Holding the cat with one hand, Xia De walked with his head down, adjusting the creases in his clothes to prevent anyone from seeing his expression. When he looked up again, his peripheral vision scanned the area where the banquet hall connected to the corridor, and he suddenly froze:
“Hmm? Did I see wrong?”
“No, it’s him.”
“Oh, my Mia.”
Xia De groaned softly in his heart and quickly walked towards the first-floor corridor.
“Doctor Schneider!”
Tens of seconds later, he had passed through the crowd and arrived at the corridor. He called out softly, and at the other end of the empty corridor, the middle-aged man who was about to turn the corner stopped. Turning to look at Xia De, it was indeed Doctor Bill Schneider.
The blue-eyed middle-aged Psychologist was dressed impeccably for the banquet; his silk hat and formal attire looked quite distinguished.
“Oh, good evening, Xia De.”
He stopped and greeted Xia De, not at all surprised that Xia De was also attending the banquet:
“I just heard about your exploits, the dart game and the horse riding competition. That’s great, it seems your social life is truly colorful.”
“Don’t talk about that yet, Doctor, why are you here?”
Xia De asked in surprise, quickly joining him and then lowering his voice.
He remembered that night in Summer when he had unexpectedly seen Doctor Schneider at Lakeview Manor, which was the beginning of everything that happened.
The first-floor corridor of the banquet hall was almost empty, with only a few art exhibits here. The sounds from the courtyard outside were louder than those inside, so there was no need to worry about their conversation being overheard.
“This…”
Doctor Schneider hesitated for a moment before speaking:
“I’ll tell you, but you mustn’t tell anyone else.”
“Don’t worry, I can even swear on my cat.”
“There’s no need for that, it’s not that serious.”
The Doctor shook his head, standing under the gas lamp at the corner. The gas lamps at Lakeview Manor had all been replaced after the incident on the Summer night. The Orthodox Church was concerned that the unsuccessful divine descent had left hidden dangers in the manor, so the gas lamps uniformly bore a sun pattern of the Sun Holy Emblem.
“I came with Mr. Alan Madison.”
He then added:
“Do you still remember this gentleman? A Letter-based Ring術士 from Success Higher Medical College, a team leader like me. You met him with me at St. Anthem Square last time, when you were trying to sell—” (Chapter 371)
“Oh, Doctor, you don’t need to remind me.”
Xia De immediately stopped him from continuing. Doctor Schneider’s “Great Memory Restoration Technique” was very effective:
“He’s that spice merchant with the turban.”
He nodded, indicating that he remembered.
The Doctor continued speaking, his eyes scanning the surroundings:
“Two Letter-based Ring術士 from Success Higher Medical College, not from this region, have arrived from out of town. According to the College’s arrangement, these two out-of-town Letter-based students are to connect with Alan and operate under their team’s identity during their stay in Tobesk. They agreed to confirm their identities at tonight’s banquet, but as you know, Alan isn’t a noble and hasn’t attended similar gatherings. Fearing he might make a fool of himself if he came alone, he invited me along.”
“So that’s it.”
Xia De nodded slightly. Priest Augustus did not contact the local team when he went to Middelburg because the Old Priest had a special status, and there was also a special mission from the Orthodox Church at the time. However, the Princess was clearly diligent and eager to learn, unlike Priest Augustus.
“However, I can’t tell you who those two out-of-town Letter-based Ring術士 are—”
After saying this, the Doctor smiled as if he couldn’t help but add:
“Their identities are very special. I was quite surprised when I heard about them.”
He looked as if he really wanted to share the secret with Xia De but couldn’t.
Xia De nodded again, saying indifferently:
“They are Her Royal Highness Margaret Anjou and Sir Laikins Prisia, the Poet.”
“Hmm?”
Doctor Schneider was startled:
“How did you—”
“I also have my own intelligence channels.”
Xia De pointed upwards, letting the Doctor guess for himself.
The Doctor then didn’t ask about the source of the information; instead, he extended an invitation:
“Since you already know, why don’t you come with me? I think the Princess wouldn’t mind meeting other Ring術士 from this region. Besides, you are also a noble, so you might have common topics with the Princess and the Sir.”
“No, no, Doctor, I won’t go with you.”
Xia De shook his head. He temporarily didn’t want to reveal his Ring術士 identity to those two:
“I have an urgent matter to attend to. I need to go read a handwritten book.”
“Is it an ancient book? Banquets are indeed excellent places for transactions. Go take care of your business, but our team and Alan’s team have a very good relationship. If you still want to meet those two gentlemen and ladies from out of town, Alan can introduce you later.”
