The latest chapter of the Atlas Code of Survival

When Lin An and Lanster were talking among the flowers and trees, someone was watching them in the distance.

Victoria stood by the window, her silver ferret shawl hanging from the armrest of her ebony high-backed chair, and her valet Lidge pulled up a corner of the thick velvet curtain of the window so she could look down on the crowd below.

The gorse tree is not very tall, and when you look down from the third floor, you can see a sea of colorful flowers.

There are a large number of people gathered in the open space between the sea of flowers, the sound of music comes from the first floor of the main building, and among the sparse flowers and trees, there are also many people who are alone in twos and threes, holding hands to spread the scenery, chatting and laughing.

“…… This is Baron Songdun, and this old man has changed his female companion...... Little Sir Sambod was a pervert like his father, but he was much more handsome than his perverted father!

Oh, the fiery diamond around Madame Gisaiah's neck was so big and shiny that you could feel the reflection of the fire on it from so far away...... It's a pity that Miss Angeliewt's white camel hair shawl matches her dignity, and her sister can see that she is a little younger, and she doesn't match York Ardan......

Most of the guests at the meeting wore masks, but Victoria, who was familiar with the upper nobles of the imperial capital, could still easily see the identity of the other party when she looked at them one by one.

She turned her face slightly, not wanting to be found peeping at a high place so rudely, so she only let Lidge open a small gap, and at the same time commented on everyone's identity and clothing in an arrogant and mean tone.

Lidge stood aside, her face unchanged, she had long been accustomed to her master's private violation of the royal princess's dignity.

There was a tentative knock on the door twice, and then it slowly pushed open, and Victoria closed her mouth and looked back.

Richie, on the other hand, curtfell and lifted her skirt unhurriedly, still drawing the curtains, because this room was reserved for his sisters by His Royal Highness Charles, and no one else would come in at this time except Princess Elizabeth.

"Lizzy. There you are! Come over here and see who's here today! ”

Princess Victoria winked at her sister, "I've asked Charles, and if nothing else, Archduke Stuart will be there." ”

She curled her rosy red lips into a look that understood each other.

Princess Elizabeth was a little helpless, but now both parties knew that their private conversation last time was overheard by the parties, and the Grand Duke of Rincter also expressed his rejection of this marriage through Charles.

What's more. After that day, Elizabeth paid attention to Lanster's social situation in the past few days, and also learned about Lanster's recent group of friends:

The man has hinted so clearly. She was so embarrassed and speechless, and the turmoil in the Maple Palace not long ago made her feel uneasy and tired, and she really didn't want to come to this potentially embarrassing ball if it wasn't for Charles and Victoria's invitation.

Victoria could see what was on her mind.

"Don't think about it so much. Licui, what happened last time, was an accident.

We didn't expect him to hear those words in the dark, but luckily, you didn't say anything out of the ordinary. If he is to be disgusted with me, he will be disgusted, if he is to be unreasonably angry with you. Then you don't have to be too accommodating to him - of course, you must not make a joke on your face for others to see. ”

The emperor has not relented, and in Victoria's opinion, this marriage is almost a certainty.

She looked at the recent words and deeds of the Grand Duke of Ranster. He's hard-hearted, and Victoria just wants to find room to maneuver now. To make the marriage decent, as for the attitude of the Archduke of Lanster himself, it is secondary.

Victoria said, as she swept out the window, attracted by a rich splash of color, and turned her head as if she had seen a bull in the red cloth field.

It's not how sharp her eyes are, she can see Lin An's face hidden by flowers and trees dozens of feet away from afar.

But in the imperial capital recently, the dark purple skirt ornaments have completely disappeared from the ladies and ladies, after all, as a woman, no one wants to be compared to an object that they would never want to admit in the private conversation of men, but they clearly know that they are not comparable to in any way.

Therefore, the women in dark purple robes at the ball are the only ones with no semicolon.

What's more, Lin An's black hair is too conspicuous, and the dark purple color with the characteristics of long black hair will not be mistaken no matter what.

