Chapter 68. Masquerade(1/2)
"Do you know the young man at the door?"
The two of them walked on the red carpet together. Zhou Jinru turned his head slightly and asked softly.
Melanza looked forward: "Abel Heller, the son of a conservative major general, I am not surprised that he can appear here."
He is obviously just a scion of a business family, but he can understand the descendants of Londinium's nobles so well. It seems that the Rose Sword Saint has a lot of work to do in his daily life.
"Doctor, you don't need to test me."
Zhou Jinru nodded slightly. Melanza was very different from a few hours ago. The results of emotional guidance were very good, and her energy began to rise.
"This is not a test. I care about you. Londinium's short-term peace does not mean it will always be like this. Hedging your bets is the tradition of the nobles. You should know better than me."
"I know."
The girl exhaled and leaned closely against the man next to her. They looked very intimate.
Zhou Jinru enjoyed a moment of tranquility, thinking about what kind of person Elena the Rose Sword Saint was unwilling to mention, and what would happen again tonight.
Before he had time to ask the question, Melantha said a little uneasily: "Doctor, I haven't said anything about Elena yet, have I?"
You really didn't say that I thought you were traumatized, so I didn't ask in order not to irritate you.
Zhou Jinru thought silently and said, "If you are willing, you can tell me now."
"Elena is the granddaughter of the Duke of York and belongs to the upper-class nobility of Londinium. In the past ten years, her family has been divided into two factions, supporting radicals and conservatives respectively, and Elena's father is...
He is Victoria’s Secretary of State for Industry and Commerce.”
Zhou Jinru couldn't help but glance at the girl next to him. She looked as soft and frail as a pure white flower.
This is disguise! This is disguise!
The Rose Sword Master is a guard operator who can kill the magician on the battlefield!
"If you put it that way, I can only regard Miss Elena's behavior as a rebellious act by default, and hope that she can rein in the situation."
The madness of young people can only be regarded as a minor thing at best in the eyes of older people, especially those who have the ability to tell the truth. It is not an intolerable thing to have fun.
They walked to the ball hall in the manor, where several waiters were making final preparations.
"Distinguished guests, this is your mask, please choose the disguise you like."
Zhou Jinru’s choice was a silver-white mask with no obvious animal features, and it looked like it was from Liboli.
Melanza unusually chose a black film mask, and then under the guidance of a waiter, they entered the dance venue.
Bright lights shone on him, and Zhou Jinru's eyes scanned the surrounding environment. Artworks were hung on the walls on both sides of the corridor. Each piece was fully illuminated, and the author and creative process were written on the annotation board below.
The carpet underfoot was laid all the way to the dance venue. There were already many guests in the outer circle. They were holding tall wine glasses, whispering in twos and threes, and nodding to the new guests from time to time. When Zhou Jinru walked into the venue, three or four people said:
Looking over, they nodded kindly, as if they were old friends they hadn't seen for a long time.
"Miss."
He picked up the two glasses of wine brought by the waiter, handed one to Melanza, lowered his head and said softly: "Please don't drink too much."
"Thanks."
Melanza rarely drinks alcohol, but on such occasions, drinking is a necessary behavior.
They walked casually, chatting one or two words from time to time, their voices were very low, the corners of the girl's mouth turned up, and her eyes were full of smiles, as if she was having a very interesting experience.
"Doctor, you actually know so much!"
"This is not something I want to understand. Most of the time, people can't help themselves."
Melanza covered her mouth gently, recalling in her mind the scene when they met in the Longmen Camp in the satellite city. The doctor said that he returned to a big family, his parents arranged an arranged marriage, and he finally escaped.
"Doctor, are everything you said before true?"
Zhou Jinru shook the dark red liquid in the wine glass and chuckled: "When have I ever lied to you?"
They came to the corner of the ball. There were various foods placed against the wall, including pastries, meats, and seasonal fruits. Most of them were cold foods for the guests to choose.
"I want to come up with something so that I don't have any energy when I dance later."
Melantha stood beside Zhou Jinru, scanning all kinds of food with her eyes, and whispered: "One blueberry egg tart is enough."
Sweets.
Zhou Jinru brought her food, while he stood aside with a wine glass, quietly observing the guests arriving one after another at the ball.
"What don't you want to eat, Doctor?"
"Being not."
After Melanza was enjoying the blueberry egg tart, a middle-aged man and his female companion walked over casually. The mask could cover his face, but it could not cover the gray hair sticking out from both sides of the temples. And he
The lady next to me looks much younger.
