Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 503 - 502: Dancing, Fireworks, and Priest

"I actually have something else I want to ask."

Shard said. Galina Cavendish was in an exceptionally good mood tonight, hence she didn't blame Shard for his lack of tact:

"Ask away."

"What exactly does Queen Diana want to do? Why give me something so valuable? I can't believe that she has no ulterior motive."

"I'm glad you've realized that."

Miss Galina whispered, leaning closer to Shard, resting her head on his left shoulder as they slowly swayed to the dance music.

Due to the rotation, her position changed, and she could now directly see Lecia. She slightly smiled at her granddaughter, and although Lecia immediately smiled back, her expression seemed somewhat angry.

"Probably by tomorrow, the news of Sax Cavendish being charged with treason will be out. I don't want to drag you into politics, but there are things you should know. Although she is the queen now, she was not the first queen, and not all the current princes and princesses are her biological children."

"I understand, that card isn't actually to win me over, but rather to curry favor with you. Though you don't involve yourself much in politics, as a Duchess with real power, your mere presence can influence things."

Shard nodded slightly.

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"Very good."

She said softly in his ear, her red hair brushing against Shard's cheek:

"I'm glad you understand that. To think, just two months ago, you knew nothing, but now you are more knowledgeable and wise than any of your peers."

"The past has given me strength, my journey through time, unlike that of a normal investigator."

This was the first time Shard had openly acknowledged this in front of Miss Galina.

"I see."

She seemed indifferent, lifting her head from his shoulder to look closely into his eyes with her golden pupils:

"Dance this one seriously with me, Shard, just this one. Otherwise, I fear Little Lecia will curse me in her heart in even more malicious ways."

"No, she won't."

"Shard, you don't know her better than I do, I held her when she was born."

Although Shard did not know Miss Galina's exact age, she couldn't have been more than eight at the time of Lecia's birth.

"Knight, take it seriously and don't step on my feet."

She said somewhat reproachfully as they switched positions:

"Shard, become stronger quickly. The world is becoming increasingly dangerous, and I can't protect you forever."

She whispered something, then suddenly broke into a smile:

"Of course, if you perform well in this dance, maybe I can give you a reward."

"Such as..."

"How about I let Tifa change into a dress for the ball and dance one with you before the end of the party?"

She laughed, pulling Shard's hand to sway with the rhythm of the dance:

"That would certainly be fun."

Miss Galina did as she said, and after the dance, she left the second-floor ballroom.

Seeing the Duchess rarely dance with a man naturally led others to try their luck, only to be stopped by Miss Galina's maids.

As for Shard's side, no sooner had Miss Galina left than Lecia immediately stood up.

Shard first looked toward Luviya's direction since the others were still involved in their card games, so Luviya was still working, and Dorothy was chatting with her writer friends, obviously not going to compete with Lecia for this chance.

Thus, after a long time, Shard danced with Lecia again. The last time they danced was on a cruise ship in Coldwater Port, dancing on the deck under the lingering sunset... and then they encountered the Fishbone Pirate Ship.

Shard quickly discarded that memory.

"Who was that man I drove off with a gun just now?"

Shard finally found the opportunity to ask his question, the dance music being somewhat livelier; Shard still wasn't very good at dancing, so it was Lecia leading.

Compared to Miss Galina, Lecia's height was normal for women of that era, and even in the high heels hidden under her long dress, the top of her head barely reached above Shard's eyes.

"Is he one of your suitors? His malice was all too apparent."

Shard asked casually, still recalling his earlier conversation with Miss Galina.

"Of course not, do you remember the murderer who hurt Angelina that you discovered at the Prophet's Society?"

Lecia asked softly, her face slightly flushed, unsure if it was from excitement or shyness.

"Of course, I remember, Sax Cavendish's lover."

"Yes, regarding the youngest son of the Dimock Earldom who just now showed obvious malice towards you, he has always been fond of the girl you pointed out... do you understand?"

"I understand, Little Dimock is a fool."

Shard joked, and Lecia laughed as well. Her hair color was very similar to Miss Galina, the vibrant red dancing slightly with her movements, like a leaping flame, attracting Shard's gaze.

"But, have you been planning another dangerous adventure recently?"

Lecia asked again.

