Capítulo 1288: Chapter 1288: Victim Candidates
“The first target,”
thought Shard to himself.
Little Philip went straight for the three at the door. This rather handsome young gentleman greeted Princess Angelina with a smile and then asked in an exaggerated tone:
“Oh, Lord Hamilton? What gift have you brought? Did Duke Galina help you choose it?”
This was clearly an act of provocation. Unexpectedly, when he turned to Shard after saying this, he found that instead of being angry, Shard’s eyes were bright, and he appeared somewhat excited.
[What’s this feeling about?]
“She” chuckled softly in Shard’s ear and asked.
“I’ve been in this world for so long, I’ve finally met someone of low intelligence! I was wondering, how could everyone in this world be so rational? Finally, I’ve encountered such a person!”
The Outlander suddenly felt delighted, even though he knew the provocation was due to Miss Galina, he was still willing to respond:
“Who might this be…”
He pretended not to recognize him and tentatively asked, immediately getting an answer from the people noticing the commotion at the door:
“Lord Hamilton, this is Daniel Philip, the firstborn of Marquis Philip.”
Shard nodded, feigning a realization of the reason for the provocation:
“So that’s… And what gift may you have presented, sir?”
Shard himself held the title of Knight, thus could be addressed as “Lord,” while Little Philip had yet to inherit his title, so Shard referred to him as sir.
The brown-haired young man also caught the implication in Shard’s words, but still smiled and replied:
“I just returned from the New World last month, bringing with me a top-quality ruby mined from the New World. I had it polished by a craftsman and presented it to Her Highness Angelina.”
He smiled perfectly, showing eight teeth, and as he spoke, he pulled out a red silk velvet box from his pocket, which indeed contained a quite valuable-looking ruby.
Angelina intended to say something to Shard, but seeing Shard’s unusual excitement, Dorothy gently tugged at her. The Little Princess suspiciously looked at Dorothy, not surprised by her action, but rather felt she seemed a bit like her sister.
“A truly beautiful gemstone, but it appears not as large as the pearl I gifted to Queen Diana last year.”
Shard also replied with a smile. Immediately, people who noticed the “conflict” commented:
“Yes, last year Hamilton presented that pearl in a perfect spherical shape, about the size of half a fist, and Queen Diana often takes it out to admire it.”
This was one of Shard’s acquaintances from playing Roder Card.
“I think always sending gemstones and diamonds seems a bit too clichéd, so I brought this,”
Shard said, gesturing behind himself.
Daniel Philip blinked; he was often in the New World and unfamiliar with last year’s banquet, so he decisively shifted the topic back:
“Lord Hamilton, why don’t you show us what Miss Galina chose for you?”
“Not at all, I swear by Mr. Dawn’s name, I found this myself,”
Shard said, then asked the Little Princess:
“Your Highness, look…”
“Then let me see what gift Rejed’s Hamilton has brought,”
With Angelina’s permission, the wooden crate containing the statue was soon opened. The subtly twisted posture, forming a harmonious and elegant spiral ascending body of the half-nude figure, presented itself in the brightly lit ballroom, under the illumination of crystal chandeliers and gas lamps, displayed for all.
“It’s said to be unearthed from ancient ruins. Although it appears somewhat old and lacks a master’s name to lend it prestige, I believe its artistic level is worthy of Her Highness the Princess,”
he spoke softly, while the people around whispered about the statue in low voices. Angelina blushingly regarded Shard’s birthday gift, and Dorothy pursed her lips while examining the statue, inwardly wanting to keep it but realizing it wouldn’t be suitable to snatch her sister’s birthday gift.
As for Daniel Philip, he slightly gaped at the statue. The only attackable point of this gift, the fact it’s a nameless statue without a creator, had already been raised by Shard himself. Anyone with an appreciation for taste wouldn’t doubt the statue’s artistic charm, thus he pressed his lips and said to Shard:
“A truly remarkable gift.”
Then he presented his birthday gift and turned away to leave.
“I thought he would say a few more words to me. I was ready to throw out the white gloves.”
A moment later, Dorothy entered the banquet hall arm in arm with Shard, while the statue that had sparked much discussion was temporarily moved to a separate gift storage room. Listening to Shard’s words, Dorothy looked at him like she was seeing a boy:
“I really don’t know why you’re so excited today. Is Angelina turning seventeen really that thrilling?”
