Chapter 853: Murder Case
Princess Margaret Anjou had never been to Tobesk before, and her last visit to Delarion was at the age of sixteen, accompanying the then-King.
Therefore, the Princess was quite talkative this afternoon, especially since Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who managed a winery in the New World, had only recently left Tobesk before arriving in Carson Rick.
Xia De was happy to gauge the Princess's temperament through this method, and Viscount Bernhardt also felt that such private conversation could bring him closer to the royal family, so none of the three had any intention of ending the conversation.
At two in the afternoon, the Princess's maid even prepared afternoon tea and snacks for them.
As for the opened bottle of red wine, it was put away again; it seemed the light-haired Princess truly liked the blood brew Xia De provided.
Around three in the afternoon, as Xia De was discussing the city's steam pipeline renovation project for the year with Princess Margaret Anjou, there was a knock on the room door.
The maid, who seemed to be a Ring術士, quietly walked to the door, listened to a few words from the guard outside, then returned behind the Princess, whispering:
"It's Earl Sachia."
The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Xia De and Viscount Bernhardt to hear, and both tactfully stood up:
"Your Highness, we shall take our leave then, and wish you a smooth journey to Tobesk."
"Perhaps you can say that again at the farewell party.
Viscount Bernhardt, you should have received an invitation, right?"
Princess Margaret Anjou said to the middle-aged Vampire, who nodded slightly, then left the room with Xia De.
Waiting at the door was a somewhat plump middle-aged man in a black suit, wearing a monocle.
His hairstyle was unique, parted in the middle and combed to both sides, which made him appear a bit short.
Viscount Bernhardt clearly knew the Earl; they exchanged greetings before the Earl entered the room.
Xia De walked with Viscount Bernhardt down the corridor towards the staircase:
"Is that a local Earl?"
"Yes, he's considered a traditional noble of Huntington City.
His son was the previous mayor of Huntington City, and he himself holds a seat in the Upper House of Parliament.
It's said he's seeking cooperation with the Aurora Family, that famous seafaring family, to get involved in the New World's ore business.
Don't let his amiable appearance fool you; he's actually a ruthless person.
Many well-known local gangs are connected to his family.
Of course, those are just ordinary people."
Viscount Bernhardt spoke of local secrets, then led Xia De back to the first-floor restaurant.
The two had planned to finish their afternoon tea, then have Viscount Bernhardt take Xia De to explore the Ring術士 black market in the city, but just as the two cups of hot milk tea were served, one of the royal guards stationed at Princess Margaret Anjou's door rushed into the restaurant.
Under the surprised gazes of those around him, he went directly to Xia De and Viscount Bernhardt:
"Gentlemen, Her Highness requests you to come upstairs again."
The middle-aged man, who had some freckles on his face, looked to be in his thirties, and had a resolute expression, yet his eyes seemed a bit flustered.
Viscount Bernhardt stood up in surprise:
"What happened?"
He tried to keep his voice low.
The uniformed guard started to speak but then closed his mouth, leaning closer to Viscount Bernhardt's ear:
"Someone died."
He offered no further explanation, then led Xia De, who was still confused, and Viscount Bernhardt towards the restaurant exit.
The third floor of the White King Club was still quiet, but the accompanying royal guards had sealed off the stairwells of the left, right, and middle staircases.
Meanwhile, the manager of the White King Club was wiping sweat while conversing with the foreign ministry secretary, whose photo had appeared in newspapers, a member of the visiting delegation.
All the doors on the third floor were tightly shut, and there were more royal guards in front of the Princess's door than before.
After confirming their identities, the guards even tried to search Xia De and Viscount Bernhardt.
Fortunately, the Princess's maid opened the door in time, allowing them to enter.
Upon entering, both were surprised to see the plump Earl Sachia lying motionless on the carpet beside the sofa, with an overturned teacup by his hand, the tea wetting a large area of the carpet.
The Princess's private doctor—not Great Witch Silvia, but another one—was examining the body, while the captain of the royal guards was inspecting the items on the coffee table.
There was an eerie silence in the room; everyone was busy with their own tasks.
As for Princess Margaret Anjou, she was seated at a desk on the other side of the room, protected by several maids.
A screen, brought from who knows where, was placed between the sofa and the desk, sparing the Princess from directly witnessing the grim scene.
"What's going on? Did Princess Margaret Anjou kill Earl Sachia and now wants to silence us, the witnesses?"
Xia De thought of the impossible answer, and then sighed, realizing a murder had actually occurred here:
"This Princess really has bad luck."
