Whispering Verse

The people around who recognized Miss Carina naturally saw the interaction between Shade and the Duchess. Before this, no one had ever seen the Duchess in such a posture in public, so people became a little more convinced of the rumors about the Duke and his lover.

The two of them did not linger among the crowd of magicians, but continued walking in the courtyard. The witch took Shade's arm and softly introduced to him the dignitaries attending this private banquet. She looked happy, more relaxed and happy than she had ever been since Shade had known her.

They tried the snacks on the table together, walked in the garden together, and greeted familiar people together. The red-haired lady even watched Shade play two rounds of Rhodes with others, but this time there was no gambling. Anything. While Mia was away, they also fed the pure white pet cat raised in Count Willard's manor. Carina smiled and guessed what would happen if the cats in Shade's house knew that he had done such a thing.

"This should be considered a date, right?"

When we were watching the night sky together on the terrace on the second floor of the manor, the witch suddenly asked. Shade placed the wine glass on the railing and held the railing with both hands:

"Of course it counts."

"I almost understand Lesia's passion for you, which is really good."

She also put down the wine glass in her hand, and gradually moved her face closer to Shade. Amidst the lively chatter in the courtyard downstairs and the ambiguous gas light on the terrace, the two people under the moon got closer and closer until they kissed each other. The cold but shi/lu/lu kiss didn't last long, and Carina took the initiative and gently pushed Shade away.

They turned around and looked behind them together. They saw Agelina in a sky blue dress standing at the door of the terrace. They didn't know whether they should disturb her. Behind her were four or five noble ladies whom Shade had never seen before. They were excitedly talking about the scene in front of them in lowered voices.

"Good evening, Agelina, did you have a good time?"

The witch asked with a smile, and then said to Shade without waiting for Agelina's answer:

"I'm going to touch up my makeup and take care of the necessary social interactions before the outdoor dance begins. Tifa and the others should already be waiting for me in the lounge to meet guests. You and Agelina first Let's go together, I'll come find you again when the dance starts."

She raised her hand to wipe Shade's lips, and then stepped towards Agelina. He patted her shoulder lightly before greeting Agelina's friends. The young aristocratic ladies responded to the duchess's politeness in panic, and then watched her leave with brisk steps.

After Agelina drove away her group of chattering and giggling friends, she entered the terrace and stood with Shade.

She held her hands together and didn't know what to say, but Shade found the topic first:

"Good evening, Agelina. Did you have a good time at the party? I had a lot of fun watching the magic show over there. I've always been curious, don't you have a so-called 'court jester' in your family?"

The little princess had a smile on her face:

"When I was a child, I always thought we would have it, but then my mother told us that those eunuchs could not perform magic or walk through fire rings... Good evening, Shade, I thought you would first Asked why my sister didn’t come.”

She mustered up the courage to call Shade directly by his name. Of course, this was also related to the fact that there was no third person here besides them.

Shade shook his head:

"Your Highness, I still understand the most basic social etiquette. Besides, it is very impolite to ask one girl in front of another girl."

He looked at Agelina and asked:

"Do you need me to compliment your outfit? This dress really suits you."

Agelina then generously lifted the hem of her skirt and spun it around, smiling so that Shade could clearly see all the details of her dress. Then he asked him quietly:

"Shad, I heard from my sister that you promised to help her collect intelligence in the Green Lake area, right?"

Shade didn't expect her to ask this question, but he nodded anyway:

"Yes, this seems to be important to Lesia."

"So are you optimistic or pessimistic about this negotiation?"

Her Royal Highness the Princess asked again. It could be seen that she was not trying to force the topic, but was really interested in it.

"It's hard to say whether it's pessimism or optimism, but I don't think the negotiations will go smoothly."

He told Agelina that he met Captain Rades when he passed the border in the Green Lake area, and what he saw and experienced in the country tavern and the conflict. Her Royal Highness the Princess's eyes almost sparkled when she heard:

"It's wonderful, I mean, the negotiation itself is creating conflict."

"Yes, I'm even worried that the conflict between the north and the south in the Green Lake area will cause problems first before the war breaks out in the Pantanal. Because of the development of the two cities, there are many conflicts there... It's hard to say. .”

