After the ceremony, the emperor's family faded out of the venue, and the grand ball officially began.

The solemn music came to an abrupt end, and the court musicians put down the harpsichord and double bass and took up the violin and tin whistle and played a light tune.

The atmosphere soon became lighthearted, the ladies and gentlemen chatted enthusiastically, a couple of well-behaved couples stepped onto the dance floor and danced to the beat of the music, while others began to socialize in a planned way.

Apparently, the Marquis de l'Ari Einfurt was the protagonist of the social event, standing silently in a corner by the dance floor, apparently trying to avoid the crowds and not to attract attention, but his marshal's uniform was too ornate and the medallion on his chest was shining brightly, and he was soon spotted in place.

Dalí's personal prestige reached another peak after the victory of the expeditionary force, and he was soon surrounded by people who toasted him, and he was treated like one of the world's most famous stars in the theater.

Most of these people who gathered around were wealthy nobles or high-ranking officials of the empire, and they were bent on getting in touch with the celebrities around the emperor. Because the Marquis of Dalí was married, they had to dismiss the idea of marrying their daughter to him, and instead started the idea of Dalí's son, William Einfurt.

"My lord, I toast you, you are really the pillar of our empire, the general star of Valsta!"

The speaker wore a white wig, his face was extremely heavy with powder, his exaggerated blush was particularly abrupt, and he had a curly mustache that had been carefully trimmed, and his expression was very humble and flattering.

Dalí quickly recognized him as Lord Wadling, a shrewd aristocratic head of a wealthy family who knew how to socialize, and his family was originally just a small country nobleman who had gradually entered the upper class by relying on the wind for generations, and finally gained a foothold in Fort Midknight, and is now one of the richest families in the city, which can be regarded as a model of social ability.

"My lord, I would like to introduce you to my beloved daughter Nina, and show you her picture," said Lord Wadling, smiling, and took out a solid gold pocket watch from his bosom, and when he opened the lid, there was a painted portrait of a noble maiden.

Dalí didn't like him very much, but this man had a lot of influence at Fort Midknight, and he still wanted to give him some face.

He smiled at Lord Wadling, who had grown rapidly in recent years, and who could easily hide his true emotions and say some high-sounding polite words: "Oh, what a lovely girl, how old is she?" ”

Lord Wadrin said, "This child is seven and a half years old, and you look at her golden curls and little dimples, which looks like my wife. ”

Of course, Dalí knew what the other party's purpose was, so he pushed the boat along the way: "What a coincidence, it's about the same age as my son William Jr." ”

"Yes, your son has been getting more and more handsome lately, what a pair of little guys! Our two families should move around more often, let the two children play together, and nurture their relationship as early as possible. ”

Dali instantly became interested: "Oh? Have you seen my son recently? ”

"Yes, my lord, I saw your lady last week, she was studying at the Imperial School for Girls, and she and her servants were walking in the park with Lord William the Younger, and I immediately went up to greet them. Adult, your child has inherited his mother's beauty, his facial features are simply perfect, he has fiery red hair, and he will definitely be a handsome guy when he grows up! It's definitely a match made in heaven with my little Nina! ”

Lord Wadrin then began to gush about the fate of the two children to Dalí, and praised the Einfoot family, who were no less than his ancestors.

This man is notoriously thick-skinned, as if he is already Dalí's in-laws, and after some spit compliments, Dalí gradually loses patience, and he lies that he is going to the bathroom, and finally gets out of it.

After coming out of the bathroom, the servant brought him clean water to clean his hands, and Dali asked for a glass of chilled lime liqueur, and he walked back and forth in the crowd with the glass, looking for his lover, but he never gained anything, and his heart began to become anxious.

(As Jane Ning said in the letter, she would come to the awards dinner after class, but what time was it?) Where is she? ）

"Congratulations on another great achievement, Lord Marquis!" A soft, melodious voice came from behind him.

Dalí turned around and found a noblewoman with black hair and blue eyes standing in front of him, her expression full of anticipation.

Dalí quickly recognized her as Miss Countess Gloria, who had just risen to prominence a few years earlier, when he had just made a name for himself by his military exploits, and when the beautiful aristocratic daughter always wrote letters to herself, he politely rebuffed, and after Dalí got married, those letters naturally stopped coming.

Dalí kissed his hand, "Thank you for your congratulations, you are so beautiful tonight, Miss Gloria!" ”

The aristocratic lady suddenly turned red, and said hesitantly: "My lord, I want to invite you to dance a song, can you give face?" ”

Seeing the sincerity in the other party's eyes, suddenly, Dali's heart was shocked, he remembered the aboriginal girl, her eyes were also like this, with disappointment in hope, and she couldn't do it when she loved me.

(Can't live up to those who love me...... He thought.

"Well, it's time for a dance change, I'm honored to be your dance partner!"

Miss Gloria was almost in tears of joy as the two followed the next wave of dancers onto the dance floor, the royal musicians began to play Waltz No. 4, Dalí pinched each other's fingers with one hand and gently grasped his slender waist with the other, and he felt Miss Gloria's heart beat faster and faster, and his rapid breathing hit his face.

Suddenly, she stepped on the wrong step and stepped on Dali, and a soft laugh could be heard on the dance floor.

"Right...... I'm sorry......" Miss Gloria hung her head in shame.

"It's okay, let's slow down." Dali smiled.

(This girl is nervous, and I have to try to reassure her.) ）

Dali noticed that his partner seemed to be overly nervous and had forgotten some ballroom dance steps, so he took the initiative to change his pace and gradually slow down the speed of the spin so that she would not continue to make a fool of herself.

Halfway through the dance, a new dancer joins in, and Dalí is shocked to see the lover he has been looking for on the dance floor, dancing with his mentor, Sir Simon Gallieni.