Victoria actually didn't see Lin An's face.

The latter and Lancet stood under the flower tree, the dense gorse branches covering their upper body, and the evening light was slightly hazy, from Victoria's perspective, only the hem of Lin An's robe could be faintly seen, and the upper body and head were looming among the gorse branches.

Victoria is jealous and hateful of Lin An, and all colors similar to purple have disappeared around her, but in her subconscious, her sensitivity to Lin An is unusually keen, which may be related to the uneasiness that the two men around her faintly bring her.

At a glance, with only the hem of the robe, she had already determined that it was Lin An, and was about to take a closer look at who the man next to Lin An was close to her, but she saw that the distance between the two suddenly narrowed.

Victoria only looked at the shadowy standing posture between the flowers and branches, and knew that the two were hugging each other.

Lancet happened to turn sideways at this time, half blocked by the hem of Lin An's robe, and the cloak that fell to the ground behind him was dragged over, but Victoria's eyes were very sharp, and then at a glance just now, he had faintly seen the blue iris pattern emblem that occupied most of the cloak on the cloak.

"Richie, come and help me see if that's the Grand Duke of Lanster, how did he talk to Ann. Lynn women hugging each other! ”

Liqi probed, Lin An and Lanster's short hug was over, and when Liqi followed the direction pointed by Victoria to find the flower tree, Lin An and Lanster had already walked to the depths of the flower tree, and there was no trace of them.

But Richie, of course, would not say that she did not see it, and glanced in that direction, revealing a look of surprise at what she had seen, and following Victoria's words, she whispered in surprise:

“…… Yes, Princess, you read that right, it's really the Archduke of Ranster! ”

Victoria's words were just a knee-jerk reaction, and after coming back to her senses, she ignored Richie's answer at all, and turned back to greet Elizabeth urgently:

"Licui, come here, look at them, they are hugging in a large place! It's really unreserved, and it's immoral......"

She felt a kind of happiness in her heart to catch Lin An's handle. At the same time, there was a certain faint jealousy, and irritation at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth couldn't push back her sister's continuous call, and came to the window with a stiff face, only then did Victoria find that Lin An and Lancet were gone, Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"Obviously nothing! Sister, maybe you're wrong. ”

"How could I be wrong!"

Victoria was furious.

Lin An is the same sex she remembers the most during this time, and the recent injury of Odin is closely related to Lin An, although the emperor has downplayed the facts, so that the royal family members who know about it think that the injury is not serious. But Victoria would not let go of this sufficient excuse to deal with this imaginary enemy.

In the past few days, she has been close to people who are attached to the royal family, and has released a lot of hints that are unfavorable to Lin An. Now is the time when she is most sensitive to the details of Lin An's Yiqiē.

Victoria wanted to say that even if Lin An turned to ashes, she wouldn't be unrecognizable, but of course she couldn't just expose her original thoughts, so she changed her words:

"In the entire imperial capital. Except for her, who else would be afraid that others would not know, wearing that purple robe every day, as if there was a purple rose knighthood, and purple would let her monopolize it, so that no one in the entire emperor knew her-

You also said good things for her. Now you know, how can a really reserved and low-key lady sneak up and cuddle with an unmarried man at someone else's ball? And the big brother thing. Have you forgotten? ”

Victoria felt that, after all, this woman was no different from those courtesans who were reserved on the surface and spread their thighs on the aristocratic bed behind their backs, and had been alone with their married husband a few days ago. As soon as Odin left, she was at the ball. Hook up with another guy!

In fact, she is not greedy for the power and wealth of her eldest brother and Archduke Lanster, but she looks like she does not eat the fireworks of the world and does not expel for fame and fortune all day long!

Victoria's most dissatisfied thing is that her father didn't know what to think, obviously Odin was not lightly injured, but the emperor lightly erased the incident on the grounds that Odin had made a mistake first and Lin An was a victim, and even warned them that these children should not disclose it in private, otherwise they would have to cut off their fiefdoms and inheritances.

