The band in the corner of the hall played a tune that sounded somewhat familiar to Angel. Over the past few days, as she visited the homes of neighbors near the street where she lived, she had occasionally heard this piece of music, but had never managed to recall its name.
It wasn't that she disliked learning. Rather, lessons in social etiquette, dance music, and topics recently popular among high society had already left her overwhelmed, leaving her no time to care about anything else.
Apart from a Reader like Detective Stanton, probably no one could memorize so much knowledge in a week... she grumbled inwardly as she followed the enthusiastic Councilor Macht to a young woman standing alone by the door, her expression calm, even somewhat cold.
"My daughter, Hazel. Hazel, this is Miss Christine Teresa. She just returned to Loen from Intis."
Macht introduced them.
"Hello, Miss Hazel."
Angel greeted her politely.
The young woman in the sky-blue dress looked at Angel arrogantly. Just as she had done with the other guests, she skipped over her appearance and began examining the style of her clothing and the way her accessories had been matched.
A strange bone bracelet. It seems to be in the style of the Rorsted Archipelago, very exotic. The gemstone on her necklace is quite large, but the craftsmanship is crude overall, displaying the rough, nouveau-riche style...
Hazel quickly assessed the value of the two items. It did not quite match what she sensed of their worth, which left her slightly puzzled.
Only then did her gaze return to the other woman's face, so that she could remember her appearance while greeting her.
Then her gaze froze.
The fair skin beneath that smooth black hair seemed to shine beneath the large chandelier overhead. Her violet eyes