People around who recognized Miss Carina naturally saw the interaction between Shade and the Duchess. Before this, no one had ever seen the Duchess behave like this in public, so people were more convinced of the story of the Duke and his lover.
The two did not stay among the magicians, but continued to walk in the courtyard. The witch took Shad's arm and quietly introduced him to the important people attending this private banquet. She looked very happy, more relaxed and happy than ever before since Shad met her.
They tried the snacks on the table together, walked in the garden together, greeted familiar people together, and the red-haired lady even watched Shad play two rounds of Rhodes cards with others, but this time there was no gambling. While Mia was away, they also fed the pure white pet cat raised in Count Willard's manor. Carina smiled and wondered what would happen if the cat in Shad's house knew he did such a thing.
"Is this supposed to be a date?"
When they were looking at the night sky together on the terrace on the second floor of the manor, the witch suddenly asked. Xia De put the wine glass on the fence and held the railing with both hands:
"Of course."
"I almost understand Leicia's passion for you, which is really good."
She also put down the wine glass in her hand and gradually moved closer to Xia De. In the lively conversation in the courtyard downstairs, under the ambiguous gas light on the terrace, the two people under the moonlight got closer and closer until they embraced and kissed each other. The cold but soft kiss did not last too long, and Jialina took the initiative to gently push Xia De away.
They turned around and looked behind them, only to see Ajelina in a sky blue dress standing at the door of the terrace. They didn't know whether they should disturb her or not. Behind her stood four or five noble ladies whom Shade had never seen before. They were excitedly discussing the scene in low voices.
"Good evening, Ajelina, did you have a good time?"
The witch asked with a smile, and then said to Shade without waiting for Ajelina to answer:
"I'm going to touch up my makeup and take care of some necessary social engagements before the open-air dance begins. Tifa and the others should be waiting for me in the lounge. You stay with Ajelina first, and I'll come find you when the dance starts."
She raised her hand and wiped Shade's lips, then walked towards Ajelina. She gently patted her shoulder, and then greeted Ajelina's friends. The young noble ladies responded to the Duchess's courtesy in panic, and then watched her leave with brisk steps.
After Ajelina had driven away her group of chattering and giggling friends, she entered the terrace and stood with Shad.
She folded her arms, not knowing what to say. It was Xia De who found the topic first:
"Good evening, Ajelina. Did you have a good time at the party? I think the magic show over there was very interesting. I've always been curious, don't you have the so-called 'court jester' in your house?"
The little princess smiled:
"When I was little I always thought we would have it, but then my mother told us that those eunuchs couldn't perform magic tricks or jump through hoops of fire... Good evening, Shade, I thought you would first ask why your sister didn't come."
She mustered up the courage to call Xia De by his name directly. Of course, this was also related to the fact that there was no third person here except them.
Shade shook his head:
"Your Highness, I still understand the most basic social etiquette. Besides, it is very impolite to ask another girl in front of a girl."
He looked at Ajelina and asked:
"Do you want me to compliment you on your outfit? It really suits you."
Ajelina then generously lifted the hem of her skirt and turned around, smiling and letting Shade see all the details of her dress. Then she quietly asked him:
"Shad, I heard from my sister that you promised to help her collect intelligence in the Green Lake area, right?"
Xia De didn't expect her to ask this question, but nodded:
"Yes, it seems to be very important to Leicia."
“So are you optimistic or pessimistic about this negotiation?”
Her Royal Highness the Princess asked again, and it was obvious that she was not forcing the topic, but was really interested in it.
“It’s hard to say whether I’m pessimistic or optimistic, but I don’t think the negotiations will go smoothly.”
He told Ajelina about his encounter with Captain Rades when he passed the border in the Green Lake area, and about what he saw and experienced in the tavern in the countryside. Her Highness's eyes almost sparkled when she heard it:
"It's really exciting. I mean, this negotiation itself is creating conflicts."
"Yes, I'm even worried that the fighting in the Pantanal region has not started yet, but the North-South conflict in the Green Lake region will be the first to go wrong. Because of the development of the two cities, there are many contradictions there... It's hard to say."
Xia De shook his head cautiously, drank the wine in the red wine glass, and then frowned because he drank too much. Ajielina covered her mouth and smiled very ladylike:
"I didn't expect you to be so out of control."
