At eight o'clock in the evening, in the ballroom on the top floor of the Santiago, over a hundred well-dressed men and women were clustered together, chatting.
Many exquisite dishes were laid out on the long table, but everyone seemed to have little interest in the food, mostly just holding a glass of wine and talking.
Roy was quite annoyed by this obvious waste. Since he hadn't had dinner yet, he started eating heartily at the long table as if no one else was around.
This action drew the curiosity of many people. Everyone was wondering who would behave so unrefinedly in such a social setting.
Because of this, Serena felt a bit embarrassed.
The pointing and whispering from the surrounding upper-class people felt like they were directed right at Serena's face. She had no choice but to tug at Roy's arm.
"Roy, you look awful doing that!"
"Serena, I have to eat something, or I'm going to lose my mind!"
Roy wasn't kidding. Being hungry would let his physical instincts take over, his willpower would constantly decline, and he didn't know what would happen in the end.
Right now, Roy already felt like he was going crazy with hunger.
"Can't you just hold on until the party's over to eat? It's really embarrassing like this!"
Roy felt a little speechless. If Serena hadn't kept dragging him around choosing clothes, he wouldn't be this hungry.
Just as he was about to argue with Serena, he heard a familiar voice.
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"Well, well, aren't you making a spectacle of yourself, Serena!"
Nate, who had appeared at the American athletes' party before, showed up again. This time, however, he was accompanied by a middle-aged man who looked somewhat similar to him.
It must be Nate's father.
As soon as she heard Nate's voice, Serena immediately shifted her anger. She couldn't really bring herself to be mad at Roy, so she could only direct her frustration at Nate for being nosy.
"What's it to you!"
This attitude made the middle-aged man beside Nate a bit unhappy.
"Serena, isn't your attitude a bit impolite? Is this how Charles taught you?"
The middle-aged man was burly and had a paternalistic air. Although he was helping his son Nate, Nate's expression looked constipated, probably because he'd been lectured like this plenty of times at home.
Serena's face turned incredibly dark at that remark, but she was afraid of making things even more awkward if she reacted.
After all, this luxury cruise ship was owned by Serena's father, and causing too much of a scene would somewhat affect Charles's business plans.
"How I teach my daughter is none of your business, Howard Archibald!"
At this moment, Charles walked out with a young, beautiful female companion, looking displeased at Nate's father, Howard.
Howard lifted his head arrogantly, looking at Charles and Serena with a disdainful gaze.
"I just want your daughter to learn some basic etiquette of high society. After all, this isn't the countryside of Texas, and the guests here aren't those crude Dixie people."
"Dixie people" is a general term for people from the Southern states of America, contrasting with "Yankees" who refer to people from the Northern states. It's a form of regional discrimination and a social hierarchy specific to America.
This is mainly because the Yankees were among the first descendants of the Mayflower to land on the new continent and considered themselves founding heroes, while the Southerners were mostly farmers.
Coupled with the historically famous Civil War, this led to the American North and South, despite having similar ethnic structures, being sharply divided and mutually contemptuous.
So Howard's words were basically like pointing a finger at Charles and cursing him, and Charles's face immediately turned red.
Judging by this, Charles and Howard must have had conflicts before, and their attitude wasn't solely because of their children.
He just didn't know why Nate, this kid, was still pursuing Serena given the conflict between their fathers.
But Howard was cursing, and he had to launch a "carpet bomb," hitting Roy as well.
Roy had been born and raised in Texas his whole life, so how could he let Howard curse him like this?
And so, Roy put down his food and stood up.
"Heh! You Yankees only know how to do flashy, superficial things. When it comes down to it, it's us Dixie people who have to defend this country. If it weren't for the Dixie people, this country would have fallen apart long ago!"
Yes, America's military recruitment has always been led by the conservative Southern states, especially Texas, which is always at the top, followed by California.
But California isn't considered part of the Yankee faction; the West Coast is also part of the Yankee's chain of contempt.
