"What's going on?" Berentan stopped and saw that it was the black-haired woman next to the girl who spoke, "Does the beautiful and charming Agent Xia Sha have any advice?"
"I..." Xia Yibing paused, but still insisted, "I hope to go with His Highness."
The other members of Team 17 looked at her in surprise.
He is the prince. Is it necessary for Hitzfeld to take care of the prince to this extent?
She'd never been this devoted to anyone before, and with her loyalty to the crown...this was not like her at all!
"I can stay away from you, Your Highness, and you can even send someone to monitor me."
Xia Yibing risked her life. She controlled herself not to look at Berentan's frown and continued, "Please allow me to be presumptuous... It's true that a God Erosion who can control power is too important for the current situation!"
"Then follow me." The prince was a little unhappy, but perhaps because he considered that she was also a woman, he did not say much.
The team split into two groups at this point. The others were led away by Chaman, while Hitzfeld and the other man followed Berentin to the backyard.
It's very big and quiet here.
The craftsmen who built the garden were undoubtedly sensible. None of the roads here are paved with pebbles, but only smooth marble - obviously taking into account the possibility that guests might wear high heels.
Hitzfeld…also wore high heels for the first time.
She asked Xia Yibing to help her put on her shoes. On the one hand, the hem of her skirt was complicated, and if she put it on herself, her movements would be too big, which might cause wrinkles in the fabric.
On the other hand, she had never worn such shoes before. Not only did she need a woman to help her put them on, but she also needed a woman to support her and train her on how to walk.
Fortunately, these shoes are not too high.
The heel is about five centimeters, so she doesn't have to stand on tiptoe.
But the feeling of having to hold her chest up all the time still made her very tired, and she hoped that everything would be over soon.
"Your Highness." Seeing that the environment was quiet enough, she couldn't help but speak, "You just mentioned that this ceremonial dress is the legacy left by the guardian dukes. What exactly do you mean..."
In fact, she wanted to know more about what Villefort was doing and whether he went to discuss with Vesta and others how to deal with Ethan.
Of course, there are also the old royal party.
But speaking out on the street was already very rude, so she had to be more tactful. Let's start with this topic.
"Protect the Duke..." Berentan murmured.
Hitzfeld was very careful, always keeping himself in a state where he seemed to be parallel to him but was always half a step behind.
His profile was angular, with no beard on his lips or chin, and he looked about the same age as Prince Tenize.
But he is much stronger than Bitney.
Every move, even an expression or a look, carries a strong personal will.
But he is not ostentatious, making it difficult for people to guess his true thoughts based on his expression.
It is no exaggeration to say that Berentin already has the demeanor of a king.
He remained silent, and Hitzfeld and Xia Yibing also remained silent.
All I could do was follow him until we passed a row of beech trees and the view in front of us suddenly opened up.
"Look there." The prince suddenly raised his cane and pointed to the left side of the road ahead.
Following the instructions, Hitzfeld saw a gray-white sculpture over there.
It was a very strange thing, for it consisted of a broken base, three-quarters of which had disappeared, not to mention the part which had been the sculpture.
"The name of this road is Light and Shadow Forest Road. If you keep walking along this road without stopping and maintain a normal pace, you can enter the palace in 9 minutes... It is connected to the garden of the White Shadow Palace."
The prince narrowed his eyes, as if he was telling them history.
"This place existed a long, long time ago, before Sara was built."
"This isn't the only sculpture base, there are seventeen of the same thing along this road."
"they are……"
"According to records, they are the 17 dukes who guarded the ancient dynasty of Sara. These sculptures should have been specially built here by the rulers of the ancient dynasty to honor them. One of the purposes may be to let them keep an eye on this road and the people who walk from here to the royal power."
"It's a pity that all the statues have been destroyed due to the passage of time..."
At this point, Berentin showed some regret.
"I can imagine that during that period, there were a total of 17 dukes... It was a great honor to be trusted by the king and have these people by his side."
It was normal for him to think so, because the Duke... Sarah has not yet conferred a Duke.
In this country, only the Duke is qualified to own a real private estate.
The administrative system that Hitzfeld currently smelled had a strong whiff of dictatorship, and the rulers obviously would not do such a thing to disperse power.
How can I explain this kind of thing?
It cannot be said that there is no trust.
But I don't even want to give you the chance to betray me.
In the intervals between talking and expressing their feelings, they had already walked a distance.
Hitzfeld spotted the second sculpture base.
Berentin was still reminiscing about history, and she did not interrupt him.
It was not until the third pedestal appeared before her eyes that she asked, "Your Highness...are there one every thirty steps?"
"Oh?" Berentin raised his eyebrows.
"You can just say what you mean."
"I mean, if the distance is this long, it shouldn't take more than nine minutes to reach the White Shadow Palace."
The normal walking speed is one step per second. Taking the height and body size of an average person into consideration, the interval between passing each statue is 30 seconds.
There are seventeen statue bases, and if you multiply them by 17x30, the resulting time should be 8 minutes and 30 seconds. Even if there is an error, it cannot be "exactly 9 minutes".
Unless Berentin was mistaken.
Not seventeen statues, but eighteen...
"Oh, you said that!"
Berentin slapped his head.
"Indeed! I've thought about this, too. The last section of the road seems a bit long... It looks like there should be one more statue."
"But there is no eighteenth statue, Hitzfeld."
“There’s not even a base.”
"There has never been an 18th Duke of the dynasty in history."
“Maybe our ancestors made a mistake.”
Chapter 66: Probing and Cooperation
Hitzfeld didn't dwell too much on the statue.
