Chapter 1565

People who recognized Miss Galina naturally also saw the interaction between Xia De and the Duchess. Before this, no one had ever seen this Duchess in such a posture in public, so people believed the story of the Duke and her lover in the rumors a few more points.

The two did not stay too long in the crowd watching the magic. The witch held Xia De's arm and introduced the big figures attending this non-public banquet to him softly. She looked very happy, more relaxed and happy than at any time since Xia De knew her.

They tried the snacks on the table together, walked in the garden together, greeted familiar people together, and the red-haired lady even watched Xia De play two games of Rhodes cards with others, but this time they didn't bet anything. Taking advantage of Mia's absence, they also fed the pure white pet cat kept by Count Villard's manor together, and Galina smiled and guessed what would happen if the cat in Xia De's house knew he had done such a thing.

"Should this count as a date?"

When looking at the night sky on the balcony on the second floor of the manor together, the witch asked suddenly. Xia De put the wine glass on the railing and put both hands on the railing:

"Of course it counts."

"I almost understand Lei Qianya's enthusiasm for you; this is really not bad."

She also put down the wine glass in her hand, and her face gradually approached Xia De. In the lively conversation in the courtyard downstairs, under the ambiguous gas lamp light on the balcony, the two under the moon got closer and closer, until they kissed together. The cold but wet kiss did not last long, and Galina took the initiative to push Xia De away gently.

They turned around together to look behind them, only to see Angelina wearing a sky-blue formal dress standing at the balcony door, not knowing whether she should make a sound to disturb them. Behind her stood four or five noble ladies Xia De had never seen before; they were excitedly talking about the scene in front of them in low voices.

"Good evening, Angelina; are you having fun?"

The witch asked with a smile, and then said to Xia De without waiting for Angelina to answer:

"I'm going to touch up my makeup, and while the open-air dance hasn't started yet, I'll go and handle the necessary social interactions. Tifa and the others should already be waiting for me in the lounge to meet guests. You stay with Angelina first; when the dance starts, I'll come to find you."

She raised her hand to wipe Xia De's lips, and then walked toward Angelina. She patted her shoulder lightly, and then greeted Angelina's friends. The young noble ladies responded to the Duchess's politeness in panic, and then watched her walk toward the distance with light steps.

After Angelina drove away her group of chattering and giggling friends, she entered the balcony and stood with Xia De.

She held her hands together and didn't know what to say, or Xia De found the topic first:

"Good evening, Angelina. Are you having fun at the party? I think the magic performance over there is very interesting. I have always been very curious, don't you have those so-called 'court clowns' in your family?"

A smile appeared on the little princess's face:

"I always thought we would have them when I was young, but later my mother told us that those eunuch chamberlains..."

"... can't perform magic or jump through fire rings... Good evening, Xia De; I thought you would ask why my sister didn't come first."

She summoned the courage to call Xia De's name directly; of course, this was also related to the fact that there was no third person here besides them.

Xia De shook his head:

"Your Highness, I still understand the most basic social etiquette. Besides, asking about one girl in front of another is very impolite behavior."

He looked at Angelina and asked again:

"Do I need to praise your attire? This dress really suits you."

Angelina then lifted her skirt generously and turned around in place, smiling and letting Xia De see all the details of her dress. Then she asked him quietly:

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

Xia De didn't expect her to ask this question, but nodded:

"Yes..."

"... this seems very important to Lei Qianya."

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

Her Highness the Princess asked again; it could be seen that she was not forcing a topic, but was really very interested in this.

"It's hard to say pessimistic or optimistic, but I see the negotiations won't go very smoothly."

He told Angelina about his meeting with Captain Rads when passing the border in the Green Lake area, and the conflict he encountered in that country tavern. The princess's eyes were almost shining:

"It's really wonderful; I mean, the negotiation itself is creating contradictions."

"Yes, I am even worried that before the Pantanal area starts fighting, the north-south conflict in the Green Lake area will have problems first. Because of the development of the two cities, there are contradictions everywhere. It's hard to say."

Xia De shook his head cautiously, drank the wine in the red wine glass in one gulp, and then frowned because he drank too fiercely. Angelina covered her mouth and laughed very ladylike:

"I didn't expect you to have such an unseemly moment."