Shade shook his head cautiously, drank all the wine in the red wine glass, and then frowned because he drank too much. Agelina covered her mouth and smiled like a lady:

"I didn't expect you to lose your temper like this."

"I'm just not good at drinking...drinking actually doesn't do any good."

The seventeen-year-old red-haired princess nodded slightly and asked in a low voice:

"Shadow, do you want to go to the lounge over there and let's talk about the Green Lake negotiations. My father and mother thought that I didn't understand anything. There are many things that Sister Lesia and the others cannot know. In fact, I have heard about them. Yes. Maybe you will be interested in this, after all, no one usually talks to me about this."

Shade hesitated for a moment. In this kind of open banquet, girls usually invite men to go to the lounge together, which is some kind of tacit social understanding. Because he had to take Lesia's feelings into consideration, he wasn't sure what it meant. Agelina, who saw his thoughts, patted Shade on the 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 delicate:

"I really want to talk to you about the Green Lake negotiations, otherwise I will let you take me down there. After all, this is a rare occasion where my sister is not around."

The lounge in the banquet is actually public. Count Willard has vacated the rooms on the left side of the first floor so that tonight's guests can rest or talk. The lounge that Miss Carina mentioned just now is actually the Earl's study, and she has special treatment.

Shade and Agelina then returned to the first floor. At this time, the banquet was getting busy, and all the lounges were temporarily unused, so they chose one at random.

Agelina really wanted to talk to Shade about Green Lake. She heard a lot of news in Yodel Palace that was not convenient for the public to disclose, such as His Majesty the King's bottom line on border disputes and the impact of the new trade route. trade expectations, and the location and specifications of subsequent railways to be built.

These information come from casual chats, so they cannot be 100% confirmed correct, but they are still of great reference value. It was only at this time that Shade realized that Agelina was actually quite sensitive to politics. Her views on the relationship between the two countries and her prediction of the future economic situation and domestic conflicts were no better than Lesia, who had been exposed to government affairs all year round. How inferior.

"But no one wants to talk to me about this. They all think that I am a good-looking vase. Except for my sister, most people think that I should wear a beautiful dress and hang out in those afternoon tea parties or salons of naive girls all day long. Here, or with a fake smile, you can seduce those silly noble boys, just like in the palace novels, where you engage in interpersonal communication stupidly."

Her Royal Highness the Princess lamented and did not hesitate to tell Shade this fact. So just as she was about to write the expression "Come on me now" on her face, Shade burned the note paper on which she had just calculated domestic grain production and said:

"You are very talented, and the Cavendish family's genes are really... I mean, doesn't Lesia value you very much?"

The little princess looked at Shade with even sadder eyes:

"But the problem is that Sister Lesia is too strong. Even if I have some talents and talents, I can't compare with her. She doesn't really need my help, or in other words, the helpers around her are enough. Sometimes , I don’t want to gain too much, I just..."

Shade finished the second half of the sentence for her. He could understand Agelina's thoughts:

"I want to be recognized by people, or be praised a little bit, instead of being treated like a little girl who hasn't grown up."

The little princess blinked, her face slightly red:

"Do you have the power to read minds?"

"not yet."

"Then you're really good at understanding girls."

"Don't say that, it will make me look like a loose man."

Shade said hurriedly, and Agelina laughed again. She poured tea for Shade, while she rested her hands on the sofa and swayed her legs under her skirt:

"It feels really good to talk to you. You are a very magical man. It is not accidental that my sister and aunt like you. Knight, you really seem to have stepped out of a story."

She tilted her head and looked at Shade. The lipstick color on her pink lips was different from that of Lecia and Carina:

"Xia De, do you know how to appreciate vases?"

Shade, who was holding the tea cup, felt that this was a strange question:

“Antique or modern china?”

[Think about this more carefully. 】

"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, Shade miraculously did not feel any violation or embarrassment, as if the conversation should have ended here. And Agelina's words were also very generous, as if she were really talking about the vase.

[The girls of the Cavendish family are indeed very powerful. 】

"She" chuckled in Shade's ear, and Shade recovered from the surprise in his heart:

"I don't like to use objects to describe girls. It's very rude."

"Knight, you just have to answer the question honestly: Am I beautiful?"