10th Prom

"What is the reason for such a good castle to sell?" said Ashrufat.

"It is said that he has secured an official position for himself, so he will soon be leaving here...... So he still needs a lot of money. A castle is less important than the future. Xingke replied. I could see the longing glint in her eyes, but it quickly dimmed.

"It's a pity...... We can't afford it anyway. She sighed. The castle is a great home, especially for them. Because the castle has a nice basement, they can engage in covert research without fear of being discovered. In addition, although it is a habitable castle, the walls are able to keep out uninvited guests. The manor they live in now does not have this advantage.

But no matter how desperate the Dale Knight was to sell it for cash, there was no way the castle could be sold for a price that the two sisters could accept. Besides, even if a miracle really happens and sells at such a price, it will not be her turn to buy it. There are more than one or two people who are enthusiastic about this castle but don't have enough money.

The carriage went all the way, and after a turn, the castle was no longer visible.

......

The place where Baron Raoult held his ball was a large manor house very close to the city. By the time Ashrufat and his sisters arrived, the carriage had already stopped in a full row. As he stepped out of the car, he noticed that many people seemed to be looking at him.

But it's not their fault. In this day and age, riding in a car is the preserve of women, the elderly, and children. Adult men who are in good health always ride horses, except in special cases such as illness or injury. As for the type that didn't have a horse—did the man who didn't have a horse to come to the dance? Unfortunately, the sisters didn't have a horse to ride on—they only had to pull the cart and horse. And if you come to the ball on a bad horse, you might as well come by car. At least the latter can find a reason to shirk it, and the former will really be embarrassed to go home.

The life of the aristocratic squire had to be maintained by money. Among other things, this kind of social activity is the best proof of this. The dresses of the two sisters, and the clothes of Ashrufat, plus the carriage, the horses, and the coachman, if counted as money, would have cost about a thousand dollars. In other words, such a sum of money is the basis for entering the circle of nobles, and without such a sum of money, you can't enter this circle at all. Of course, it's also good that these are things that can be used multiple times at a time.

"Miss Katyus, Miss Parra, and Mr. Esseurofat of the Griffin family have arrived. The attendant at the door announced aloud according to what was on the post.

Like the rows of carriages outside, there were enough people attending the ball at this point. As soon as Ashrufat entered, he noticed that many people were watching him. It's a palpable curiosity. At first, Ashrufat thought it was because his name was unfamiliar—nothing surprising—but then he discovered something else. The men looked at themselves with curiosity and muttered softly to each other.

Ashruphat bowed and came to the table. He immediately realized that he didn't seem to be welcome, as everyone else deliberately avoided him.

He pretended to fetch a drink himself, but in fact he focused his attention on a few women who were talking softly. When he was recuperating from his injuries, he found that he had a very keen sense of sight, hearing, and smell - he could hear distant sounds that servants couldn't even hear, see the details of the distance, and clearly distinguish the details of cooking in the kitchen, not to mention cooking, and even what spices were used - this should be a rare gift.

"Is this Ashrufat? doesn't look like it...... Didn't he say he was a vulgar and rude mercenary?"

"It shouldn't be fake, after all, it's a debt...... But the appearance is okay......"

"Hehe, I heard that these two sisters bought this outfit!"

"The clothes were all bought by my fiancée? doesn't that mean it's ...... Hee-hee...... Is it the kind of person who relies on his wife to support him all his life and never be able to hold his head up?"

"It's normal, where did the mercenaries get the money?......"

"It's just appearances. If you want to say that there are handsome people everywhere, but after a while, he will be exposed. ”

Ashruphat listened to what others had said about him, and wondered a little how these people knew about these things. The surprise soon faded away, though, as he soon saw a familiar figure appear in the crowd.

It was the same Lyle he had met once before. At this moment, Lyle was also wearing a gorgeous gown, looking at the isolated Essrufat with a gloating expression.

Almost immediately, Ashruphat realized that it was Lyer's doing. Actually, it would be easy for Lyle to do this. He only needs to spend a few small bucks and find someone to come to the manor and inquire. Inside the manor, almost every servant already knew the origin of Ashrufat. In fact, from the perspective of a rival in love, this is really nothing, at most he only exposed the secret of Ashrufat in advance.

Lyle stood at a distance. He knew that the other party had noticed him, so he put on a special smile, hoping to see an angry or frustrated expression on the other party's face. Things seemed to be a little different, though, as Ashrufat didn't show any obvious look, at least not the look he was expecting.

