Embers of Embers

Chapter 121 Temporary Happiness
Lorenzo spent a lot of effort and finally crawled out from the cluster of flowers. The mixed fragrance and the chattering words were like a pink hell.
Bend down, and using the cover of the crowd, Lorenzo pulled Seleu to the courtyard at the back. It has to be said that this place is really luxurious. The lights failed to fully illuminate the courtyard. There were figures walking in the shadows, and in front of them. In the center is a pool covered with bright flower petals.
Lorenzo couldn't think about the happiness of the rich. Should he still go swimming in such a cold winter?
There was a faint sound of music, and a poet sang softly relying on the lush trees, casting a mysterious veil on this magnificent night.
Lorenzo was absent-minded for a moment, and the poet's appearance was blurred in the dim shadows.
“I didn’t expect that there would be poets.”
Lorenzo was stunned for a moment, then smiled calmly.
This is different from the kind of poet who writes poetry. The poet in front of you can be said to be a bard. This is a profession that has been abandoned by the times. In an era when information transmission is not yet developed, bards are very interesting. Occupation, they sang about the long-lasting deeds, but now the times have changed. With the birth of telegraph and telephone, people no longer need this ancient oral narrative. It is even said that even newspapers and periodicals are more developed than it.
"what happened?"
Seleu asked, not expecting Lorenzo to be interested in such a profession.
Lorenzo shook his head and said it was nothing.
Everything in the quiet courtyard seemed so elegant and beautiful. Lorenzo and Seleu were sitting on the seats by the pool. It seemed that no one recognized Seleu as the first prize. Lorenzo actually had it. A bit disappointed.
But suddenly the quiet courtyard gradually became noisy. Lorenzo looked over and saw a middle-aged man slowly walking in accompanied by a group of nobles.
Although the distance was a bit far, Lorenzo could still feel the noble temperament, and his clothes were calm and simple, like a sharp sword without unnecessary decoration, which was much more comfortable than other flashy nobles.
Respectful and humble words continued to come, and Lorenzo roughly understood the identity of this man with the keen hearing of the demon hunter.
The initiator of this ball, Duke Salicardo, didn’t know much about Duke Lorenzo. The only thing he heard about was that he was an economic giant, and his family relied on war wealth during the Glorious War. After the rise, the family dominated several large enterprises, and factories were opened throughout Inerweg.
This is also the reason why this ball is so luxurious, because this Duke is really rich.
In Lorenzo's mind, he has his own judgments about these big shots, such as the big shot sitting next to him.
The Stuart family actually didn't have any power and property. Almost all of their fathers were killed in the southern war zone. Even Seleucid was rescued by Lorenzo from Nalo in Gaul. Without her, the Stuart family actually had no power. It has already been exterminated.
Although both relied on war to rise, it was different from the Phoenix family. The Phoenix family had always maintained the continuation of its bloodline and continued to expand, while the Stuart family had gone through many ups and downs, and in the end there was nothing left except the glory of meritorious service.
So in essence, Seliu is a mascot, a symbol of honor, and a link that connects the families that rose up as a result of the war.
But such mascots have huge energy. Those families awarded by the war still abide by their original vows. Although they are not so rich, the doors of Yin Erweg will be open to them in terms of connections.
"By the way, why don't you go say hello? Although it's not like taking sides or anything, at least you're invited?"
Looking at Seliu who was in a daze, Lorenzo said.
But Seliu shook his head.
"There are so many people, let's wait until there are fewer people."
The nobles surrounded the Duke of Salicado, just like wolves surrounded fat sheep, wishing to kneel down and shout that I am your illegitimate child or something. After all, not all nobles are so rich. During the War of Glory, Queen Victoria The confinement power issued a lot of regulations against nobles, but everyone didn't care at that time, after all, the enemies were pushed outside the old Dunling Gate, and everyone passed the regulations with great enthusiasm.
But then the turning point of the Glorious War came. Yin Erweg even counterattacked into the territory of Gaul Naluo, and the nobles who were all ready to run away saw that they were running away, and they happily shared it. They received the dividends of the war, but then they realized those damn regulations... After all, who could have thought that they would actually win the war.
