It was as if Iluna really just came to dance with Shad. When Shad walked out of the hedge maze, the seventeen-year-old girl had disappeared.
Shade knew that she was most likely around Lake Schluch, but he had no reason to risk being discovered by the church by going there now, so he gave up his plan to find Iluna.
As the night got darker, Shade did not stay in the courtyard. Instead, he returned to the mansion and wanted to go to the lounge to get his cat back.
The snow was still falling at this time, and most of the guests had returned indoors to continue the lively dance party, but the topic of the first snow this winter was still being discussed. The dance continued, and Shade walked along the edge of the hall, responding to people's greetings as he moved forward
Let's go, still thinking about the dance just now.
Before he even walked into the corridor, he saw Princess Margaret coming "menacingly" with her maid. Shade stopped and greeted him respectfully. The princess was here to see him:
"Yes, Mr. Hamilton, I admit that I cannot answer the questions you raised before the banquet is over."
The princess wearing a silver crown said, she was breathing heavily. This was certainly not because walking was physically demanding, but because she admitted that this fact made her very stressed:
"Yes, I admit that I can't figure it out. I spent several hours shutting myself in my room thinking about it, then discussing it with people, and finally even asking your female companion. But I still can't figure it out.
, yes, it’s obviously just simple addition and subtraction, and the numbers involved obviously don’t exceed five, but I just can’t figure it out.”
Although his tone remained calm, Shade felt that the other party seemed to be a little crazy. He knew this feeling very well. During the exam when he was young, when the deadline was approaching, and a question with many points was not able to answer the simplest
He would also go crazy when asked the first little question.
Needless to say, outsiders, people in this world have more or less experienced similar feelings as long as they have taken the exam.
"So, please tell me the answer."
Margaret Anjou's light blue eyes looked into Shade's eyes.
"this......"
Xia De hesitated for a moment, and then made a new suggestion for the sake of the other party's face:
"This party can probably last for a few more hours. You can actually try to think about it again."
He pretended to take out his pocket watch and took a look:
"There's still an hour until midnight. Why don't I tell you the answer until midnight. All you need is a little inspiration. Maybe you can find someone to talk to."
He took the other party's self-esteem into consideration. This sentence almost made it clear that Princess Margaret went to her math teacher, Miss Sylvia, the great witch, to ask for the answer.
Princess Margaret obviously understood this "hint". The corners of her mouth twitched, but she did not let Shade leave:
"Knight, I originally wanted to enjoy the noble banquet of the Kingdom of Delarion, but I didn't expect to spend more than half of the banquet on solving a simple mathematical problem. Yes, I am not sure what you are doing here.
What did I do in those hours, but I really spent most of my energy on your problems."
Shade spent the past few hours reading manuscripts with the two girls in the room, and then went to the garden to play cards with Tifa, followed by the Battle of Lake Schluch, and then danced in the banquet hall and the garden in the snow.
, can be regarded as colorful, without wasting any time.
Princess Margaret gasped for air:
"So, so that I don't have to waste an entire evening, please tell me the answer now. I admit that I lost the guessing game. Yes, I admit defeat."
Seeing her persistence, Shade did not shirk anymore. He did not want to give the answer in the noisy banquet hall, but planned to let the princess take the maid with him to a relatively secluded corridor. But Princess Margaret
Shade was allowed to answer the question on the spot, and he even had someone bring over a small blackboard with a pulley - this was a tool used to record the incoming items in the manor's warehouse.
The question that Shade just asked has been circulated among the guests of Lakeview Manor. And just as Shade expected, the answer has not been fully explained at least so far.
Seeing that Shade was willing to personally answer the "missing penny", people gradually came closer. Not only Princess Margaret, but also the "Guiding Moon" Mr. Lykins Priscia also appeared.
Xia De intended to leave a deeper impression on himself so that he could collect the other person's inspiration later, so after picking up the chalk, he planned to explain more clearly:
"Your Highness, you are really just confused by the surface of the question. In this question, the three gentlemen spent a total of 27 pence."
"Yes."
People holding wine glasses said one after another, and they were looking forward to what Shade would say.
Princess Margaret nodded slightly, and Shade, holding the chalk, wrote "30" on the small blackboard, then pulled a line to the lower right and wrote 27.
"Where did the 27p go?"
He circled "27" and Princess Margaret thought about it and said:
"Of course it was paid to Mrs. Sammy at the Three Cats Hotel."
So far, Shade's thinking was exactly the same as hers. She realized that this was a thinking trap, but she couldn't get out of it.
"no no."
Shade shook his head:
"Mrs Thornmee only got 25p."
The young gentleman used chalk to draw a slash on the lower right side of "27" and wrote "25".
The princess frowned slightly:
"Yes."