And the queen mother, who loved her children the most, obviously saw the miserable appearance of Odin that night, but after one night changed her attitude, not only acquiesced in her father's decision, but even hinted that her mother's family, the Phillips family, who had great fame among the upper nobles, cooperated, and privately warned them repeatedly that if anyone secretly disobeyed her father's orders, she would not intercede.

The thought that could have made Ann. The catastrophe that Lin couldn't turn over, and finally ended like this, Victoria felt hatred in her heart.

But she was not unaware of certain subtle changes, such as the unexpected concession of her father and queen mother, the encouragement and support of Jokjardan, and the silence of Charles, which made her feel the strange atmosphere in the court, in which the woman she hated and feared the most may have played an important role.

This made Victoria feel faintly uneasy, and her background, which she had always relied on as her backing, did not seem to be as unreliable as she imagined in front of Lin An, which made Victoria suspicious, but also vaguely uneasy and afraid.

However, Victoria would never believe that there was anyone on this continent who could compare to the First Empire on the continent.

Therefore, she was vaguely ashamed of her own weakness and anxiety, and she wanted to show the authority of the royal family, so as to show that she was a dignified princess, and she would never be cowardly in front of an unknown woman, let alone a loser.

Thinking of this, she grabbed Elizabeth, "Let's go, let's go down!" ”

……

Lin An and Lancet walked out of the gorse grove, and in front of the brick and stone white main building, there was a flat lawn.

The ground floor of the main building is three stories the height of a normal floor, with solid white carved columns on three sides, and a huge dance floor with a slight depression in the middle can accommodate two or three hundred people dancing at the same time.

At this time, the sky was just getting dark, and the lights were yellow but not dazzling all over the manor, and the ballroom was brilliant and bright, and the light of the floor tiles reflected the brilliant light of the crystal lamps and the shadows of the clothes below.

Before the ball officially began, some of the guests gathered in the ballroom on the first floor of the main building, and some were chatting and laughing on the lawn outside the main building.

Because it was still early at this time, the nobles with high status and self-holding status often came late, sometimes even late after most of the ball.

The Autumn Festival Ball held by Prince Charles and his wife over the years is a popular event for everyone, and of course it is not the case that the guests arrive at the end of the ball. But according to the unspoken rule, even if a noble person of similar status to him arrives early, he will often not show up until after the ball begins.

Therefore, although it is now close to the start of the ball, the real distinguished guests have not yet appeared, and the Grand Duke Stuart and Lin An, who appeared together, of course, quickly became the focus of people:

Because one of them was dressed in grand duke attire and cloaked, and the other was dressed in the iconic purple robe, even if he was wearing a mask. It's the same as not wearing it at all.

Some of the nobles who were close to each other stepped forward to greet them.

They were relatively warm to the Lancet, and their conversation was tinged with subtle courtesy. The attitude towards Lin An has not changed much, both men and women praise her beauty today, and then, as before, they dare not leave too entangled.

But as a party concerned, Lin An naturally felt the faint alienation behind their hidden research and judgment gaze. It was not the aristocratic demeanor of the past, which was characterized by politeness and reserve, but a kind of alienation out of some kind of avoidance.

"Don't pay attention to them, there have been some bad rumors in the imperial capital recently, these people are just crowds."

Lancet noticed the abnormality, worried that Lin An didn't know, and said in a low voice.

"I'm happy to be idle."

Lin An smiled. Not even the attitude of the emperor could have an effect on her, let alone these people.

In her eyes, these people who don't know the truth but tend to follow the public. It's just some blind and ridiculous guys, a link in the food chain of the law of the jungle.

"You don't have to worry about me, just deal with those people first, you know, I don't need anyone to take care of me."

Lin An looked left and right. Seeing that the person you want to see hasn't shown up yet, think about what if Ranster is around. It was also a little inconvenient for him, so he asked Lancet to separate from him first.