So now a large part of the nobles are poor and barely survive relying on the assets of their fathers. They finally got invitations to the ball and are preparing to draw in the prize pool. If they are lucky enough to be favored by the nobles, all their problems will be solved. .
Most people maintain their superficial appearance, but Lorenzo is the only one who is true to himself. He does not restrain himself from his own food appearance and only chooses the expensive ones.
In fact, he wanted to be more arrogant, but the dress was too small, and he was afraid that if he took one more bite, the buttons would fall apart.
"Then what are you going to do? You're not going to stay here all night?"
Lorenzo picked up a handkerchief and wiped his mouth. Seleucid beside him was still the same, silent, like an ice sculpture.
It stands to reason that such a cold person should easily attract the attention of others. Just like the low-temperature frost, you will feel the weird coldness for the first time. However, Seleu rarely attracts the attention of others. Sometimes the coldness can Like a dead thing.
"Do you want to dance with me?"
Seliu raised his head and looked at him, raising the corners of his mouth slightly.
Lorenzo shook his head and continued to mutter.
"And the next day's newspaper headlines are some damn weird news?"
To be honest, it's not bad to sit like this all night, at least it won't attract anyone's attention.
But just when Lorenzo was so happy, a voice sounded, and another man came hurriedly from behind. He seemed to be preparing to greet Duke Salicardo, but when he passed by the two of them, he was actually keenly aware of it. Seleu's presence, and then greeted him with a surprised look.
"I really didn't expect you to come today. I thought you would refuse the invitation again."
The man said to Seliu with a smile. They seemed to be very familiar with each other. Lorenzo on the side seemed to have been ignored by him, but Lorenzo felt lucky to be ignored at the moment, although he did not do anything bad... No, essentially he didn't do anything bad, but now he really wants to leave here.
"Hello, Duke Phoenix."
Seleu smiled and greeted him.
As the only remaining bloodline of the Stuart family, although there is not much property, it is not something that a little girl can manage. Therefore, Duke Phoenix gave Seleu a lot of help at the beginning, and the two became familiar with each other. .
"Why are you sitting here? Everyone is waiting for you."
"I... I'm actually not familiar with those people, so I'm a little nervous."
Seleu replied, although there was no trace of nervousness on his cold face.
Duke Phoenix smiled at this and didn't care about it. He liked the child Seleu very much, not only because of her status and power. She was about the same age as her daughter. Sometimes he looked at her as if he were a child. , of course, it may also be that Seleu has no majesty corresponding to his status as a duke.
As he spoke, Duke Phoenix looked to the other side. It was obvious that the man next to him was Seleu's friend. To be honest, he was a little surprised. With the character of the future duchess, she had few friends.
Duke Phoenix looked over suspiciously. If he was a person of good character, he wouldn't mind if Seleu had many friends, but if he was a noble who thought it was profitable, then he wouldn't bother to help her deal with it.
Then a familiar face came into view. Although this guy had a kind smile on his face and was dressed differently from before, the scent of wild dogs that could not be concealed still triggered Duke Phoenix's instinctive warning. .
He subconsciously touched his waist, but found nothing. Only then did he remember that this was a dance and he didn't bring the gun with him. Then the man's voice became hoarse and he reached out his hand in a friendly manner to Lorenzo. Hold it together.
"Long time no see, Mr. Holmes."
He gritted his teeth.
"Yeah yeah."
Lorenzo nodded vigorously, even though it was less than a week since the last meeting between the two.
At this moment, it was no longer as simple as a new or old grudge. The Duke of Phoenix crushed Lorenzo's hand hard. Although he could easily push it back with the grip of a demon hunter, Lorenzo still endured it without resistance. He didn't want to irritate this guy anymore.
"You two know each other?"
Seliu had a pair of magical eyes, and the tone of the conversation between the two could not be hidden from her. She immediately realized the familiarity between the two, as well as some... old grievances?
