Chapter 821 To Dorothy (Part 2)
“The Halos Banquet? Summer?”
Xia De still expressed his confusion, turning to look out the small window in front of his desk. It was late autumn, and Tobesk was shrouded in fog, but it couldn't hide the vibrant red sunset. The evening glow had already appeared on the horizon, and looking out from the third-floor window, over the rooftops of countless homes and above the chimneys emitting black smoke, one could see the clouds dyed the color of maple leaves.
“That was before Doctor Schneider met you.”
Dorothy whispered, her memory returning to that Summer banquet:
“That was a banquet held by Count Halos in the city. The Count was wealthy and enjoyed extravagant banquets and balls. Princes and princesses of the Royal Family had been invited to those social balls. Leia had also attended before her visit to Carson Rick and invited me.”
Her voice gradually lowered. Xia De understood that Leia wanted to get as close as possible to Dorothy before leaving Tobesk. But they couldn’t get close, couldn’t talk, and couldn’t even look at each other from afar.
This was indeed a great pity. No matter how hot the Summer night was, and no matter how lively the atmosphere of the bustling ball was, Leia Cavendish and Dorothy Louisa on that night should not have been in a good mood.
That Summer banquet was held at a famous restaurant in the city, the “Sunset Hotel.” It was the most upscale restaurant, but it also undertook the work of hosting banquets and ceremonies. To enter such a restaurant, formal attire was, of course, required. Dorothy, with Xia De’s help, took over an hour to change into her dress and apply her makeup.
As for Xia De, he only changed his coat and pants—Leia also stayed with Dorothy. Afterward, the two went together to the Sunset Hotel, located in the south of the city.
Even at night, the upscale restaurant was as brightly lit as day. A waiter waited at the entrance. When Xia De and Dorothy entered together, the waiter immediately asked respectfully:
“Are you Hamilton of Leijiede and Miss Dorothy Louisa?”
After Xia De nodded, he quietly said:
“Someone has reserved a table for you. Please follow me.”
Xia De and the Golden-haired girl in a long evening gown sat down at a round table by the wall. The waiter pushed over a dining cart, but it only held fruit and an appetizer dessert. On the table, however, a music box had already been placed.
Dorothy wound the key. As the lid of the silver music box slowly opened, small figurines of a Golden-haired and a red-haired girl, embracing and spinning, slowly rose.
Dorothy showed a slight smile:
“She still remembered this, after all.”
Eating the delicious but slightly tart cream pineapple mousse with Xia De and listening to the dance music played by the music box. Soon, a small drawer popped out from the bottom of the music box. So they received a brand new note, and still a riddle-like sentence:
【In the Three Cats in early spring, your smile is unforgettable.】
“This time, the destination is the Three Cats Inn on St. Anthem Square.”
This time, Xia De learned to answer quickly. Dorothy smiled:
“Yes, the Three Cats Inn, that’s a story from spring. But, let’s finish this dessert before we go. I must scold Leia severely in my diary.”
On the way from the south of the city to the north, Xia De heard another story.
That was the fourth month of Dorothy and Leia’s exchange, from the winter of common era 1852 to the spring of 1853. It was another forced exchange. Leia, who had obtained Dorothy’s body, had to go to the Three Cats Inn on behalf of Dorothy to meet a Two-ring Sorceress from out of town, arrange her accommodation, and complete the academy mission Dorothy had accepted.
This academy mission sounded simple, but it offered a reward of 4 practical credits. The Sorceress who was transiting through Tobesk had gotten into some trouble, and because the weekly forced exchange wasn’t at a fixed time, Leia hadn’t received much information from Dorothy.
That night, not only was Leia using Dorothy’s body to deal with the bloodsucking rats of unknown origin in the Three Cats Inn, but Dorothy was also using Leia’s body, as a princess, to mobilize manpower to provide security assistance for the Three Cats Inn.
The two were inside and outside the Three Cats Inn that night. They certainly didn’t meet, but they both knew what the other was doing. After a busy night, eight hours ended, and they each returned to their own bodies. But their relationship also progressed rapidly after that incident, becoming inseparable until the Outsider arrived in this world.
It was almost eight o’clock in the evening when they arrived at St. Anthem Square. The Three Cats Inn’s operations had entered the so-called “night mode,” and many waiting streetwalkers could already be seen along the wall on the first floor.
Mrs. Sangmei, the owner of the Three Cats Inn, was also Xia De’s friend. Seeing Xia De enter the counter with a cat and the Golden-haired girl, she teased:
“Isn’t this the champion of Great City Player 1853, Mr. Hamilton? Oh, look, this time you finally brought a recurring pretty girl. This dress is truly pretty. I had one like it when I was young, but unfortunately, I can’t wear it now.”
Xia De ignored her teasing:
“Are there any letters here for Xia De Hamilton or Dorothy Louisa?”
“Of course there are.”