Doctor Schneider said, about to bid farewell, but then suddenly added:
“Speaking of which, is something going to happen at this manor again? I just saw a few Ring術士 from the Orthodox Church, but I’m not sure if they’re just here for the banquet or for something else.”
“It’s probably to protect the Princess.”
Xia De said, about to explain what happened in Huntington, but then he remembered the Witches’ message about a “big fellow” appearing in Schluch Lake, so he warned:
“Doctor, you must not go near Schluch Lake tonight.”
“What would I go there for?”
Doctor Schneider asked in confusion, but immediately understood, a hint of panic appearing on his face:
“Oh, you mean it won’t be something like what happened in Summer, will it?”
“No, no, it’s not that serious. It’s just an uncontained relic, and a High-Ring Sorcerer will handle it. We just need to stay away.”
The Doctor finally breathed a sigh of relief:
“This manor has left a deep impression on me. I really don’t want to be forced to use Sublimation Words again. Well, I’ll go ahead. Alan is waiting for me. Remember to contact me anytime if anything happens. I have a feeling something incredible will happen tonight.”
The Doctor mumbled, then turned and walked towards the other side of the corridor.
Xia De stood there watching the Doctor’s back. Past experience told him that whenever Doctor Schneider appeared at a night banquet for a strange reason and encountered him, something major would happen every time:
“What exactly will happen?”
Musing over tonight’s wedding banquet, Xia De went from the first floor to the third floor. Just like before, the guards watching the corridor where the lounge was located had no intention of stopping Xia De.
Just before Xia De knocked on Leia’s lounge door, the opposite door opened, and Princess Angelina and several other noble young ladies, who also looked to be only fifteen or sixteen, walked out of the room, laughing and chatting.
They had been painting oil paintings in the room. Xia De saw the easels standing by the window, with somewhat abstract dark blue starry skies on the canvases.
“Hamilton Detective.”
Angelina was originally chatting and laughing with her companions. She looked up, saw Xia De, and smiled as she greeted him, even saying hello to Mia:
“Do you want to come with us to the garden? It seems there’s a goose-herding game at the hedge maze, that would be fun.”
“Goose-herding game” refers to using sticks or other means to drive geese, penned within a fence, into a target location within a certain time limit. This sounds like a country game, but it is also very popular at wedding banquets.
Angelina was speaking when she suddenly froze, realizing which door Xia De was standing in front of:
“Detective, you—”
A look of apprehension appeared on her face, and she asked somewhat at a loss:
“What are you going to do?”
“Her Royal Highness Leia said she has a handwritten copy of the “Summer night collection” and invited me to read it with her.”
Xia De said naturally. Angelina first nodded, then as if she thought of something:
“Don’t go, she’s lying—”
Creak~
“Oh, Angelina, I thought you were still painting. What are you talking about?”
The door opened, and Leia, still holding it open, asked curiously.
“Sister, I—”
The sixteen-year-old Princess subconsciously took a step back, stammering, not knowing what to say. Leia gave her a strange look, then reached out and pulled Xia De’s wrist, pulling him into the room, complaining with some dissatisfaction:
“Really, why did you take so long? I told you to come quickly just now. Oh, Knight, I’m not always this patient. You’d best respect a lady’s invitation. Do I need to have you tied up and brought in?”
After speaking, she slammed the door shut with a bang, leaving only Angelina standing there, clutching the hem of her dress.
The little daughter of the Eisberg family, who had already walked away, turned to call her, but Angelina shook her head, telling them to leave first.
When she was the only one left in the corridor, the little Princess carefully walked to Leia’s door, then bit her lip and pressed her ear against it.
She heard female laughter, shuffling footsteps, clinking glasses, the rustle of curtains being drawn, cat meows, and the sound of a wardrobe door. Then all sounds abruptly ceased, because a silencing charm was thrown onto the carpet.
Although she couldn’t hear anything at the moment, just imagining what might be happening inside filled her with a feeling like being scratched by a cat’s claws. Angelina Cavendish stood motionless with her ear pressed against the door. Even though she was standing in the brightly lit corridor and the indoor temperature was comfortable, the sense of loss and unease still made her feel as if she were standing on a snowy street. Imagining what was happening in that warm room, accompanied by a feeling of grievance, a strange emotion also welled up—
“Oh~”
She suddenly let out a soft sigh, then realized her emotions were abnormal. Angelina immediately left the door, touched her burning face, and then, holding up the hem of her skirt, ran to catch up with her friends.
Turning to look at the door again, Angelina Catherina Cavendish softly said in her heart:
“Hamilton Knight, I will definitely save you.”