"I'm just not good at drinking...Drinking is actually not good for you."
The seventeen-year-old red-haired princess nodded slightly and asked in a low voice:
"Shad, do you want to go to the lounge over there and talk about the Green Lake negotiations? Father and mother think I know nothing. There are many things that Sister Leicia and the others cannot know. I have actually heard about them. Maybe you will be interested in this. After all, no one usually talks to me about these things."
Shade hesitated. In this kind of open banquet, girls usually invite men to the lounge together, which is a kind of social tacit understanding. Because he had to consider Leisia's feelings, he was not sure what this meant. Ajelina, who saw his thoughts, patted Shade's arm:
"Shad, what are you thinking about?"
She pursed her lips and pretended to be angry, which made her already young face look even more beautiful:
"I really want to talk to you about the Green Lake negotiations. Otherwise, I would have asked you to take me around downstairs. After all, this is a rare occasion when my sister is not here."
The lounge at the banquet is actually public. Count Willard vacated the rooms on the left side of the first floor so that the guests tonight can rest or talk. The lounge Miss Carina just mentioned is actually the Count's study, and she has special treatment.
Xia De and Ajelina then returned to the first floor. The banquet was in full swing at this time and all the lounges were temporarily unoccupied, so the two of them randomly picked one.
As expected, Ajelina wanted to talk to Shade about Green Lake. She heard a lot of news in Yodel Palace that was not convenient to make public, such as His Majesty the King's bottom line on border disputes, trade expectations brought by the new trade route, and the location and specifications of the subsequent railway construction.
These news came from casual conversations, so they could not be confirmed to be 100% correct, but they were still very valuable for reference. It was at this time that Shade realized that Ajelina was actually quite sensitive to politics. Her views on the relationship between the two countries, as well as her predictions on the future economic situation and domestic conflicts, were not much inferior to those of Leicia, who had been in contact with government affairs for many years.
"But no one wants to talk to me about this. They all think I'm a pretty vase. Except for my sister, most people think that I should wear beautiful dresses and hang out at afternoon tea parties or salons for naive girls all day, or seduce those silly noble boys with a fake smile, just like in court novels, and engage in silly interpersonal communication."
The princess sighed and did not hesitate to tell Xia De this fact. So when she was about to write an expression of "Praise me quickly" on her face, Xia De burned the notebook paper that had just calculated the domestic grain production and said:
"You are very talented. The Cavendish family's genes are really... I mean, doesn't Leisia value you very much?"
The little princess looked at Shade with even more resentment:
"But the problem is that Sister Leicia is too strong. Even though I have some talent and ability, I can't compare to her. She doesn't really need my help, or rather, the helpers around her are enough. Sometimes, I don't want to get too much, I just..."
Xia De finished the second half of her sentence for her. He could understand Ajelina's thoughts:
"I want to be recognized by people, or to be praised a little, instead of being treated as a little girl who never grows up."
The little princess blinked and blushed:
"You have the power to read minds?"
“Not yet.”
"You're really good at understanding girls then."
"Don't say that, it makes me look like a playboy."
Xia De said hurriedly, and Ajelina laughed again. She poured tea for Xia De, and then she leaned on the sofa with her hands and swung her legs under her skirt:
"It feels really good to talk to you. You are a very amazing man. It is no coincidence that my sister and great aunt like you. Knight, you really seem to have walked out of a story."
She tilted her head and looked at Shade. The color of lipstick on her pink lips was different from that of Lecia and Karina:
"Shade, do you know how to appreciate vases?"
Xia De, holding a cup of tea, felt that this was a strange question:
“Antique or modern porcelain?”
Think about this question carefully again.
"She" reminded with a chuckle.
“Neither.”
The princess still tilted her head and looked at him, her eyes filled with a strange emotion:
"It's this vase in front of you. Do you think I'm beautiful?"
At this moment, Xia De miraculously did not feel any disobedience or embarrassment, as if the conversation should end here. And Ajelina's words were also generous, as if she was really talking about the vase.
The Cavendish girls are indeed amazing.
"She" chuckled in Xia De's ear, and Xia De came back to his senses from the surprise in his heart:
"I don't like to describe girls as objects. It's very rude."
"Knight, you just need to answer the question honestly: Am I beautiful?"