Chapter 1708: The Witch's New Ability

"It's all right."

Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, her face very pale, and her voice was almost completely drowned out by the Wang Hou's amplified voice.

"It was just a moment of discomfort; I originally thought the distance was far enough."

She wasn't lying; her complexion was indeed recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye. Yet sweat still remained on her brow, and the two long, thin strands of golden hair deliberately left down beside her temples, instead of being pinned up, clung to her cheeks due to the perspiration.

"Is Lei Lei Qianya all right over there?"

Xia De was even more worried that Lei Lei Qianya would suddenly collapse in front of everyone.

"It's fine; she took painkillers in advance."

"What?"

Xia De frowned in surprise, but Dorothea pressed her lips together and shook her head.

"We can only do this; there is no other way. As long as we don't get close, this won't happen. In our entire lives, we will probably never be able to truly look each other in the eye."

Fortunately, Dorothea's writer friends were all standing on tiptoes at the back of the crowd, trying to get a direct view of Wang Hou Diana giving her speech, so Dorothea's abnormality wasn't seen by too many people.

After the Wang Hou finished her speech, the lively banquet officially began. Wang Hou Diana did not leave; instead, she accepted interviews from reporters and chatted with the noble ladies she knew well. The young princes and princesses of the Cavendish family each chose to do their own things. Xia De carefully counted; just the children of the King who appeared today exceeded ten people.

King Lulus III's reproductive ability is truly the strongest among all the kings in history.

Hou Jue Grassley soon had a servant come over and asked Xia De to meet them at the gambling table by the wall on the second floor. Just before Xia De could say goodbye to Dorothea and her writer friends, another maid arrived from the third floor; Miss Jia Lin Na had asked Xia De to come up.

So he could only temporarily bid farewell to Dorothea and asked the servant to apologize to Hou Jue Grassley, explaining that he would likely arrive a little late.

When he saw Miss Jia Lin Na on the third floor, the Duchess, who looked exceptionally beautiful dressed up for tonight, seemed somewhat troubled. She had Miss Miss Difa confirm no one was eavesdropping outside the door before quietly telling Xia De a slightly terrifying fact.

"There is a Thirteen-Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi at this banquet."

"What?"

"Don't worry; it is a Thirteen-Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi from the Church, the 'Iron Right Hand' who founded the Church, Sari Pirot."

Miss Jia Lin Na sat at her dressing table, her chair facing Xia De's position. She frowned with slight displeasure, but combined with the red ball gown trailing on the carpet and the hair ornaments sparkling on her head, this made her look even more beautiful.

"I only heard about this at seven forty. The Iron Right Hand was originally stationed on the outskirts of the Dark Realm; only after switching shifts with the 'Sunny Great Sword' these past few days did he temporarily return to the city. It was Wang Hou Diana who issued the invitation to him; this is quite unexpected, as the Royal Family rarely invites high-ranking Ring Sorcerers from the Zhengshen Sect."

"What does the Wang Hou want with this Mr.?"

"Nothing; it is simply a pure invitation. For one's own birthday, sending invitations to prominent figures in the city is normal. But my nephew, King Lulus III, is somewhat angry because of this. He was originally planning to make an appearance just now, but because of this matter, he did not appear. He has always opposed Royal Family members bypassing him to privately contact high-ranking members of the Church."

"But the Wang Hou is just..."

Xia De slightly narrowed his eyes.

"Did she really invite him on a whim?"

"I am glad you do not directly regard Diana as a simple person."

Miss Jia Lin Na smiled, then beckoned Miss Miss Difa to help her rub her shoulders. Xia De then mentioned the matter of Darkness; when the two met in the afternoon, because they were both in a hurry, he hadn't had time to say it.

"Darkness has already entered Tobeske. At least before last night, he had already entered the city limits."

"You met him again?"

Miss Jia Lin Na tilted her head slightly.

"Could it be that he really came to seek revenge on you? Oh, this is getting interesting."

She tapped the back of the armchair with her long fingers; the cushion on the chair back was engraved with the Cavendish family crest.

