nownovels Chapter 253 Alice Einhorn
Chapter 253 Alice Einhorn
Chapter 253 Alice Einhorn
Since Beckeron was the main character today, he didn't say much to "Alice" and went to greet the other guests.
Alice, holding the note and key she had taken from Becker, walked to the dining table at the edge of the hall.
While taking food from the plate, Alice secretly glanced at it; it read:
The third room from the far left on the second floor!
Alice smiled gently and put the note and key away.
Alice's interactions with Beckeron attracted a lot of attention, and after the dancing began at the banquet, men kept coming up to her and inviting her to dance, but Alice politely declined them all.
Just as Alice was holding a glass of fine red wine, standing on the second-floor railing and watching the people dancing below, a melodious voice came from behind her.
"Is this your first time attending a Backlund party? Otherwise, with your looks, I shouldn't have forgotten you!"
Alice turned around and saw a beautiful blonde girl with fair skin speaking to her. It was none other than Audrey, the "Justice" girl she hadn't seen in real life for a long time.
Beside her was a large golden retriever, a very obedient dog that sat beside Audrey, curiously watching Alice. "That's right, this is the first time I've attended a banquet like this!"
Alice was not at all surprised to meet Audrey at this party.
The ambassador of the Republic of Intis to the Kingdom of Rune is very important, after all, he represents a powerful nation in the northern continent.
But it's not unimportant either, because this position sometimes doesn't make decisions on major issues.
Not to mention that Beckeran has a bad reputation and is about to leave office.
Under these circumstances, high-ranking officials of the Kingdom of Rune would not attend the farewell banquet, so they would have to send representatives instead.
The people who can best represent Earl Hall without being impolite are, of course, his children.
As for how "Alice" knew about it, it was because Robert's current assistant sent Evan the invitation, asking Evan to attend on Robert's behalf.
However, Evan had another purpose for coming here today, and could only enter as "Alice," so naturally he wouldn't use an invitation that clearly stated Robert's name, but only the one given by Becker.
"My name is Audrey Hall, and this is Susie. May I ask your name?"
Audrey even gave a special introduction to Susie.
"You can call me 'Alice'. I never expected to see the jewel of Backlund on my first time attending this kind of banquet!"
I'd heard of you before, and seeing you in person today, I can confirm your reputation is well-deserved!
Alice and Audrey curtsied to each other, then Alice patted the golden retriever's head and praised Audrey in undisguised language.
As a "mind reader," Audrey could hear Alice's heartfelt praise, which unexpectedly made her feel somewhat flattered.
Audrey was beautiful from a young age, and given her status, she received countless compliments.
But after becoming an extraordinary person, Audrey had developed a great immunity to such praise, because she could see at a glance the malice behind people's praise.
In particular, the praise from some of her childhood friends was actually a deep "jealousy" and "curse" towards her.
So when she discovered a beautiful young woman whose appearance was no less than her own, and who sincerely praised her, she was naturally pleasantly surprised.
"Thank you for your compliment. If Miss Alice had attended the Backlund ball and other social events earlier, this praise would surely have been yours!"
Audrey looked at the girl in front of her and praised her with the same sincerity.
"May I know your full name? I have this feeling that I know you quite well!"
Audrey struck up a conversation with "Alice" mainly because she felt a strong sense of familiarity with "Alice," and coupled with her brother's timidity, she took the initiative to approach her.
"There's nothing I can't say. My full name is Alice Einhorn!"
Alice took a sip of the red wine in her glass and said leisurely.
"what?"
Audrey couldn't help but cover her mouth. She knew very well that the Einhorn family was the royal family of the Fusak Empire in the Northern Continent, equivalent to the Augustus royal family of the Kingdom of Rune.
She never expected that the beautiful girl in front of her was actually a "princess". But the visit of the princess of the Fussac Empire should be a big deal. At least she should be accompanied by a princess of the Augustus family. How come she hadn't heard a word about it?
"No wonder I've never heard of you before. Should I address you as Your Highness now? But where are your servants? And why haven't I heard anything about your impending visit?"
Audrey looked around but found no one secretly protecting or watching her.
This was completely different from the protection measures she had seen for members of the royal family before.
Those secretly watching them are either men with ulterior motives or women driven mad by jealousy; this is definitely not normal.
"You can just call me 'Alice,' nobody in all of Backlund knows I exist right now."
Alice laughed without any restraint as she spoke the absolute truth to Audrey.
Audrey opened her mouth slightly, feeling more surprised tonight than she had been in the past few weeks. Drawing on stories she'd read as a child, she asked in a low voice, her tone a mixture of anticipation and fear, "..."
Did you run away from home? Was it to escape an arranged marriage, or for "freedom"?
Alice hadn't expected Audrey to react this way; it was completely unexpected. She couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing and asked in return:
"Has Miss Audrey read too many novels by Emperor Roselle?"
Upon hearing Alice's question, Audrey realized that her reaction was somewhat absurd, since what she was talking about only appeared in novels and she had never heard of anything like it in reality.
But then Audrey remembered the royal family's announcement a few days ago of a marriage alliance with the Fenneport royal family, and her mind raced with gossip as she asked:
"Then what brings Princess Backlund alone? Is it for a royal marriage?"
Alice shook her head, then saw a handsome man walking towards them from a distance and said to Audrey:
"It's not what you think. You'll find out why I'm here in a couple of days. Could you please keep it a secret for now?"
Audrey wasn't a talkative person. Although she was very curious about Alice's purpose in appearing in Backlund, she tactfully agreed to Alice's request.
