The melody at this moment undoubtedly expressed the most frantic and fearful emotions.
Even though Xia De had never seen Mr. Bondi, the blind musician, during the last period of his life, hearing the increasingly frenzied piano music, he almost completely understood how he had gradually reached the end of his life.
This piece of music possessed a strange magic. When Xia De tried to seriously understand the emotions it contained, he immediately achieved emotional resonance. The maddening music led him to imagine Mr. Bondi curled up in a dark corner of his house, timidly closing his eyes and whispering his fears, and then led Xia De to imagine that on the night his fate reached its end, Mr. Bondi wrote his will, completely losing the courage to fight against life and destiny.
Although the sound affected his emotions, Xia De basically managed to remain calm. He sighed, feeling a bit sorry for the man he had never met. Music alone could almost drive a poor man insane; the torment of fear Mr. Riddle experienced was immeasurable.
"That's enough, Miss Servett."
He reminded her softly, as there was no need to listen further. But the Black-haired maid seemed not to have heard him and continued to play the music at the piano. Looking at her profile, the maid's beautiful face actually showed a somewhat distorted expression.
Xia De immediately stood up, went behind her, and placed his hand on her shoulder:
"It's time to stop now, Miss Servett."
As Xia De's voice fell, the piano music abruptly stopped. Miss Servett looked at Xia De with a somewhat bewildered expression, then lowered her head and said softly:
"I apologize, I lost my composure."
It wasn't that a piece written by an ordinary person on the verge of madness could affect a Hexacle, who possessed the power of a Witch, but rather that she had invested too much emotion in her performance, affecting herself.
Skilled musicians are often dangerous.
Her fingers left the keys, and she stared blankly at the sheet music in front of her. Xia De glanced out the window; the sun was setting, so it could probably be considered night now. He then tried to use the Miracle, Cynthia's Moonlight Blessing. Although the effect of the Miracle wasn't very good because night hadn't fully descended, this ability, specifically used to heal mental damage and soothe the spirit, was very effective in the current situation.
Xia De's palm emitted a faint silver glow. He hesitated for a moment, then gently pressed her temple with his right index finger from behind the Black-haired maid.
Miss Servett clearly wanted to stand up and stop Xia De, but Xia De's left hand held her shoulder down.
"Very frantic music. Although the sheet music itself has no extraordinary power, an ordinary madman couldn't write such magical music. In that case, my current commission still involves a mysterious event. Sparrow Detective's luck is really bad; even if he didn't die from, ahem, he might have died because of this. Miss Servett, what do you think of this sheet music?"
Xia De continued to ask, the silver Moonlight from his finger permeating into the maid's head through touch. Her forehead was a bit damp; Xia De's fingers could feel the warm traces.
"If this person were still alive, I would very much like to meet him. This last piece is enough to call him a genius. He witnessed something terrifying and mysterious, and in his madness and fear, unconsciously described what he saw through these pieces of music. Although he was just an ordinary person, his inspiration was truly excellent."
The Black-haired maid said softly. Because her back was to Xia De, he couldn't see her expression.
"Witnessing the mysterious?"
Xia De sighed. This was another misfortune of an ordinary person encountering the mysterious:
"It seems that the sudden cure of congenital eye disease was indeed not normal. I got some of the ointment he used, but only a very small amount remains, making analysis impossible. I plan to go to the Three Cats Inn next to St. Anthem Square tomorrow to inquire about the situation. The landlord and the opera troupe people all said that after Mr. Bondi's eyes got better, he often spent time there. After inquiring there, I'll visit that ophthalmologist."
"That's a good plan, but I think the possibility of the doctor you mentioned being a Ring Warlock is very low. A Ring Warlock wouldn't do something so imprudent. If he were a Ring Warlock, you wouldn't have been able to get this sheet music and the remnants of those medicines."
She placed her hands on her knees, looking a bit reserved at this moment:
"I often give the lady massages like this."
"Does Miss Jialinna also get headaches?"
Xia De asked curiously.
"Of course. Not only matters of the Witch Council, but the Lady is the de facto ruler of Saladir County. If she weren't uninterested in power, she even would have had the opportunity to make Saladir County independent and become the Queen of the Saladir Duchy. The territory's taxes, finances, and public affairs, even with corresponding officials handling them, still require the Lady to make important decisions, which are all very troublesome."
Miss Servett explained softly.
"Then..."
Xia De still wanted to ask, but the door suddenly opened. In this manor, only one person had the right to open the door without knocking.
