Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 693 - Bonfire Dance Party

“So, Earl, what brings you here?”

Granny Cassandra asked.

“I’d like to talk to you about some business matters. However, since you have guests, I will come back later.”

He bowed slightly to the ladies, but did not immediately turn to leave. Instead, he took off his gloves, performing a complex bowing gesture:

“Oh, Miss Aphrola of Cassandra, welcome to Midshire Fort City. May I have the honor of asking you to dance later? We could talk about my villa in the west of Draleon.”

From what Shard knew about witches, they would politely decline when they were in a good mood. But this time, Miss Aphrola actually turned slightly to glance at Shard, her lips tipped up with a smile, revealing her amusement.

Shard had seen this kind of smile on Miss Galina’s face before; it meant the witch had a “good idea”.

“Earl, it’s truly inconvenient. Someone has already asked me to dance, a young man from Tobesk. Yes, very young, and also nobility with unusual ties to the Royal Family. He has already invited me. But…”

She smiled, pointing behind her to Shard:

“This is my bodyguard. That young man from Tobesk is as brave as my bodyguard. If you can defeat my faithful servant, I think I can refuse that young man’s invitation.”

Shard knew, the witch was seeking amusement.

“That sounds great.”

Earl Dalark then raised his head excitedly, looking at Shard, who had just been treated as part of the background.

First, he noticed the bodyguard’s striking appearance and then saw the two pistols hanging from Shard’s waist.

After hesitating for a moment, he immediately shook his head:

“I am skilled with the rapier, but we need not resort to violence at the Fire Worship Festival’s evening party; it would spoil the romantic ambiance of this bonfire gala. However, I still look forward to dancing with you. Perhaps we might try another way to demonstrate bravery with your faithful servant?”

“What way?”

The witch asked, though Shard could tell she was already losing patience.

“Roder Card.”

The witch immediately laughed:

“Of course, Watson, go and play a game with the Earl. Remember… don’t lose too badly.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Shard approached from the wall, pulling out his Roder Card Deck from his pocket. With one hand, he spread them in the air and with a flick of his other hand, all the Special Cards separated from the deck floating in the air. Then, with both hands sweeping together, the right hand captured the deck without the Special Cards, while the left hand snatched those Special Cards.

He chose replacement cards from the spare deck, then deftly shuffled them single-handedly and approached Earl Dalark of Canberra:

“It is an honor to play cards with you, but I don’t have Special Cards, I’m just an ordinary player.”

The somewhat plump Earl was surprised by Shard’s hand movement and nodded after a long moment:

“I have one Special Card, your shuffling move is really… beautiful.”

“Thank you for your compliment, then let’s start. In the name of the elegant Flower of Canberra – Hevy Cassandra, I will defeat you.”

They played with basic rules, best three out of five rounds, and even without any special cards, Shard still secured the victory by winning three consecutive rounds.

He even drew a King and a twenty-one at one point, which made Earl Dalark from Canberra suspect that the armed bodyguard in front of him was a professional gambler or someone of the sort in the past.

However, he gracefully accepted his loss, praised Shard’s skill with the Roder cards, and then took his leave. Still, when Shard was close to the Earl, he always felt that something was off about him. He was certain that the Earl was an ordinary human without a trace of elements, so he was not clear what that almost “intuitive” uneasiness was about.

Out of curiosity, he inquired more about Earl Dalark, and learned that he had been severely ill recently, spending the entire summer resting in bed, and had only recently recovered. The gaunt figure was due to the illness, otherwise, as a nobleman with no worries in life and no vices other than food, drink, tobacco, women, and Roder cards, there was no reason for him to be so thin.

Because he spent some time at Miss Aphrola’s place, Shard had completely missed the chance to meet the local Roder card players before the ball.

Seeing that the bonfire dance starting at eight-thirty was drawing near, Shard did not leave the lounge anymore but chatted with Miss Aphrola and Granny Cassandra about his experiences at the auction, complained about the auction prices of the Roder cards, and then discussed the current state of Midshire Fort.

When it was almost time, and seeing couples and other groups heading toward the courtyard from the window, Shard stood up from the sofa. With a smile from Miss Aphrola, he mimicked the gestures he had seen other gentlemen make, placing his left hand on his chest, waving his right hand in the air, slightly bowing, and extended his hand in invitation:

“Miss Hevy Aurora, may I have the honor of this dance?”

“Of course,” she replied with a joyful smile.

“Just wait for me outside, I need to touch up my makeup.”

Her light makeup looked fine, and there was no need for a touch-up, but Shard wisely did not point this out.

So he left first and waited in the courtyard. As he said goodbye to Granny Cassandra, the old witch said with slight regret:

“Young man, if Galina pulls out a rapier and stabs you one day, I won’t be surprised.”

“Uh, what?”

“Nothing, you also seem like someone who is quite skilled, at least the teacher thinks so,” she shook her head.

“I will be leaving soon to rest. Once again, the teacher’s ceremony is on Monday, if you are interested, arrange your schedule for this Monday beforehand.”

“I will definitely be there. Yes, for the resolution of the Red Butterfly, I will certainly come.”

Shard nodded, and the old witch showed a relieved smile:

“Shard Hamilton, the teacher also looks forward to meeting you.”

“Then, farewell.”

“Farewell.”

Miss Aphrola had asked Shard to wait for her in the courtyard, and Shard naturally chose to wear a mask to dance with such a distinguished lady. This did not seem out of place among the banquet guests since many, especially the young men and women, wore masks to dance.

Shard ended up waiting for twenty minutes and the bonfire dance had already started when Miss Aphrola finally arrived.

She had changed out of her somewhat cumbersome gown into a stunningly tailored black and white dress. Not every woman could pull off such a style, but for a witch of extraordinary charm, all outfits suited her.

Miss Aphrola was also wearing a mask, and after taking Shard’s offered hand, they entered the bonfire dance area. The courtyard in the center of the castle, arranged in a quadrangle, was quite large; several bonfires were divided into four areas, each with a band playing beside the central bonfires in the areas.

Witches seem to be very adept at dancing, and even in elegant black patent leather high heels, Miss Aphrola’s dancing skills were much more refined than Shard’s.

Both were wearing masks that covered the upper half of their faces, so their expressions were still visible. Under the moon and beside the bonfire, Hevy Aurora’s face was lit up red, and she looked truly happy as she led Shard in a slow dance to the symphony, even introducing him to the famed song “Heart of the Lake” amidst the light crackling of the bonfire.

“Actually, I sometimes envy Galina,” she said, resting her head on Shard’s shoulder as they danced to the rhythm.

“What?”

“She seems to always get what she wants, though her seat corresponds to ‘Balance,’ I always think that she is actually favored by ‘Fate.'”

The witch whispered softly in Shard’s ear. Of course, Shard knew that Miss Hevy Aurora held him in high regard. Where this fondness came from, he wasn’t sure yet, but he was certain that his feelings were not mistaken.

“The only man who can approach us, handsome, kind-hearted, capable, and even plays a significant role in the Council’s pursuit of The Chosen. Aside from being from the Low Ring, I can’t think of any flaws in you.”

As he listened to Miss Aphrola’s words, he heard “her” laughter in his ear, probably mocking him.

“But why was it Galina who met you first?”

The brown-haired witch asked, then unexpectedly gave Shard’s ear a quick kiss. As Shard’s face turned red, she moved away from his shoulder, indicating it was time for him to move.