The order of playing the game was determined by the mutual humility of the seven people. Shade was ranked in the middle, which is fourth. He saw his opponents taking off their coats one after another, wearing white shirts and looking like they were gearing up.
I felt funny about this in my heart.
He had played many Rhodes games at banquets, but this was his first time playing this coin-tossing game.
"I wonder what Mia is doing now."
When he was bored, he thought of his cat, and then he suddenly wanted to laugh. Because the enthusiastic and deliberately showy look of his opponents at this time really looked like a cat that wanted to eat in the middle of the night, so it tried its best to show affection to him by coquettishly.
:
"The nobles in Huntington are really interesting."
The crowd gathered and talked about Her Royal Highness the Princess's banquet game.
The first person to appear was the 20-year-old Mr. Miguel Hersius, the youngest son of Marquis Hersius. The young gentleman wore a white shirt and a warm brown vest over the shirt.
Holding the coin, the servant blindfolded him in front of the starting line. Then, amid the cheers of the crowd, he waved his hands around and then threw out the first coin:
"Go for it!"
"oh!"
He threw it with so much force that the coin flew directly over the coffee table and almost hit the wife of the mayor of Huntington who was sitting on the other sofa. People laughed, and the plump lady also laughed and whispered.
He cursed gracefully, and even Princess Margaret covered her mouth and chuckled, which made the atmosphere even more lively.
The blindfolded Mr. Hersius couldn't see anything, but when he heard the roar of laughter, he knew that he must have missed the hit. So, he held a gold coin in each hand and threw it forward at the same time.
This time, I knew how to control the power. Unfortunately, the two gold coins just hit the table and then rolled to the side.
The second Baron Gallar appeared, now 29 years old, with two very delicate beards under his nose. He also blindfolded the servant while holding coins, and then took one of them and shook it tentatively. The gold coin reflected
Under the light of the gas lamp, Shade was also guessing whether the opponent could make the shot:
"May God bless you!"
Baron Gallar said softly, and then raised his hand violently. The coin was thrown high into the sky, almost hitting the ceiling. After falling in a parabola, it flew accurately to the table, and then with a clanging sound, it unexpectedly
It literally fell into the glass.
"Baron Gallar, you've been hit!"
Someone said immediately, and then there were applause and cheers. Regardless of whether it was a hit or not, people enjoyed the process rather than the result.
Because he had just blindfolded his eyes and knew the specific location of the cup, it was not surprising that the first one hit. But then the baron had no such luck. The remaining two gold coins hit the coffee table table, but
Couldn't touch the glass.
The third person who appeared was the grandson of a duke. Shade did not hear the identity of the other person clearly. This young gentleman was more cautious than the first two. After missing the first time, he adjusted his hand movements in time according to the sound.
Let the second one hit accurately. As for the third one, although it hit the edge of the glass, it bounced and the gold coin fell on the table. This was indeed a pity.
"Next is Mr. Holmes from Delrayon."
Hearing the princess's maid calling his name, Shade walked out of the crowd. Like the three gentlemen just now, he got the coins first, and then asked the servant to help him blindfold his eyes. The cloth was tied
It is very strong, and the cloth itself is very thick, so there is really no possibility of peeking:
"This kind of game is really not as interesting as Rhodes."
Shade thought in his mind, holding two gold coins in his left hand, twisting the third one in his right hand and preparing to throw it. He also followed the example of his opponents, taking off his coat and only wearing a white shirt, under the bright crystal lamp and gas lamp,
His well-proportioned figure attracted many people's attention.
【down.】
Shade's hand moved slightly downward.
【Slightly to the left.】
Shade's hand moved slightly to the left.
【Relax your muscles, yes, relax some more.】
Shade adjusted his strength.
【cast.】
He threw the gold coin forward casually. Under the gaze of people who were either joking, nervous, or looking forward to it, the gold coin fell directly into the glass at the far vertex of the triangle, clattering on the quilt.
Spin in the middle.
"Very good! Hit!"
Shade heard this answer with satisfaction, and the voice in his ear also reminded softly:
[Marguerite Anjou is applauding you.]
"So why did she invite me?"
【Relax a little, turn left, then right, okay.】
The second gold coin was thrown out by Shade immediately. Before people even stopped applauding for the first time, they saw the gold coin accurately falling into the second goblet again:
"Hit again!"
This time it was a man's voice. He seemed to be a member of the group of vampires just now, who also came to watch the banquet and games here.
Shade held the last coin in his right hand, hesitated for a moment and then gently tossed it forward. When he took off the cloth in front of his eyes, he saw a gold coin lying in each of the three goblets.
He clutched the strip of cloth and walked to the coffee table amidst people's celebrations. The ladies on the sofa also praised Shade. Of course, this was not only because he ended the game early, but also because of his handsome appearance.
And the temperament really makes people feel good.
"Congratulations, Mr. Holmes, on your performance."
Princess Margaret said softly and asked the servant to hand the three gold coins to Shade. Then she took off her earrings, took out the jewelry box, and gave it to Shade.
