Granville's estate

"Du..."

The sudden appearance of the Viscount Calliste de Durand was completely unexpected by Louis. He almost cried out when he saw the blue-green eyes, but immediately remembered that this was a masquerade ball where he could not reveal his identity. , so abruptly swallowed the words "Durand" that were about to blurt out.

Viscount de Durand glanced at Louis. Although he couldn't see his full expression after putting on the mask, Louis could still feel that the person in front of him seemed very unhappy from the look in his eyes.

This brief communication only happened in a split second. The woman dressed as a forest elf looked at Louis and then at Callister. It was probably because the similar outfits of both of them wearing domino cloaks misled her. The lady who came to this kind of place alone looking for joy smiled at Louis, and then pulled her hand out of Callister's.

"Sir, since this is your friend, you'd better not let him wander around at will," said the forest elf to Callister in a charming tone, and she looked like a regretful woman. The hunter whose prey has been booked by others: "After all, you also know that in such a place, fun is more valuable than gold, and everyone wants to change their tastes!"

"Thank you for the reminder, ma'am," Callister replied, acting as if Louis had indeed come to the Misard Opera House with him: "I will take your advice seriously."

"Having said that, you also know that it is not permissible to refuse someone's request to dance at the Misard Opera House," said the forest goblin, fingering the corner of her emerald shawl, her eyes under the mask full of tears. Sly: "However, choosing a dance partner is allowed, so, are you going to invite her to dance?"

She used the unmistakable word "she" when she said the last sentence, and before Louis, who was standing on the side, hadn't reacted at all, Callister had already given his answer very simply: " I think it's fine."

"Wait, wait," Louis said, and he finally realized that the lady probably thought of herself as a woman disguised as a man who came here looking for excitement, and that Callister was chasing after her to find his wife. Husband: "I think you can..."

Before he finished saying "I think you can invite this lady to dance", Callister had already grabbed his wrist firmly and pulled him onto the dance floor.

As soon as they entered the dance floor, they were immediately wrapped in the carnival dancing crowd. At this time, the stage was playing a very fast-paced waltz. People in whatever clothes were in pairs, sliding, spinning, crossing, The women's wide bulging skirts and all kinds of strange costumes collided with each other, and some people who probably didn't want to dance with others because of their strange costumes jumped up and down in the crowd, and there were rough talk of men everywhere. and the laughter of the women.

Louis couldn't adapt to this chaotic situation at all. He stumbled and was led by Callister to walk in the direction of people, but the other party wanted him to dance women's steps. I couldn't even walk normally, and I stepped on Callister's shoes several times in the middle.

"Don't you even know how to waltz?"

After being stepped on by Louis for the third time, Callister asked impatiently, even through the mask, he could see his eyebrows wrinkled.

"Who can dance this kind of dance!" Louis replied subconsciously. What he originally wanted to say was "Which man would waltz with another man", but the remaining rationality stopped him in time. Shocking words; he turned his head and glanced at the position just now, and saw the lady who had pushed Callister standing there leisurely, taking out a delicate small fan from nowhere, elegantly Fanning the wind while watching their actions with interest.

"If you don't want others to see something, you'd better take a female step." When Louis looked back at the lady, Callister leaned into his ear and said, his breath passing by when he spoke Louis' neck, causing Louis to turn his head uncomfortably: "Even if everyone knows what's going on, it's still very important to make a superficial effort."

"If you choose the lady, you don't even need to pay attention to the superficial skills." Louis said, he complained a bit that the viscount dragged him into the dance floor for no reason, and the physical contact between the two made him feel uncomfortable. He was terribly uncomfortable—he felt the skin on his wrist where Callisto was holding him so hot that he was about to burn; According to Lister, he began to adjust his pace.

"Ah, sir!"

Just when Louis had to adjust his steps, the rhythm of the dance music changed, and a man dressed as a hunter—with a bow and arrow on his waist for decoration—passed by them with his partner, Signal Callister that they can exchange partners: "Would you like to dance with a laurel goddess?"

