Mystery: Lucky One

These words came out of nowhere, but seemed to hit the key point. Alice saw that Congressman Macht was stunned for a moment, and then he couldn't help but smile.

"Very good, this is a good suggestion." He raised the glass in his hand and drank it all. "Let us praise the improvement of Backlund's air. This is a symbol of our better life. Cheers!"

After this sound, the guests raised their glasses and drank them all. Alice also raised her glass gratefully. When the glass was to her lips, she stopped again.

"Do you also prepare wine for minors at your banquet?" She looked at Winfred who had put down his wine glass.

"Minor?" Winfred looked at Alice and repeated her words.

Alice realized that this was a question about her age, but she did not feel guilty at all and asked confidently:

"Don't I look like one?"

Having said this, she put down her glass and followed the crowd to the dance floor on the first floor.

Winfred followed her a few steps as if he had heard something interesting. He looked her up and down in surprise, nodded and said:
"It's very similar."

Alice paused, she felt like her breath was stuck in her throat. After all, this comment sounded just like "she's like a human being", revealing an inexplicable irony.

Alice decided to find an excuse to get rid of Winfred. She glanced at the crowd sliding into the dance floor, turned her head and said to Winfred:

"Aren't you going to dance?"

However, Alice was destined to be disappointed. Winfred just smiled at her, raised his left hand, showing his empty wrist, and said to her:

"For a true noble, at this kind of banquet, the partner for each dance is determined."

Alice was slightly stunned, her eyes swept across her wrist and then fell on the wrists of the others.

She noticed that some of the guests present did have something on their left wrist.

But, maybe it’s a bracelet… Alice turned around thoughtfully, looking at Winfred’s empty left wrist, and asked curiously:
"So you don't need to dance with anyone today?"

Winfred smiled and said to her:

"Everyone wants to dance with me, but at the same time, no one wants me to dance with anyone else."

Alice was slightly stunned.

This was beyond her comprehension. After a moment of thought, she began searching for Klein at the scene.

At this time, Dwayne Dantès was bowing in front of Hazel Macht. Alice realized that he was going to invite Hazel and frowned slightly.

"Don't you want them to dance together?" Winfred asked from the side.

Alice glanced at her but didn't answer his question. After seeing Hazel put her hand on Dwayne Dantes's, she decided to get some food first.

She ignored Winfred who insisted on following her, and walked around the food area with her plate, taking a portion of pan-fried cod, a portion of red wine foie gras, and a portion of fried pork chop with apple juice. When she reached out for the lamb, Winfred finally couldn't help but stop her:
"Can you really finish all this?"

Alice turned around and saw Winfred looking at her with a look of surprise and confusion, as if he was thinking about how she was going to stuff all these things into her stomach.

After thinking carefully, Winfred seemed to have thought of the answer, and she asked politely:
"Is it because clothes like this won't bloat your stomach if you eat too much?"

Alice lowered her head silently, then denied it:
"Do not.

“Because snakes are good eaters.”

In a case that Winfred was puzzled about, Alice finally gave up the lamb and went for a red velvet cake.

Next, she walked over to where the ice cream was placed and took one of the five flavors of ice cream under Winfred's incomprehensible look.

By this time, most of the eyes that were fixed on Alice at the beginning of the party had been withdrawn, and it seemed that they had no interest in a glutton.

Alice didn't care. She found a seat and sat down, then started eating naturally. Winfred looked at her for more than ten seconds, then suddenly turned his head and asked the maid:
"are you hungry?"

The maid shook her head.

"I'm a little hungry." Saying this, she walked towards the food pick-up area.

……

For a single man in his forties, it is difficult to decide who to invite to dance at a banquet.

It's not that Klein didn't notice Alice at the dance, but he never thought about the possibility of inviting Alice to dance - he thought Alice was unlikely to dance.

After all, she certainly wasn't here to dance.

As for what she was here for... Klein glanced at the food pick-up area and was satisfied to see that there were five flavors of ice cream there.

After careful consideration, Klein walked towards Hazel Macht, gave a standard salute, and asked:

"Miss Hazel, can I ask you to dance?"

Hazel paused for a moment, and her eyes moved around, searching for Alice in the crowd.

When she noticed the girl in the black dress beside Alice, a trace of confusion flashed across her eyes, and then she withdrew her gaze inconspicuously and looked at Dwayne Dantès:
"It's my pleasure."

She held out her palm.

Klein politely pulled her along and led her onto the dance floor, where he began a brisk and lively dance to the melody.

After taking a look at the other person's soft but expressionless face, Klein smiled tentatively and said:
"I've just noticed that many young gentlemen want to ask you to dance, but can't muster the courage."

Hazel's eyes once again passed over Dwayne Dantès and searched for Alice behind him.

In the intervals between spins on the dance floor, Hazel discovered that Alice had run to the food pick-up area without her knowing, and was searching for food with a plate in hand. The girl in the black dress whom she did not recognize was still following Alice.

Do they know each other?
Confusion flashed across Hazel's eyes, and then she perfunctorily said to Klein:
"Mr. Dantès, this is not a polite topic."

Klein glanced at Hazel and finally realized that Hazel was distracted. However, given Hazel's attitude, Klein did not ask any further questions. Instead, he tried to find where her gaze was focused.

Alice... ?
Klein noticed with confusion that this person, who should not be the focus of his attention in any case, looked at the food that was shaky on her plate and then looked away silently.

