Chapter 623: Chapter 210: Goodbye Catherine Carter_2
Even muscle twitches rendered in microexpressions were flawlessly concealed.
Having said that, he cracked a smile.
Leonard Churchill felt he was growing increasingly fond of this game of role-playing.
He changed into a fairly new-looking suit, picked up the invitation, and, with hat on head, he walked out the door.
Descending the stairs, a carriage from the Lionheart Family was there to take him to the banquet hall.
This charity auction was held at the Lionheart Family’s stronghold, just like the last one.
Lion City had been changing every single day.
Lately, more and more nobles seeking fortune had been flocking here.
Leonard arrived half an hour early, yet the place was already teeming with lords and ladies in fancy gowns.
However, the circles of the upper class society were limited, especially in a remote place of exile like Sinless City.
He had encountered many of them before at Rose Manor.
The moment Leonard stepped out of the carriage, he immediately noticed tonight’s heightened security; his Werewolf instincts alerted him to the covert scrutiny of several High-Order card masters.
But the Baron Keton he was impersonating was not daunted, already accustomed to the network and parlance of the upper class society, greeting any vaguely familiar faces with effusive flattery.
With business adulation on all sides, even if the flattery missed the mark, the esteemed lords would correct him with a laugh, facilitating a smoother integration.
When he met someone who recognized Baron Keton but whom Leonard himself did not know, he skillfully navigated the awkwardness through performance.
In this way, Leonard quickly blended into tonight’s banquet crowd.
He also noticed that several scrutinizing gazes discreetly shifted away from him.
The banquet hall was abuzz with song and dance, with Leonard looking among the crowd for Camilla and those who might be the main characters that evening.
Shortly after Leonard got out of the carriage, an inconspicuous sedan stopped in front of the Lionheart Family’s building.
A girl in a black princess dress said, “I’m heading up now.”
An old man, half of his face shrouded in darkness and indiscernible, nodded and replied, “Hmm. Be careful, little Cather. Tonight will be lively.”
There was a touch of indulgence in his voice, yet also an authoritative air befitting someone of superior status.
The girl replied obediently with a smile, “Hmm. I know, Grandpa.”
This girl was no one else but Catherine Carter, who had been missing for some time.
She was not in her original blonde, blue-eyed form, but had disguised herself as an unremarkable brunette.
Stepping out of the car, she glanced at the family mansion, the gleam in her crystal-clear eyes briefly intensifying before vanishing.
However, she quickly recomposed herself, smiling radiantly as she ascended the red carpet with the butler’s assistance.
…
“Oh my, Mr. Tempel, I heard your Red Deer Trading Company made a fortune in Summer Shepherd City with all the good stuff you acquired recently…
“Sir Moriah, long time no see. I’ve heard your family’s Hunting Team has plans to explore the Relics…”
“…”
In the banquet hall, the waltz played beautifully.
Leonard mingled in the crowd without attracting any undue attention.
As time passed, more and more people filled the dance hall.
Leonard spotted some key individuals.
After all, this was the Lionheart Family’s home turf.
Many direct descendants of the Lionheart Family attended, such as Young Master Kak from the Main Branch, Miss Seven Sevia, as well as Catherine’s elder brother Herman and third brother Mandel…
These offspring of great nobles were surrounded by High-ranking nobility. Leonard also noted Vivian White, an old acquaintance by Kak’s side.
He also paid extra attention to a few people wearing buttons with the unique noble emblem of the White Family.
In a real fight, these individuals would all be his enemies.
He listened in. Their conversation revolved primarily around the development of Relics and provided no substantial information.
The so-called charity auction was just a pretense for social interaction within the upper class society.
They met, exchanged resource information, sold some items, and symbolically donated a bit of money to the lower class.
It was a win-win for everyone.
Leonard glanced at the auction list; all quality items from the Relics, but nothing of necessity to him.
He was there for the spectacle and had no intention of participating
He hadn’t seen Camilla nor did he know if she had slipped in or chosen today to act.
After scanning the room, Leonard still couldn’t spot the likely target of Camilla’s assassination.
He conjectured that Camilla’s most desired target, the one the Lionheart Family feared, would undoubtedly include Catherine’s father, the Carlo, head of the Second house, known as the “Golden Lion.”
These thoughts were crossing his mind when Leonard suddenly murmured to himself, “I wonder how Catherine Carter is doing now…”
There had been no word from her since Tracy Garcia’s mother saved her.
Now, with people like Young Master Kak present, he thought it unlikely Catherine would show up.
But as fate would have it,
just as Leonard pondered about the “Silver Mist Rose,” a peripheral glance caught sight of a young noble lady in a black dress who seemed to have noticed him.
Their eyes met.
Leonard watched the girl in the black dress hesitate for an instant before she started walking towards him?
…
Catherine Carter did not recognize the disguised Leonard Churchill as “Baron Keton.”
However, upon entering the venue, her Fate Coin started to tremble.
After successfully forming a Hero fate and being recognized by the Demon God, her abilities had greatly improved. This allowed her to confirm that the coin’s trembling was due to the presence of someone significant.
After searching through the crowd, Catherine saw a man with an inconspicuous mustache.
She was initially uncertain of who this man was, but at the moment their eyes met, the coin between her fingers trembled violently again.