Princess Margaret Anjou did not see them again.
Instead, Mr. Wood, the captain of the royal guard with the rank of Carson Rick Colonel, who was inspecting the situation, informed them of the current circumstances.
The matter was not complicated at all: after Xia De and Viscount Bernhardt left, Earl Sachia entered the room to discuss the Saturday farewell dinner with Princess Margaret Anjou.
The pot of black tea on the coffee table had not been replaced at that time; the maid had only brought new cups to pour tea for the Earl.
Shortly after drinking the tea, the Earl suddenly collapsed and died.
Although an autopsy had not yet been performed, the residual marks on the body's surface were undoubtedly signs of poisoning.
Therefore, the pot of black tea became the most suspicious poisoning tool.
And there were three people who had drunk the black tea, which was why Xia De and Viscount Bernhardt were invited back upstairs.
"Are you trying to get us to testify that the black tea was not poisoned, and that the Earl's death has nothing to do with the Princess?"
The three stood by the coffee table in the room, and Viscount Bernhardt asked the question as discreetly as possible.
Colonel Wood nodded slowly:
"Gentlemen, there's no need to be too nervous.
The local police station will arrive soon to investigate.
However, the deceased's identity is too special, and he died here at Her Highness's residence, having just drunk the black tea prepared by Her Highness's maid.
Viscount, don't worry, this will not implicate you; you just need to testify."
Viscount Bernhardt immediately nodded; he understood the implication:
"It's truly unfortunate that such a thing happened, but it has nothing to do with Her Highness.
The Earl and I have been good friends for many years; we even played rhode cards in Weilandale during the summer.
The police are coming?"
He then realized something was amiss, carefully glancing at Xia De, who also understood.
Even if this matter had nothing to do with them, the police wouldn't suspect them.
However, the incident involved the death of an Earl with a seat in the Upper House, and the identity of the foreigner, 'Holmes,' would definitely be investigated.
Even with Viscount Bernhardt's cover, his identity would inevitably be exposed.
Therefore, they absolutely could not let the police come here, or at least not let the police have a chance to investigate Xia De's identity.
But fortunately, Xia De had dealt with similar situations more than once.
He turned to look at the body lying on the ground.
At this moment, the old doctor with white hair, carrying a medicine box and wearing a beige checkered suit, had already stood up.
"Colonel, before the Earl came to this room, was he in other rooms on the third floor, or did he come from outside the club?
Perhaps we can investigate the place he came from; there might be a source of poison there."
Xia De asked softly, and Colonel Wood nodded in agreement:
"That's what we thought too.
The Earl had been in another room on the third floor earlier.
I've already sent someone to check that room; there's no one inside.
The Earl arrived at the club after lunch.
According to the club's waiters, three people had entered his room, and they brought red wine, sweet pastries, and cigarettes, respectively.
The club's kitchen is also being checked, but no suspicious items have been found yet."
Xia De nodded, then glanced at Viscount Bernhardt, who understood:
"How about we check on those three people before the police arrive?
If we can find out the truth before the police get here, I think it would greatly benefit Her Highness the Princess's reputation."
Then he lowered his voice:
"If we find the killer before the police arrive, with my local standing, I can minimize the impact of this incident.
Once the police come, those reporter locusts will also get wind of it.
So, it's best to keep the police from coming upstairs for now."
Viscount Bernhardt's suggestion was quite valuable.
Colonel Wood nodded and went to the desk behind the screen to ask for the Princess's permission.
Princess Margaret Anjou also thought Viscount Bernhardt's suggestion was excellent, so she specifically instructed to inform the secretary accompanying the delegation to have the local police arrive in half an hour.
After receiving permission, Colonel Wood led Xia De and Viscount Bernhardt to the adjacent room.
As important suspects in this case, the three individuals who had secretly met with the deceased Earl Sachia after his arrival at the club after lunch were now all brought there to await the police's arrival.
At this time, the royal guards had already sealed off the entire third floor of the White King Club, allowing no one in or out, and Viscount Lyon, who was responsible for crisis management in the accompanying delegation, had also begun to act.
Even in the Steam Age, whether it was the Kingdom of Delarion or the Kingdom of Carson Rick, the power of the royal family still radiated to every corner of the country, so these actions would not be questioned.
However, among all the contingency plans the royal family had prepared for Princess Margaret Anjou's visit to Tobesk, they had not anticipated that the first accident would occur even before the delegation had left Carson Rick territory.
