Upon hearing the butler’s words, the female investigator immediately expressed her dissatisfaction:
"Shouldn’t the lady also have her own social engagements at this time?"
"Inviting more people to meet at such a time is somewhat inappropriate."
The old butler did not change his expression due to the investigator’s refusal.
Still wearing a smile, he calmly explained to the investigator:
"Lady, the master has great trust in everyone’s abilities."
"Furthermore, this invitation is merely because the master feels she may have disturbed the surrounding audience, so she wishes to apologize to this gentleman in person."
"I hope you can understand."
Having finished speaking, the old butler shifted his gaze from the investigator to Ronald.
Though he had only been there for a few seconds,
having been immersed in complex social settings for a long time, he had already subtly sensed the delicate atmosphere in the room.
The two investigators, who should have been quite assertive, now seemed to be taking Ronald into consideration, who was sitting behind them. Normally, they would have used ’this gentleman does not have time’ as a refusal, but now they opted for a more tactful phrase like ’somewhat inappropriate.’
From the butler’s experience,
the gentleman in the room was someone whom the mistress should consider befriending.
The subsequent change in the room was exactly as the old butler had anticipated.
After tactfully dealing with the person in front of her, the female investigator still directed her inquiring gaze toward Ronald.
A good-natured individual, who had often cooperated with the investigative bureau’s work.
She did not mind leaving the choice up to him.
And so, Ronald came over with a politely smiling face:
"I’ll just go and take a look."
"I should be back very soon."
The female investigator nodded slightly to show she understood, while the old butler bowed again:
"Thank you for your consideration."
Following the butler’s lead, Ronald left, and the countess’s seat was just next door.
As soon as he walked in, the noise from the crowd gathering together made Ronald frown.
He didn’t particularly like overly lively places.
And the countess’s side indeed fit that description.
Within the spacious and luxurious box room of the theater, several well-dressed men and women were talking to each other – although many were sweating profusely, the exaggerated smiles on their faces did not diminish at all.
In such a setting, the old butler led Ronald to the only relatively relaxed spot in the room.
— Where the countess was seated.
At first glance, Ronald remembered the description given by Heloise.
The countess was truly a great beauty.
Under the warm lighting of the theater, a lady with a graceful figure sat elegantly in her chair, her smile effortless and seductive on her captivating red lips, her eyes profound as she observed everything around her.
Next to this beautiful woman was a male servant, kneeling, servers holding drinks for her. The servant did not even dare to look up at the countess’s figure, maintaining his bowing posture.
When she noticed the old butler returning with Ronald.
The countess’s gaze lingered momentarily on Ronald’s young and handsome face.
Then it returned to her own butler.
With just a quick glance, she immediately saw a hint of seriousness on the familiar face of her butler.
The countess’s eyes brightened, and she stood up without hesitation.
She took a drink from the server’s tray with a friendly motion and offered it to Ronald:
"Who is this gentleman?"
Ronald took the initiative to introduce himself:
"Ronald, Ronald Adler."
"I don’t drink alcoholic beverages, please forgive me."
The countess showed no discomfort at Ronald’s refusal.
On the contrary, after hearing Ronald’s self-introduction, the lady immediately displayed a charming and enticing smile, and then elegantly drained her glass with one tilt of her neck.
A clever drop of liquid remained hanging at the corner of her mouth.
She then continued speaking to Ronald:
"Since that’s the case, I’ve drunk on your behalf."
"Aler asked you to come here mainly because I wanted to apologize to you."
"I’m truly sorry for making such a commotion in a place meant for the appreciation of fine art."
The countess had made a rather absurd gesture.
According to the local social etiquette Ronald was aware of, the action of drinking on behalf of someone else was reserved for very intimate relationships, at least those of lovers.
Coupled with the countess’s other expressions and actions,
It wasn’t hard to imagine what she was implying towards Ronald.
The task assigned by Heloise...
What an opening move this is...
After entertaining such thoughts briefly, Ronald quickly returned to the role he was supposed to play.
He stepped back awkwardly and, with a forced smile, addressed the countess:
"It’s all right; I understand."
"However, I usually prefer not to be in crowded places, so if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now."
After saying that, Ronald nodded apologetically and immediately turned to leave.
Indeed, whether for the performance or his own true feelings, Ronald was very eager to get away from there.
After taking a few steps, Ronald’s keen hearing picked up the countess’s voice from behind.
She did not attempt to detain the obviously departing Ronald.
Instead, she offered him another reminder:
"Mr. Ronald, don’t forget my invitation."
"I’m looking forward to our next meeting!"
The first encounter ended abruptly.
As soon as he left her room, Ronald let out a long sigh:
Seeing Ronald’s reaction, the female investigator at the door had a tinge of a smile in her voice:
"Mr. Ronald, it seems you’re not quite comfortable with this kind of environment."
Ronald smiled and shook his head, then headed to his own room.
"Such things don’t happen over in Yizi Forest."
"I prefer being on my own than managing such interpersonal interactions."
The female investigator immediately followed Ronald’s figure:
"You’re definitely going to come across a lot more of this."
"Better get used to it sooner rather than later."
Ronald’s tone remained the same:
"It’s better to avoid these kinds of situations as much as possible in the future."
"And for your work, that should be good news, shouldn’t it?"
Hearing the humorous tone in Ronald’s voice,
The female investigator joked with their original manuscript holder:
"Please do make sure that doesn’t happen."
"If all you important people take that attitude, my weekly salary will probably take quite a hit."