"I'm sorry, I used to be a businessman who traveled frequently between the northern and southern continents, and I don't have much experience in balls. Haha, I mean this kind of ball." He apologized to Hazel.

"It's okay." Hazel replied calmly. Her absent-minded tone and expression made Klein confirm his guess again. Her attention is not on me at all...

Klein, who was well-informed and experienced in attracting the attention of young girls, quickly found a new topic:
"For me, this is no easier challenge than the sea. It has beautiful scenery but also contains countless difficulties. Of course, there are all kinds of stories about treasures on the sea, some of which are obviously false, and some sound like they are real but cannot be verified, like the number one 'Key of Death'."

"The Key of Death?" Hazel raised her head and looked at Mr. Dwayne Dantès, who was much taller than her.

As expected, just like Alice... Klein laughed secretly and nodded slightly:

"Yes, it is said to be in a secret place in the Raging Sea..."

He recounted the treasure legends he had heard on the White Agate one by one, with some modifications, and added more details he had heard during his subsequent adventures.

In the process, he inevitably mentioned the "Four Kings" and the seven pirate generals.

Hazel was obviously interested in this. She rarely responded to Klein and even asked questions occasionally. This made the dance between the two no longer awkward and it came to an end before they knew it.

Klein skillfully ended the previous topic and asked:
"Are you going back to where you were, or are you going over there to get some food?"

Hazel opened her mouth, as if she wanted to ask something, but she didn't say anything in the end. After confirming Alice's location, she nodded modestly and said:
"I'm going to get some food."

Hehe, she is obviously reluctant to give up the story at sea... Well, this is more like Alice. As long as you understand her temper and hobbies, she will be very easy to coax... Do they know each other?

Klein thought thoughtfully.

……

When Hazel came over with the empty food tray, Alice was sitting face to face with Winfred eating. At this moment, she had finished the first batch of food and got a new portion of apple pie and new ice cream.

"Why won't your ice cream melt?" When Hazel approached, she heard Fred asking, "And that glass of wine, you obviously drank it, why..."

Alice stuffed the last piece of apple pie into her mouth at this time, then picked up the plate with five servings of ice cream and asked Hazel:

"Where is your teacher?"

Hazel looked at Alice, then at Winfred, and after hesitating for a moment, she said:

"In my room."

"Take me there." Ellie said without hesitation.

——Just now, Winfred had been trying to find topics to chat with her. Whenever Alice glanced at something or asked a question, this "knowledgeable" girl would immediately introduce it to her or join in her monologue.

Alice had tried not to talk so far, but the girl seemed not to be able to read her expression and started asking her questions again after she had been silent for a while.

Alice thought it was time for her to find an excuse to leave.

……

After a brief exchange of words, Klein enjoyed his food while paying attention to Alice out of habit.

I hope she doesn't get into trouble... Klein looked around and found Alice. She was following Hazel with a tray in her hand. Klein noticed that there were five different flavors of ice cream on the tray.

Ah, this... Klein had the urge to twitch his lips, but he suppressed the urge in time and watched Alice follow Hazel up to the second floor, and then walked towards the third floor without stopping.

Is there something going on between them... Klein looked away thoughtfully. A girl in a black dress suddenly stood in front of him.

"May I ask you to dance, sir?" the girl bowed to him. "My name is Winfred Gregory."

……

Alice followed Hazel Macht to the third floor and finally got rid of Winfred. She smiled at Hazel with some appreciation:
"well done."

Hazel didn't respond to this. She walked to the door of her room without stopping, stopped at the door and said:
"This is it."

Alice glanced at her, raised the plate in her hand and said:
"I don't have hands to open the door."

Hazel gritted her teeth, but couldn't help it and retorted:

"That's what a maid would do!"

"Pfft," Alice couldn't help laughing, "I thought you should at least realize that in front of me, the maid may be much more valuable than you."

She paused, looked at Hazel with a smile, and continued:

"At least the maid won't say anything to upset me."

Hazel's body began to tremble, but Alice ignored her, kicked the door open, walked in, and kicked it closed again.

The brown-fur mouse was sitting on the snow-white blanket, looking at her. Alice thought for a moment, then sat opposite her, put the plate of ice cream on the coffee table, took a bite of the ice cream, and then looked up and asked:

"Do you want to eat?"

"No." The mouse declined.

"Then please wait until I finish eating," Alice tilted her head, then lowered her head unceremoniously and started eating the ice cream. "Even though it won't melt if you leave it there, and I can change it back if it melts, I still like to eat fresh ones."

There was no change in the expression on the mouse demigod's face, but Alice was keenly aware that the hand hovering over her had silently withdrawn, no longer trying to explore what she possessed, or her thoughts.

……

Winfred Grigori... When he first heard this last name, Klein tried to find information about it in his memory.

The name was not very eye-catching, and it took him a while to remember that it was the surname of a marquis. However, the marquis was no longer alive and had only an underage daughter.

Is it her… ?
Klein was thoughtful. He keenly sensed that several eyes were on him. Obviously, it couldn't be for an elderly wealthy man, so it could only be...

He looked at the girl in front of him, realizing that accepting this invitation might mean some unnecessary trouble, so he pointed to his plate and said with a smile:
"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you, Miss Gregory.

"I can't waste food."

"Okay," Winfred didn't seem to want to force it, "I just want to ask, do you know Alice? The girl who was with me just now - I saw you looking at her." (End of this chapter)