The female owner put down the pen she was using for accounting and tapped twice on the striped wooden counter, which looked dirty but was actually spotless.
“I already paid.”
Xia De complained inwardly, but still pulled out two one-shilling alloy silver coins and pushed them over:
“Where’s the letter?”
Mrs. Sangmei swept the coins into a cookie tin under the counter and, smiling, pulled out a bottle of red wine from underneath:
“Take this first. Someone left wine here for you, asking you to take it with you.”
Then she tugged at the gas lamp above her head and flipped two pages forward in the ledger:
“I can’t give you the letter now. It’s only available at eight o’clock tonight, which is in 12 minutes.”
“Why?”
Dorothy asked in confusion. Mrs. Sangmei showed a meaningful smile:
“You can sit here for a while. Don’t worry, I’ve already notified the vicinity. No indecent people will appear in my inn tonight… except for the girls by the wall.”
So, Xia De took the bottle of wine and sat down with Dorothy. When there were two minutes left until eight o’clock, Mrs. Sangmei told them to go outside and look.
Xia De counted down, standing with Dorothy at the edge of Saint Delan Square. At exactly eight o’clock, a whoosh sound was heard from afar, and a streak of light flew into the sky, then exploded into dazzling fireworks under the starry sky.
Streaks of light flew into the sky. The exploding fireworks lit up Xia De’s and Dorothy’s faces. The Golden-haired girl stared blankly at the fireworks in the sky and whispered:
“It turns out, she still remembers I like…”
The letter from Mrs. Sangmei still contained only one sentence—
【From the first time I saw your eyes in the winter of 1853, I could never forget you.】
Xia De, already familiar with the “puzzle-solving” pattern, immediately asked:
“This time I know. After your anomaly in the winter of last year, you must have tried to meet each other. Although you realized then that you couldn’t get close, couldn’t make eye contact, and even less could touch each other, that was your first attempt. Where was the location?”
“Under the central fountain of Saint Delan Square.”
After circling inside and outside the city, Xia De finally returned to his beloved house before nine o’clock. Saint Delan Square was not allowed to have vendors stay overnight, and most residents who had been busy all day had returned home to rest, making it quiet and peaceful.
The gas lamps around the square provided light, but the gas streetlights in the square itself were recently under maintenance and not lit, so the Moonlight was still brighter in the center of the square. However, dark clouds drifted from afar, seemingly indicating rain.
When Xia De and Dorothy stepped out of the carriage, the square was empty. Dorothy hurried to the fountain in the center of the square, where a maiden held up a water bottle. After a careful inspection, she crossed two fingers, pointed them at the east side of the pool, and softly chanted:
“Manifest.”
As the ancient incantation was uttered, a heavy envelope appeared on the edge of the otherwise empty fountain pool, weighed down by something.
The heavy object was half of a Red Butterfly pendant. Although the pendant showed no signs of wear or rust, it had a simple, ancient feel. Dorothy picked up the pendant in confusion, then opened the envelope to look at its contents:
【Perhaps fate involves passing by, but we are the furthest kin.】
This was not a note, but a complete piece of paper. The letters were written in the center of the letter paper, and below them was a butterfly pattern drawn in red ink.
“What does this mean this time?”
The Golden-haired girl asked in confusion, looking up at Xia De beside her. Xia De, illuminated by the Moonlight, suddenly pointed at the letter paper and said:
“Look at this.”
Dorothy looked down again, only to see that the Red Butterfly drawn on the letter paper actually flapped its wings and flew out of the paper.
The translucent Red Butterfly scattered red dust in the air and then flew towards the edge of the square. It flew from the cool Moonlight towards the warm yellow gas streetlight. Dorothy subconsciously followed it, only to find that the Red Butterfly actually came to the door of Saint Delan Square Six, then disappeared into the door panel.
At the moment, the outdoor wall lamp of Saint Delan Square Six, which Xia De rarely turned on, suddenly lit up. At the same time, the gas lamps in the second-floor living room of Saint Delan Square Six, where no one should have been home, also lit up.
“This is…”
Dorothy, dressed in her finest, stood at the front steps, but saw Xia De beside her, handing her the house key tied with a red string.
The Golden-haired girl quickly walked up the steps, holding up her skirt, and opened the door in the dim light. Gently pushing the door open, the first-floor lights were off, but the lights in the hallway and on the stairs were so bright.
She stood with her back to the starlight, bathed in warm yellow light. A red carpet extended from the doorway up the stairs, covered with red, white, and pink petals.
A familiar scent of incense permeated the air. Holding the Red Butterfly pendant in her hand, the Golden-haired girl felt her heart suddenly accelerate.
She stepped over the threshold in disbelief, then heard a familiar voice. That voice was waiting for her higher up, reciting their story:
【To Dorothy
—Late Autumn 1853】
She walked up the stairs, holding the banister, and looked higher up the stairs.
【Perhaps fate involves passing by,
We are the furthest kin.