Girls all like to use jewelry boxes to store jewelry, unlike Shade who puts everything directly into his pocket or turns it into a toy and puts it in his pocket.
Although he didn't know how much the pair of earrings was worth, Princess Margaret's generosity also impressed Shade. After taking the jewelry box, he expressed his gratitude very respectfully and said in broken Kassenric,
Praising Princess Margaret's beauty.
All this was in line with etiquette and tradition, so even if Shad, a Delarian, won the banquet game, no one would say anything. Princess Margaret left Shad to say a few more words, and let those
Noble girls who are interested in Shade can ask him about the situation in the New World and Delarian.
Soon, the melodious sound of the cello sounded, indicating that tonight's dance party had begun. It was now half past eight, and there was still more than an hour before the banquet ended. The people around them dispersed to enjoy tonight's banquet time, but...
When Shade wanted to turn around and leave to find Mr. Bernhardt who was still playing cards over there, the princess stopped Shade again:
"Mr. Holmes, the dance has begun. Since you have won the game, are you interested in dancing with me?"
"Um?"
Shade was a little surprised and hesitated whether to agree. The other party's witch power was pitiful. If he danced with gloves on, he didn't have to worry about his specialness being discovered. This possibility was only possible with direct contact. He hesitated,
It's because I don't know what this princess wants to do.
"Oh, Your Highness, you didn't add this bet to the game just now!"
Before Shade could speak, Mr. Miguel Hersius, who was the first to throw the gold coin, hurriedly objected.
At this time, there were many people gathered in the sitting area of the sofa. When Mr. Hersius saw everyone looking at him, he blushed and said:
"Your Highness, you never dance easily with anyone at a ball. How can you dance with this Delarian?"
These nobles of the Southern Kingdom still have some opinions on the Delarians, especially after Shade defeated them just now.
Margaret Anjou, who was wearing a crown, frowned with dissatisfaction. Of course, Mr. Hersius could see that the princess was unhappy with his words, so he quickly added:
"I want to bet Rhodes with this gentleman. If he wins, I have no problem with it! The most important part of the banquet game is Rhodes. I think Mr. Holmes will not refuse to agree."
"Ha, after coming to this world for so long, I finally encountered this kind of thing!"
The foreigner thought with some joy in his heart, and the people around him were talking quietly, and no one objected or catered.
Princess Margaret, who was about to lead a delegation to visit Tobesk, said she would not allow conflicts between domestic nobles and foreign gentlemen at her farewell party. She intended to mediate, but Shade suddenly said:
"You want to bet Rhodes with me?"
He stared at the other party, and while Mr. Hersius felt a little nervous, he slowly took out his Rhodes deck.
He said sorry to the young girls around him, and then sat across from the princess. He leaned forward slightly, slapped the deck of cards on the table, held the top of the cards with his right hand, and pulled them gently, and the cards were arranged in a fan shape.
On the coffee table.
Pick up the card at the end and gently move it to the right, and the card deck with the back facing up will smoothly become face up; then move the card to the left again, so that the card becomes face up again.
Put the cards back together, rinse them a few times, and pat the rearranged deck on the table:
"How to play?"
he asked with a smile.
"Um"
Mr. Hersius, who was shocked by Shade's "performance", pursed his lips and hesitated for a moment, then shook his head decisively:
"I respect the princess's thoughts. Sorry, sir, I was abrupt just now."
After saying that, he turned around and left. This kind of exit is considered decent, but if you really play cards and lose, it will be a real loss of face.
"what happens?"
Mr. Bernhardt, who heard the commotion here, finally came over.
"Nothing, someone wants to bet Rhodes with me."
Shade said, Mr. Bernhardt first greeted Princess Margaret who was standing up, and then asked Shade in surprise:
"Betting Rhodes with you? Who is so bold?"
He knew very well that Shade was the champion of "Big City Player 1853", and he had seen Shade's card skills and luck at the [Sin Mansion].
"It's Mr. Miguel Hersius, but he was scared away!"
Someone said, followed by a burst of laughter, and the atmosphere of the dance became more lively.
"Viscount, is Mr. Holmes very good at cards?"
Princess Margaret asked curiously, and the middle-aged vampire noble tried hard to find the words:
"Your Highness, that's not a question of whether he's good or not. That's because Mr. Holmes often played Rhodes with those rude sailors on the ship, so he developed good card skills. What's more, his luck has always been unparalleled.
Compare."
"So that's it."
The princess with long blond hair chuckled and said. After Shade took back his cards, he extended his hand to the princess:
"Your Highness, it's an honor to dance with you. Please forgive me, I'm not good at this."
"It doesn't matter."
Princess Margaret put her hand on Shade's outstretched palm, and then walked together to the crowd who were dancing to the music.
Mr. Bernhardt was left standing there alone, very puzzled as to what happened while he was playing Rhodes:
"Princess Margaret of Anjou, hasn't she always been kind to men?"
