At this moment, compelled by the situation, Xia De still wanted to refuse, but Dorothy pulled him.
So he closed his mouth, thought carefully, and asked the safest question:
"Your Highness, how is your math?"
"Very good, I have an excellent math teacher."
The princess said confidently.
"The next problem is addition and subtraction within thirty. You just need to give the answer within half a minute."
Xia De said, and Princess Margaret's voice rose slightly:
"Within thirty? If it's not a complex continuous calculation, ten seconds or even five seconds would be enough."
"Your Highness's math is indeed very good."
Sir Prisia also chimed in from the side.
"Okay, please listen carefully, everyone can calculate together."
Xia De coughed, and everyone looked at him, so Xia De said:
"In St. Anthem Square, North District of Tobesk City, there is a Three Cats Inn. Three days ago, three gentlemen went to stay there, 10 pence each, a total of 30 pence."
"Is it that cheap?"
Princess Margaret asked curiously.
"It's just an analogy, maybe it's just for lodging, not including meal and laundry fees."
Leia reminded.
"The landlady, Mrs. Sangmei, was in a good mood that day and decided to give the three gentlemen a discount, so she asked the Boy to return five pence to the three of them."
Xia De continued, extending five fingers:
"The Boy couldn't divide the five pence equally among the three, so he decided to reward himself 2 pence for this errand."
Xia De heard someone laugh, and he also smiled:
"So, he returned the remaining 3 pence to the three gentlemen."
Princess Margaret nodded:
"It is indeed addition and subtraction within thirty, so what is the problem?"
"Before asking, Your Highness Leia, please tell me, how much money did each of the three gentlemen spend?"
"That's simple, 9 pence."
Leia said, Xia De nodded again, and asked Princess Margaret:
"After getting back 3 pence, the three gentlemen collectively spent 27 pence. Plus the 2 pence the Boy secretly kept, that's a total of 29 pence. Please tell me, where did the remaining 1 pence go?"
Upon hearing this question, Princess Margaret initially found it amusing, but after only a dozen seconds of thought, she realized there seemed to be a problem.
"Twenty-seven plus two equals twenty-nine."
She repeatedly pondered this simple calculation in her mind, then reviewed the simple application scenario, attempting to discover what was wrong.
And when Xia De saw that the other party hadn't given an answer after dozens of seconds, he knew that she must have fallen into his thought trap. He breathed a sigh of relief, stroking Mia on his leg.
"What if she really answered it?"
The voice beside his ear suddenly asked, and Xia De's mouth twitched:
"Even if it means directly exposing the Gray Headed Eagle's identity, I cannot let anyone take Mia away."
Thirty seconds passed quickly, and not only Princess Margaret, but none of the people around could answer Xia De's question.
Xia De then looked at Ms. Mona Eisberg, the game host, who shook her head slightly at him, and after dragging on for another dozen seconds, quietly announced:
"It seems that Hamilton Knight's 'riddle' is difficult enough. Hamilton of Leijiede has won the riddle game."
But only a few people applauded, not because they were unhappy that Xia De won against Princess Margaret, but because they were all pondering the answer to the question:
"Xia De, this question is too simple, but I just can't figure out where the lost one pence went."
Dorothy was the first to raise the question. She repeated Xia De's question and then asked:
"It's clearly so simple, but the more I think about it, the more annoyed I get. Did you use hypnotic techniques to change all of our perceptions of mathematics?"
People laughed in agreement, and Xia De shook his head:
"Dorothy, your hamilton detective story collection didn't give me the ability of 'hypnosis'."
"Then where did the lost 1 pence go?"
Leia also asked, clearly not understanding either.
"How about this."
Xia De did not directly give the answer:
"Your Highness, I have no intention of taking your jewelry, and wisdom should not be a trick to take ornaments from a noble lady. So how about this, I won't announce the answer, but if you can tell me the answer before the end of this banquet, then it will be considered a draw."