"I'm just not good at drinking... Drinking actually has no benefits." The red-haired seventeen-year-old princess nodded lightly and asked in a low voice:

"Xia De, do you want to go to the lounge over there and let's talk about the Green Lake negotiations again? My father and mother think I don't understand anything, and there are many things that cannot be let Lei Qianya sister and the others know, which I have actually heard about. Maybe you will be interested in this; after all, no one talks to me about these things usually."

Xia De hesitated for a moment. In this open-style banquet, generally, girls inviting men to the lounge together is a kind of social tacit understanding. Because he had to consider Lei Qianya's feelings, he wasn't sure what this meant. And Angelina, who saw his thoughts, patted Xia De's arm:

"Xia De, what are you thinking?"

She pursed her lips and pretended to be angry, which made her already young face look even more charming:

"I really want to talk to you about the Green Lake negotiations, otherwise I'll let you take me to..."

The lounge at the banquet is actually public. Count Villard emptied those rooms on the left side of the first floor, allowing guests tonight to rest or talk. And the lounge Miss Galina mentioned just now is actually the Count's study; she has special treatment.

Xia De and Angelina returned to the first floor. At this time, the banquet was at its liveliest, and all the lounges were temporarily unused, so the two picked one at random.

Angelina indeed wanted to talk to Xia De about Green Lake. She heard a lot of news in Yodel Palace that was not convenient to be disclosed to the public, such as the King's bottom line on border disputes, as well as the trade expectations brought by the new trade route, and the location and specifications of the railway to be built later.

These messages came from those casual chats, so they could not be confirmed as 100% correct, but they still had great reference value. Xia De also knew at this time that Angelina was actually quite sensitive to politics; her insights into the relationship between the two countries and her predictions of future economic trends and domestic conflicts were not inferior to Lei Qianya, who had been in contact with government affairs for many years.

"But no one wants to talk to me about these; they all think I am a beautiful vase. Except for my sister, most people think that I should wear beautiful dresses, spend my days in those afternoon tea parties or salons of naive girls, or wear fake smiles to seduce those noble silly boys, like in the palace, foolishly conducting personnel exchanges."

Her Highness the Princess lamented, and did not spare telling Xia De this fact. So while she almost had "praise me" written on her face, Xia De said while burning the note paper calculating domestic grain production:

"Your talent is very strong; the genes of the Cavendish family are really... I mean, doesn't Lei Qianya value you very much?"

The little princess's eyes looking at Xia De were even more resentful:

"But the problem is, Lei Qianya sister is too strong. Even if I have some talent and ability, I cannot compare with her. She doesn't really need my help, or rather, the helpers around her are already enough. Sometimes, I don't want to get too much; I just..."

Xia De finished the second half of the sentence for her; he could understand Angelina's thoughts:

"Want to get people's recognition, or be praised a few words, instead of always being treated as a little girl who hasn't grown up."

The little princess blinked, her face flushed...

"Do you have the power to read minds?"

"Not yet."

"Then you are really good at understanding girls."

"Don't say that; it will make me look like that kind of dissolute man."

Xia De said hurriedly, and Angelina laughed again. She poured tea for Xia De, while she supported her hands on the sofa and shook her legs under her skirt:

"Talking to you really feels not bad. You are a very magical man; it is not an accident that my sister and aunt could take a fancy to you. Knight, you really look like you walked out of a story."

She tilted her head and looked at Xia De, the color of the lipstick on her tender lips was different from Lei Qianya and Galina: "Xia De, do you know how to appreciate vases?"

Xia De, holding the teacup, felt this was a strange question:

"Antique or modern porcelain?"

【You think about this question carefully again.】

"She" reminded with a chuckle.

"Neither."

The princess still tilted her head and looked at him, her eyes filled with a wonderful emotion:

"It is the vase in front of you. Do you think I am beautiful?"

At this moment, Xia De miraculously did not feel any awkwardness or embarrassment, as if the conversation should have proceeded to this point. And Angelina's words were also very generous, as if she were really talking about a vase.

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

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

"I don't like to use objects to describe girls; this is very impolite."

"Knight, you just need to answer the question honestly: am I beautiful?" Recently, the transcoding is serious, which gives us more motivation to update faster. Please move your little hands to exit the reading mode. Thank you.