentleman was more cautious than the previous two.
After missing the first time, he timely adjusted his hand movements based on the sound, allowing the second coin to hit accurately.
As for the third coin, although it hit the edge of the glass cup, it bounced once, and the gold coin landed on the tabletop, which was indeed quite a pity.
“Next is Mr. Holmes from Delarion.”
Hearing the Princess’s personal maid call his name, Xia De stepped out of the crowd.
Like the three gentlemen before him, he first received the coins and then had a servant help blindfold him.
The blindfold was tied very securely, and the fabric itself was very thick, so there was indeed no possibility of peeking:
“This kind of game is really not as fun as rhode cards.”
Xia De thought to himself, holding two gold coins in his left hand and picking up the third with his right, ready to throw.
He also followed his opponents' example, taking off his coat and wearing only a white shirt.
Under the bright crystal lights and gaslights, his well-proportioned figure indeed attracted many sideways glances.
【Down.】
Xia De's hand moved slightly downward.
【Slightly to the left.】
Xia De's hand moved slightly to the left.
【Relax your muscles, yes, relax them more.】
Xia De adjusted his force.
【Throw.】
He casually threw the gold coin forward, and under the gaze of people who were either laughing, nervous, or expectant, the gold coin fell directly into the glass cup at the far vertex of the triangle, clanging and spinning in the cup.
“Very good! It hit!”
Xia De was satisfied to hear this answer, and a voice in his ear softly reminded him:
【Margaret Anjou is applauding you.】
“So why did she invite me?”
【Relax a bit, to the left, then to the right, good.】
The second gold coin was thrown by Xia De immediately after.
People hadn't even stopped applauding the first time when they saw the gold coin accurately land in the second stemmed glass again:
“It hit again!”
This time it was a man’s voice, seemingly one of the Vampires from before, who had also come to watch the banquet game here.
Xia De held the last coin in his right hand, and after a slight hesitation, he lightly tossed it forward.
When he removed the blindfold from his eyes, he saw a gold coin lying in each of the three stemmed glasses.
He clutched the strip of cloth and walked towards the coffee table amidst the congratulations of the people.
The ladies on the sofa also praised Xia De one after another; of course, this was not only because he ended the game early, but also because his handsome appearance and temperament indeed made a very good impression.
“Congratulations, Mr. Holmes, a very good performance.”
Margaret Anjou said softly, instructing a servant to hand the three gold coins to Xia De, then took off her earrings, retrieved a jewelry box, and also handed it to Xia De.
Girls liked to use jewelry boxes to hold their jewelry, unlike Xia De, who would put everything directly into his pocket or turn it into a toy and put it in his pocket.
Although he didn't know how much the pair of earrings were worth, Margaret Anjou's generosity also made Xia De feel good about her.
After receiving the jewelry box, he very respectfully expressed his gratitude, and in broken carson rick, praised Margaret Anjou's beauty.
All of this was in line with etiquette and tradition, so even though Xia De, a Delarion, won the banquet game, no one would say much.
Margaret Anjou kept Xia De for a few more pleasantries, allowing the noble girls who were very interested in Xia De to ask him about the New World and Delarion.
Soon, as the melodious cello music began, it signaled the start of tonight's ball.
It was now half past eight, and there was still over an hour until the end of the banquet.
The people around dispersed to enjoy their time at the banquet.
However, just as Xia De was about to turn and leave to find Mr. Bernhardt, who was still playing cards over there, the Princess called out to Xia De again:
“Mr. Holmes, the ball has begun.
Since you won the game, would you be interested in dancing with me?”
“Hmm?”
Xia De was a little surprised, hesitating whether to agree.
The other party’s Great Witch power was pitifully small.
If he danced with gloves on, he wouldn’t have to worry about his special nature being exposed; this was only possible with direct contact.
He hesitated because he didn’t know what this Princess truly wanted to do.
“Oh, Your Highness, you did not include this wager in the game just now!”
Before Xia De could speak, Mr. Mig Hercyus, who was the first to toss the coin, quickly spoke out in opposition.
At this moment, many people were still gathered in the sofa lounge area.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Mr. Hercyus flushed and said:
“Your Highness, you never easily dance with anyone at a ball.
How can you dance with this Delarion?”
These southern nobles still had some opinions about Delarion, especially since Xia De had just beaten them.
Margaret Anjou, wearing a tiara, frowned with some displeasure.