The hunter's dance partner is a woman in an off-white tunic dress, powdered hair, and a laurel wreath. This woman is probably dressed as the goddess of laurel who was pursued by the sun god Apollo in mythology. Giggling, after being rejected by Callister, he fell into the arms of another Indian; while the hunter looked at Louis, who was trying to hide himself under the cloak, in confusion, probably wondering if they But he soon forgot about it, and turned back to his carefree joy.

This seemingly inconspicuous episode shocked Louis into a cold sweat. Remembering that he still needed to find Joseph and Margaret, he begged the Viscount, "Let's get off the dance floor! It's too chaotic here, and I have other people." things must be done.”

"There's no need to be so anxious," Callister replied, "I know when and where to go."

He led Louis in another waltz, so that Louis had to step out to match him, so as not to be seen by other dancers-even though the dance floor full of various dancers was completely empty. He noticed them, but his long-term religious education still made Louis very panicked about the possible exposure of this unreasonable pairing. His whole nerves were tense, even if the people passing by them said nothing His laughing words can make him panic.

"It seems that you are very afraid of being discovered by others." Under the cover of the music, the viscount teased Louis a little badly, forcing him to turn around like a lady: "If this is the case, why do you still come to this kind of place? The Misard Opera House is not for the faint of heart."

"That's what I said, but if you didn't show up, I wouldn't have to worry so much." Louis replied angrily, feeling a little dizzy—the environment here is too noisy and chaotic , the air is not fresh, it is not friendly to a person who was sick a few days ago.

At this time, they had moved with the dancing people for a long distance, and they just came to a spacious staircase. Callister pulled Louis out of the dance floor, and took Louis with him regardless of other people's invitations to dance. Go up the steps.

The second and third floors of the Misard Opera House should have been equipped with boxes like other theaters, but here, the doors, curtains and partitions of all the boxes facing the stage have been removed, and the boxes that should have been The place connected with the corridor outside the private box became a whole wide corridor; Looking down from the edge of the railing on the second floor, you can see the huge dancing crowd in the hall on the first floor. If you have to make a metaphor, the people above are like Standing by the pool through the railing, watching the fish swimming in the pool.

The second floor is also full of men and women in different costumes, and there are no chairs for resting here—in order to maximize the space, so that more people can squeeze into this opera house to gain more profits, There are no chairs on the edge of the dance floor for people to sit and rest like the balls of the nobles in the theater; but the number of people on the second floor is still much less than that in the hall on the first floor, so tired dancers can find it here A void where one can take a break against the marble railing.

Louis originally thought that Callisto would stop when he reached the second floor, but he didn't mean to stop at all. He dragged Louis up to the third floor, and then walked to the end of the corridor on the left.

"Where are you taking me?" Louis couldn't help asking, he wanted to break free from Callister's hand, but the viscount was so strong that he couldn't break free at all: "Sir, please let me go , I still have to find my friend!"

"Don't be noisy!"

Callister didn't even look back, nor did he have any intention of letting him go.

Louis was pulled by him and stumbled forward. He tried to struggle a few times but couldn't break free. He was worried that their behavior would attract criticism in the eyes of others, so he looked around in a panic, only to find that they Although it attracted some attention, no one came over to stop him; not only that, he also saw many men and women flirting with each other in the corridor on the third floor, and some of them even talked Rolled into the hanging curtain beside the wall - even so, the others ignored those men and women.

"This is how the same thing?"

Louis felt that the education and moral concepts he had received for many years were collapsing—anyone only needs to look at them to know what those people who have entered the veil will do, but in this Misard Opera House, there is no one. people to stop these things?

He suddenly understood why at 79 St. George Street, Mrs. Buscha had such a strange look when she said that Margaret had gone to the Misard Opera House, and why Alred was desperate to put Margaret was taken away from here—this kind of place is really not something that anyone with status should set foot on!