Chapter 27: The First Dance

Chapter 27: The First Dance

Saturday evening, eight o’clock.

Riding in his own luxurious carriage, Klein spent two and a half minutes reaching Councilman Macht’s residence at 39 Böklund Street.

He glanced at the fountain, where splashing water reflected the lamplight, then fastened the buttons of his tailcoat while stepping down from the carriage. With unhurried steps, he made his way toward the front door.

Richardson followed closely behind his employer, holding a beautifully packaged bottle of Southville red wine.

The moment Klein entered, he saw Councilman Mori Macht and his wife, Madam Liana, coming forward to greet him.

The former wore an olive-green army officer’s uniform, an orange-red sash, and several medals pinned to his chest. In the Loen Kingdom, both active and retired officers favored wearing military uniform to balls.

The latter wore a yellow, collarless gown, decorated mostly with flounces and only a modest amount of delicate lace. It differed from the dresses of unmarried young ladies, though it likewise revealed her fair neck and half her shoulders.

Klein took the bottle of Southville red wine from Richardson, handed it to Councilman Macht, and bowed.

“My apologies. I am a few minutes late.”

This was, in fact, a common feature of Loen banquets. Guests would rather arrive a little late than early, because the hosts might still be busy with the final preparations. It would be improper to receive guests at such a time. Of course, the lateness should still be kept within ten minutes.

If Wahana had not specifically taught him this common sense, Klein would undoubtedly have arrived politely ahead of time.

“There is no matter. The ball has not officially begun.” Macht glanced at the Southville red wine in his hand, smiled, and handed it to his personal valet.

In Loen’s upper social circles, when attending a banquet hosted by someone for the first time, one had to bring the host a small gift. Among such gifts, alcoholic beverages were the most popular, but one had to remember that on the first occasion, the bottle should be domestic.

After greeting the male host, Klein looked toward Madam Liana. Seeing her slightly raise her right hand, he took a step forward, lifted her hand, bent down, and gave it a formal air-kiss.

“Your radiance illuminates the entire ball.”

Before the start of a banquet, praise directed at the host was one of the rare occasions in Loen social life where subtlety was not required. What distinguished Loen from Intis, however, was that a kiss on the hand had to be initiated by the lady. Only after she offered the gesture could the gentleman proceed. Otherwise, it was a serious breach of etiquette.

“Your arrival does the same,” Madam Liana replied with a smile.

After that, the married couple led Dawn Dantes through the vestibule and into the hall, where elegant melodies were already echoing.

After they had gone forward a few steps, Mori Macht gestured toward a young lady in a sky-blue gown.

“My daughter, Hazel.”

Klein followed his gesture and looked at the young lady. His pupils suddenly contracted.

He knew this young lady!

More accurately, he had seen her image before.

When he had asked Arrodes where he could obtain a mystical item capable of stealing the Beyonder powers of others, the Magic Mirror had shown him a scene of a haughty young lady wandering in the sewers. That young lady was precisely Hazel Macht, a girl with dark-green wavy hair and bright, dark-brown eyes.

She possesses a mystical item corresponding to Fire-Stealer? With her family background, why would she be wandering around the sewers? Is that part of some fortuitous encounter? What is she looking for, or waiting for, down there? Has she already become a Beyonder? How did she become one? Could there also be an old grandpa parasitizing her body? If there is, could that old grandpa, like the Blasphemer Amon, detect traces of the gray fog?

Beneath the “skin” of Dawn Dantes, Klein thought of many questions…