The two princesses appeared in the courtyard because Lesia invited Princess Margaret to walk in the courtyard and see the scenery of the noble banquet of the Kingdom of Delarian. This can also be regarded as demonstrating the strength of the country of Delarian. a way.
The princesses were naturally surrounded by young people who gathered for various purposes, but they did not come close to them when the princess was talking to Mr. Smith and Baron Fuller.
When the two old gentlemen heard that Marquis Leonardo da Vinci, Deputy Minister of Finance of Delrayon, had also arrived, they left together to visit him. Taking advantage of the fact that there were not many people around the princesses at this time, Shade said to Lesia with a natural expression:
“Your Highness, I heard that you have a handwritten copy of “Summer Nights” in your hand. My female companion, Miss Dorothy Louisa, is very interested in that book. I wonder if you can lend it to us. .”
“Of course.”
Lecia understood this “code” and was very happy that Shade took the initiative to mention this matter:
“I happen to be carrying that book, but I can’t give it to you yet. When it’s convenient, I will send the maid to find you.”
She said seriously, and Shade nodded immediately:
“Thank you for your generosity.”
This conversation is to make the invitation less abrupt.
Princess Margaret heard their conversation and was curious about it:
“The manuscript of “The Collection of Summer Nights”? I have heard of this famous collection of essays. Can I also take a look?”
Shad touched the cat head on his shoulder and turned his face to the other side. Lesia’s expression changed instantly, but quickly returned to normal:
“If you are interested, I will give you the book tomorrow as a thank you for the bottle of red wine.”
After speaking, he glanced at Shade and found that Shade was turning his head, as if he was interested in the champagne tower in the tent nearby, so he lowered his left hand and pulled up the skirt slightly, revealing his left foot wearing high heels in the dark. . When no one was paying attention, Lesia gently kicked Shade. But when Shade went to see Lesia again, Her Royal Highness the Princess seemed to have done nothing and invited Shade to join the conversation again.
Although it was a wedding banquet for a royal princess, neither the king nor Queen Diana actually came. They only attended the wedding ceremony at the Peace Church in the afternoon. Therefore, in theory, the person with the highest status at the banquet is Duke Carina Cavendish, but Miss Carina is still chatting with Miss Sylvia on the third floor, so in addition to the bridegroom and bride, Cavendish The princesses and princes of the family, as well as Margaret Anjou who came to visit the city, are the real protagonists of this banquet.
After the two old gentlemen left, before Shade had chatted with the two princesses for too long, the local young aristocratic youths and girls came closer again.
“Mr. Hamilton, I remember you were Sir Smith’s neighbor?”
Lecia asked pretending to be curious, Shade nodded:
“Yes, we all live in Saint Teresa Square, not far from the Jodel Palace.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of Saint Teresa’s Square too.”
Princess Margaret smiled:
“It is said that there is one of the most expensive places in Tobesk.”
“Yes, Your Highness. There’s even a joke about Saint Teresa’s Square.”
There was a voice from the crowd around him. Shade looked and saw that it was a gentleman in his twenties who was familiar but not familiar to him. He was wearing a red coat:
“It is said that government officials in Tobesk like to live in St. Teresa Square after their retirement. Because only by living there can they avoid being monitored by MI6.”
“Why?”
Someone asked again, so the gentleman in the red coat said:
“Because the land price is too expensive, MI6 cannot afford to buy nearby houses and cannot conduct long-term surveillance.”
Everyone laughed, and Princess Margaret and Lesia also smiled in unison.
This kind of mocking of house prices and land prices is something everyone likes to see. Even Xia De smiled, but he immediately thought:
“Yes, senior civil servants like my neighbor Mr. Smith, who must know many secrets of the kingdom, should be under constant surveillance even after retirement. Presumably there should be MI6 agents near his house occasionally. Where will it appear? ”
[Is it possible that it’s you? 】
“She” asked with a chuckle.
The temperature is indeed a bit low tonight, and the two princesses will not stay in the courtyard for too long. But it was indeed very lively here. The candles on the dining table and the gas lamps in the courtyard made everything around them seem to shine. At the lively wedding banquet, everyone could find something they were interested in. The group did not continue talking at the long table for too long, and soon it was time to share the cake.
As people celebrated, the Asbergs held a silver knife together and symbolically cut the five-layered cake. Then servants came to divide the cake.
Little Mia, standing on Shade’s shoulder, looked at the cake with sharp eyes, but for the sake of the cat’s health, Shade did not give it this food. The two princesses accepted Mr. Asberg’s kindness and each took a small portion of the cake, but Shade noticed that they were only holding the plates and not actually eating them.
After cutting the cake, interesting banquet games were held at the long table in the courtyard.
What surprised Shade the most was the game of “catching the devil”.
First fill a shallow bowl with raisins, soak the raisins in brandy, and then light the brandy. The cheerful blue flames soon illuminated the faces of the people around them. People participating in the game will take turns reaching into the flames, grabbing a burning raisin, and eating it as quickly as possible before their fingers and tongues are hurt.
This is quite a dangerous activity, but people seem to take it for granted and are very happy about it. Even if someone is hurt and screams in pain, it will only make the surrounding guests laugh, and then others continue to reach for the burning brandy.
Even Lecia and Margaret were not surprised by this kind of game. Apparently it was a reserved item at wedding banquets.
In the “Catch the Devil” game, the person who can eat the most raisins can also get a gold-plated badge in the shape of a grape as a reward. Shade is very fortunate that he only needs to prove his “strength, wisdom and charm” and does not need to prove his “courage”.