This time Seleu looked at Lorenzo with some novelty. The previous Saturday housewife had already given her a certain impact. It seemed that she did not expect that he actually knew Duke Phoenix. It seemed that this detective was far more strange than he thought.
"Of course. Not only do we know each other, but we also negotiate with each other at work."
Lorenzo answered with a smile, although his hands were already red.
"But you are not a noble, so why are you here?"
Duke Phoenix had begun to regret bringing Eve to the ball. After the operation in Ende Town, Eve was placed in solitary confinement. She was trapped in the manor all day learning etiquette and knowledge. No matter where she went, there were people following her. In the end, even Phoenix The Duke himself felt that she was a little overprotective, so he decided to bring her to meet her peers and make friends, but who would have thought that Lorenzo, the bastard, was also here.
"What's wrong with me being her dance partner?"
Lorenzo still couldn't help but glanced at Duke Phoenix proudly.
"You are more likely to be a woman than I thought."
He said slowly, his smile full of killing intent.
"No, no, after all, we are hanging out on the street, so we have to have some friends, right? Boyfriends and girlfriends are all friends anyway, right?"
Lorenzo began to taunt himself.
Duke Phoenix finally took a long breath and looked at Lorenzo coldly. He still had business to do, so it would be better to finish the business before dealing with this bastard.
"Hey, you are all here."
At this moment, Duke Salicardo on the other side saw Duke Phoenix and came over after saying hello. Of course, there were also a bunch of nobles beside him.
Duke Phoenix's expression changed in an instant. This was probably what the so-called face change was like. Just a moment ago, he was smiling with a knife hidden in his face, but now he looked at him like a good brother.
"It's been a long time."
The change was so rapid that even Lorenzo turned his attention to it, and then he whispered to Seleu.
"See, these are dirty adults."
This guy had no intention of hiding it. Duke Phoenix obviously heard it, but he didn't bother to pay attention to him. But then Duke Salicardo, who came over, seemed to have seen something and said in surprise.
"I didn't expect Duke Stuart to come too. With your style, I thought you wouldn't come."
Looking at Seliu sitting aside, he said in surprise, and then invited her, but judging from the girl's style, he didn't expect her to come at all.
"You can't refuse again and again. I'm glad to meet you, Duke Salicardo. Of course, I'm not a Duke yet. Please wait until I inherit before you call me that."
Seleu stood up, as if the ice melted instantly, and answered with standard etiquette and a smile, which seemed to Lorenzo like a cold dead thing suddenly came to life.
It's over, and Seleu has begun to turn into a boring adult.
Seeing Seleu's elegant actions and instant change of face, Lorenzo said helplessly in his heart, but before he could express anything, Duke Salicardo looked at him, and Lorenzo made the introduction first.
"Lorenzo Holmes, a detective."
Duke Salicardo nodded and said nothing more. Lorenzo seemed to be ignored, but think about it, this is a duke, and the only one who can stand side by side with him is a duke. Who is he?
The three big men chatted for some time, while Lorenzo sat aside blankly, like a dispensable listener.
"Do you find it interesting?"
A familiar voice suddenly sounded in his ears. On the white chair on the other side, Watson leaned lazily, then stretched out his feet out of boredom, testing the temperature of the pool water with his feet.
"You'd better get ready, after all, this short-lived happiness is about to end."
She turned her head and looked at Lorenzo with a smile.
"What do you mean?"
Lorenzo looked wary, and the cheerful atmosphere disappeared in an instant because of Watson's appearance.
This woman was like a ghost. She would suddenly appear next to him at any time, and then say some mysterious words. And because of his identity, Lorenzo had to pay attention to her words.
Seeing Lorenzo's satisfied expression, Watson walked over, then hugged his face and stared into the gray-blue eyes.
"Lorenzo, haven't you noticed?"
The terrifying deep cold captured Lorenzo's heart. He was not afraid of Watson's words, but because of the future that he did not know clearly. Something was about to happen, but he was unaware of it.
(End of this chapter)