Mr. Hercyus, of course, could tell that the Princess was very displeased with his words, so he quickly added:
“I want to bet rhode cards with this gentleman.
If he wins, I have no objection to this!
The most important part of banquet games is rhode cards, and I think Mr. Holmes should not refuse.”
“Ha, after being in this world for so long, I finally encountered something like this!”
The Outsider thought with some joy, while the people around whispered among themselves, no one objecting and no one agreeing.
And Margaret Anjou, who was about to lead a delegation to visit Tobesk, could not allow a conflict between a noble of her own country and a foreign gentleman to occur at her farewell party.
She intended to mediate, but Xia De suddenly said:
“You want to bet rhode cards with me?”
He stared at the other party, and as Mr. Hercyus felt a little uneasy, Xia De unhurriedly took out his rhode cards deck.
He apologized to the young ladies around him and then sat opposite The Princess. He leaned slightly forward, placed the deck of rhode cards on the table, held the top of the rhode cards with his right hand, and with a gentle pull, the rhode cards fanned out on the coffee table.
He picked up the rhode card at the end, gently flicked it to the right, and the face-down deck smoothly turned face-up; then he flicked the rhode cards back to the left, making them face-down again. He gathered the rhode cards back together, shuffled them a few times, and then placed the re-arranged deck on the table:
“How do you want to play?”
He asked with a smile.
“Hmm.”
Mr. Hersius, who was startled by Xia De’s “performance,” pursed his lips and hesitated for a moment, then decisively shook his head:
“I respect The Princess’s wishes. I apologize, sir, I was presumptuous just now.”
He turned and left. Such an exit was considered dignified, but if he had actually played and lost, that would have been a complete loss of face.
“What happened?”
Mr. Bernhardt, hearing the commotion, finally walked over.
“Nothing, someone wanted to gamble rhode cards with me.”
Xia De said. Mr. Bernhardt first greeted Princess Margaret Anjou, who was standing up, and then asked Xia De in surprise:
“Gamble rhode cards with you? Who is so bold?”
He knew very well that Xia De was the champion of Great City Player 1853, and he had witnessed Xia De’s card skills and luck at Sin Mansion.
“It was Mr. Mig Hersius, but he got scared and ran away!”
Someone said, which then caused a burst of laughter, and the atmosphere of the ball became even livelier.
“Viscount, is Mr. Holmes’s card skill very good?”
Princess Margaret Anjou asked curiously. The middle-aged Vampire Nobleman struggled to form his words:
“Your Highness, it’s not a question of whether he’s good or not. It’s that Mr. Holmes often played rhode cards with those rude sailors on the sea ships, thus developing impressive card skills. Moreover, his luck has always been unmatched.”
“So that’s how it is.”
The Princess with light golden long hair said with a light laugh. After Xia De put away his rhode cards, he extended his hand to The Princess:
“Your Highness, it is an honor to dance with you. Please forgive me, I am not good at this.”
“It’s alright.”
Princess Margaret Anjou placed her hand on Xia De’s outstretched palm, and then they walked together towards the crowd dancing to the music.
Only Mr. Bernhardt was left standing there alone, very puzzled about what had happened while he was playing rhode cards:
“Hasn’t Princess Margaret Anjou always been cold towards men?”
On the other side, Xia De and Princess Margaret Anjou had already begun dancing directly beneath the crystal chandelier. Carson Rick dance music is relatively gentle, or rather, this particular piece is gentle, so it doesn't require overly vigorous movements.
But even so, Xia De was still very carefully controlling his steps, moving his feet according to the “slow four” steps Leia had taught him, and Princess Margaret Anjou seemed very skilled at dancing.
Xia De’s right hand was closed, with his middle and ring fingers slightly bent inward, tightly gripping the edge of Princess Margaret Anjou’s dress just below her left shoulder blade. His hand lightly held The Princess’s right hand. The contact area was not large, as The Princess was clearly unwilling to have too much contact with Xia De.
Sure enough, there was a reason she invited Xia De to dance. Amidst the violin music, The Princess said very cautiously:
“Mr. Holmes, I apologize for involving you. I once heard Mr. Bernhardt say that you had a long period of adventure in the New World and possess extraordinary accomplishments in swordsmanship, marksmanship, and horsemanship, which is why I invited you to participate in the game just now.”