Lyle snorted coldly and turned around and left. He walked to a small room at the edge of the hall, a room for guests who needed a break—or a secret conversation. Usually this type of room is hard to find during the ball, but at this time, the ball has not yet officially begun, so the room is mostly empty.

There were seven or eight young people in the room. These people are all friends of Lyle, and like him, they are all playboys who are good at spending money. Like many people with the same hobby, playboys are easy to get together. Through this group of friends, Lyle easily spread the news of Ashrufat's identity and origin. He had expected this to be a blow to the other side, but it seemed that he had underestimated the thickness of the cheeks of those filthy mercenaries.

"Friends. Lyle walked into the room and said immediately. "I'm afraid this guy is tougher than we expected. ”

He had already expressed his goals in this small circle - these did not need to be disguised, and he was supported by many playboys. Today, their goal is to make this mercenary out of nowhere.

"Let Lannie come. "Someone proposed. "She'll take care of everything. ”

"Lannie, the famous courtesan, did you get involved with her?" the other asked with a smile.

"It just cost a little money. As long as you have money, it's not a problem to seduce her...... However, her dancing skills are famously good. The man replied. "If she's willing, she'll be able to make that Ashrufat make a fool of herself. ”

"Will he accept dancing?"

"He couldn't help but accept it. This is a dance party, and if a woman is invited to dance in person, how can she be refused? I wish he had simply refused, and that would have been a real disrepute. I can give the musicians a little money to start playing a two-beat dance tune. It's a complex dance...... If you don't practice it many times, it's easy to make a mistake. ”

"But you have to take into account...... He had almost a month to prepare, and the sisters should be able to teach him a lot. "Someone else reminded.

"So it depends on Lannie's level. The speaker said with a smile. A difficult pas de deux requires close cooperation between two people, and if one party is ready to do bad, then there will naturally be plenty of opportunities for the dance partner to show off their ugly. This is especially true for dance masters.

"But......," Lyle muttered. "It's better if we have a backhand. ”

"What's the backhand?"

"A more severe warning than dancing to show off. Friends, your advice is good, but I don't think a cheeky mercenary cares about making a fool of himself in front of everyone. And the Countess Marianne...... Well, it's not the kind of elder who can change his mind easily. Dancing the wrong dance in a complex dance doesn't have that much effect...... We need more preparation, maybe we should ...... Teach him a lesson! with fists and sticks!"

"Good, good!" agreed.

"But he's a mercenary. "Some people questioned. Mercenaries may be shameless, but self-defense is essential.

"What are the mercenaries afraid of! there are so many of us!" someone else shouted. "If you talk about fighting with weapons, mercenaries are really not to be taken lightly. But this is a ball, and no one carries weapons. If we fight with fists and sticks, there is no reason why so many of us should lose!"

The number of visitors gradually increased, and the atmosphere of the ball became more and more intense. According to tradition, at the ball, the male and female guests are separated, each with their own circle. Even if they are husband and wife, they are not together with each other. As a result of rumors, Ashruphat has in fact been isolated.

He stood alone at the table, glass of wine in hand, patiently pondering the opportunity to break the deadlock. There were already a lot of guests, and although the host had not yet officially announced the start of the ball, the band was already playing there. Everyone knew that after a short while, the host would come out and announce the start of the ball.

"Alone?" a voice suddenly sounded. Ashrufat turned around and found a woman who had come to his side at some point.

It was a young woman, dressed in a ballroom costume. The woman also held a glass of blood-red wine in her hand, and her eyes looked at Ashrufat. She is beautiful, but the word beautiful is not enough to describe her. She has the beauty of a delicate idle flower and wild grass, which is much more attractive than the pretentious elegance of an ordinary aristocratic woman. Especially those eyes, those eyes are circulating, as if they can speak, and the slightest carelessness will attract people's eyes firmly to their bodies.

"Well, it's a bit of a surprise. I don't think I've seen you before...... First time in Brasian?" the woman asked.

"Let me introduce myself, my name is Ashrufat. Eshurufat replied politely. "It was really my first time at the prom. ”

"Ashrufat? My name is Lanny...... Since it's a dance party, how about dancing together?"

"I don't think it's officially started yet. Ashruphat asked hesitantly.

"It doesn't matter. Lanny leaned in and set the glass aside. "If you dance now, you'll be at the center of everyone's attention. Don't want to try it?"