As a polite gentleman, Klein obviously wouldnât stare at Aaronâs wife. He looked at the famous surgeon and said, âGood evening, Aaron. How may I address your lovely companion?â
Aaronâs cold demeanor hadnât changed, but it didnât stop him from handing over an intricately packed bottle of red wine and say with a polite smile, âMy wife, Wilma Gladys, a middle school teacher.â
âIt appears you are about to become a father again. Whenâs it due?â Klein received the present and asked.
The topic he had planned to cover when talking to Dr. Aaron had been about a few new surgery techniques in the papers, but he never expected him to bring his pregnant wife.
This was a pleasant surprise for him. This was because Maâam Wilma Gladys was expecting the unborn Snake of Mercury, Will Auceptin.
Aaron subconsciously glanced at his wifeâs tummy and said with a smile, âEarly July. If you donât mind, I wish to invite you to his birth party.â
Just as he said that, the gentle and beautiful black-haired lady, Wilma, suddenly held her tummy and exclaimed in pain.
âWhat happened?â Aaron asked in concern.
âHe kicked me, but heâs calmed down,â Wilma said with an eased expression.
She then looked at Dwayne Dantès and smiled.
âBecause of my pregnancy, Iâve been home all the time and havenât been to such balls in a while. Feeling pent up at home, I got Aaron to bring me along. Although I canât dance, Iâll be able to chat with the other ladies, and Iâll even find some time to play some cards.â
âYour presence honors me,â Klein sincerely replied. âI will come for his birth party in early July.â
He wasnât affected by the tiny accident, as he still remembered Dr. Aaronâs invitation.
After exchanging a few words of pleasantries, Klein handed over the gift to his valet, Richardson, and got him to lead his two, noâthree guests into the hall.
Without needing to wait too long, he received his second guest. It was Bishop Elektra, who was still wearing his black clergyman robe, and his female partner.
His partner was a lady in her early twenties who still had a little bit of baby fat to her cheeks. She looked at everything with a sense of wonder, and she was filled with energy. However, she had an additional hint of maturity to her due to her already having a child.
âGood evening, Your Excellency. My sleep has recently been excellent,â Klein said, feigning ignorance of the Church of Evernightâs secret efforts.
Elektra immediately tapped his chest four times in a clockwise fashion.
âThis is a blessing of the Goddess.â
He then introduced his female partner.
âSheâs my wife, Shona Johnson.â
As he often visited Dwayne Dantès and had been to his residence several times, he didnât need to prepare any gifts for the ball. It would appear overly polite and too distant.
âNice to meet you. You are a lot younger than I imagined,â Klein greeted Shona half-politely and half-jokingly with a nod.
Meanwhile, he silently did the math.
Itâs said that the bishop got married two years ago. That means that his wife was only eighteen or nineteen⌠This age difference is quite huge⌠In a few years, I might have to introduce a particular chubby Apothecary to himâŚ
Upon hearing Dwayne Dantèsâs joke, and recalling the conversation back when he visited him while the former was sick, Elektra immediately felt uneasy. He coughed gently and replied, âSheâs someone who likes a bustle. If sheâs free, she has no wish to miss any ball.â
Klein didnât speak further because he saw Maâam Mary alight from her carriage and was walking over.
After letting Bishop Elektra and his wife enter the hall, Klein smiled at Mary and said, âMaâam, perhaps we will be fellow workers next week.â
The lawyer and accounting team he hired had completed their investigations and had cleared the Coim Companyâs audit and said that it was very suitable for investing into. Furthermore, he had already reached a preliminary agreement with the gentleman who was selling the shares. Final confirmation of the sale of 3% shares for 12,800 pounds was to be made next week.
When Mary heard that, she chuckled and said, âI already treat you as a partner.â
This seems to have a deeper meaning to it⌠Donât tell me that Dwayne Dantès has caught your fancy⌠Kleinâs heart stirred as he feigned ignorance and reached his hand out.
âI hope for a pleasant partnership.â
After a shake of hands, he got Butler Walter to lead the lady in.
At this moment, more and more guests were arriving. Klein recalled the corresponding topics and warmly and humorously received them, receiving plenty of gifts as a result.
If not for my instinctive ability as a Faceless to remember a personâs looks and characteristics, I wouldnât be able to tell who is who, much less find the correct topic to raise⌠Itâs no wonder that a butlerâs help is often needed at such times⌠As Klein was stirring in poignancy, he saw Member of Parliament Macht and his family arrive.
He smiled again and took a step forward.
