"...," Mira Carlisle said with a forced smile, "There's no such thing as mermaids. They're just urban legends." She mimicked what a "normal person" would say in such a situation. Sure enough, Cecil Barton, the only normal person there, responded, "Yeah, what does a mermaid even look like? I'd really like to see one. Do they have legs? Can they talk?" Leizer Mill's dark eyes suddenly swept over to him, "Are you very interested in mermaids?" "Of course, I'm interested... uh..." Cecil Barton stopped halfway, sensing a dangerous aura from Leizer Mill's gaze. Was he displeased with his frivolous remark? He quickly corrected himself, "Not really... mermaids don't exist anyway. I was just speaking off the cuff." Unexpectedly, Leizer Mill changed his tone and looked at Mira Carlisle with a sly smile, "Who says they don't exist? There's one right in front of us." Mira Carlisle's eyelid twitched, "Duke Leizer, you really love to joke. This is just a costume." Leizer Mill rotated the mask in his hand, as if making idle chatter but with a persistent curiosity, "Out of so many costumes, why did you choose a mermaid?" "I chose randomly." "So, you're a random woman?" "Sorry to disappoint you, Duke Leizer, but I'm not a woman," Mira Carlisle said shockingly, "Strictly speaking, I'm not a pure woman. Five years ago, I had a sex change operation in Thailand." Both Cecil Barton and Pauline Ricardo were stunned. Wh-what?! "Oh?" Leizer Mill raised an eyebrow, "A sex change operation?" "Yes." Mira Carlisle knew he would find it disgusting. After all, the upper-class society despised such things. But that's exactly the effect she wanted—to disgust him so much that he wouldn't want to do business with her, allowing her to smoothly retreat. Then she heard Leizer Mill click his tongue, "The surgery was quite successful." What kind of comment is that? "...Actually, it wasn't very successful. I had some complications and infections. I still have to go to Thailand for repairs every year," Mira Carlisle decided to go all in, "So now I'm neither a woman nor a man. I'm more of a hermaphrodite." Isn't that disgusting enough? Shouldn't he be completely repulsed by now? But Leizer Mill didn't show the expected disgust. Instead, he said with meaningful emphasis, "Interesting. I like unique species." He emphasized the word "unique." Mira Carlisle, "?" Leizer Mill suddenly threw aside the mask, took a few steps towards her, grabbed her wrist, and effortlessly pulled her in front of him. He was very tall, looking down at her, his thin lips uttering the words that the surrounding women dreamed of hearing, "You'll be my dance partner tonight." What? What was going on? Did he have such a peculiar taste? Mira Carlisle never expected things to develop this way. Being so close to him made her nervous, fearing she might be exposed. She immediately pushed him away with both hands, "Sorry, I never dance with men." "Then tonight will be your first." Leizer Mill held her struggling hands, domineeringly leading her to the large dance floor beside them. The dance floor was already filled with couples dancing, and the moment Leizer Mill and Mira Carlisle entered, they became the center of attention— The handsome man in a royal knight's uniform and the woman in a deep blue mermaid costume seemed to be enacting the most enchanting love myth of ancient Europe. Mira Carlisle, led into the dance floor by Leizer Mill, was bewildered by this unexpected turn. She tried hard to pull her hand back from his grip, "Let go of me, you damn—" Leizer Mill squinted, "Damn what?" "...," Mira Carlisle swallowed the word "bastard," knowing it wouldn't benefit her to anger him now. Forcing a smile, she said, "You damn—costume doesn't suit dancing. Let's sit down and talk about the investment instead?" "We can talk while dancing." "Getting distracted can lead to mistakes." "No worries, I have plenty of money." "..." Leizer Mill suddenly let go of her hand, and before Mira Carlisle could step back, his large hand was already on her slender waist, his cold palm pressing against her warm skin. It was already evening, and mermaids naturally had a higher body temperature at night. Mira Carlisle was born this way. "Your body is really warm." Leizer Mill's dark eyes flashed with a smile, "Are you feeling unwell?" "I'm having a cold and fever recently. After all, my sex change surgery caused long-term infections. My body is hot every day," Mira Carlisle gritted her teeth, adding, "Maybe it's a virus that could infect you?" "Nice, I like the feeling of warmth." "...What if the virus I carry is deadly?" "Then we should dance well before we die." "..." Leizer Mill suddenly spun her around, leading her into a waltz. Mira Carlisle squinted her emerald eyes mischievously, no longer struggling, but instead quickening her pace... Want to dance? Bring it on, I'll dance you to death! She had a natural sense of balance, even in high heels. She could dance effortlessly. Unexpectedly, the faster she danced, the faster Leizer Mill followed. When she slowed down, he slowed down too. Occasionally, she deliberately made a wrong step, hoping to trip him up, but Leizer Mill responded flawlessly, even holding her and saying meaningfully, "Be careful." When the music ended, everyone present couldn't help but applaud. It was the first time they'd seen a couple dance a waltz so beautifully and breathtakingly! Leizer Mill held Mira Carlisle, and they both stopped simultaneously, standing firm without missing a beat. In the next moment, Leizer Mill suddenly reached up to remove the mask from Mira Carlisle's face—