From the first time I saw your eyes in the winter of 1853,
I could never forget you;】
With her heart pounding rapidly, she quickly walked upwards, the Red Butterfly guiding her way.
【In the Three Cats in early spring,
Your smile is unforgettable;
At the Haigess Banquet in Summer,
Not being able to dance together is an eternal regret;】
Turning the corner of the stairs, petals extended all the way up and into the door, which was only slightly ajar.
【In this late autumn, gazing at the fallen leaves,
I want to gently kiss your cheek—
Oh, Golden-haired girl, do you still remember,
Our first meeting.】
She could barely control her emotions, and she couldn't remember how she had arrived at the second-floor doorway.
【At the moment I knew,
You and I are like the front and back of a mirror.
Though we can never meet, just by leaning on you,
I feel complete.】
The transparent Red Butterfly vanished before her eyes, and her trembling hand pushed open the door.
Tears, for some reason, streamed down her cheeks at the moment, and inside the door, large bouquets of flowers covered the floor, making the place look like a Summer flower field.
In the center of those bouquets, a red-haired girl, wearing a silver crown, a golden evening gown, and black high heels, turned and looked at her with brown eyes.
A red ribbon was tied around her waist, and her soft, long hair was styled into an intricate and elegant braid that hung behind her. Her face had light makeup, and her eyelashes looked so pretty.
Eyes blinked, brown and emerald green eyes met. Leia Cavendish, standing among the flowers, softly spoke the last line with her lipstick-painted lips:
【Dear Dorothy,
You are me, and I am you.
This is our story.】
Tears streamed down her fair face into the flowers at her feet. Dorothy covered her mouth with her hand, trying to suppress her sobs.
The furniture in the living room had been temporarily moved to the corner, leaving a path through the flowers for her to walk towards Leia. At the other end of the path, the dining room was unlit, but candles illuminated the dining table laden with gold and silver utensils and exquisite dishes.
There was no wind indoors, but the light was very bright. They looked at each other, their eyes seemingly conveying a thousand words.
The red-haired princess swayed the half-relic pendant hanging from her waist. Her brown eyes gazed into the emerald green ones, and with one hand, she lifted the hem of her skirt and curtsied slightly:
“First meeting, I am Leia Seville Cavendish.”
The Golden-haired Writer wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes, tried to show a joyful expression, took a deep breath, and likewise, with one hand, lifted the hem of her skirt and curtsied:
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Dorothy Redemptor Louisa.”
The Golden-haired girl wore a red long dress, and the red-haired girl wore a golden long dress. Their simultaneous curtsy was like a strange mirror reflecting a marvelous scene. But on their two completely different faces, one was gently smiling, and the other was weeping with tears.
She walked along the path through the flowers, and she also walked along the path through the flowers, embracing each other in the center of the flowers:
“Finally…”
“Finally touched you.”
Large swarms of Red Butterfly, flying from who knows where, danced around the girls in the flower garden. The sounds of weeping and murmuring represented joy, but also the sadness of the past.
The accumulated emotions burst forth at the moment, making the embracing girls unwilling to part for a long time. At the doorway, Xia De, holding the cat and casting an illusion, finally sighed in relief. He watched this scene in the room with great pleasure, snapped his fingers, and soft violin and saxophone music began to play in the dining room.
【Aren’t you going to go over and hug them?】
The voice by his ear chuckled. Xia De shook his head, held his breath, carefully closed the door, and then tiptoed downstairs to leave:
“At a time like this, no one should disturb them. This is a candlelight dinner prepared for them.”
He thought to himself as he reached the first floor. On the first floor, Leia had prepared dinner for him. After a busy afternoon with only an appetizer, Xia De was starving.
Upstairs, Leia and Dorothy poured out their hearts to each other, speaking of things that couldn't be expressed in diaries and letters. Downstairs, Xia De finished his meal, then washed up on the first floor, ready to rest immediately after Leia and Dorothy left.
He was not an idler; he had important business to do with Doctor Schneider tomorrow.
Music played from the alchemical sound-recording stone above, and outside the window, it indeed began to rain.
Xia De was in a very good mood and thought he must gain the right to read their diaries as repayment after this event. But at ten o’clock at night, the sound of rain tapped against the window, and the music overhead still lingered. Xia De, sitting on the first-floor sofa, holding the cat and reading a book, suddenly heard someone calling him from upstairs:
“Detective, Knight, would you please come up? We’ve finished talking, and there are some things… that you need to do, to bring a close to this memorable night.”
Because there was a floor between them, he couldn't tell who was calling him.
“Need me to do?”
He stood up suspiciously and walked up the stairs. Mia followed Xia De’s heels up the stairs as well.
The light in the hallway was bright, but the gas lamps on the stairs were somewhat dim. Amidst the increasingly dense sound of rain, the young Outsider carefully walked towards the dimly lit upper floor.