Among the thirteen states that founded America, only Virginia can help the Yankees save face. The problem is that Virginia is home to the Pentagon and America's largest naval base, so how many of the people there are native Virginians?
Roy looked at Howard with disdain. Isn't it just regional discrimination? Who can't do that?
Moreover, Roy wouldn't be bothered by the insult to Texas; after all, he didn't really consider himself a Texan deep down.
Howard's face turned red and then pale from Roy's direct insult, and he immediately started cursing.
"You little punk! I was a Navy Captain when you weren't even born! What right do you have to say such things?"
This guy was actually a retired Navy Captain? No wonder he acted like this.
But being a military man made things much easier. Roy remembered Nate's move at the last party, so he put on an expression of anger and embarrassment.
"You dare insult me! I demand a duel with you!"
Nate had proposed a duel with Roy at the last party, but that guy chickened out. Roy, however, wouldn't back down.
Roy's demand for a duel wouldn't work on others, but who told Howard he used to be a Navy Captain?
A Navy Captain couldn't possibly back down, could he?
Howard's eyes were full of rage. Just as he was about to agree, his son Nate quickly whispered Roy's identity in his ear.
The newly crowned Olympic heavyweight boxing champion. Someone with that level of strength, unless they were a special forces soldier skilled in combat, definitely couldn't be beaten.
Seriously, don't think soldiers have overly strong overall abilities. Many athletes are definitely better than special forces soldiers in their specific disciplines.
Otherwise, why wouldn't special forces soldiers compete in the Olympics? Is it because they don't want to?
Howard's rage was instantly extinguished. He felt like he had almost fallen for Roy's trap.
If he really got provoked by Roy and then got beaten black and blue, that would be truly humiliating.
However, Howard was still quite upset and wanted to teach Roy a lesson.
"Hmph! A duel is fine, but I want to duel you with guns!"
The surrounding people erupted in an uproar, and more and more people gathered around.
Watching a spectacle is a beloved hobby of the people, regardless of gender, age, or social class.
Serena looked at Roy with worry all over her face. She started regretting her impulsive actions earlier that had led to the current uncontrollable situation.
Charles, however, saw the confidence in Roy's eyes and leaned over to ask him quietly.
"Mr. Black, are you confident?"
"Don't worry, Mr. Wayland, I'm an excellent Texas cowboy!"
This reassured Charles. If he could make Howard lose face publicly, he certainly wouldn't refuse, especially since it wouldn't be his reputation on the line if things went wrong.
"Mr. Black, I believe in you. Give him a taste of his own medicine!"
Of course, Charles definitely wouldn't let Roy and Howard have a real gun duel. Although the Santiago was already in international waters and, according to the Santiago's registration, a real gun duel wouldn't have any legal risks.
The problem was that Charles still had to live and work in New York, so he had to be mindful of the repercussions.
And so, Charles found two replica revolvers, made sure the bullets inside were blanks, and then allowed the two to begin their duel.
"Kid, I was the Navy's shooting champion back in the day. It's not too late to surrender now!"
Amidst the jeers and cheers of the crowd, Howard was clearly regretting it a little, which was why he said something like that.
Roy sneered. Forget about the Navy's shooting champion, he wouldn't be afraid even if the world shooting champion came.
"That's perfect then. I'm the best cowboy in Waterfall Town. Let me see the level of you Yankees today."
Howard was in a difficult position and had no choice but to begin the duel.
The referee wasn't Charles; Howard didn't trust him, so he found a member of the rifle association present to act as the referee.
A large area was cleared in the ballroom. Roy and Howard stood facing each other at a distance of fifty meters, and the referee began explaining the specific rules.
"Gentlemen, I'm holding a ball in my hand. When the ball hits the ground, the duel begins. No shooting prematurely, and no attacking below the eyes or hitting the groin. Anyone who violates the rules will be ruled as losing."
Even with blank rounds, it was still relatively dangerous to hit certain areas. The referee didn't want to take risks, so he chose the safest rules.
Roy and Howard both nodded to show they understood the rules.
