So after Miss Carina finished her speech, Shade left the banquet hall temporarily under the pretext of going to the bathroom amid the applause. Megan originally wanted to wait for Shade to come back, and then take him to see the Duchess, and introduce each other in the banquet hall, so that even the witch would not take action. But just as Shade left the door, Tifa came over with a smile:
"Miss Green, Duke Carina invites you to talk over there. Do you have time?"
This was an invitation from the Duke, so Megan certainly had no way to refuse. So she had to follow the witch apprentice with the best figure she had ever seen in the parliament and left the place where the merchants gathered.
Miss Carina did not return to the lounge, but sat down on the sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the side of the banquet hall. She was surrounded by women, including Ajelina, other noble ladies and young ladies.
"Look who's here."
She took the initiative to welcome Megan and enthusiastically asked Megan to sit next to Ajelina:
"The last time I saw Ms. Green from Paradise Island Pharmaceuticals was four years ago at the opera house in Tobesk. Although I have always missed you since then, I never had the chance to see you again. Paradise Island Pharmaceuticals has been developing very well in Delarion in recent years. Perhaps we can keep in touch more often in the future. The kingdom needs businessmen like you. A prosperous economy cannot rely solely on its own people."
Before the scandal with "Hamilton of Ryder" spread, Miss Carina had always been suspected of having some kind of inclination, so it was not out of place to say such overly enthusiastic words.
Megan also responded according to etiquette:
"It is an honor that the Duke has remembered me. Please allow me to express my gratitude for the invitation tonight. This is a wonderful banquet."
The red-haired witch sat on the sofa very relaxedly, with the corners of her mouth raised. The smile in her golden eyes was only understandable to Tifa and Ajelina:
"Enjoy the party. You'll like it more later."
She took the initiative to let Megan join their conversation, and then they naturally talked about their respective male companions tonight. Miss Carina gave Ajelina a look, and the little princess said:
"I didn't bring a male companion with me. Before I left Tobysk, my mother asked Aunt Carina to keep an eye on me."
The ladies all laughed, and Miss Carina also laughed and said:
"A seventeen-year-old princess is not young anymore. If you take a fancy to any young gentleman at this banquet, you can invite him to dance with you later. I won't tell Diana."
Ajelina blushed slightly:
"Yesterday, I followed you to the City Hall, and I did meet a very polite gentleman in the corridor of the City Hall. Oh, he was from Delarion, blond, tall, well-proportioned, well-mannered, wearing a black coat, and with a cat..."
Megan was stunned for a moment, then raised her glass to hide her expression.
"Didn't you ask for the other party's identity?"
Miss Carina asked again with great concern, and Ajelina nodded gently:
"He didn't say his name, but he said he would also attend today's banquet. It's not that I have a crush on him, but I just think he's a nice guy, and his conversation and behavior are different from those of ordinary people... Why don't I find him now?"
Megan stood up and hesitated, not knowing what to do at this moment. She didn't know who Ajelina Cavendish saw, but she subconsciously felt that it was her male companion.
Before she formally introduced Shade to Lady Carina, she felt it would be best not to let the "strange man" meet the Duchess, and the balanced witch must be prepared first.
With an idea in mind, she watched Ajelina leave with her maid. She waited patiently for a while, then signaled to Miss Carina that they should talk alone.
So before Ajelina came back, Miss Carina and Megan came to the corridor outside the lively banquet hall. The corridor illuminated by gas lamps was covered with yellow wallpaper, antique oil paintings on the walls and red carpet on the floor, making the place look even more luxurious.
"My party looks good, doesn't it?"
The red-haired witch in a gorgeous red dress smiled and said:
"It's a pity that there are men here. It would be better if all the participants were pretty girls."
Megan was secretly shocked, knowing that the other party was a traditional witch, but she remained calm, thinking that she could handle this matter well:
"You really haven't changed at all, but I admit that this party is very good."
"So what do you want to do to find me alone?"
Miss Carina used her hand to touch the lock of hair that she had left by her ear, and said nonchalantly:
"There are very important guests at this banquet. I can't leave for too long. Besides, I want to introduce you to an important person later."