Lancet knew that Lin An was not saying polite words, and he also felt that the group of people around him had caused trouble to Lin An, and after thinking about it, he ordered his guard captain to follow Lin An, and he and Lin An were temporarily separated.

The meal at the dance party is somewhat similar to a buffet, with several rows of large white tables with a variety of drinks and snacks.

But on this occasion, no one comes with the idea of having a big meal, so almost no one touches the dim sum food in the dining area, but the drinks placed on the wine area have changed several times, and the waiter in the black vest also holds the wine tray, and walks flexibly among the guests.

Lin An looked at the drinks in the waiter's wine tray, most of them were champagne white dry red and ladies cocktails and the like, so he asked the captain of the guard to go to the wine area to help her get a glass of mint water, and walked under a gorse tree by the lawn.

This flower tree is relatively deserted, there was originally a young lady in a light yellow camel hair skirt and her maid under the tree, seeing Lin An coming, she glanced at it from under the veil reservedly, nodded slightly, and when the male companion who went to get the wine came back, they both left.

Lin An smiled, turned his back on his hand, looked up at a small patch of light purple gorse branches in front of him, and didn't care that he had become the focus of darkness in the obscure sight of others, intentionally or unintentionally.

"Such a lonely corner is not worthy of your identity in the spotlight, Miss Topic!"

A faint sand voice came from behind him, Lin An turned around, looked at the person who came, and was a little surprised.

"Who are you?"

"Edwina. Marcia. Nicole. Kate. ”

The person who came came with his legs together, his right hand behind his back, his left hand quickly and elegantly crossed his chest, and before receiving his lower abdomen, he bowed straight at his waist and bowed neatly and gracefully.

"His" hand stopped in front of Lin An, his eyes were bright, the corners of his mouth were smiling with banter, and his eyes were unscrupulously staring at the beautiful woman in front of him.

Lin An was stunned for a moment, stared at the hand for a moment, and then put his hand inside, let "him" hold the bare hand, bow his head and kiss it lightly on the back of the smooth hand.

There is no annoying greasy fat powder smell, and the other party smacks his mouth.

"Edwina. Marcia. Nicole. Kaye - Possessor of Fortune, Goddess of War, Victory, Brother of King Merlin! ”

Lin An withdrew his hand, read out the meaning of the other party's name one by one, raised his eyebrows, and looked at the uninvited guest with interest, "If I'm not mistaken, you are a young lady." The end is slightly raised, but the tone is affirmative.

"As you can see, beautiful Master Lin!"

The visitor was dressed in a neat lambskin hunting suit, with two long legs that looked long and straight because of his tall stature, wrapped in tight leather trousers, and his short ear-length hair burned with enthusiasm like a flame.

Her facial features are well-defined, with deep but not rugged contours. But because of the sharp colors that flashed between the opening and closing of the pair of narrow dark red eyes, she had a cold taste that usually women did not have, and even when she hooked her lips and smiled, she could not hide this sharp temperament.

If it weren't for the fact that Lin An had seen a lot of female men with neutral appearances in her previous life, and the female characteristics of the other party's chest were very obvious, she would have to hesitate for a moment to distinguish the other party's gender.

The uninvited lady straightened up, the light of the dance hall cast from behind her, and the shadow brought by her height shrouded Lin An, inadvertently bringing a certain sense of oppression.

She also raised her eyebrows. But compared to Lin An's movements, she did it more heroically, with a kind of elegant ruffian that was indisputable.

"It's the first time someone is meeting for the first time. Just tell me the meaning of my name, you must know that my old man has found such a combination from the corner pimple in the dictionary, and it seems that you have the same knowledge as the rumored ones, comparable to beauty. ”

This young lady's voice is slightly lower, and there is a magnetism in the slight sand. When you don't listen closely, it's a bit neutral.

"You're wrong, although I don't think beauty has anything to do with knowledge, at least when learning these things, those hateful and cumbersome knowledge won't be easier to learn just because I'm good-looking!"

