After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Astrid placed her empty glass on the tray of a nearby waiter and took a new glass of red wine.
She looked at the man before her and spoke in a calm tone.
"I rember that Lord Tristian also participated in the test flight this afternoon. How was it?"
The Velmont family was a very important partner for Astrid at the mont.
Even if the royal family were to control the more lethal magical devices in the future, the convenient everyday magical appliances, such as kettles and hair dryers, could still be sold through this channel.
For this reason, Astrid could completely put aside the foolish things she had done during her infatuation phase and face Tristian Velmont with a normal mindset. In the novel’s plot, he was a nobleman with a positive image.
Tristian looked into Astrid’s crimson eyes and replied in a low voice, "The scale of the Fearless was much larger than I expected. Before boarding, I never imagined that such a massive object could soar into the sky like a bird."
Astrid had purchased the construction materials through Elowen’s channels, so Tristian could estimate the approximate size of the airship based on this information.
Considering the amount of wolf pelts, wood, and iron chains used, it was clear that the airship would not be small.
However, when the curtain was blown away by the wind, revealing the colossal structure beneath, Tristian, like everyone else who was unaware, was still astonished.
The airship was like a giant ship sailing through the sky.
Hearing the admiration in Tristian’s tone, Astrid smiled slightly and said softly, "As long as the structure is reasonable and the power is sufficient, it doesn’t matter if the airship is made even larger."
As the person who proposed the concept of the airship, Astrid had to admit that she had designed the prototype to be so large precisely to attract attention.
On top of that, she had added many decorative elents that served no purpose other than aesthetics, such as the oil paintings hanging in the corridors and the intricate engravings on the hull made from precious corrosion-resistant tal.
Since this was the only model of its kind, she had invested as much as possible for the visual impact.
Tristian nodded thoughtfully and then continued, "Besides being larger than I expected, the airship’s stability was also excellent. In my opinion, it surpassed most carriages and ships. The entire journey was smooth without any bumps."
Astrid took a sip of her red wine and replied, "That’s only natural. Carriages rely on wheels and hooves, both of which require flat, even, and non-muddy ground to maintain a smooth ride. Ships, on the other hand, depend on the sea, where the waves can be unpredictable, making the vessel more susceptible to instability."
"The airship only needs to consider the weather. Unless the conditions are extrely harsh, or the wind speed reaches a certain level, the impact on the hull is minimal, and the passengers won’t feel it at all."
The need to handle harsh conditions could be addressed later. After all, Astrid had advertised the airship in the newspapers as a magical device for sightseeing. If the weather was bad, they could simply suspend operations without significant losses.
As for how others viewed the airship, that was another matter, one that would require additional funds.
After listening to Astrid’s explanation, Tristian nodded in agreent, "No wonder..."
"The experience of riding the airship was quite pleasant. As His Majesty the Emperor ntioned earlier, Countess Charlotte and Professor Elandor’s new invention is enough to conclude this year on a high note for the empire."
After saying this, the man continued, "And as the originator of this concept, Your Highness Astrid’s ingenuity is equally comndable."
Including the mories left by the original Astrid, this seed to be the first ti Tristian had directly praised her.
In the original novel, Tristian had always been cold toward Astrid, even unwilling to appear in the sa space as her.
If she were still the sa Astrid Calliste from before, she might have been overjoyed and thrilled by a complint from her crush.
But the current Astrid felt nothing for Tristian. Upon hearing his words, she rely smiled politely.
"Lord Tristian, you flatter ."
Gently swirling her wine glass, Astrid chatted with Tristian for a few more monts about the airship, maintaining a faint yet polite smile on her face. Occasionally, she would glance over at Charlotte’s situation.
The alluring countess had finished her conversation with the Minister of Finance, Florence, and was now clinking glasses with her best friend, Elowen.
Her slender, smooth legs, clad in flesh-colored stockings, stood straight, and her hazel eyes sparkled with a fluid grace.
The nobles in the venue seed to have reached an unspoken agreent, only peers would stop and engage in extended conversations with each other.