"I originally thought I could have a few more days of leisure, but now I can't be idle. Really, the Council wants me to personally kill Darkness. Xia De, after this matter is over, I will thank you for your intelligence. If there is any other intelligence, remember to tell me immediately. Do not try to catch him yourself; you do not know the power of the Ancient Evil Demon. Even a Thirteen-Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi might not be able to easily win a fight against him if he rashly engages."

"No problem, Miss Jia Lin Na."

The Duchess suddenly raised an eyebrow, a smile appearing on her face.

"Why not thank me right now? Miss Miss Difa, take the detective to find little Lei Lei Qianya. When I came back from the second floor just now, I saw her enter the east corridor; she probably went to her own resting room."

Although this main building of Yoder Palace has some rooms serving as living quarters for Royal Family members, it also plays a strong administrative role. As a princess who has already participated in state affairs, Lei Lei Qianya has her own study or resting room here. Among King Lulus III's unmarried daughters, very few have received such treatment.

"Remember not to pass through the banquet hall to prevent being seen by those with ulterior motives. Take the stairs on the east side; if you meet anyone, say I sent the detective downstairs to fetch something."

As she arranged this, the young maid nodded, and Xia De also stood up from his chair.

"Miss Jia Lin Na, I should stay in Yoder Palace until around eleven o'clock. If there is anything else tonight, you can come find me on the second floor at any time."

"I know; you have an appointment with someone to play Luo De Pai. Speaking of Luo De Pai, Wang Hou Diana will probably give you a surprise tonight; you can look forward to it a little."

She smiled while resting her chin on her hand.

Under Miss Miss Difa's guidance, Xia De took a large detour around the east side of the third floor before finding the narrow staircase used by the servants. Moving through the maze-like interior of the building, he did not encounter anyone along the way.

After stopping in front of the door with the nameplate "Lei Lei Qianya Cavendish," Miss Miss Difa signaled for Xia De to knock on the door himself.

"Her Highness Lei Lei Qianya probably won't like seeing me."

The black-haired young maid winked playfully at Xia De. If the younger Yi Lu Na doing this action was cute, then Miss Miss Difa's action was playful and slightly seductive. After that detective assistant work, she seemed to have a different impression of Xia De.

"Then I will return first, Xia De. There might be things on the Young Lady's side that need me to do."

She said in a lowered voice.

"Alright then, goodbye, Miss Miss Difa."

"I wish you a pleasant evening."

Saying this, the young maid smiled at Xia De, then turned and left, stepping on the carpet.

Xia De confirmed the other person's figure had disappeared around the corner of the corridor before reaching out to gently knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

Lei Lei Qianya's voice came from inside; although it sounded somewhat muffled through the door, it still made Xia De smile.

"It's me."

He believed his own voice; Lei Lei Qianya would be able to recognize it.

However, after speaking, he didn't hear footsteps immediately sounding; instead, after waiting a short while, a sound of footsteps clearly not belonging to Lei Lei Qianya approached the door.

After the door was opened, Xia De saw a young man with reddish-brown hair, slightly shorter than him, wearing a black tailcoat and a white shirt, with a pocket watch chain extending from his chest pocket fastened to a button. His skin was somewhat dark, his eyebrows were thick, and he asked the Xia De at the door with some confusion.

"Mr., who are you?"

"He is my friend."

Before Xia De could speak, the voice of Princess Ajelina rang out from inside the room.

Xia De looked into the room; there were quite a few people inside. Besides the servants, there were Princess Ajelina, Princess Lei Lei Qianya, and several other young men and women Xia De did not know.

Among them were a few Misses Xia De had seen when he was at the Prophet Association, but since he had not remembered their names, he treated them as strangers.

"Mr. Hamilton is my friend. I had the servants fetch him to wait for the ball to begin with us."

Princess Ajelina spoke again, so the young man at the door stepped aside to let Xia De enter. He looked at Xia De suspiciously, only realizing the truth when Xia De brushed past him.

"Hamilton of Regard!"

