Having been in this world for two months, Xia De had grown accustomed to a cat suddenly leaping out from beside his pillow every time he woke up. It would either jump onto his chest, meowing for food, or rub its furry face against his face and the back of his hand.
Therefore, when Xia De awoke under an unfamiliar ceiling and didn't hear Mia's familiar meow, he felt a strange sense of loss.
“I haven't seen Mia for over 24 hours.”
The thought made Xia De feel even more disheartened.
It was 8 PM on Wednesday, and Xia De, having slept for twelve hours, felt quite refreshed. He heard the sound of an organ, as if a banquet was being held in the distance.
After slowly getting out of bed, he first noticed he was wearing a set of pajamas he had never seen before. Then he realized there was no one in the bedroom, but his original clothes and personal belongings were on the nightstand. He glanced over them, noticing that only the Witches' golden ring was missing.
“Hmm? Who changed my clothes?”
This was a room Xia De had never been in before. Its size was roughly equivalent to the living room and dining room of Xia De's Room 1 on the second floor. A double-door solid wood wardrobe stood in the corner, and opposite the four-poster bed with drapes, there was a desk. The desk's bookshelf was filled with books.
A painting of Coldwater Port's dock hung above the bed, and the floor where the bed stood was elevated by one step compared to the carpeted room floor. This bed also appeared to be a double bed.
A piano stood against the wall near the door. The Mermaid-shaped gas lamp above the piano, like the gas lamp by the bed and the one above the desk, was turned off.
“The gas lamps in Aurora Manor are all shaped like Mermaids; this is actually a hint. I should have realized earlier that the Witch could summon Mermaids.”
However, the room was not dark, as the curtains were not fully closed. Through the window, the three-colored Moonlight shone into the room, illuminating the quilt on Xia De, his hands, and his face.
Bathing in the Moonlight and taking deep breaths of the indoor air, Xia De was in a good mood. After all, he had saved Leia, gained a drop of divinity without much cost, and all his objectives in Coldwater Port were accomplished.
“Is the silver moon brighter tonight?”
Thinking this, he prepared to find slippers and get out of bed. But then he saw a pull cord above the nightstand, so he gently pulled it.
He, of course, couldn't hear the sound, but a corresponding bell would surely ring in the servants' quarters. Running people would inform Aurora that Xia De had awakened, and the Witch, who was undoubtedly busy with something, would likely see Xia De soon.
Inside the walls, there were not only gas lamp pipes and steam pipes, but also these bell cords that could summon servants from any room. They had been widely present in noble manors and great houses since before the beginning of the Steam Age.
From this perspective, the Steam Age didn't actually change all of people's habits.
From the Mermaid-shaped gas lamps on the wall, Xia De guessed that this was not Sophia's Great House but the Witch's Manor. His suspicion was confirmed when he changed his clothes and met the Witch waiting for him in the brightly lit Manor dining room.
“You woke up too late. Leticia Cavendish left Coldwater Port on a steam train an hour ago.”
Her beautiful brown curly long hair hung freely behind her head, unbound. The Witch had changed into a dress Xia De had never seen before and seemed to be in a very good mood, but Xia De didn't think she had caught Darkness.
“She's already gone? I thought Leia was also attending the banquet at your Manor. When this maid led me here just now, I saw how lively it was outside.”
Xia De asked in surprise, sitting on the left side of the main seat at the long dining table.
“The banquet outside? After the unfortunate events, people wanted to celebrate again, and I happened to be in a good mood, so I held another banquet. It's always so quiet here; it's nice to have some liveliness occasionally.”
The Witch rested her head on her hand, looking at Xia De:
“The Princess was originally scheduled to leave on Friday evening; otherwise, she wouldn't have come to my banquet on Tuesday night. But the King urged her to return quickly; something very serious happened in Tobesk. Otherwise, she would have at least waited until you woke up before leaving.”
The Witch said. For some reason, Xia De felt that her attitude towards him had improved considerably.
“Did Leia leave me a letter?”
Xia De asked again.
“No, she didn't trust me, fearing I would read the letter. Hamilton, I thought you'd be quite disappointed; the Princess left without even saying goodbye to you.”
Xi Wei Aurora said with a smile:
“However, aren't you curious about what happened in Tobesk? I bet, among everyone at the lively banquet outside, no more than five people know this news right now.”
She carefully observed Xia De's face. Although they had a long conversation over ten hours ago, the Witch hadn't paid much attention to Xia De's appearance then. Meeting in the brightly lit dining room now, and looking closely at the young Detective, even the Witch admitted that Xia De · Su Lun · Han Mi Er Dun was the kind of young man who could strongly attract young women.