Just as Charlotte was surrounded by Florence and Elowen, Astrid found herself approached by Lydia and Tristian.
One pair was father and daughter, the other aunt and nephew, it was quite a coincidence.
After a while, sensing that the conversation had reached its natural conclusion, Tristian looked at the silver-haired princess holding her wine glass with grace and elegance. After a mont of hesitation, he spoke.
"Your Highness Astrid..."
"...May I invite you to dance?"
Tristian’s voice was soft, easily drowned out by the lodious organ music and the clinking of glasses. However, it was still clear enough for the person being invited to hear.
The sweet yet slightly bitter wine touched her lips as Astrid narrowed her eyes. She stared at the man before her, her crimson eyes, like spreading blood, slightly contracting.
Tristian was inviting her to dance?
Her mind suddenly flashed back to the mont when she had just arrived in this world.
To conceal her identity, she had followed the original Astrid’s persona and invited Tristian to dance.
Although Astrid hadn’t taken it to heart and her mory of the event was hazy, she still rembered Tristian firmly rejecting that invitation.
Now, less than a year later, the roles of inviter and invitee had been reversed.
Looking at Tristian’s outstretched hand, Astrid glanced at Charlotte, who had just finished the last sip of wine in her glass. Their eyes t briefly.
Noticing Tristian reaching out to Astrid, Charlotte felt a pang of displeasure. But as she clenched her fingers, her expression suddenly froze.
Why was she feeling this strange emotion...
Having spent a lot of ti with Elowen, Charlotte had occasionally heard her ntion Tristian.
She knew that while he was quite arrogant in so aspects, he was not a spoiled nobleman at heart.
On the contrary, Tristian’s arrogance stemd from his far superior vision and abilities compared to his peers.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the eldest son of the Velmont family was the cream of the crop among the young nobles in the capital, surpassing ninety-nine percent of them.
Even if Astrid no longer liked Tristian, interacting with him would surely be beneficial. So why did she feel this inexplicable displeasure?
anwhile, standing in the corner, Lyra also witnessed this scene.
Her lips parted slightly as her gaze fell on the hand extending from the sleeve adorned with honeysuckle patterns. The light in her eyes flickered uncertainly.
Was Earl Tristian inviting Her Highness Astrid to dance?
Although she was far away and couldn’t hear their conversation, judging from their movents and Astrid’s expression, Lyra guessed that was likely the case.
If it’s Earl Tristian... Her Highness Astrid would agree, right?
After all, Her Highness Astrid likes him so much.
Her gaze shifted from Tristian’s hand to the princess’s delicate, snow-white face.
Lyra’s eyes lingered on Astrid’s graceful swan-like neck and the small, exquisite collarbone not covered by the dress. For a mont, her breath hitched.
As Astrid’s personal maid, Lyra naturally knew the style and fabric distribution of the princess’s dress.
With such a lightweight evening gown, if they were to dance, the two partners’ bodies would inevitably co into close contact, and so exposed skin might even touch directly.
The thought of Tristian’s hand possibly touching Princess Astrid’s smooth, delicate back, their breaths mingling, made Lyra’s head feel dizzy.
Her white-stockinged feet, clad in small leather shoes, unconsciously took a step back, barely supporting her body.
When Astrid had danced with Lydia earlier, Lyra had only felt a slight twist in her heart, so emotional fluctuation but nothing severe.
But now, with Tristian inviting Astrid to dance, this discomfort had instantly escalated to its peak.
She didn’t want these two to dance together... No, absolutely not...
But what right did she have to stop this from happening?
She was just an ordinary maid responsible for taking care of her mistress’s daily life. She shouldn’t even be feeling this way.
"..."
The crisp sound of high heels echoed through the venue as two slender, pale legs in flesh-colored stockings moved gracefully beneath the dark blue skirt, exuding a faint fragrance.
Just as Astrid was about to refuse, she saw Charlotte gliding over to her side, speaking in a calm tone.
"Good evening, Mr. Tristian."