She felt like she understood something, but she didn't understand.
"So, 27 pennies were taken by Mrs. Thornmee, 25 pennies were withheld by the little boy."
Under "27", a slash was pulled out to the lower left and "2" was written on it. Princess Margaret opened her mouth slightly, and the onlookers also discussed in a low voice, and they also saw the clues.
"so......"
Under the original "30", Shade drew a slash toward the lower left and wrote "3":
"You shouldn't use 27 to add 2, because 2p is itself included in 27p. You should use 27p and add 3p. 27p is spent and the three gentlemen keep 3p, making a total of 30p."
He said simply, already thinking about his cat. Leaving little Mia with Miss Carina, Shade was always worried that the witch would be harmful to his cat:
"Yes, that's it."
He nodded slightly, and finally wrote "25+2+3=30" under the blackboard, and then placed the chalk in the small slot below. Just as he was about to clap his hands, the servant immediately gave him a wet towel.
Shade glanced at the small blackboard again. To solve this problem, bringing a blackboard was really making a fuss out of a molehill.
"Mr. Hamilton, that's wonderful!"
“Rejed’s Hamilton is really good!”
The crowd applauded, which made Shade a little embarrassed. This kind of mathematics problem for elementary school students was nothing to him, and he thought he was not worthy of the applause.
"That's it."
Princess Margaret bit her lip and looked at the blackboard. After thinking about it, she felt that the problem was so simple.
"This is actually just a thinking trap. It uses questions to confuse problem solvers and has nothing to do with wisdom."
Shade defended the princess who could not give an answer, but Princess Margaret shook her head:
"I fell into a trap, and I admit that I lost this time."
"As for the question of wisdom, where is the winner or loser? I just read more books."
Shade sighed softly, and the princess let out a sigh of relief and looked at him with a strange look:
"Now I roughly know what kind of person the teacher is looking for in the students. If you are not a male..."
She took out the personal handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to Shade:
"Knight, I recognize your wisdom. During the few weeks I have been staying in Tobesk, I hope to have the opportunity to discuss mathematical problems with you."
She almost forced the handkerchief into Shade's hand:
"Princess Lesia invites me to the reading salon next week, and I hope you can be there too. In addition, if you have time, you can always visit the manor where I am staying. Hamilton, I admit your wisdom, but I will not lose next time
.”
Taking a deep breath, she turned around and left with her maids. The chattering and laughing people around her were very interested in this scene, but because the topic might be sensitive, they dispersed before talking in low voices.
Shade can already guess what news will appear in the tabloids tomorrow, and he can even guess that in a few weeks there will be even more outrageous rumors circulating among the citizens.
[Outlander, you successfully proved your wisdom at the banquet. 】
"So simple? So it was just a brain teaser? What is it for this time? Is Margaret Anjou the chosen one?"
[Because the topic will spread from the banquet and become a story known to most people in the city within a few weeks.]
Shade patted his forehead with his right hand:
"Ha~ to prove your intelligence, it turns out that a famous brain teaser is all you need. If I had known this, why would I have bothered you so much?"
He stuffed the handkerchief into his pocket and put it together with the first two gauze scarves. Then, after politely saying goodbye to the people next to the blackboard, he prepared to go upstairs to find little Mia.
But on the stairs, he met another person waiting for him:
"Well done, Shade."
The director of MI6, Mr. Duck Anlos, stood at the top of the stairs, holding a glass in his hand.
Shade hurriedly looked around, and Mr. Anlos came down with a smile and patted him on the shoulder:
"Don't be so nervous. This is a wedding banquet. You can meet anyone. You behave very well, Shade. I didn't expect that it was just a banquet and you could be so successful in hooking up with Margaret Anjou.
relation."
"I'm not......"
"No need to explain, you are indeed very good. The lady introduced you to me in the summer, and I thought you were really just taking a temporary job to get a salary. It's very good. Keep up the hard work, the lady and His Majesty both value you."
The moment the two of them crossed paths on the stairs, a bulging small envelope slipped out of Director Anlos' hand and fell into Shade's palm:
"The reimbursement for the gemstones you applied for has been approved. Enjoy this night and don't be too nervous about the task. Margaret Anjou will stay in Tobesk for a long time, and we will have many opportunities in the future.
"
After saying that, he continued walking down and never looked back.
Shade continued walking up, put the envelope containing 280 pounds into his pocket, and then patted the pocket:
"Did I feel nervous about the mission tonight?"
He climbed the steps and turned to look downstairs. Director Anlos could no longer be seen:
"In the future...next time, should you use the excuse of learning a foreign language to get in touch with Princess Margaret?"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
ps: The post has been restored. Unfortunately, the comments from the past two days are still not displayed.