âGood evening. Todayâs starry sky is especially beautiful.â
Member of Parliament Macht smiled as he handed a bottle of black Rand from some unknown vineyard to him and said, âIâve been in Backlund for nearly twenty years, but the number of starry skies Iâve seen combined cannot even compare to the number Iâve seen this year.â
âI hope there will be more with time.â Klein then said to Maâam Riana, âI heard that the both of you have gotten a boarding school for Miss Hazel?â
Riana looked at her daughter who wore a cold expression despite maintaining a polite smile.
âBoarding school education is becoming increasingly popular. Itâs the same for females. And most importantly, perhaps Hazel will get to know more friends. Unfortunately, she doesnât seem too happy about this arrangement, as she canât bear to leave us.â
In Backlund, boarding schools that targeted females of high society had already grown in popularity. The education they provided might not be better than home tutors, but it created a social circle.
The school fees for such a boarding school like that was about 500 pounds a year.
She probably canât bear to part with the sewers here⌠Klein lampooned. After a short chat, he let Member of Parliament Macht and family into the hall.
When it was almost time, he didnât wait by the door and instead walked to the second floor. Standing behind the railing that faced the main door, he gestured for the musicians to pause the music.
Holding a cup of champagne, Klein surveyed the surroundings. With all the guests looking at him, he loudly said, âIâm very happy that all of you can grace this ball with your presence. First, Iâd like to thank the Goddess, as well as youâŚ
âIâve prepared for everyone local music and food from Desi, and I hope you will like itâŚâ
After a simple speech, Klein walked down the stairs to the first floor, in preparation to invite a lady to dance the opening dance.
Typically, a married host would definitely invite his own partner for the opening dance, while unmarried men or women would dance with a relative of the opposite sex, or invite someone they had their eye on, in an alternate form of a blind date. But Dwayne Dantès didnât have any family or any suitable target, so this matter appeared somewhat embarrassing.
However, he had an experienced butler. His butler had hired a socialite of high society, and although dancing the opening dance would result in some rumors, it wouldnât make others believe that they were dating.
Therefore, Klein looked at the lady named Oria without any guilt as he walked towards her.
This lady was a widow who had good relationships with several people in Backlundâs high society. She enjoyed quite a status in this circle, but of course, she wasnât well-liked by the ladies. Anyone with a bit of standing looked down on her.
Regardless, Oriaâs female charms and her bearing was excellent. It was especially so with her figure that had alluring curves. If it wasnât because her looks were only above average, Klein would have suspected that she was a Demoness.
âMaâam, may I have the pleasure of dancing with you?â Klein followed the teachings of his etiquette teacher, Wahana, and posed flawlessly.
Oria with her blonde hair bun smiled and reached out her hand.
âYou are a gentleman that cannot be rejected.â
âŚThat sounds ambiguous⌠Her identity and the role she plays in social settings ensures that she canât act as demure as most ladies and madams⌠Klein held her hand, entered the dance floor, and began dancing under the tune of a village folk song.
The aristocrats all had land, manors, and castles in the villages, and they spent several months a year there; therefore, folk songs were one of the mainstream songs in high society social events.
âYou dance really well. If Wahana hadnât mentioned it before, I wouldnât believe that you werenât able to dance before.â Oria deliberately leaned in close. As they moved in step, her breathing could be heard.
As she was a stranger, Klein was a little uneasy by the close distance, but he couldnât push her away while under everyoneâs gaze, so all he could do was smile.
âI just didnât know how to dance such dances.
âIn fact, Iâm good at the kind of dances from Desi Bay and the Southern Continent where thereâs greater freedom.â
âI also like those kinds of dances. They are full of strength and passion. Itâs danced for yourself and not for others.â Oria found a topic as she gyrated her body, appearing extremely intimate with Dwayne Dantès.
Towards the end of the opening dance, she said with a suppressed chuckle, âIf it wasnât for the rumors, I would even suspect that you donât fancy women because youâre a little stiff.
âHowever, I no longer have any doubts.â
As she spoke, she glanced down.
Klein was actually rather embarrassed. She was really good at using her body and words to create a suggestive atmosphere; however, Dwayne Dantès was an experienced man and couldnât admit defeat.
He smiled with a natural expression.
âStiffness is a result of not being used to Backlundâs social scene.â
âI can teach you,â Oria said with a chuckle.
At that moment, the tune came to an end as she took a step back and winked with a smile.
âYouâre really passionate.â
The words were a double-entendre that left Klein nearly blushing. He even began to suspect if she was related to Demonesses.
He continued wearing a stoic expression as he bent his back into a bow, and he sent Oria back to her spot. Through the corner of his eye, he caught Wilma Gladys, who was pregnant with the Snake of Mercury, walking towards the long table to the side. Her target was apparently the first batch of ice-cream.