"...Hydra from Sokovia base will send a special envoy here tonight," Walter whispered, "With this cover, we can get into their core database tonight."
"I have replaced the royal family's handed down jewels with fake ones," Felicia said with a confident smile on his lips, "We will take action tonight."
Peter lowered his head and took a sip of red wine to hide the smile at the corner of his mouth.
At this moment, the heavy oak door of the hall was pushed open with a bang.
Symkaria King, with a smile on his face, led a man in military uniform wearing a monocle and a haughty expression to walk in.
"Everyone, allow me to solemnly introduce tonight's distinguished guest -" the king raised his wine glass, "From the chief strategic ally of Sokovia, Baron Strucker!"
The audience burst into applause.
Peter's eyes were suddenly as cold as a knife.
Hydra's top executives... finally showed up.
The dinner went quickly.
There was almost only ten minutes between each course. The five exquisite dishes were quickly removed, and the desserts were immediately served.
During the entire meal, Felicia said nothing. From time to time, she whispered into her parents' ears. She glanced at the Hydra executives in the dining room with vigilance, without even glancing at Peter from the beginning to the end.
Peter doesn't mind. His attention is also entirely on Strucker - after all, Loki's Mind Stone Scepter is in the hands of this man. Infinity Stones falls into an organization like Hydra, and the degree of danger is self-evident.
"Sokovia's people are too cowardly."
Strucker's voice echoed in the restaurant. His voice was loud, and there was a condescending arrogance in his words, and the nobles around him seemed happy to listen to his spiel.
"They are simply not comparable to the powerful Symkaria." Strucker skillfully catered to the vanity of everyone present, "As long as we have the assistance of our organization, we can stabilize the border for you and restore prosperity and stability to this great country."
Many guests had moving smiles on their faces and agreed.
However, Silver's father Duke Ernst sneered.
"Then, what price do you want from us for being so 'generous'?"
"Oh, Duke Ernst." Strucker sighed and spread his hands, "It's very simple. What I want is the same as everyone else - peace."
"Peace bought by murder and slavery is no peace at all."
Silver interjected coldly.
Duke Ernst's eyes flashed with approval, while the king and royal family members on the throne instantly darkened their faces.
"Take care of your daughter, Ernst!" the king shouted sternly, "Don't be so rude to your distinguished guests!"
"It's okay, don't break your peace because of me." Strucker showed a false smile, turned to look at Silver, his tone was like teaching a naive child, "So, Duchess Sable, what kind of peace do you yearn for in your heart?"
"At least there will be peace where the people will not become slaves." Silver tit for tat.
"So... you'd rather watch them die?"
"I would rather they die free than be enslaved like animals for the rest of their lives."
"What a typical Western thinking." Strucker sneered, "It seems that you have stayed with those United States people for too long, and your mind is filled with their naive slogans."
His gaze pointedly swept over the Felicia family. The Hardy couple and Felicia stared back coldly without showing any signs of weakness.
"Maybe," Silver said coldly, "But that doesn't mean that 'pursuing freedom' is wrong."
"Judge a person by what he does, not what he says." Strucker took a sip of red wine and said slowly, "Do you know why Loki and his alien army came to the earth? It's all thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s unauthorized research on forces beyond their control. This is the good deeds of the country you are trying to protect, little girl."
The nobles around started talking in low voices, and it was obvious that many of them were persuaded by Strucker.
Silver's eyes were full of disgust and coldness. She turned to look at Felicia, and the two exchanged a hidden look. Then Silver noticed that Peter was looking at her, and shrugged inconspicuously, indicating that she was fine.
The dinner party soon came to an end.
The king stood up, smiled and waved to everyone, "Tonight's entertainment program has officially begun. Everyone, let's dance to our heart's content!"
The guests stood up with cheers and followed the royal family members into the already decorated banquet and ballroom.
Peter followed the Hardy family leisurely. They stood in the corner at the edge of the dance floor and watched coldly as the noble men and women slid onto the dance floor.
"Tony, what do you think of Strucker's proposal?" Walter Hardy suddenly turned his head and looked at Peter with a warm smile.
Peter narrowed his eyes and uttered a few words coldly. "I think he is mentally ill."
Walter twitched the corner of his mouth and whispered, "I suggest you keep your mouth shut, Tony, the walls here have ears."
"It's a pity that I don't have any brains." Peter sneered.
He really didn't like the old man. Although the real reason why Felicia left him may not all be due to Walter, this old guy definitely couldn't escape his involvement.
"Okay, Mr. Hardy, don't embarrass him." Silver walked over with a smile, "Tony has always been unforgiving, and this is what makes him charming."
"You are quite useful." Felicia snorted from the side.
"Of course." Silver raised his eyebrows and turned to Peter, "Well, handsome guy, aren't you going to ask me to dance?"
Peter looked over her shoulder towards the dance floor, and saw Strucker holding the Prime Minister's wife's waist, and the two were chatting and laughing happily.
It's a good opportunity to get close and eavesdrop.
Peter raised the corner of his mouth slightly and handed over a hand. "It's an honor."
A trace of surprise flashed in Silver's eyes, as if she didn't expect him to agree so easily. She took Peter's arm and winked at Felicia: "You are so slow."
Felicia rolled his eyes and watched the two of them enter the dance floor.
The crowd around him wisely moved out of the way, and many curious eyes fell on Peter.
"To be honest, Tony," Silver stood still to the beat and asked with a low voice, "Can you dance?"
"Don't worry, my teachers are of extremely high standards."
Peter held her waist, held her palm firmly with his other hand, and led her lightly into the melody.
Silver was slightly startled. As the steps of the two matched perfectly with the classical dance music, she was surprised to find that Peter controlled the rhythm of the entire dance almost in an instant.
This is exactly one of the lurking skills that Natasha taught him back then - to take the absolute dominant position in the pas de deux, so that the target is busy keeping up with his own pace and has no time to pay attention to the movements around him.