According to the plan, the two were to go directly to find Lecia, as neither of the two ladies wanted to waste a single second of the precious Day of the Red Butterfly. But when they saw Lecia, she was accompanying Queen Diana in front of the large oil painting of a former king in the banquet hall, speaking with two noble ladies. Standing beside her was Raphael Birmingham, Duke Birmingham’s son, whom Shard had seen in Director Anlos’s photograph.
“Oh, look who’s here? Rejed’s Hamilton. It seemed lively at the door just now. What were you up to?”
Queen Diana smiled, inviting Shard over, and then proactively explained:
“Shard, this is Mrs. Birmingham.”
The noble lady with a snow-white bosom and wearing a pearl necklace nodded slightly, sizing up Shard.
“This is Raphael Birmingham, the firstborn of the duke. You two are about the same age, so you may have common topics.”
Raphael Birmingham also had red hair, but the color was far less striking than that of the Cavendish Family. Their family was distantly related to the Royal Family, and it’s said that’s why their hair is red.
“The second target.”
The rather gentlemanly Little Birmingham shook hands with Shard, and Shard introduced his female companion for the evening, Dorothy. People had heard of this female writer’s reputation, and as the Casenli version of “Hamilton Detective Stories” was published in the Southern Nation, Dorothy might not be the most famous female writer, but she was certainly the fastest-earning female writer of this century.
Mrs. Birmingham and Little Mr. Birmingham temporarily left, while Queen Diana continued to converse with Dorothy. Lecia gave Shard a helpless look, indicating they would be delayed here for a while.
The atmosphere of the banquet was quite lively. Although His Majesty the King did not attend, people could still feel the Royal Family’s emphasis on this birthday banquet. A nine-layer cake was placed in the center of the banquet hall, with a champagne tower adorning the “scenery” around it. When most of the guests had arrived, Miss Galina also appeared there, surrounding Angelina with Queen Diana, Lecia, and several other princesses to thank the guests for coming.
At this moment, Dorothy finally bid farewell to the Queen and stood beside Shard. Shard wanted to say a few words to Dorothy, but someone behind him softly called his name:
“Lord Hamilton.”
Turning around, he saw that it was Henry Mafal, the son of Duke Mafal, his third contact object for the evening. A young man with a somewhat short stature, he nervously lowered his voice to speak to Shard:
“Sorry to disturb, but are you planning to play Roder Card later?”
“Hmm?”
Shard was momentarily stunned before extending his hand to shake hands, catching Dorothy’s scrutinizing and “warning” gaze nearby, and immediately declared:
“Not tonight, I have other matters to attend to.”
Although Little Mafal was a bit disappointed, he still nodded:
“That’s a shame, but indeed, priorities matter. I look forward to the chance to meet you at the card table in the future, so I’ll leave you be.”
He courteously said goodbye and left, and by now, Shard had already contacted all three of Angelina’s potential suitors and made initial impressions. Daniel Philip was arrogant and hostile towards Shard because of the matter with Miss Galina; Raphael Birmingham was humble and amiable, appearing as a qualified gentleman; Henry Mafal seemed somewhat introverted but liked playing Roder Card, and moreover…
Shard watched the direction in which Mafal was leaving, noticing he met up with a pretty brown-haired girl, and their relationship seemed intimate.
“And he already seems to have an object of affection.”
Of course, no matter what the three of them were like, the most important thing tonight was the Day of the Red Butterfly.
When Angelina thanked the guests for attending, and the melodious sound of the violin began to play, this rather grand birthday banquet officially commenced.
Shard, with Dorothy, found Angelina again. Taking advantage of Queen Diana’s temporary absence, Angelina led the two out of the banquet hall and turned into the upper lounge area of the banquet hall. Following Lecia’s request, she arranged for them to have the innermost room, and since Lecia hadn’t arrived yet, Shard and Dorothy were a step ahead.
Angelina dawdled and used her key to open the door for them, but blocked the entrance, stopping them from going in, and instead turned around to say softly:
“Shard, thank you for the birthday gift. I really like it.”
Dorothy stood by, smiling at this scene, without much thought. Shard shook his head, looked around, and after confirming the corridor was empty, disclosed the task Director Anlos had given him more than an hour ago.
The Little Princess nodded, indicating her understanding, and she did indeed take it upon herself to handle the task of writing the report for Shard. Just then, the door of another room across the hall opened.
Tifa, dressed in a black and white maid’s dress, came out of the room:
“Mr. Hamilton, could you spare some time? Miss wants to speak with you.”