The words came suddenly, but they seemed to hit the key point. Alice saw Senator Macht stunned for a moment, and smiled uncontrollably. "Very good, this is a good proposal," he raised the wine glass in his hand and drank it in one gulp, "Let us praise Backlund's improved air, which is a symbol of our better life, cheers!" After this, the guests all raised their glasses in cooperation and drank it all in one gulp. Alice also raised her glass thankfully. When the glass was raised to her lips, she stopped again. "Do you prepare wine for minors at your banquet?" She looked at Winfried who had put down his wine glass. "Underage?" Winfred looked at Alice and repeated her words. Alice realized that this was a question about her age, but she had no guilt and asked confidently: "Don't I look like that?" With that said, she put down her wine glass and followed the flow of people to the dance floor on the first floor. Winfred seemed to have heard something interesting and followed her a few steps forward. He looked at her up and down in surprise, nodded and said: "It's very similar."
Alice paused for a moment, feeling a breath stuck in her throat. After all, this comment sounded just like "she looks like a human being", with an inexplicable irony. Alice decided to find an excuse to drive away Winfred. She glanced at the crowd sliding onto the dance floor, turned to Winfred and said: "Aren't you going to dance?" However, Alice was destined to be disappointed. Winfred just looked at her with a smile, raised his left hand, exposed his empty wrist and said to her: "For a true nobleman, at this kind of banquet, the partner of each dance is determined." Alice was stunned for a moment, her eyes flickered across her wrist, and then fell on the wrists of the others. She noticed that among the guests present, someone did have something on their left wrist. But maybe that's a bracelet... Alice turned back thoughtfully, looked at Winfried's empty left wrist, and asked curiously: "So you don't have to dance with anyone today?" Winfred smiled and said to her: "Everyone wants to dance with me, but equally, everyone doesn't want me to dance with anyone else." Alice was slightly startled. This was beyond the scope of her understanding. After thinking for a moment, she searched for Klein at the scene. At this time, Dwayne Dantès was saluting in front of Hazel Macht. Alice realized that he was going to invite Hazel and frowned slightly. "Don't you want them to dance together?" Winfred asked from behind. Alice glanced at her and did not answer his question. After seeing Hazel put her hand on Dwayne Dantès's, she decided to get some food first. She ignored Winfred, who insisted on following her, and walked around the food area with a dinner plate, taking out a pan-fried cod, a red wine foie gras, and a fried pork chop with apple juice. When she reached for the lamb, Winfred finally couldn't help but stopped her: "Did you really finish all this?" Alice turned back, and Winfred looked at her with surprise and confusion in his eyes, as if he was thinking about how she was going to stuff these things into her stomach.
After thinking carefully, Winfried seemed to have thought of the answer, and she asked politely: "Is it because clothes like this won't stretch your stomach even if you eat too much?" Alice lowered her head silently, then denied: "No. "It's because all snakes are edible." In an incident that puzzled Winfred, Alice finally gave up on the lamb and went for a red velvet cake. Next, she walked towards the place where the ice cream was placed, and took one of the five flavors of ice cream under Winfred's uncomprehending eyes. By this time, most of the eyes that had been on Alice at the beginning of the banquet had withdrawn, and it seemed that they were not interested in being a mess. Alice didn't care. She found a place to sit down and started eating naturally. Winfred looked at her for more than ten seconds, then suddenly turned his head and asked the maid: "Are you hungry?" The maid shook her head. "I'm a little hungry." As she said this, she walked towards the food area. … For a single man in his forties, it is difficult to decide who to invite to dance at a party. It's not that Klein didn't notice Alice at the dance, but he never thought about the possibility of inviting Alice to dance - he felt that Alice would most likely not be able to dance. After all, she certainly wasn't here to dance. As for what she was here for... Klein glanced at the food collection area and saw with satisfaction that there were five flavors of ice cream there. After careful consideration, Klein walked towards Hazel Macht, gave a standard salute, and asked: "Miss Hazel, can I ask you to dance?" Hazel's movements paused, and her eyes first turned around, searching for Alice in the crowd. When she noticed the girl in black skirt beside Alice, a flash of confusion flashed in her eyes, and then she withdrew her gaze without any trace and looked at Dwayne Dantès: "It's my pleasure." She held out her palm. Klein pulled her politely, entered the dance floor, and danced briskly and lively to the melody. After taking a look at the other person's soft but expressionless face, Klein smiled tentatively: "I just noticed that many young gentlemen wanted to ask you to dance, but they didn't have the courage." Hazel's eyes once again passed Dwayne Dantes and looked for Alice behind him. During the dance floor, Hazel found that Alice had run to the food pick-up area without knowing when, and was holding a plate to search for food. The girl in the black dress she didn't know was still following Alice.