He smiled and picked up Mia:
"Of course, in the case of a draw, you cannot take my cat. But if you are interested in it, you can invite me to the next banquet, and I will bring it along."
Mia was a little displeased that Xia De picked her up so casually, but when she noticed Xia De's hand reaching for the fruit plate on the table, she immediately closed her mouth obediently.
"Okay, I will figure out the answer to the question before the end of the banquet."
Princess Margaret said softly, her expression still calm:
"But I also admit I lost to you, I am not a sore loser."
After speaking, she sighed softly:
"This question seems too simple, but the more I think about it, the more terrifying it feels. Where on earth did that one pence go?"
Not only her, but the people around her also couldn't give an answer for the time being, so after the riddle game ended, no one immediately spoke up to start the next topic.
Xia De leaned back gently on the sofa, also pondering:
"It's easy to show off my power and wisdom tonight, but how exactly should I show charm? Am I really going to invite the bride of the wedding to dance? Will I die tomorrow from 13 gunshots in the back at home? Charm"
The desire flesh enhanced the appearance of this body, and the gratitude of thousands of souls from the Between Life and Death made his soul even more charming. At this moment, after demonstrating unparalleled wisdom and posing a riddle that no one could answer, Xia De, lost in thought under the gas lamp, made the girls around him quietly observe him.
"Showing charm, oh, this is really difficult. If it were so easy to show charm, I wouldn't have been single in my hometown."
He complained in his heart, and then heard "her" laughter. "She" was also in a very good mood tonight, which Xia De could discern from the gentle smile:
"At least, you showed me your charm."
"What's the use of that? Aren't you, me?"
The activities in the sofa lounge area didn't last too long. After the riddle game, Xia De originally wanted to talk more with Mr. Prisia of Guiding Moon, but the two only exchanged business cards, and this gentleman, as if seeing an acquaintance, stood up and left.
Not long after he left, Princess Margaret also excused herself, saying she wanted to rest, and took her maid to the lounge on the third floor. Dorothy's Writer friends also agreed to go to the garden behind the manor together to admire the moon.
The people around the sofa suddenly thinned out a lot. After Leia bid farewell to Princess Margaret, she opened her feather fan with a rustle, covering the lower half of her face, leaning slightly, and whispered into Dorothy's ear:
"I have a handwritten copy of the Summer Night Collection. Miss Louisa, would you be interested in coming upstairs with your male companion to have a look with me?"
She tried to keep her tone calm. The words were for Dorothy, but her eyes kept looking at Xia De, and Xia De understood the meaning in her eyes.
"Of course, Your Highness."
Dorothy's face was slightly red, but she still whispered:
"You go first, you go first, we'll follow later."
She carefully looked around, then gently patted Leia's arm.
Leia nodded slightly, bid Xia De a very lady-like farewell, then lifted her skirt and stood up, walking towards the stairs with her personal maid.
Only when Leia, wearing her crown, had walked far away did Dorothy cautiously say to Xia De:
"Just now, Your Highness invited us to go see the Summer Night Collection together."
Xia De controlled his expression, maintaining a normal tone:
"You go upstairs first, I'll follow later."
He could probably understand why Leia chose this location; it wasn't just for the convenience of the three of them meeting, but it was also genuinely interesting.
"Okay, hurry up, there's not much time tonight."
Dorothy said softly, her tone making Xia De somewhat suspect she was Leia, but Mia clearly hadn't made a sound.
The Writer lady then also stood up and left. Xia De waited until her figure disappeared on the distant stairs of the banquet hall before standing up. He greeted the others on the sofa, and then, amidst "her" laughter, prepared to walk towards the stairs.
"wisdom power" and "charm" actually didn't need to be rushed, after all, there was still a long time tonight. But on Red Butterfly Day, watching the Summer Night Collection with Leia and Dorothy, there wasn't much time left tonight.