On the other side, Shade and Princess Margaret have started dancing right under the crystal chandelier. Kasenrik's dance music is relatively soothing, or the current one is more soothing, so it doesn't need to be too violent.
Actions.
But even so, Shade was still controlling his steps very carefully, moving according to the "slow four" steps taught by Lesia, and Princess Margaret seemed to be very good at dancing.
Shade put his right hands together, with his middle and ring fingers slightly bent inwards, tightly clasping the edge of Princess Margaret's dress under the left shoulder blade, and slightly holding the princess's right hand. This contact area was not large, because the princess was very small.
Obviously he doesn't want to have too much contact with Shade.
Sure enough, there was a reason why she invited Shade to dance. Amidst the sound of the violin, the princess said very cautiously:
"Mr. Holmes, I'm sorry to involve you. I once heard Mr. Bernhardt say that you have had a long adventure in the New World and have extraordinary attainments in swordsmanship, marksmanship, and riding. That's why I invited you to participate in the event just now."
game."
Needless to say, it goes without saying that when the princess asked Mr. Bernhardt to hide the goods, the latter "bragged" a little about his friend.
"Then you invited me to the game because"
"That pair of earrings."
She lowered her voice to prevent a third person from hearing:
"Using earrings as a bet was not my own idea, it was the idea of my cousin, the annoying Yin Lin."
She is talking about Yinlin Cullen, the daughter of Duke Crum Cullen, who has been sitting next to Princess Margaret just now. This lady's mother is the sister of the contemporary King of Carsenlik, "Lion Lain"
, so she is Princess Margaret’s cousin.
"That was my birthday gift from my mother, so"
She said with some embarrassment, and then Shade understood:
"After you finish this dance, wait half an hour. I will wait for you in the courtyard. You can send a maid to take away the earrings."
"I'm really sorry for involving you in this matter."
The princess apologized again, but Shade didn't think there was anything wrong with this matter. Everyone has relatives who are helpless but do exist. Of course, foreigners don't have them. This kind of contradiction and conflict between noble girls finally
Disputes that turn into jewelry are actually very common in contemporary court novels, but Dorothy thinks similar plots are "boring and cliché".
Therefore, Shade did not plan to tell Dorothy or Lesia the story at this Carson-like banquet tonight. After all, this story was too boring.
"Mr. Holmes, are you satisfied with this party?"
The princess asked again, probably to lighten the atmosphere.
Shade thought for a while, but he still didn't forget Lecia's "prank" after all:
"It's very good, especially the food. Mr. Bernhardt recommended the green salad to me. The sweet onion, purple cabbage and Huntington's radish taste very good."
Therefore, Princess Margaret did not talk to Shade about food again until the dance ended.
Shade and Princess Margaret just danced once and then parted politely. The princess returned to the sitting area on the sofa, apparently not wanting to dance a second time, and Shade found Bernhardt.
Sir, this rather upper-class vampire seed lord was greatly surprised by Shade's performance:
"You're really good at dealing with young girls."
He didn't feel there was anything wrong with this, but was surprised by Shade's methods:
"There are actually some rumors among the nobles of Willondale that this Highness Margaret is not very close to men on weekdays."
Mr. Bernhardt lowered his voice while holding the wine glass, and then made a strange expression. Shade nodded clearly, knowing that this was because Margaret Anjou had never given up on becoming the apprentice of the great witch.
Although they had agreed to exchange the pair of earrings, in order not to attract attention, Shade did not leave immediately. Instead, he and Mr. Bernhardt watched people playing Rhodes.
Mr. Bernhard's luck was a little bad tonight, so he didn't plan to play cards anymore. Schad didn't want to attract attention at this banquet anymore, so he didn't participate.
However, Mr. Bernhardt mentioned that when Shade went to Miss Sylvia's place, a woman joined the card game and left after winning two special cards in a row.
Nowadays, the trend is open, but it is very rare for women to openly play cards with men at banquets. Mr. Bernhardt told Shade about this interesting incident, and then pointed out the position of the lady to Shade.
She did not dance with anyone, but chatted with a middle-aged gentleman who looked like a scholar. She stood by the window and looked at the night view of the courtyard. Because she could only see her back, it was impossible to judge her age. The lady was wearing
She wears a long dress with black top and red bottom, and her hair color is a rare bluish gold color that is close to white.
They were a little far away from Shade and Mr. Bernhardt, but Shade still frowned slightly:
"Circle Warlock?"
"That lady is a ring sorcerer?"
Bernhardt looked over with some interest:
"I'm pretty sure she didn't cheat when she played cards just now."
"There are quite a few ring wizards at this banquet."
Shade muttered. Mr. Bennhardt nodded and said nothing more:
"As long as they don't cause trouble, aren't we just here to attend the banquet?"
"Yes."
Shade looked in the direction of Princess Margaret again, and was very sure that there was no ring warlock around her:
"In one hour, this banquet will be over. I hope everything goes well."
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
PS: The extra chapter "The Missing Three Gold Coins" that appeared last night corresponds to the incident mentioned in Chapter 839.