“Tobesk… the mastermind behind the assassination of Queen Diana has been found.”
Xia De guessed wildly, but he stated it as a certainty.
“How did you guess that?”
The Witch asked with great interest. They chose to meet in the dining room because the servants were there, preparing dinner for Xia De. Aurora knew that Xia De didn't like banquets that weren't related to him.
The food cart had already been brought in, and Xia De glanced at it, feeling that he wasn't hungry:
“It's related to the royal family, and Leia must be involved, and it should be related to the major events of the past few weeks, because there were no clues before. Thinking this way, it can only be that the culprit behind Queen Diana's assassination has been found, and it should also be a member of the royal family. Larus III won't tell the public about this, but I think he would very much want all his children present when the culprit receives a suitable judgment.”
He took the napkin offered by the maid, thanked her softly, and then looked at Aurora:
“Did I guess correctly?”
“Partially correct. It was your superior, Dak Anlos, who found the culprit. He publicly claimed he was going on a business trip to the south, but in reality, he was organizing operations in Tobesk. Then…”
The Witch shook her head with a smile:
“When I received the news, it felt like I was reading a court novel. Leia Cavendish's brother, Prince Sax, who is seventh in line to the throne, led people with guns and stormed into Yodel Palace, and then he was pinned to the ground like a fat pig by the guards in front of the King and Queen. Tsk, tsk, tsk... I wonder what Jialinna thinks about this.”
Xia De noticed that servants were also preparing a plate and napkin for her; the Witch was going to dine with Xia De.
“Aren't you going to attend the banquet outside?”
He asked curiously. From here, he could still hear the melodious dance music and the low hum of people talking.
“What's so interesting about a banquet? If it were all pretty girls, I might be a little interested.”
She gracefully dipped her hands in the copper basin brought by the maid, wiped them with a handkerchief, and then gestured for Xia De not to imitate her, telling him he could do as he pleased.
“However, a Prince storming into Yodel Palace with a gun?”
Although Xia De was surprised, a smile appeared on his face. The Outsider also felt it was like a novel:
“Are there still such fools nowadays?”
“We must admit that not everyone is as intelligent as we are.”
The smile on Aurora's face remained unchanged:
“That's why your Princess was in such a hurry to go back; otherwise, I bet she would have…”
“She and I are just friends.”
Xia De emphasized, not wanting to damage Leia's reputation.
“You don't need to tell me that; you need to explain it to your Jialinna.”
She pointed to the badge that was now re-hung around Xia De's neck. Xia De gave an awkward smile:
“Jialinna and I…”
“You need to explain this to Princess Leia, not to me.”
This made the Witch laugh even more heartily.
When the Witches were not hostile towards Xia De, they always displayed this playful characteristic.
Dishes were placed on the table one by one, no less impressive than the banquet outside.
Gold and silver utensils gleamed under the candlelight, and the localized delicacies looked appetizing. The appetizer before the main meal was baked snails, which, though sounding intimidating, looked quite appetizing.
These were specially bred, high-quality snails boiled in water to extract the meat, then garlic, spices, and onions were sautéed in butter and stuffed back into the snail shells, sealed with butter, placed in special baking dishes, and baked in an oven before they could appear on the table.
Xia De wasn't very skilled at eating such “high-end” things. Aurora smiled and demonstrated the use of the specialized cutlery.
“So, has Darkness been found?”
He finally asked the question.
“No. When I entered the wine cellar, the passage you ran out of had already collapsed. I chased the fellow who shared a symbiosis with the demon all the way into the sea, and even encountered a Summoner in the Mermaid temple. Unfortunately, he wasn't willing to help me; he was probably trying to heal himself.”
The Witch's answer was entirely as expected. She shook her head with regret, reaching back, and a servant immediately handed her a new napkin. Aurora, in front of Xia De, touched the young maid's chest while taking the napkin.
For Xia De, who was currently in a month-long period of “uncontrollable desire,” this was very stimulating.
“Did you re-examine that collapsed passage? I thought you knew about it.”
As Xia De spoke, his eyes looked at the slightly blushing maid; he was probing.
“I didn't know about it originally, but when you were unconscious, I re-entered the wine cellar to check. After clearing the passage, I first found an empty secret room, and then followed it all the way to the widened crack you had made with your weapon. Perhaps that passage was a secret route the Mermaids used to transport and store goods a long time ago.”
The Witch said. Xia De nodded, knowing that desire had left. And thinking of desire's face, he felt his uncontrollable desire grow even stronger.