Needless to say, it was this Princess who, when Mr. Bernhardt was hiding those goods, had him slightly “boast” about his friend.
“Then you invited me to participate in the game because…”
“Those earrings.”
She lowered her voice to prevent a third person from hearing:
“Using the earrings as a stake was not my own idea; it was the idea of my cousin, the annoying Eileen.”
She was referring to Eileen Cullen, the daughter of Duke Krum Cullen, who had been sitting next to Princess Margaret Anjou just now. This Lady’s mother was the sister of the contemporary Carson Rick King “Lion Ryan,” making her Princess Margaret Anjou’s cousin.
“Those were a birthday gift from my mother, so…”
She said somewhat awkwardly, and Xia De then understood:
“After this dance, wait half an hour, and I’ll wait for you in the courtyard. You can send a maid to retrieve the earrings.”
“I’m truly sorry for involving you in this matter.”
The Princess apologized again, but Xia De didn’t feel there was any problem with this. Everyone has relatives who are unavoidable but undeniably exist. Of course, Outsiders do not. This kind of conflict among Noblewoman girls, ultimately turning into a dispute over jewelry, is actually very common in contemporary court novels, but Dorothy considered similar plots “boring and cliché.”
Therefore, Xia De did not plan to tell Dorothy or Leia about the story from tonight’s Carson Rick-style banquet. After all, this story was simply too uninteresting.
“Mr. Holmes, are you satisfied with this banquet?”
The Princess asked again, probably to lighten the mood.
Xia De thought for a moment, and ultimately did not forget Leia’s “prank”:
“Very good, especially the food. Mr. Bernhardt recommended the vegetable salad to me; the Carson Rick sweet onions, red cabbage, and Huntington radishes all tasted very good.”
So, Princess Margaret Anjou did not discuss food with Xia De again until the dance was over.
Xia De and Princess Margaret Anjou only danced one dance before politely parting ways. The Princess returned to the sofa lounge area, seemingly not wanting to dance a second dance, while Xia De found Mr. Bernhardt. This rather high-class Vampire Viscount was greatly surprised by Xia De’s performance:
“You are truly skilled at handling young ladies.”
He didn’t feel there was anything wrong with this, but rather was surprised by Xia De’s methods:
“Among the Nobles of Weilandale, there are actually some rumors that Her Highness Margaret is not very close to men on ordinary days.”
Mr. Bernhardt held his wine glass and lowered his voice a bit, then made a strange expression. Xia De nodded knowingly, understanding that this was because Margaret Anjou had never given up on becoming a Great Witch’s apprentice.
Although they had agreed to exchange the earrings, to avoid attracting attention, Xia De did not move immediately but instead watched people play rhode cards with Mr. Bernhardt.
Mr. Bernhardt’s luck was a bit bad tonight, so he didn’t plan to play rhode cards anymore. Xia De didn’t want to attract attention at the banquet anymore, so he didn’t join the game either.
However, Mr. Bernhardt mentioned that when Xia De went to Miss Sylvia’s place, a Lady joined the card game and left after winning two special rhode cards in a row.
Although the atmosphere is more open now, it is still quite rare for women to openly play rhode cards with men at a banquet. Mr. Bernhardt told Xia De this interesting anecdote and then pointed out The Lady’s location to Xia De.
She wasn’t dancing with anyone, but was standing by the window with a middle-aged gentleman who looked like a scholar, chatting while looking at the night view of the courtyard. Since only her back could be seen, it was impossible to determine her age. The Lady was wearing a long dress that was black on top and red on the bottom, and her hair color was a rare light gold, almost white.
They were a bit far from Xia De and Mr. Bernhardt, but Xia De still frowned slightly:
“Ring術士?”
“Is that Lady a Ring術士?”
Bernhardt looked over with some interest:
“I’m quite sure she wasn’t cheating when she played rhode cards just now.”
“There are quite a few Ring術士 at this banquet.”
Xia De muttered. Mr. Bernhardt nodded, not saying much more:
“As long as they don’t cause trouble, aren’t we also here just to attend the banquet?”
“Yes.”
Xia De looked towards Princess Margaret Anjou’s direction again, quite certain that there were no Ring術士 around her:
“There’s still an hour until this banquet ends. I hope everything goes smoothly.”
——Outside Story——
PS: The extra chapter “The Missing Three Gold Coins” that appeared last night corresponds to the event mentioned in Chapter 839.