The Red-haired Witch, in a hurry, held the doorknob and stood at the entrance, looking inside. Miss Servett immediately stood up, and only then did Xia De see her blush slightly:
"Lady..."
She lowered her head and quickly walked towards Miss Jialinna. The latter looked back and forth between Xia De and her personal maid, a strange smile appearing on her face:
"Good evening, Xia De. I made time to see you, after all, you don't often voluntarily visit me... What were you two just doing?"
Xia De had nothing to hide, so he wasn't afraid of her asking. He simply explained the commission he was currently working on. Miss Jialinna thought for a moment, then looked at her maid, and suddenly had an idea:
"In that case, tomorrow, let Tifa follow you as your assistant to continue the investigation. Oh, don't be so quick to refuse."
This was said to the maid.
"Tifa, I've been telling you to take a vacation, but you always refuse. Since you've already gotten involved in this Detective's affairs, who can never sit still, why don't you assist him in completing this commission and explore the city with him? I think with your strength, protecting him should be no problem."
Saying that, the Witch winked at Xia De, clearly meaning for Xia De not to refuse.
"But..."
The Black-haired maid still wanted to refuse.
"Don't worry, I'm not angry with you, nor am I tired of you."
The Duchess smiled and put her arm around her maid:
"But you really should rest. And isn't being a Detective's assistant a very interesting experience? Oh, if I could be younger... ahem, I mean, if I didn't have so many things to do, then it wouldn't be your turn to help Xia De. Remember to tell me this story when you come back; I'm very curious about the result."
"Miss Jialinna, if Miss Servett is unwilling, you..."
The Duchess smiled and looked up at Xia De, who immediately and wisely shut his mouth. Miss Servett, looking a bit reserved, shook her head slightly at Xia De, indicating he didn't need to say more.
She clutched the lace trim on the apron of her maid's dress, then looked up, her expression returning to its usual state:
"Alright then, Lady, I will do my best to assist Mr. Hamilton."
"Good, Xia De, I'll have Tifa come find you at eight tomorrow morning. Is that alright with you?"
The Witch looked at Xia De again, a smile on her face, but the meaning of this expression was clearly a threat to Xia De that he absolutely could not refuse.
"Of course, it's my honor."
"Very good. I recently read a very interesting Detective novel in the Steam Bird Daily. Speaking of which, that Detective's surname is also Hamilton. So, Tifa, you can experience what a real Detective's assistant's job is like for me. When you come back from your vacation, bring me more stories."
She then looked her maid up and down again:
"Remember to change your clothes tomorrow; don't interfere with Xia De's work."
"Yes, Lady."
Only then did the Witch nod in satisfaction, then looked at Xia De again:
"Leia returned to Tobesk today, do you know?"
"Of course I know."
"I thought you'd run to the vicinity of Yodel Palace, waiting to see her."
The Witch teased, then asked:
"Do you need me to arrange for her to have time to see you? Although Leia can't leave Yodel Palace for now, I can find a way to get you in."
"No, no, no need. Now is a sensitive time for the royal family."
Actually, Xia De hadn't forgotten that Leia was somewhat hostile towards Miss Jialinna.
Miss Jialinna didn't mind:
"Alright, I'm having dinner with Marquise Sheila tonight to discuss shares in the New World pioneering team, so I won't keep you tonight. If there's anything else, just tell Tifa."
With that, she turned and left. Xia De shook his head at the Black-haired maid, meaning he didn't need anything and that she could leave with Miss Jialinna. The maid clearly wanted to say something to Xia De, but ultimately hesitated and didn't speak. After bowing slightly to Xia De in farewell, she quickly chased after Miss Jialinna.
Having an additional Hexacle help with the commission was actually a good thing for Xia De.
On Wednesday, the 21st day of Flourishing Flower Month, early in the morning, when Xia De went downstairs to get the newspaper, he unexpectedly found a letter from Dorothy.
Because the hamilton detective story collection was unexpectedly successful, the Writer had recently been busy negotiating with the publishing house and newspaper about publishing the already published stories as a collection after the serialization had run for some time. Therefore, she didn't have time to come to Xia De's place to read Detective records recently.
But she told Xia De that Leia would probably have time to leave Yodel Palace this weekend, and suggested that Xia De clear his weekend schedule, as Leia could knock on the door of Saint Delan Square at any time.
Although he had met the Princess many times in Coldwater Port, Xia De was still full of anticipation.
Miss Servett appeared downstairs at Xia De's house promptly at eight o'clock. When Xia De felt the pendant on his chest begin to warm up on the second floor, he immediately realized she had arrived.