Then, the referee picked up the ball and tossed it into the air.
Roy and Howard both put their hands on their gun grips, ready to draw.
The moment the ball hit the ground, it was high noon!
Howard had only just drawn his gun when Roy had already fired all the blank rounds from the revolver's cylinder.
One shot hit Howard's finger, making him drop his revolver, and the remaining five bullets all hit Howard in the chest, all landing on the same spot.
By the time Howard came back to his senses, Roy was already smugly blowing on the muzzle of his gun.
"Heh, a Navy Captain is nothing special! You weren't relying on your family background to become a Navy Captain, were you?"
Although military aristocracy is quite common in America, Roy saying it like that was outright humiliation.
Howard's face was red like a boiled crab, and he turned to leave, but Charles blocked him with a smile.
"Howard, leaving so soon? You haven't forgotten the procedure after a duel, have you?"
Not just killing, but also attacking the heart!
Charles really disliked Howard. He didn't give him any face at all, determined to make him lose face in public.
Howard's teeth ground together, but in the end, he didn't dare to renege. Otherwise, his reputation would be ruined, and how would he do business in the future?
Finally, having no choice, Howard could only go up to Roy and lower his head to admit his mistake.
"Mr. Black, I'm sorry."
After a very quick apology, Howard slapped the still-stunned Nate and dragged him away.
Howard didn't want to stay in that ballroom for another second. If possible, he even wanted to jump into the sea and swim back to America.
The guests present felt the trip was well worth it, having witnessed quite a spectacle.
Charles immediately put his arm around Roy's shoulder, looking at Roy with the gaze of a potential son-in-law, which made Roy feel a chill.
"Oh, Roy, can I call you that? You truly are the pride of Texas! How I wish you were my son!"
Charles looked at Roy, then at his daughter, seemingly encouraging Serena to put in more effort.
For these upper-class Americans, it was completely normal for a man to have several mistresses. Some couples even had unconventional arrangements where they each pursued their own relationships, sometimes even together.
As long as the person they were married to was alright and there were no issues with the heirs, everything else was minor.
Now Charles very much hoped that Serena could win over Roy.
However, Serena completely missed Charles's gaze. She was currently looking at Roy with eyes full of admiration. Roy just now was too handsome, shining like the sun god Apollo.
"Then I'll call you Uncle Charles. If Uncle Charles wants to have a son like me, he can certainly keep trying. I'm sure your body is fine."
Roy gave a knowing glance at the beautiful female companion beside Charles, which made Charles burst out laughing.
"Forget it! One daughter, Serena, is enough for me. Now I just want to find a husband who is good enough for her, someone who can protect her when I'm not around."
When this topic came up, Serena seemed a little shy.
"Dad, what are you talking about!"
"Alright, alright! I won't say anymore! Roy, the charity auction is about to start. Is there anything you'd like to bid on?"
"I'll take a look later! Uncle Charles, don't worry about me, I have some spare cash. I'll just bid on a few things then."
The list for the charity auction had already been sent to the guests, but Roy had absolutely no interest in it and hadn't even looked.
Charles saw the expression on Roy's face and didn't think he was just pretending. He then gave Serena another look.
"Alright then, I need to go get ready. Please excuse me for a moment."
Charles left with his female companion.
Serena immediately hugged Roy's arm, almost leaning her entire body on him, her eyes blinking as she looked at him.
"Roy, your marksmanship is amazing! Do you go to the shooting range often to practice?"
"It's probably more about natural talent. I don't go to the shooting range too often."
Roy actually wanted to say that his other gun was even more impressive, but their relationship hadn't reached that point yet, and saying that might not be appropriate.
"Yeah, I occasionally go to the shooting range too. The instructors there can't do what you did, Roy. You must be a naturally gifted sharpshooter!"
Serena stared intently at Roy, feeling his strong heartbeat and masculine hormones.
Well, if they weren't in a public place, Serena might have wanted to get more hands-on.
Just then, the charity auction officially began.
It's still Queen S.