Seeing Countess Charlotte approach, Tristian retracted his hand in a tily manner and responded politely, "It’s an honor to et you, Countess Charlotte."
After greeting Tristian, Charlotte turned her head and stared into Astrid’s eyes for two seconds. A faint, beautiful smile unconsciously appeared on her lips as she spoke softly.
"Didn’t Astrid say she would dance with tonight? How did Miss Lydia manage to get ahead of ?"
Astrid reacted in less than half a second, imdiately understanding Charlotte’s aning. She smiled and replied, "My apologies, Lady Charlotte. It was my oversight to forget about our arrangent."
"As an apology, if Lady Charlotte is willing, we can dance a few more tis."
After saying this, Astrid turned to Tristian, who had just invited her to dance, and slightly bowed her head with an apologetic expression, saying in a low voice, "I’m sorry, Lord Tristian. Lady Charlotte and I had already arranged to dance together."
"Please allow to decline your invitation."
Her cool tone, paired with those crimson eyes that revealed no clear emotion, left Tristian montarily unable to discern whether Astrid had truly declined his invitation because of her prior arrangent with Charlotte or if she was simply finding a more polite way to let him down.
"Your Highness Astrid, there’s no need to apologize. I was the one who was being presumptuous," Tristian replied.
Since the other party had clearly expressed her refusal, as a gentleman, it would be impolite to suggest dancing together afterward.
Astrid nodded with a smile, then handed her hand to Charlotte, who gently took it and also politely said to Tristian, "I’m sorry, but I really do want to dance these few dances with Astrid."
"Countess Charlotte, you are too kind. It was only natural for you to dance with Her Highness Astrid since you had arranged it beforehand."
After exchanging so polite words, Astrid and Charlotte bid farewell to the man and headed toward the dance floor, leaving Tristian standing alone, his gaze fixed on Astrid’s retreating figure.
He had already commissioned a high-level craftsman from his family to make the engagent ring, and it would be ready soon.
The mory of Astrid’s refusal echoed in his ears as Tristian took another sip of red wine. A faint sense of unease, beyond his plans, crept into his heart.
Compared to before... he felt that Astrid was less enthusiastic toward him...
If it were a year ago, Tristian could confidently say that if he had initiated the invitation to dance, even if Astrid had prior arrangents, she would have chosen to break them and dance with him.
But over the past six months, Astrid had beco more composed and proper, knowing when to do what and which commitnts to honor.
So... did she still like him?
Thinking of Astrid’s recent changes, Tristian felt a rare sense of doubt.
Even if it were a ga of hard-to-get, it wouldn’t last this long. Astrid wasn’t a particularly patient person.
Recalling the relentless pursuit and almost fanatical crush the noble princess had once directed at him, Tristian’s unease gradually dissipated as those mories resurfaced.
Perhaps she had simply suppressed her passion due to her career and work, not letting any of it show, which was why he couldn’t sense it.
As long as Astrid had even a shred of affection for him, she shouldn’t reject the upcoming proposal.
After all, for Astrid, whether it was a matter of deep mutual interests or emotional ties, this was a win-win situation that everyone dread of.
Finishing the wine in his glass, Tristian made up his mind, turned around, and went to converse with other guests.
At that mont, he brushed past a pink-haired maid. An inexplicable force made Tristian turn his head to look.
Lyra seed unaware of his gaze as she walked straight to the edge of the dance floor, her sky-blue eyes fixed on Astrid, quietly waiting.
On the dance floor, Astrid and Charlotte were pressed close together.
Charlotte leaned in and whispered softly into Astrid’s ear, "Little Astr didn’t want to dance with him, did she?"
Astrid didn’t deny it, continuing to hold the woman’s slender waist, feeling the warm, silky touch of their knees brushing against each other as they moved.
She glanced down and saw Charlotte’s legs occasionally touching hers with the rhythm of the dance.
"After all, I no longer like him, and I don’t dance with unfamiliar n," Astrid said.
It was probably just a personal habit.
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