Megan felt that her words were being said by others:
"Who is that? The legendary Hamilton? I thought you asked your maid, Miss Servete, to pretend that she was someone you wanted to cover up your marriage problems. Why, does Miss Hamilton really exist?"
Because the great witches in the past often asked girls to dress up as men to avoid some things that they had to face in social life, so she didn't doubt it at all.
The duchess with gorgeous red hair nodded slightly and made a shy expression:
"Yes, she is indeed a girl, a girl who is very, very, very much my type. She is very good-looking, and although her rank is not as high as mine, she is also very capable. Most importantly, her ideas and outlook on life are very consistent with mine, and she supports my career... She is also very capable in that aspect, and I think this is my lifelong partner."
Megan, who was originally thinking about her own affairs, raised her eyebrows. She didn't expect to hear such important news:
"It's really hard to convince people like you that you're a lifelong partner. After all, it's common for nobles to have multiple lovers... But I still wish you the best. I can meet that girl later. I'm curious about how good she is... I wish you happiness, Carina."
The brown-haired girl said this seriously, which made Miss Carina feel a little guilty, but this hesitation only lasted for a moment:
"Thank you. I hope you can praise me more in front of her later. You will also be shocked by her appearance. Oh, what were you going to say just now?"
The witch, who had already dug a trap, brought the topic back to the original direction.
"I also want you to meet someone, someone I chose. I... him, I mean her. Yes, she is very special. I hope you can prepare in advance."
Megan's expression was very serious, while the red-haired witch kept smiling:
"So did that happen between you and her?"
Megan opened her mouth and blinked:
"Of course not. How could I possibly be so uncertain about... I mean, why do you care so much about this?"
"Because the connection between the soul and the body together constitutes the sweetest part of love."
Miss Carina said seriously, and her statement was consistent with the views of the believers of the God of Love:
"How does that sentence go? Oh, the furthest distance in the world is that you are in front of me, but you don't let me touch you."
Megan, who was originally serious, almost coughed:
"Are you reading something unhealthy? But you are still the same as always."
She took a deep breath, trying to regain the feeling of being serious and clear:
"I'm serious. She's really special, different from everyone you've ever met. I hope that after you meet, no matter what happens, you can listen carefully to what I say before making a decision. Karina, can you promise me?"
The two faces were now quite close, and there were completely different emotions in the two pairs of golden eyes.
The Duchess made a surprised expression:
"What's with that expression? I'll just agree. Why, are you worried that I'll fall in love with that girl of yours?"
Megan gave an ugly smile:
"If you really fall in love with the person I bring, I won't object."
The red-haired witch tried hard not to laugh out loud:
"That's what you said. Ahem, I mean, let's make it a deal. Oh, don't leave after the banquet. Let's discuss the situation at Green Lake. Your condition today is better than the night before and yesterday. What did you do? It's as if your swaying balance was suddenly pushed to the most perfect balance by an external force. I don't think it will take long for you to improve again, right?"
Megan nodded:
"Yes, it's all thanks to her. I'll explain it to you later. She's really an amazing person."
"Well then... Hey? Where did little Ajelina go? Why hasn't she come back in so long?"
Miss Carina talked to herself, then called Tifa who was waiting on the side and asked her to go and ask about the situation.
"Yes, ma'am."
Tifa led the two maids around the corner of the corridor, but did not move forward. The maids counted ten numbers together and then walked back:
"Miss, Her Highness Ajelina is over there."
She pointed in a direction, so Miss Carina called Megan and asked her to go with her to call Ajelina back.
Of course Megan had not forgotten that the man the little princess had just described was suspected to be her male companion, so she followed him suspiciously.
After turning the corner of the corridor, it is the corridor on the east side of the second floor of Rose Manor. This corridor is very short, with rooms on both sides and only two large windows at the end.
When the group arrived here, they saw the window open, and the night wind and moonlight rushed into the corridor. The blue hand-embroidered curtains fluttered up and down in the night wind, and in the curtains, they could vaguely see two figures hugging and kissing each other.
“Ahem.”
Miss Carina suddenly coughed, and before Megan could see clearly the obviously male figure, Ajelina pushed the figure, and the figure quickly ran to the corridor on the other side under the cover of the flying curtains.