"Why would you think that?"

Shard raised an eyebrow.

"Dorothy said you've seemed quite busy lately, but clearly you don't have many pending commissions, so we think you are planning another dangerous adventure like the one at Coldwater Port."

She looked up at Shard:

"I hate being lied to, so you don't need to give me an answer, just make sure you stay safe."

Glancing around, she leaned forward and gave Shard a light kiss on his face:

"Angelina said she wants to dance with you, remember to invite her later."

After Lecia, Shard first danced with the sixteen-year-old Her Highness the Princess and then finally danced with his true companion for the evening, Dorothy.

They seemed to be quite adept at dancing in high heels, whereas Shard, wearing flat leather shoes, seemed somewhat clumsy.

After Dorothy was Luviya, who took time out to dance with Shard and then went back to work. During the dance, besides whispering about Shard's adventure last night with the doctor, the girl with purple eyes teased that Shard was really tired tonight:

"How many more girls are waiting to dance with you?"

Shard thought Luviya was being sarcastic, but to his surprise, just when he thought about going to find Dorothy and resting on a sofa, another unfamiliar girl approached him to invite him to dance.

Out of politeness, Shard did not refuse, but after that, invitations came incessantly, and after dancing with three unfamiliar girls, he excused himself, claiming he was a bit tired.

But by that time, he could no longer find Dorothy and found out that the writers from Tobesk had all been invited by Queen Diana to chat on the third floor, probably not coming down for half an hour.

Lecia had also left; she had been waiting for Shard to find her, but it seemed that some issue arose that required her attention, so she had to regretfully leave the party ahead of time.

Having nothing else to do, Shard told Luviya he was leaving and left the second floor, intending to breathe some fresh air in the courtyard.

The overall grounds of Yordle Palace were extensive, and it was quite normal for strangers to wander in and then get lost. Although it was the Queen's birthday party, only a very small portion of the area was open for guests to enjoy.

When Shard got downstairs, the fireworks display had just reached its climax. Most people were stopping to look up at the sky, watching slender light bullets fly up into the starry sky with whistle-like sounds and then explode into twinkling points of light under the stars and in March's night sky.

The weather tonight was still quite good, and the wind at the turn of the summer-autumn season temporarily dispersed the city's thin fog, so standing in the courtyard and looking up, one could see the vast starry sky.

"I wonder if this explosive noise will scare Mia."

Because Saint Delan Square was really close to Yordle Palace, Shard was quite worried about this.

He kept his hands in his pockets, facing the flickering firework lights, standing in front of the building and looking towards the direction of Saint Delan Square. From home, one could see Yordle Palace, so naturally, one could also see the home's kitchen window from Yordle Palace.

But due to the distance, Shard could not see the situation inside his home through the window.

"I wonder if Mia is lying on the bed, or if she has gone to explore the third floor again, or perhaps she has gone to room number two on the second floor to scratch her claws against the wall."

Shard whimsically guessed, but had already planned to bring a telescope the next time he visited Yordle Palace, to better observe the situation at home.

He wandered around in the courtyard and soon saw a group from the Dawn Church near a long table in the front courtyard.

Bishop Owen, Priest Augustus, and two other high-rank priests Shard had seen at Dawn Chapel were talking with several individuals dressed in brown formal wear speaking Carsonrick, and Bishop Owen's Carsonrick was quite good, whereas Priest Augustus barely spoke it.

Since only church people wore robes at the party, Shard spotted them immediately. Seeing Shard approaching to greet them, Priest Augustus quickly called him over:

"Shard, I remember you said you understand Carsonrick?"

"Yes, do you need my help?"

"Oh, please help me translate, this foreigner speaks too quickly."

Saying so, he pulled Shard over, and after Priest Augustus introduced Shard with his somewhat clumsy Carsonrick, he let Shard begin translating.

Although Shard could listen to but not speak Carsonrick, because he completely understood it, his learning of the language was not slow. Even though he had never formally studied it, just occasionally flipping through a dictionary during his free time was enough. As he helped translate, whenever Priest Augustus struggled with unclear parts, Shard could still hint at them with his equally clumsy Carsonrick.

Thus, the two people speaking the clumsy language managed to converse reasonably smoothly with these foreigners.