Twenty minutes later, Xia De and Dorothy were back at Saint Delan Square Six. The sky was even gloomier than when Xia De woke up that morning; even with the gas lamps on in the house, the interior still felt dim.
Xia De sat alone on the sofa, holding Mia, while Dorothy, who had been caught in the rain, went to the bathroom to shower.
Playing with the half Red Butterfly pendant in his hand, Xia De never expected that a sudden, whimsical attempt would actually succeed.
Of course, it wasn't a complete success. Because currently, Dorothy and Leia could only briefly make eye contact from a distance; they still couldn't maintain eye contact for long, let alone get close.
But the ability to "make eye contact from a distance" was already a significant improvement from the previous inability to make any contact, which indicated that Xia De's method was effective.
"Am I this lucky? It was just a casual inquiry to Professor Dunn in Middlesburg, then I found Professor Manning, and Old John happened to find the correct approach... Speaking of which, everything is thanks to Grandma Cassandra."
The sound of carriages rolling over wet roads was particularly noticeable in the rainy weather here. Although Saint Delan Square was not as lively as usual, there were still plenty of pedestrians.
Dorothy's emotions had fluctuated greatly just now. That must have been the first direct eye contact between her and Leia, two girls who could swap souls and knew each other's secrets. Going to the bathroom to shower at this time, besides being soaked by the rain, was also because she didn't want Xia De to see her losing composure.
Xia De actually understood her emotions at the time, so he also understood her reluctance to return home with him immediately, instead gazing for a long time across from Yodel Palace until the pain in her soul forced her to close her eyes.
"Do you think you understand the girls' thoughts very well?"
As he was thinking, a voice suddenly came from beside his ear.
"Hmm, maybe. However, if I ask Old John to make a more refined alchemical item, it might be even more effective. Didn't he say that what I'm holding is just something he casually made from scraps, without even charging for materials?"
While Dorothy was showering in the bathroom, Xia De carried the cat to the study. Under the gas lamp, he wrote down all the information he had obtained in Middlesburg about the twin gods and twin beliefs. Although he had already recounted it to Dorothy once, he still needed to write it down and give it to Leia, so she could use her influence to investigate further.
After all, compared to the power of the Princess, the Detective of Saint Delan Square was pitifully weak.
When Xia De returned to the living room, contemplating whether he had missed any details while looking at the document in his hand, the bathroom door finally opened.
The Golden-haired girl was wiping her fluffy blonde hair with the new towel Xia De had provided, wearing the white shirt Xia De had washed for her last time but hadn't taken back (Chapter 443):
"Xia De, do you really not have any other ladies' clothes in your house?"
She seemed to have recovered her normal composure.
"Aside from a garter and a pair of red high heels (Chapter 486), you'll have to wear your own clothes for now."
Fortunately, it was raining today, so Dorothy wore an extra coat when she went out. Now, only that coat was wet, so she actually still had clothes to wear.
"Meow~"
Dorothy sat on the small sofa to the side. The cat, lying on Xia De's lap, glanced at her, then let out a lazy meow.
"Wait!"
Xia De immediately put down the document and sat up straight, becoming alert:
"Are you Leia?"
The Golden-haired girl's lips curved into a smile as she glanced at Xia De's cat:
"It's me. Your cat is truly amazing. So far, it's the only one who can accurately distinguish between us."
Saying that, she touched her right earlobe.
"Good morning, why are you here?"
Xia De asked, handing her the handwritten document. Leia took it, glanced at it, and then placed it on the coffee table:
"Of course, to thank you."
"Oh, don't joke! This small matter—"
"This is not a small matter."
The Golden-haired girl, her hair still somewhat damp, looked at Xia De. Through Dorothy's eyes, Xia De felt he truly saw Leia's soul.
"Truly, thank you very much. I used to imagine that Dorothy and I would one day be able to get closer, but I really didn't expect that day to come so quickly."
The Princess said softly. Although she appeared calmer than Dorothy had been just now, this calmness was clearly just a habitual disguise to hide her true feelings.
"It's not too late to thank me when you two can touch each other."
Xia De said, shifting his gaze and reaching out to pour Leia some tea. Leia smiled, shaking her head slightly:
"Meeting you truly is our luck."
"Then go thank the doctor; it was the doctor who met me."
Xia De grumbled, placing the cat, which seemed to have fallen asleep again, onto the sofa. The cat wiggled a bit, curling up as if afraid of getting cold:
"So, about the Red Butterfly pendant, you two can go find Old John yourselves. That's all I know. Old John might be able to make a better Red Butterfly. Remember to tell me when it's successful."
