Most of the people present were well aware of the true purpose of this banquet, so at this moment, the man's actions seemed utterly audacious in their eyes.
"Who is that man?"
"I don't know, seems to be a noble from the south."
"He has black hair like Alicia. I wonder if he has Ancient Roman or Ancient Greek heritage, or perhaps he is East Asian?"
"Is this a time to be concerned about heritage? Does this bumpkin from the south even know the rules?
I hope Prince Ernst won't be angry because of this."
People whispered, and for a moment, the man became the focus of the entire banquet hall.
Alicia furrowed her brows, then her nose caught a faint scent, the smell of ashes from wood burning in a fireplace.
This scent… she seemed to have smelled it somewhere before.
She instinctively raised her head, wanting to refuse, but for some unknown reason, an impulse made her nod slightly.
"Cough, cough!!"
A woman choked on her drink, coughing violently. Aside from the soft music, the entire courtyard was almost silent.
But then, the Third Princess was seen to pause for a moment, then she gracefully raised her hand and placed it on the stranger's hand. The two then slowly walked to the center of the courtyard.
After a brief silence.
Although the gazes of the people around still couldn't help but glance over, they knew that if they kept staring, it would make the atmosphere even more awkward, so they began to dance along with the music.
It was a simple waltz, where both parties embraced, moving one step back and one step forward with the music. Merlin was quite glad he knew it; if it had been a minuet or a court dance, he would have had a headache.
In the original history, after the popularity of the waltz, it faced much opposition and obstruction for various reasons.
Besides the Church declaring it immoral, uncivilized, even vulgar and evil because men and women held each other closely and spun too quickly, it was also seen as a thorn in the side by those who made a living teaching minuets and other court dances.
The waltz's simplicity, ease of learning, and free-flowing nature attracted a large number of dancers; one could often learn it just by watching for a while. This dance did not require mastering a large number of complex patterns like the minuet to perform.
And in the conservative Britannia of that time, the waltz was even hated by many, feared like a tiger, and even called a lewd dance.
Of course, with the progress of the times, later on, this waltz became "elegant." In the West at that time, inviting a woman to dance was actually a very common thing, but it certainly had a social implication.
The history of this World is somewhat different, but clearly, the waltz must have become popular much earlier.
Merlin gently held the Princess's hand and embraced her waist, feeling the tense muscles through her clothing. Clearly, his dance partner was a bit uneasy; she kept her head down, silent, and feigning composure.
Merlin smiled.
"Although Your Highness cannot see, you dance surprisingly well."
The Third Princess was silent for a moment, then said, "Music is one of the few pleasures I can enjoy."
She paused, then said, "Have we met before?"
"Your memory is also very good," Merlin praised.
Alicia recalled, "Was it just now on the street outside?"
"I never owe favors," Merlin chuckled.
"Do you think this is helping me?"
"Isn't it? You seem very impatient with His Highness, the Prince." Merlin held her hand and led her in a turn.
"Then do you know that he might soon become my fiancé?"
"While I was enjoying my food, there were two women nearby. Within fifteen minutes, I learned a lot of gossip about you Britannia nobles."
Merlin teased.
"For example, I know that Panacea's first wife cheated on him with her guard, and it seems they even had a child."
"Both Panacea and that lady were caged birds, bound by the cage called family, unable to decide their own destinies.
Their marriage was a tragedy from the start." Alicia murmured softly.
She seemed not to want to continue this topic, but rather continued her previous words.
"Since that's the case, you still dared to invite me to dance?"
Merlin smiled, "I think the future heir of the West Phalia Empire should not be so narrow-minded, should he? It's just one dance."
"You can look at his expression now."
Merlin glanced out of the corner of his eye, then raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"He looks like he wants to eat me."
Merlin's tone carried a hint of teasing, and this playful tone made her almost burst into laughter.
But she paused, then continued.
"Those who can enter this banquet are either high-ranking officials or nobles; even ordinary nobles are not qualified to enter.
But if you were one of them, it would have been impossible for you to have no guards outside just now.
Who exactly are you?"
"I am a wanderer who came to crash the party," Merlin said.
"The savory cakes here are delicious," he commented.
"The banquet's pastry chef was personally invited by Panacea from the Imperial Palace for this banquet. Few people pay attention to the food at banquets, and only he would care about such details."
"Sounds like he takes this banquet very seriously," Merlin said.
"Yes, after all, we are hosting foreign dignitaries," Alicia murmured softly.
She paused, then said, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I agreed to your request and got you involved.
I don't know how you snuck into the banquet, but I advise you to leave quickly after the ball, leave the Imperial Capital, otherwise, bad things will happen."
"Because I just used magic," Merlin said calmly.
Alicia naturally thought Merlin was joking. She smiled, "I really felt like I was under a magic spell just now."
"You don't seem to like any of this," Merlin observed her, "Then why… don't you resist?"
The Princess's chin slightly retracted, she was silent for a moment, then continued.
"We are all sailing alone on the sea of fate, unable to control its direction, only letting the waves rise and fall, carrying us to an unknown distance.
There are things in this World that are destined to be unchangeable.
People always have to learn to accept fate."
There was no fluctuation in Alicia's words; she had long accepted all of this.
Merlin smiled, "You look very young on the outside, but your heart is already eighty years old."
"I merely understood all of this in advance, saving a lot of unnecessary time and energy, and making things easier for everyone."
The music stopped at this moment, and everyone dancing, including Merlin and the Third Princess, stopped. Merlin looked at her and continued.
"I am quite the opposite."
Alicia looked up. Although the upper half of her face was obscured by the ornate mask, like a crown, making her expression unclear, her slightly raised chin showed her confusion.
"I believe that fate is not absolute. No matter where the waves carry us, the dawn of the next day will always arrive as promised."
Merlin had a faint smile on his face.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.
Remember my name. I am…
Merlin."
After he finished speaking, Alicia could sense that the person in front of her had released her hand, then stepped back. A brief White line slid through her heart.
But in that instant.
He disappeared.
His scent, his voice, anything that could detect his presence, vanished from her World.
"Alicia, are you alright?"
Ernst's voice came from the side, asking anxiously and urgently.
Alicia didn't answer, but just continued to ask.
"Where is the person who was just dancing with me?"
"I don't know, he seemed to have walked into the crowd just now and disappeared in the blink of an eye." Ernst looked around and said.
Alicia frowned, but soon, she heard hurried footsteps coming from inside the Villa, and faint, terrified, trembling breaths.
What followed was a loud shout.
"Oh no, Marquis Os is gone!!!"