Therefore, in order to make himself not look so stupid, he did not join this dangerous but exciting game. Instead, he was invited to play another game at the table with the princesses.
You can tell at a glance that the clothes of the two princesses are not suitable for activities with a large range of movements. The new game in the courtyard does not require too much movement, because it is throwing darts.
This is not the common practice in taverns, where people use spiked darts to throw at a small target under the watch of a group of people. Instead, they very creatively made a human-shaped target that is as tall as one person, with the forehead, heart and On the left and right sides of the kidneys, there is a small red circle representing the target. In addition to these four targets, the other positions of the erected human-shaped target are separated by black dotted lines. Each place has some small requirements written on it, such as reciting poetry or praising the moon. If you hit these location, it is necessary to implement these requirements.
Xia De really didn’t understand why people liked this kind of human-shaped target, but anyway, he was invited to join the game.
Because the two princesses were present, Mr. Randolph Asberg did not leave after cutting the cake, but replaced his old butler as the host of the game.
The darts game here will last all night. Guests who want to try it will get a gold-plated dart-shaped brooch as long as they can hit any one of the four circles.
Princess Margaret seemed to be in high spirits and was discussing with Lesia who should come first.
The human-shaped target was erected next to the long table. In the end, it was Lecia who stood on the path on the side of the trail about five or six steps away. Amidst the lively discussion, she took the lead and picked it up. Darts:
“I hope I’m lucky enough.”
Her Royal Highness the Princess said with a smile, and then threw it lightly, and the dart flew towards the target, but it did not hit any of the four circles, but hit the target’s right leg.
The red ink on her right leg said “Praise the Moon”, so Lesia actually recited a little poem.
Next was Princess Margaret. She also behaved similarly to Lesia. Although the dart finally stabbed into the target, it only pierced into the right eye.
She smiled and complained to Lesia that the four red circles were too small, then called the servant to bring the wine, and took a sip, completing the request to “drink the red wine”.
Now that the two princesses are here, people who want to impress them have also joined the game. After Princess Margaret, the younger brother of the groom, Mr. Asperger, the acne-faced Maka Asperger appeared first.
He also played the game of opening gifts on the other side of the long table, wearing a strange hairpin like an antenna on his head. He tested the dart twice, and then threw it violently, but the dart did not even penetrate the target, but flew straight into the uninhabited bushes on the other side, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
After young Asberg blushed and retreated, Shade walked out. But the first thing he had to do was to find someone to take care of his cat. As a result, before Shade could find a maid, the cat quite consciously stretched out its two front paws towards Lesia in Shade’s arms.
Shad almost broke into a cold sweat at that time, but fortunately Lecia smiled and praised little Mia for her cleverness, and then naturally took over the cat.
The frightened Shade walked to the horizontal line on the ground with the dart, raised the dart and looked at the target. The voice in his ears was still so clear amidst the noise of the crowd.
[Downward. 】
Even though his eyes can see his target, he still needs help.
“I’m a little curious, can someone else’s ‘other self’ also play such an ‘auxiliary aiming’ role?”
Xia De thought curiously, looking at the target:
“After all, in addition to straight-line attack thaumaturgy such as solar rays, most spiritual and energy radiation thaumaturgy requires aiming.”
“She” just chuckled but didn’t answer. Shade didn’t care. After confirming that his strength was adjusted, he lightly threw the dart in his hand. So under the gaze of a circle of people around him, the dart pierced the heart of the target very accurately. A smile appeared on the corner of Shade’s mouth, but he did not retreat immediately, but asked for another dart, lightly A light throw, hitting the target right on the forehead.
“It’s really good.”
Lesia, who knew Shade’s goal tonight, praised.
“Mr. Hamilton, you are good at this game, aren’t you?”
Princess Margaret also asked curiously, Shade nodded:
“Yes, Your Highness, my profession is a detective. Because of the requirements of my profession, I am proficient in tracking, boxing, Rhodes cards, darts and other skills.”
He said softly, thinking that this would be enough. If he said any more, he would appear a little too arrogant. Unexpectedly, Lesia actually smiled and asked at this time:
“Knight, since you are so good at darts, and there are two targets on the target, how about trying it again blindfolded?”
After speaking, he looked at Princess Margaret, who also smiled and nodded:
“Yes, but there’s no need to put too much pressure on it, it’s just a party game.”
“Of course, Your Highness, it’s an honor to perform for you.”
Xia De said, very glad that Lecia knew how to cooperate.
People were very interested. Just now, Shade won the first place in the horse racing competition with Princess Agelina. People were also talking about it.
Mr. Asberg quickly asked the servant to get a black cloth, and the blindfolded Shade still used the pointed darts beautifully, hitting the remaining two targets on the target.
When he took off the black cloth that blindfolded his eyes, people around him applauded. Lesia held Mia and smiled, and Princess Margaret softly praised:
“I also met a gentleman from Delrayon in Huntington. He was able to throw three coins into an empty wine glass while blindfolded. Maybe I should introduce you to him.”
“What’s that gentleman’s name?”
Xia De asked pretending to be curious.
“Sherlock Holmes.”
Princess Margaret said, reaching out to touch little Mia who was being held by Lesia, but was blocked by the cat’s claws.
“Sorry, Your Highness.”
Shade apologized quickly and took the cat back. Princess Margaret shook her head slightly, but she was more interested in the rumored “social butterfly” from Tobesk in front of her.