I felt that the other person was looking at me with interest. It seemed that there was more curiosity than hostility, so Lin An replied with a little joking, and stabbed the other party sharply.

"Definitely. To achieve success, we need to put in sweat, and it is not less because of being a woman! I'm sorry I was offended! ”

The other party's eyes lit up, and his face was slightly straightened. Neatly bowed and apologized, "Also." Please call me Admiral Edwina, or Lord Kaye, Miss Edwina, it's been a long time since anyone called me, and it feels so good it gives me goosebumps! ”

The little hostility in the other person's affection quickly subsided, and was transformed into a measure of scrutiny, and a curiosity of interest.

What made Lin An feel funny was that after the hostility faded, the female admiral looked at herself a few times, but instead there was a kind of amazement and appreciation similar to that of a male angle, and her gaze wandered over her face with more relish.

Lin An was very suspicious that if it weren't for this kind of occasion, the other party might have whistled a long way to express his mood at this time.

In addition, the meaning of the other party's name, as well as the identity of the self-proclaimed admiral, could not help but remind Lin An of a rather special family and its heir on the information given by Mrs. Adelaide.

The other party appeared abruptly, and when he first came, it was not with pure goodwill, Lin An had no intention of entanglement with the other party, and went straight to the point.

"Admiral Kaye, if I'm not mistaken, you're still one of the officers serving in Fort Rock, and although I don't know when you'll be back in the imperial capital, I think with the character of a Kaye, you wouldn't strike up a conversation with strangers at a ball without a purpose."

With the age and identity of the other party, of course, the admiral is still a false title, but the identity of the other party has long been famous, and the family behind it has continued since the founding of the country, but because of the withering of its descendants and the maverick behavior of the patriarchs of the past dynasties, it has become an outlier in the aristocratic circle of the imperial capital, and it is also a famous and wealthy family that makes people thunder.

This family domain borders the Duchy of Stuart and is a war-torn remote part of the vast territory of Merlin.

The Kaye family, currently titled Marquis, has risen and fallen several times since the founding of the country, and every few generations, there is a patriarch who wants to go out to the current emperor and become good friends with Stuart, and the people of that land also call themselves Kaye people, not orthodox Merlinns.

The descendants of the Kaye family are not abundant, and the branches of the ancestors have long been separated, more than ten generations away, and there is no inheritance right in law, and the heir of the current descendant is the female admiral in front of her.

This female admiral is in her early twenties, and she has served on the southern border all the year round, and this return to the imperial capital seems to be only a recent thing, Lin An has no intersection with the other party, let alone thinks that her appearance can be attractive enough to talk to her sex.

"The first reason is that Master Lin's legend of your stay in the Rock Castle is so thunderous that it makes my ears burn, when you were in the Rock Castle before, I didn't go to the Rock Fort to serve, and I had a good relationship with you, this time I have the opportunity to see it with my own eyes, of course, I have to take a closer look, so that I can go back and make my brothers envious and jealous!"

The military taste in the other party's tone was familiar, Lin An's face did not change, and he asked with a smile: "Then what about the second reason?" ”

"Do you need to ask?"

Edwina gave Lin An a "you are so stupid" look, "As two outliers among the women present, I am a newcomer and don't understand the situation; You're alone, and you're in a bad situation—and of course others will be happy to see us both on top! ”

She grinned, and a cold light flashed on the two rows of white teeth that were exposed.

(To be continued)

ps：

Thank you Yunsha Ruoli for your big reward! o(n_n)o~

Your Excellency the ruffian and handsome female admiral, I have been dreaming of this kind of role for a long time, and given that everyone has strongly called for a supporting actress, I will approve it!

Character Cards:

Edwina. Marcia. Nicole. Kaye (Owner of Property, Goddess of War, Victory, Brother of King Merlin) - Female, heir to the Marquis of Kaye, the hereditary rank of Admiral of the Southern Counties, and now serving in the Legion of the South of the Rock Fort. Appearance: short red hair, narrow dark red eyes, neutral voice, female paper.