"Yes, it is I."

Xia De nodded and admitted it.

"Are you the rumored lover of Young Lady Jia Lin Na?"

Xia De stopped, frowned, and looked at him.

"Mr., that is impolite. Please do not slander Young Lady Jia Lin Na's reputation."

Not only him, but even Princess Lei Lei Qianya and Princess Ajelina frowned. Although the rumors were flying everywhere, such things could not be said aloud.

This noble youth, whose name he did not know, clearly held a hostile attitude toward Xia De. Although he did not know where this hostility came from, Xia De was not the type to swallow his anger, and being slandered when he had clearly done nothing was what angered people the most.

"Mr., please apologize to Young Lady Jia Lin Na."

"Yes, I spoke out of turn."

Involving a powerful Duchess in the country, the other party clearly realized the words he blurted out in emotion were inappropriate. But after a very insincere apology, he looked Xia De up and down, raised his eyebrows, and tilted his head slightly.

"Mr. Hamilton, I heard you are a detective of Saint Delan Square? Look, this appearance does indeed look like that."

This tone was extremely frivolous; in other words, it was impolite.

"Then, Detective, why not deduce what we were doing just now?"

He said with a smile.

"A detective of Saint Delan Square should have such ability."

Xia De looked at the others; most people also felt speaking like this was very impolite, while a few Misses tried to use expressions to tell Xia De what had just happened here.

"I see."

Xia De turned and walked toward the maid by the wall. With his back to everyone, he extended his hand and said to Mrs. Hers, the head maid of Princess Lei Lei Qianya.

"Madam, lend me a gun."

Saying this, he drew the Gun of Kindness from his waist. Although this scene was seen by two other maids besides Mrs. Hers, no one dared to speak.

"Mr., actually, besides being a detective, I am also a knight."

Xia De lowered his head and skillfully flipped open the cylinder.

Because the Gun of Kindness could generate bullets using a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi's spirit, he usually did not place bullets inside it; now, all six chambers of the cylinder were empty.

Xia De reached into his pocket, then took out a bullet. After showing it to the surprised crowd, he pressed the bullet into the cylinder.

"And what is most important for a knight and a detective is actually courage."

Flipping the cylinder back into the correct position, he showed the pistol to the noble youth with thick eyebrows at the door.

"Since you are questioning my detective abilities, why not make a bet? No, Luo De Pai gambling is simply too boring; let us bet on this."

With a flick of his finger, the cylinder spun immediately. Once the cylinder was fixed again, Xia De picked up the gun and signaled to the other party.

"Do you go first or do I? I think you understand my meaning."

"Oh, you, you madman!"

The young man in the black tailcoat looked at Xia De in disbelief. Xia De shook his head.

"This is a wager of honor. In the old era, knights were happy to use this method to defend their reputation."

"Mr. Hamilton, you need not risk yourself for this person. This is the youngest son of Count Dimock, Mr. Jason Dimock."

Princess Ajelina's voice came from the side, but Xia De had no interest in knowing who the other party was.

"Then, Mr. Little Dimock, do you go first or do I?"

"You..."

"Very well, I will go first."

Xia De pointed the Gun of Kindness, which could absolutely not be used for suicide, at his own temple and pulled the trigger before anyone else could react.

Click~ A sound rang out; indeed, no bullet was fired.

"Your turn."

Xia De walked a few quick steps and held the gun out forward, but Mr. Dimock was obviously too afraid to take it.

"You..."

"Oh, two times each, is it?"

Saying this, he was about to raise the gun again, but the young man in the tailcoat immediately stopped him.

"No, no, what I mean is..."

"Oh, one time each, but you want me to fire the gun?"

Xia De suddenly raised the muzzle, and Mr. Dimock immediately raised both hands.

"Knight, calm down. Please listen to me. Why should I bet with you?"

"Because you offended the reputation of Young Lady Jia Lin Na and mine."

Although Xia De lowered the revolver with a smile, he still stared at the other party.

"Or do you want me to pull the trigger three times first, and then you attempt the final three?"