Her knowledge and attention to these things were not as good as Berentan's, and the reason she forced herself to bring it up was just to refresh the other party's impression of her.
Hearing a lot is different from seeing it with your own eyes... She guessed that the young prince had the same problem as everyone else. Since she still needed his help, she naturally had to find a way to bring the two sides closer.
But she did not gain nothing.
At the very least, Berentan's research confirmed her guess: the White Shadow Palace, including the entire Port of Wayne, the prototype of this city should have existed long ago and was not built from scratch by King Torredo.
Add to that the royal shield which is obviously different from the symbol of the Sara royal family - poplar wood. No matter how you look at it, the Sara royal family is more like a reserved guest, who has inherited the entire tradition of an ancient dynasty and whose lives are full of traces of the other party.
It's no wonder that King Torredo was upset. Which king could tolerate this?
"So this ceremonial dress is not actually cursed?" Xia Yibing was still more concerned about the clothes.
She had originally thought it was a mistake, that it was just a high-quality imitation. But Berentin's attitude made her unsure, and she was more concerned about Hitzfeld's personal safety than history.
"The curse is just a rumor. After all, anyone who touches it will be burned to death. They are not wrong to say so." Berentin nodded. "But in fact, the record left in the file of this dress is... it may exist for the purpose of selecting some kind of qualifications."
"Selection? Qualification?"
"Don't ask me what it is. I don't know either." The prince shook his head. "There is only one file about protecting the Duke, and it is badly damaged. The record stops here. We can only guess at the details."
"For example, me." He turned around and smiled at the girl, "I have speculated that this thing might be used by the monarch at that time to choose a concubine."
"Because there have always been legends and records that the Sara royal family has an ambiguous relationship with the Sun King... I thought that perhaps the royal power of the ancient dynasty also possesses power related to fire. There are not many mortals who can withstand this power, so... cough cough!"
The topic gradually became a little inappropriate, and Berentin coughed twice to maintain his dignity.
But since he told them these things in this manner, it meant that he really had no interest in Hitzfeld.
Xia Yibing completely relaxed and became more sensitive to him.
"Oh, and there is another guess that this is a real 'ceremonial garment'," Berentin said, "It is used in rituals and ceremonies... such as ceremonies and sacrifices. Maybe it was a sacrifice to the Sun King in ancient times. They selected the purest girl and forced her to wear the clothes. Then she was burned to death by the terrible divine fire, and her soul was taken to heaven... to serve the gods."
Could it be something so barbaric?
Hitzfeld frowned inwardly.
She didn't think so... because if this thing had anything to do with those effects, how could it be black?
Ceremony and sacrifice, what kind of solemn occasion would that be? The clergy present were mostly in white robes, and the nuns wore black, but it was the simplest style. She could hardly imagine this skirt appearing in such a place.
But she kind of wanted to believe it.
At least these theories do explain why it establishes a connection with its left eye.
"In short, no one cares what this thing was chosen for." Berentin settled the topic. "As long as someone can wear it and it looks good on them, no one will think she should pay a price for it... I even think that this dress should be kept by her - you like it too, right? Hitzfeld?"
"This! Your Highness, this is too expensive!" Hitzfeld frowned.
This stuff has no side effects for her.
If what Charman said was true, and it was truly impervious to water, fire, swords, and guns, and could not be damaged in any way, then wouldn't the person wearing it be like wearing a bulletproof vest?
Although it may not have much shock-absorbing function and it is actually impossible for anyone to wear it into the battlefield, for the nobles, anything that can save their lives is extremely expensive.
"Just keep it if I give it to you. I'm just wondering what to do with it." Berentan waved his hand. "If it's hard to place it, tell Batty. Don't you have a good relationship with him? The Security Bureau is the best at storing things like this."
The two people behind him became nervous.
Now that Villefort was mentioned, the topic finally got on track.
"By the way, do you like watching opera?"
But Berentin changed the subject again, from Batti Villefort to art appreciation, "I know a lot of good theater companies, such as the Plantagenet. Their opera has a part about guarding the Duke... Although it is fictitious, it is also very good. You should really listen to it when you have time..."
He chattered on and on, from the opera to the Plantagenet Company, introducing the company's lead singer in detail. He also talked about the museum where the incident happened before, and lamented that such a great king did not even have a few people who really knew how to appreciate it, and actually left the vase in the storage room.
Is he serious or is he testing something in this way?
Hitzfeld couldn't figure out what this man was thinking for the time being.
Vase... Doesn't he know that the vase was replaced?
"I've heard your story."
Suddenly, the topic turned to her.
"You were raised by Lilith Gray for a period of time. I heard that she was a very old-fashioned and orthodox person. Before I met you, I had always wondered if you had inherited some of these traits. When I saw you, I knew I was right."
When he said this, his tone sounded somewhat "unfriendly".
"Isn't that the reason you chose this dress just because of that accident?"
Hitzfeld was a little embarrassed.
Of course she knew what Berentin was talking about - because it was the least revealing of all the skirts.
"Old school is good. There's nothing wrong with it. Don't feel ashamed."
Berentin seemed very happy. He turned around and started walking back with them.
"Your Highness." Seeing that he was about to change the subject to the old school again, Hitzfeld was forced to remind him: "Compared to all this, I am more concerned about the reason why Your Highness invited me to the banquet."
"That doesn't matter." Berentin curled his lips.
"Who wouldn't want to get to know a beautiful and capable noble woman? Especially since she's a detective... I also hope to be helped when I get into trouble~"
Hitzfeld began to have a headache.
She really wasn't used to dealing with royal children; these people were too slow in their words and deeds.