Do they know each other? Confusion flashed in Hazel's eyes, and then she perfunctorily said to Klein: "Mr. Dantes, this is not a polite topic." Klein glanced at Hazel, and he finally realized that Hazel was absent-minded, but given Hazel's attitude, Klein did not continue to ask, but tried to find where her eyes were focused. Alice...? Klein noticed with confusion that this person, who should not be the focus of his sight anyway, looked at the food on her plate that was about to fall apart, and then silently looked away. "Sorry, I used to be a businessman who traveled frequently between the north and south continents, and I don't have much experience in balls. Haha, I mean this kind of ball." He apologized to Hazel. "It's okay." Hazel replied calmly, and her absent-minded tone and expression made Klein confirm his guess again. Her attention is not on me at all... The knowledgeable Klein is experienced in attracting the attention of such young girls, and he quickly found a new topic: "For me, this is not a simpler challenge than the sea. It also has beautiful scenery and countless difficulties. Of course, there are all kinds of treasure stories circulating on the sea, some of which are obviously false, and some sound like they are real, but they cannot be verified, just like the number one "Key of the God of Death." "Key of the God of Death?" Hazel raised her head and looked at Mr. Dwayne Dantes, who was much taller than her. Sure enough, just like Alice... Klein chuckled and nodded gently: "Yes, it is said to be in a secret place in the Raging Sea..." He told the treasure legends he heard on the "White Agate" one by one, and added more details he heard in his subsequent adventures. In the process, he inevitably mentioned the "Four Kings" and the seven pirate generals. Hazel was obviously interested in this, and rarely responded to Klein, and even asked questions occasionally, which made the dance between the two no longer awkward, and it came to an end unknowingly. Klein skillfully ended the previous topic and asked: "Are you going back to where you were just now, or going over there to get some food?" Hazel opened her mouth, as if she wanted to ask something, but she didn't say anything in the end. After confirming Alice's location, she nodded reservedly and said: "I'm going to get some food." Hehe, she was obviously reluctant to part with the story at sea... Well, this is more like Alice. As long as you know her temper and hobbies, she will be very easy to coax... Do they know each other? Klein thought. ... When Hazel came over with an empty plate, Alice was sitting face to face with Winfred eating. At this moment, she had finished the food she took for the first time and got a new portion of apple pie and new ice cream. "Why won't your ice cream melt?" When Hazel approached, she heard Winfred asking, "And that glass of wine, you obviously drank it, why..." At this time, Alice stuffed the last piece of apple pie into her mouth, then picked up the plate with five servings of ice cream and asked Hazel: "Where is your teacher?"
Hazel looked at Alice, then at Winfred, and said after a moment of hesitation: "In my room." "Take me there." Alice said without hesitation. -Just now, Winfred had been trying to find a topic to chat with her. Whenever Alice glanced at something or asked a question, the "erudite" girl would immediately introduce it to her or join in her soliloquy. So far, Alice has tried not to talk anymore, but the girl seemed to not understand her expression, and after she didn't talk for a while, she asked her questions again. Alice thought it was time for her to find an excuse to leave here. ... After a brief exchange of ideas, Klein enjoyed his food while habitually paying attention to Alice. I hope she doesn't get into trouble...Klein looked around and found Alice. She was following Hazel with a plate in her hand. Klein noticed that there were five different flavors of ice cream on the plate. Ah, this...Klein had the urge to twitch his lips, but he restrained the urge in time and watched Alice follow Hazel up to the second floor, and then walked to the third floor without stopping. Do they have anything to do...Klein looked away thoughtfully, and a girl in a black dress stood in front of him without knowing when. "Can I invite you to dance, sir?" The girl saluted him and said, "My name is Winfred Gregory." ... Alice followed Hazel Macht to the third floor and finally got rid of Winfred. She smiled at Hazel with some appreciation: "Well done." Hazel didn't respond to this. She walked to the door of her room without stopping, stopped at the door and said: "This is it." Alice glanced at her, raised the plate in her hand and said: "I don't have hands to open the door." Hazel gritted her teeth, and finally couldn't help but retorted: "This is what a maid would do!" "Puff," Alice couldn't help laughing, "I thought you should at least realize that in front of me, a maid may be more valuable than you." She paused, smiled and looked at Hazel with an unbelievable face, and then said: "At least the maid won't say anything that makes me unhappy." Hazel's body trembled, Alice ignored her, kicked the door open, walked in and kicked the door closed again. The brown-fur mouse was sitting on the snow-white blanket and looking at her. Alice thought for a moment, sat opposite her, put the plate of ice cream on the coffee table, took out a piece of ice cream and took a bite, then looked up and asked: "Do you want to eat?" "...No." The mouse declined.
"Then please wait until I finish eating," Alice tilted her head, then lowered her head unceremoniously and ate the ice cream, "Although it won't melt if I put it down, I can change it back if it melts, but I still like to eat fresh ones." The expression on the mouse demigod's face did not change, but Alice keenly noticed that the hand hanging on her body silently withdrew and no longer tried to explore what she had or her thoughts. ... Winfred Gregory... When he first heard this surname, Klein tried to find information about this surname in his memory. The name was not very eye-catching, and it took him a while to remember that it was the surname of a marquis, but the marquis was no longer alive, and he only had an underage daughter. Is it her...? Klein was thoughtful. He was keenly aware of several eyes on him. Obviously, it couldn't be for a wealthy old man, so it could only be... He looked at the girl in front of him, realizing that accepting this invitation might mean some unnecessary trouble, so he pointed to his plate and smiled: "I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you, Miss Gregory. "I can't waste food." "Okay," Winfred didn't seem to force it, "I actually just want to ask, do you know Alice? The girl who was with me just now - I saw you looking at her." (End of this chapter)