He pointed to the documents on the coffee table:
"Also, the matter of Lieutenant Hutton, whom you asked me to investigate, is now clear. He has indeed had a lot of expenses recently, even smoking cigars, but the official explanation is that he won a large sum of pounds playing cards in the city."
Leia's gentle expression vanished, her face turning cold as she snorted:
"As expected, it seems I've encountered a shameless betrayal."
"Do you need me to..."
Xia De made a throat-slitting gesture, which amused Leia, and she shook her head slightly:
"It's not that serious. It's just someone reselling my goods. Those little mice haven't caused much harm, but I must make them understand the cost. Actually, I have some small businesses, and there's a batch of goods in a warehouse in Middlesburg that's supposed to be shipped to Carson Rick next month."
Xia De nodded in understanding. The Princes and Princesses of Delarion couldn't possibly not use their power to earn pounds for themselves.
"Do me another favor, help me take inventory of the warehouse in Middlesburg. No need for too much detail, just count the number of boxes. Having you do it ensures there's no other trickery. I need to give them a good warning."
Leia's local forces could also do this, but it would be faster if Xia De did it.
"No problem, I was planning to go to Middlesburg this afternoon anyway. Where's the address? Should I sneak in, or use some identity to contact your people?"
Xia De asked. For him, it was just a few extra steps.
"Sneak in. This time, I must make them understand the price of betraying me."
Her lips curled, and her face showed a chilling expression Dorothy would never make. Seeing Xia De look at her with some surprise, she smiled again:
"What's wrong?"
She was really good at controlling her expressions.
"Oh, nothing, where's the address?"
"19 Punjab Avenue, right in the city center. Go next Tuesday, the first day of the withered leaf month. It's a holiday that day, and after the morning inventory, the warehouse will be almost empty."
"Okay, no problem."
Xia De nodded, then hesitated. He had heard about a warehouse on Punjab Avenue from another source.
The information about Virgil Cameron of the Principality of Set, conveyed by Gray Headed Eagle, was: 【On the last day of this month, your goods are in the warehouse with the red door plate on Punjab Avenue, Middlesburg】. And Xia De had specifically confirmed that the warehouse with the red door plate was 18 Punjab Avenue, just a wall away from Leia's goods warehouse.
"What a coincidence."
"Xia De, how should I thank you? I remember Dorothy saying you've recently had large expenses, so you're short on pounds?"
Leia asked tentatively.
"No, no, no, don't give me pounds."
Xia De said this to avoid becoming someone who lived off women. He didn't think helping Leia with this task was very valuable:
"If you're willing, I'd rather see your and Dorothy's initial communication diary. I've always been very interested in that."
"Oh, that won't do."
Leia shook her head slightly, her attitude very firm:
"That's not suitable for you to see. I think, how about... I'll just prepare some autumn clothes for you. I noticed your wardrobe is full of old clothes; you can't go out wearing those."
Leia's definition of "old clothes" was probably different from Xia De's. The autumn clothes in Xia De's wardrobe were all prepared for him by Sparrow Detective before his death, new clothes bought at a discount this spring.
"Okay."
If it was just clothes, Xia De didn't mind.
"Also, have you ever kissed a Golden-haired girl who just showered?"
Leia asked again.
"Of course not."
So, Leia, her hair still damp, sat next to Xia De, wearing only that thin lady's shirt, and hugged Xia De.
Perhaps Angelina was right, Leia really liked kissing.
"Meow~"
Mia, curled into a ball, suddenly opened her eyes, looked at the two suspiciously, meowed once, then patted Xia De with her small paw.
"Huh?"
Xia De immediately pushed the girl in front of him away, crying out in surprise:
"Dorothy!?"
Her emerald green eyes looked at him up close, with a hint of reproach:
"Really, next time I must get your cat out of the way first, then try to see if you can distinguish between us."
"That's not my—"
"Shut up, Xia De."
The Writer said, wiping her lips with her finger. She looked at the man in front of her gently:
"Leia said she wanted to thank you personally, so I agreed to swap with her. I didn't expect her to thank you like this."
Her eyes were a bit shy again, but she still boldly gave Xia De a brief kiss:
"That was hers just now, this is my thank you gift."
Her face was slightly red, carefully biting her lower lip. She was still not as bold as Leia; this might be the only difference between the two.
PS: This is the last chapter before the Chinese New Year. Thank you all for your continuous support for Xianyu. I hope you will continue to support "whispering chapters" in the new year.
