The Archon's Ball (3)

The two chatted some more about domestic matters, reminiscing about the past and discussing the current circumstances of acquaintances.

The hall remained brightly lit, the music melodious, but Ang was clearly losing interest.

He raised his glass for a sip, his gaze casually sweeping toward the other end of the banquet.

"Did Helen's mother come as well?" Ang suddenly asked.

Brandon nodded calmly. "She did. Why are you suddenly concerned about that?"

"It isn't concern." Ang spoke softly. "When Helen came over just now, I saw a noblewoman standing behind her. Her features reminded me of someone."

Brandon paused slightly. "You mean... Joyce?"

Ang gave a faint nod, his expression calm.

"You're mistaken." Brandon's tone was somewhat heavy. "That wasn't Joyce... She's been missing for a long time. The family sent many people to investigate, but they haven't found a single clue."

"Did something happen to her?" Ang's voice lowered, carrying a probing note.

"I don't know." Brandon shook his head, his expression turning solemn. "We even searched several planes where she had appeared before, but we couldn't find the slightest trace of her."

After those words, both of them fell silent for a while.

It was as though the topic had touched upon some hidden boundary, and even the wine no longer went down as smoothly as before.

After a moment, Brandon rose to take his leave.

Ang politely saw him off and watched him depart.

Seeing that it was getting late, Ang also prepared to leave.

"Let's go," he said to Margherita.

"So soon? Aren't we staying a little longer?" Margherita seemed somewhat reluctant to leave.

"You don't dance anyway. Isn't it boring to stay here? We might as well return to the inn and rest early." Ang's tone was calm, as though he had not noticed the