Because he was very confident that this gun could absolutely not kill him, the expression on Xia De's face showed he was absolutely not joking.

"No, I..."

Jason Dimock looked at the others in the room, trying to seek their help, but no one spoke up at that moment. Not only because Xia De was holding a gun, but also because what Xia De said actually made sense.

Even if someone died here playing this dangerous game of gambling fights, the survivors would not face severe punishment.

"I, I, I'm feeling a bit unwell. Sorry."

Seeing no one help him, the noble youth in a tailcoat backed toward the door, pulled it open, slipped out, and paid no mind to his friends' thoughts in the room.

"Tsk."

Xia De shook his head, turned with the gun, and looked at the group sitting on the sofa. Seeing no one speak, he spun the cylinder again and removed the single bullet from it.

Judging by the bullet's position, pulling the trigger a sixth time should align it with the barrel.

"You are truly too impulsive."

Princess Agnelina, sitting on the sofa, spoke at once. After finishing, she winked at Xia De, a very playful gesture.

"Something like this happening is truly embarrassing. Sorry. You all go to the banquet hall first."

Lei Lei Qianya, the true host here, said to her friends. So the people went around Xia De and left the room, though most nodded and smiled at him. It seemed what just happened would surely spread throughout the banquet.

After the guests left, Lei Lei Qianya looked again at the servants standing by the wall. After a slight nod, Ms. Hells led the servants away first.

Once everyone had left, besides her and Xia De, only Princess Agnelina Cavendish remained, sitting on the sofa.

The little princess had been holding a porcelain teacup, but seeing her sister rise from behind the desk, walk quickly toward Xia De standing in the center of the room as he tucked the gun into his waist, she instinctively set the teacup down on the coffee table, then stretched her neck to look at them.

Lei Lei Qianya extended her right hand and lifted Xia De's head, who was looking down, to face forward. The red-haired Miss embraced him with her left arm, then kissed him.

"Oh~"

The little princess said softly, her face flushed, eyes unblinking as she looked at them.

"What exactly is your relationship?"

Only after a long while did she pick up her teacup again, turn sideways, hold the cup, and ask in a low voice.

Lei Lei Qianya pushed Xia De away, breathed heavily, brushed aside some loose red hair by her ear, and the flush on her cheeks was so deep even blush couldn't hide it.

Her breath was somewhat unsteady as she spoke, but the smile on her face was very obvious.

"Xia De saved me; this is gratitude."

None of the three present believed such words, but Agnelina did not ask again.

"I wanted to do this last time."

Lei Lei Qianya said to Xia De with a smile again. Looking at Xia De up close, her eyes were very bright at that moment.

"After our hasty parting in the west, I have always wanted to thank you. I intended to kiss you on Saturday, but those damn things delayed me. Now I have finally done it; this feeling is truly not bad."

"Sister Lei Lei Qianya, the last sentence should be a male character's line."

The little princess immediately reminded her. Lei Lei Qianya ignored her younger sister.

"Xia De, Agnelina does not wish to be married by her father for political reasons to someone she dislikes, so she sought my help. She is a trustworthy person, so it is fine that she saw what just happened."

Lei Lei Qianya added.

"Sometimes I will leave Tobesk. If you cannot find me but encounter trouble in the city, you may also seek Agnelina's help. She is always at Yoder Palace, but her maids can enter and exit relatively freely. In a moment, I will have her give you her contact information."

"I won't encounter any trouble in this city; it is very peaceful."

Xia De said, carefully wiping the lipstick from his lips with the back of his hand.

"Then, Lei Lei Qianya, when you went upstairs just now, were you all right?"

He was still worried about that matter.

"I'm fine. Sit down quickly; let us talk properly. I know you are eager to play Luo De Pai, but delaying an hour or two should be no problem."

"Actually, whether we play cards or not doesn't matter."

Xia De said very lightly. Lei Lei Qianya covered her mouth and chuckled softly. Agnelina also seemed to want to say something, but at that moment, the door was knocked on again.

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