"What are the two beauties talking about? Could you share it with me?"
The handsome man approaching Alice and Audrey is none other than Audrey's brother, Lord Hippel.
From the moment he arrived, he spotted Alice, who was constantly refusing the men's invitations to dance. He was instantly struck by her, his gaze constantly drifting towards her.
After two dances, realizing that Alice still hadn't accepted any other dance invitations, he couldn't help but encourage his younger sister to dance with her.
Contact with "Alice" to create opportunities for yourself.
In fact, after Audrey arrived at the ball, she noticed Alice, who was out of place among the others but had an unforgettable appearance that made her feel somewhat familiar. That's why she took advantage of her brother's encouragement to approach Alice.
"This is my brother, Lord Hippo, and this is Miss Alice."
Audrey knew her brother's thoughts, so she naturally acted as a mediator, introducing the two sides.
"Your beauty is the greatest surprise of this banquet today. I imagine your name will be known throughout Backlund tomorrow," Hilbert said in amazement as he kissed Alice's outstretched hand.
"Thank you for your praise. I heard you are pushing for the establishment of an 'Air Pollution Investigation Committee'?"
Robert also took this matter very seriously, as he saw it as a new initiative by George III to promote the ceremony, and thus intended to sabotage it. Ivan agreed with this, and all the official actions now were clearly preparations for the heavy smog at the end of the year.
While watching Lord of Mysteries, Evan felt that the heavy smog seemed to be part of the effort to combat air pollution.
Because the major polluters were the very factories that the Kingdom of Rune was so proud of, with almost 100% of the nobles and capitalists involved, shaking these factories was tantamount to shaking the foundation of the country and making an enemy of the entire ruling class. Even George III did not dare to act rashly; he wanted to win over as many forces as possible.
The deaths of believers due to the smog were George III's best way to win over the three major churches to support the control of air pollution.
Only by causing a large number of deaths, making the fight against air pollution the temporary top political priority in the Kingdom of Rune, can this matter be pushed forward.
In the long run and from the perspective of the public, tackling air pollution is certainly a good thing, but it's not so good for Robert and Irwin.
They will not openly support him unless George III can offer compelling benefits.
To get George III to ask for a high price, it was necessary to make the matter more difficult, and the first person to be involved was Audrey's elder brother, Lord Hibbert.
Having just entered politics, Lord Hilbert was naturally very proud to be entrusted with such a great task by his father, and Alice's words hit the nail on the head regarding his pride.
"Air pollution concerns the future well-being of everyone in Backlund, and I've been extremely cautious ever since I received the task of forming the 'Atmospheric Investigation Committee'!"
Alice smiled gently and said, as if in a compliment:
"Earl Hall is a true statesman. Since he entrusted this matter to his son, he must believe that his son is capable of accomplishing this difficult task!"
Hilbert Hall laughed heartily, a matter-of-fact expression on his face, then held out his hand and said:
"May I have the honor of inviting Miss Alice to dance?"
Alice pretended to have a headache, gently shook her head, and said:
"I've been weak since I was a child, and now I'm feeling a bit weak. I'm just about to find a room to rest."
Looking at the seemingly frail "Alice," Lord Hilbert's eyes were filled with tenderness, and he quickly said:
"I'll go find you a place to rest!"
Alice shook her head, showed the key in her hand, and said:
"This is a room key I got from the staff. No need to trouble you!"
Hilbert Hall was about to say something when someone else approached with a wine glass, clearly looking for him, while Audrey and Alice took the opportunity to leave.
"It seems you don't like my brother! This is the first time I've seen Hippo so interested in a woman, and he's even using me as a scapegoat."
After learning that Alice's last name was Einhorn, Audrey was pretty much certain that her brother had no chance.
But since it involved her brother, and Alice's excuse was so obvious, she couldn't help but speak up.
Alice simply smiled at Audrey's words, saying nothing more, and then walked to a door before speaking to her:
"Actually, the timing of our meeting today isn't good; it might cause you trouble in the future. Let's call it a day. Many people will get to know you and pay attention to you at the ball; you can't disappear for too long!"
Audrey was somewhat puzzled, but as a "mind reader," she could sense Alice's good intentions. Furthermore, Alice, as a princess of the Fusak Empire, appeared in Backlund and inside the embassy of the Republic of Intis in the Kingdom of Rune without anyone else's knowledge. It all seemed rather unusual.
Audrey, lost in thought, gave Alice a deep look before calling her golden retriever, Susie, away.
Seeing that Audrey left with the golden retriever without asking any further questions, Alice sighed inwardly, then unlocked the door with her key.
Sitting on the sofa in the room, I closed my eyes and waited for Beckeron to arrive.
Not long after, Becker opened the door, looked at 'Alice' sitting in the dim light, and was about to hug her.
But Alice, of course, wouldn't let him succeed. She nimbly got up, dodging Beckeron's bear hug, and said with a smile:
"Are all the men of Intis baboons driven by lust?"
Beckeron laughed heartily, sat down on the sofa, and then looked at Alice and said:
"Although the men of Intis are all romantic, they are only so passionately infatuated with angels!"
"I'll take that as a compliment. This sudden contact—has it meant you've changed your mind?"
Alice, not wanting to get entangled with Beckland, went straight to the point.
Seeing Alice's boredom, Beckeron shrugged and then said:
"They transferred me back home without even consulting me; they definitely have ulterior motives. I'm now determined to go to the Fussac Empire."
Do you still stand by the conditions you set before?
Alice giggled and held up her finger, saying:
"Of course I keep my word, but shouldn't you give me the list we want?"