Xia De was about to bid farewell to Mr. Anlos, but then he remembered something he had been thinking about all afternoon:
"Has Mrs. Cook's child been found?"
Miss Tifa Servett, the maid beside him, heard the question and smiled, shaking her head. A Detective was indeed this kind of person, while Mr. Anlos was startled:
"Who is... oh, that middle-aged woman? Yes, they found the child. The police raided that alley and found three missing children. The woman you mentioned burst into tears on the spot. The whereabouts of more children are still being investigated. This is the biggest case in Tobesk this Summer, and with the people arrested this time, there will definitely be answers."
"That's great."
Xia De breathed a sigh of relief. He had even been shot trying to find that child, and if he hadn't found them in the end, that would have been truly terrible.
Although Mrs. Cook couldn't offer him a generous reward, the immense satisfaction Xia De gained from this matter was enough to compensate for the time spent.
"Hamilton, you..."
Mr. Anlos was about to leave, but before opening the door, he turned back to look at Xia De. The middle-aged man smiled at him, and this smile was the most genuine of their two meetings:
"I'm not some life mentor for young people, but someone like you is truly rare. I heard that you decided to help that woman just because you encountered her today... Agents don't need mercy, and fortunately, you're not an agent."
He nodded to Xia De:
"Young man, you're really good. You have a bright future. I'll contact you if anything comes up. Make sure to rest and recover at home these days, and if you need anything, write directly to that place."
After speaking, he left without looking back. His steps were much lighter compared to the heavy steps he took when entering the room.
Xia De was still waiting until seven in the evening. Fortunately, the people here had prepared dinner for him and specifically arranged a dining area. During this time, Miss Tifa Servett stayed by Xia De's side the entire time but did not eat with him.
Xia De also tried to invite her to sit down with him, but the maid just smiled and shook her head.
On their way back to the waiting room from the temporary dining room, they brushed past a group of middle-aged gentlemen with very strange accents. They were complaining that they had waited all day without being summoned, and it seemed that King Larus III was truly very busy.
Soon after returning to the waiting room, someone else came to visit Xia De. This time it was Queen Diana and Miss Jialinna. The Queen was the same age as the King, both much older than Miss Jialinna. Although Queen Diana herself was a pretty beauty, when standing next to Miss Jialinna, she appeared slightly ordinary.
This made Xia De once again feel the abnormal charm of the Great Witch.
The Queen had come specifically to thank Xia De. She was very kind and spoke softly. She first inquired about Xia De's physical condition, then talked about his work, and even apologized for making him wait so long.
She was a very good woman, excellent both as a wife and as a Queen. Besides her verbal thanks, before she left, she took off the ruby ring on her finger and gave it to Xia De, even smiling and saying that she heard Xia De liked rhode cards, so she planned to find a valuable Rhode Card to thank him.
Miss Jialinna did not leave with Queen Diana but continued to sit on the long sofa opposite Xia De. Xia De looked at her hesitantly:
"You didn't tell Queen Diana that I like rhode cards, did you?"
"Yes, it was me. Is there anything wrong with that?"
The Duchess asked, her slender neck appearing even whiter against the court dress.
Xia De wanted to refute that he didn't like rhode cards, but the words stopped at his lips. Valuable rhode cards were also valuable, and it was pointless to refute it now:
"All right, I do like rhode cards."
He played with the ruby ring in his hand. Although it was a gift from the Queen and couldn't be easily sold in the near future, just having such a thing in his hand gave him a feeling of being very wealthy.
"You see, I knew you'd like it."
The beautiful red-haired woman said, then tilted her head to look out the window. Because the gas lamps and crystal chandeliers in the room were too bright, the refraction of the glass made it almost a mirror, reflecting the three people in the room.
Her lips curved slightly upward, her fair skin contrasting sharply with her clearly lined, rosy lips:
"Back to business, did you really just happen to get hit by a bullet? You probably don't know, but about 200 steps behind you at that time, there was a Thirteen Ring Sorcerer from the Sun Church standing there. I didn't feel anything was wrong, and he didn't feel anything was wrong... How exactly did you do it?"
Her gaze was probing as she looked at Xia De, with a hint of a smile. Xia De himself thought about his experience that morning, feeling both lingering fear and amusement:
"The dice of fate."
The maid, Miss Tifa Servett, nodded in agreement:
"Yes, among the relics I'm temporarily keeping for the Detective, there is indeed that one."
Entering Yodel Palace required a body search, even if Xia De saved the Queen, he had to be searched. So, his miscellaneous items were temporarily kept by her. To prevent future trouble, Xia De specifically explained the vague functions of those relics.
"You're really bold. That certainly makes sense."
Jialinna tapped her chin with her finger. Xia De realized that this seemed to be their first formal face-to-face conversation.
Talking to Miss Jialinna through the door, he always felt pressure because he couldn't see her. But talking face-to-face, he wasn't nervous at all. Galina Cavendish's attitude was very approachable, which was different from Xia De's imagination.
"Detective, you did very well today. I won't say too many words of praise. I can guarantee that you will at least receive a Delarion Honorary Knight's Medal this time."
Xia De thought of the divination he had done at the Prophet Association and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Don't you think it's enough? The Honorary Knight's Medal, at most 20 are awarded in a year. The last time it was given to a commoner without a noble title was fifteen years ago. This is a very high honor."
Miss Jialinna said. Xia De shook his head, leaning back against the sofa to make his sitting posture more comfortable:
"I don't really value that."
He was destined to leave the civilized world and go to Saint Byron's Comprehensive College in the far north. These honors, while not useless in the college, would have little impact.
"You will gradually find that some presentable honors will make life simpler. In the past, the Honorary Knight's Medal was almost equivalent to the knightly class, but unfortunately, there are no knights now."
The Duchess said with some regret, but then seemed to think of something interesting:
"But if you can make more contributions, I do have a way to get you a noble title."
"Is that possible?"
"For me, it's as simple as can be."
She said, gently tapping the armrest of the single sofa with her finger, her tone becoming a little more serious:
"However, Detective, I hope you can be more cautious next time. That dice you mentioned is not a toy. I rarely think highly of someone, so don't use your life to prove that I was wrong about you."
Xia De knew this was a warning to him. After this incident, he also understood this principle, just like when he lost control of the darkness box:
"Miss Jialinna, I will never dare to manipulate fate again."
The last few words were emphasized, and that expression surprised the Great Witch in front of him:
"Hmm... It's good that you understand. I always feel like you have another story."