This gentleman's body is healthier than imagined.
Zhou Jinru was thinking in his mind as the man who walked over took some food for his female partner and lowered his voice: "I saw many unfamiliar faces at this dance."
What he said was obviously not meant for the female companion beside him. Zhou Jinru narrowed his eyes and said calmly: "This shows that the Duke's ideas are recognized by more and more people."
He neither exposed himself as a stranger nor specifically pointed out what was wrong.
The middle-aged man stood on Zhou Jinru's left hand side and continued: "Obviously, most of the people who came to the scene were women. There may not be enough men at the dance."
He was telling the truth. From the time Zhou Jinru came in until now, the ratio of male and female guests has been steadily declining. Sometimes when several female guests come in, not a single man appears.
Zhou Jinru teased: "Maybe the men are keen on how to earn more gold pounds, while the ladies are more concerned about whether they can take a leisurely walk in their own gardens after eight o'clock in the evening."
His subtext is that men are busy running factories to make money, and most of the people who care about environmental protection are women.
"You're right, hahaha..."
The middle-aged man was stunned for two seconds, and then laughed out loud. He had stayed here long enough and was ready to leave.
"Excuse me."
He and his female companion left immediately.
This is just a trial.
Zhou Jinru's fingers gently touched the cold touch of the silver-white mask. This mask could at most cover the face, but it did not make people feel at ease. They knew Melanza but not necessarily themselves. I believe that some of the guests present were facing him.
I'm curious, otherwise why would there be people who seem to be casually walking over to chat, but are actually testing me with words.
Those words should be enough to calm the raging curiosity a little.
Melanza didn't necessarily know the identity of the guest just now. She knew the young people far better than the older people. Moreover, it was just a trial, so there was no need to be too nervous.
"Doctor, thank you."
The girl holding him said gratefully.
Zhou Jinru shook his head and said nothing. In his eyes, he saw Abel, who had previously been greeting guests at the gate of the manor, walking in. Even though the young man was wearing a mask, his clothes still revealed his identity.
Except for an outsider like myself who is almost blind, I believe that all the guests present will feel strange to the people around them.
Abel's arrival represents the official start of the private salon. As the organizer, Duke Edward must be present in person, and he will perform the opening dance.
Soon, the gathered guests parted like waves, and a tall blond man walked in from outside the ball. Beside him, a woman with long platinum blond hair was holding his arm, and the two of them looked together.
When it arrived, the whole place became quiet.
The blond hair, erect pointed ears, and the slender tail behind his back are indeed Aslan's racial characteristics, but his true appearance is unknown.
While Zhou Jinru was thinking secretly, the music floating at the dance suddenly stopped, and the melodious tones of the cello occupied people's ears. The owner of the manor turned to face the female companion, slightly bent over to salute, he stretched out his right hand, and the female companion
Gently placing his hand on the man's palm, the two of them slid onto the dance floor, keeping the same rhythm and dancing briskly to the music.
This was a solo dance. They danced gracefully in the middle of the dance floor. The lights around them dimmed, leaving only a soft light shining on them.
A few minutes later, the first dance ended, and Aslan's masculine voice echoed on the dance floor: "It's my honor for you to come to my personal party. I am fortunate to have a very good dancer.
Her beauty is diverse, her style is intoxicating, and I’m sure everyone here has heard of her.”
"Miss Isabella, the founder of magical melodrama, you are a born dancer."
The woman with long platinum hair raised her long skirt and returned the favor. Her voice was ethereal and penetrating, making people want to hear more.
"Your Majesty, this is my honor."
Is she Isabella?
Zhou Jinru found it a bit incredible that he would see the heroine of the melodrama here. Her appearance seemed to be specially arranged by Duke Edward. They danced the first dance. Does this mean that they are close friends?
As the organizer, Duke Edward's appearance means that tonight's dance has begun. He and Isabella danced the first dance. For the second dance, a dance partner needs to be selected on the spot, and the dance participants need to dance together.
, represents respect for the master.
There were so many ladies at the scene that the Duke did not need to choose carefully.
Zhou Jinru held Melanza's hand, and they mixed in with the crowd, waiting for the owner of the manor to lead the dance.
"I forgot to practice dancing beforehand, does it really matter?"
Due to time constraints, Zhou Jinru and Melanza did not have time to get familiar with each other's rhythms, so they had to slowly get used to each other during the dance.
Zhou Jinru gently put his hand on the girl's soft waist and said with a smile: "Fortunately, I have experienced more tragic scenes than now."
To be continued...