Their hands clasped together. Looking at Xia De up close again, Margaret Anjou subconsciously avoided his eyes, believing this to be an instinctive reaction caused by a subconscious fear of a powerful Ring術士.
Before arranging to meet Xia De alone, Princess Margaret had considered many scenarios for their meeting, but she never expected Xia De to be so calm:
"Hamilton of Thunder Jeed, you don't seem surprised that I'm Cerces's student? Did you recognize me last week?"
She asked softly, taking the initiative to gain control of the conversation.
"No, no, Your Highness, I certainly didn't recognize you. But whether or not you are a Ring術士, how does that affect me?"
Xia De released her hand. Because of the layer of gloves, the Princess, who only possessed a very faint witch power, still didn't notice anything unusual about Xia De:
"Moreover, since you've revealed your Ring術士 identity to me, I don't think you'd threaten me with words like, 'Knight, you wouldn't want your identity exposed, would you?'"
He leaned against the wall, looking at the Princess:
"I believe I can trust you. Jialinna has praised you. You are a very qualified Royal Lady."
Princess Margaret was somewhat surprised by this sudden compliment. She had expected the handsome gentleman opposite her to be as wary of a strange Ring術士 as she was.
The Princess maintained the grace and decorum of a noble young lady:
"Mr. Hamilton, yes, we both come from the Three Great Academies, and there are no conflicts between us. This is enough for us to trust each other. In fact, I should thank you for helping me capture that head last week."
Thinking of the scene in the misty alley where Xia De swung the terrifying black chain at the wall of heads, Princess Margaret's mouth twitched. She didn't know how many rings Xia De had, but she assumed he was definitely a Middle-Ring, much stronger than her Four Ring:
"Detective, I invited you here this time to give you a commission. Yes, a commission as a Ring術士."
Xia De raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected to be called out for this:
"That's interesting. Your commission, could you first explain what exactly needs to be done? Generally, I don't do anything illegal."
"I want to commission you to help me find a Sorceress."
Under the gas lamp, she subconsciously lowered her voice, as if she were afraid of someone:
"Yes, a Sorceress. I know some information about her, but I can't go looking for her myself, nor can I let anyone with an obvious connection to me look for her, otherwise, once discovered..."
She hesitated but still spoke her target:
"Resides in Saint Delan Square and the surrounding neighborhoods, female, should be no older than 30, profession possibly related to mathematics, or at least proficient in mathematics. The other party's personality should be very good, with first-rate looks and figure, and dislikes making friends with men."
The Princess couldn't tell Xia De that she was afraid of Miss Silvia discovering her "little actions," so she casually found a reason to explain why she was commissioning Xia De to do this:
"Saint Delan Square and the nearby neighborhoods are home to many nobles and high officials of your Delarion. I can't investigate myself. Once a diplomatic issue arises, that's no small matter. Detective, you live in Saint Delan Square, so it should be very convenient for you to investigate. Please help me find that Sorceress. You can name any commission fee you want; pounds are not a problem."
Although she didn't say it aloud, Xia De instinctively understood that the other party was looking for him, or rather, for Miss Silvia's nominal "apprentice." He had heard that witch talk about the lie she told the Princess:
"Hmm..."
Seeing Xia De's hesitant expression, the Princess frowned slightly:
"Excuse me, is there a problem?"
"There's no problem, I'm just not quite sure..."
If Xia De refused now, the Princess might go find someone else to investigate, which would cause more trouble. But the problem was, Xia De was very sure that according to her description, he wouldn't be able to find anyone at all. If he did find a target similar to "Miss Pa Wo," it would definitely be the wrong answer:
"I'm not very sure if I can actually find her. If she really is a Sorceress living nearby, she must be very well hidden."
"Yes, her abilities are not weak, so I'm not asking you to definitely find her, just to try. Mr. Alan Madison highly praises you. He heard a lot about you from Doctor Schneider and knows that you are a kind, upright, and resolute gentleman, and that your commissioned cases have never had any accidents."
Xia De wasn't sure how the doctor evaluated him, but it was clear that the "second-hand evaluation" the Princess heard was problematic. Of the four cases left by Sparrow Detective, three of them, besides Mia, had significant accidents.
After thinking for a moment, he finally nodded:
"I can take on this task. Before you leave this place, I will give you an answer."
He was wondering whether to compile an investigation report according to Sparrow Detective's tradition, or to directly inform the young Great Witch of the matter:
"As for the remuneration, I don't think pounds are necessary."
The Princess quietly took a step back, and calculating that there were less than four minutes until the salon started at seven, she slightly quickened her pace:
"You are a distinguished guest from afar, so there's no need to mention pounds. Your Highness, I currently have a commission regarding Sir Prisia, initiated by his admirer here. I would like to learn about Sir Prisia from you; this would be very helpful for me to complete the commission."
Sir Prisia and Princess Margaret were in the same group, of course, in her opinion, Xia De didn't know this. Hearing Xia De's request, she slightly relaxed and sincerely praised the gentleman's demeanor in her heart.
The rumored Xia De Hamilton first charmed the Duchess's maid with sweet words, and then rose to prominence by attaching himself to Jialinna Cavendish. But according to what she learned after arriving in Tobesk and what she saw at Lakeview Manor, it might actually be Jialinna Cavendish who attached herself to this promising young Ring術士:
"No problem, Knight. I can tell you some things about him, but not now. How about Sunday? I'll come to your house on Sunday to find you. I've always heard about the reputation of Saint Delan Square, but I haven't visited yet, and I only have some free time on Sunday."
After a slight pause, she added:
"Knight, you have won my friendship, the friendship of Margaret Anjou."
Xia De nodded slightly, and before the Princess was about to leave, he asked again:
"I heard that Sir Prisia is a distant relative of the Anjou Royal Family; his maternal grandmother and your grandmother were twin sisters. I wonder if there is anything special about his paternal lineage, that is, the Prisia family."
"Will admirers also commission you to investigate this?"
The Princess with light blonde hair asked curiously, then casually replied:
"Prisia is a very ancient surname, noble even before the United Kingdom was established. I once heard that a long time ago, this surname represented a very ancient Ring術士 family, with extraordinary and sacred power passed down in their bloodline. Of course, this is just a rumor. If you're curious about it, we can talk about this topic on Sunday."
After speaking, she prepared to turn and leave, but hesitated and asked again:
"Excuse me, Mr. Hamilton, who did you learn mathematics from? Was it a scholar, or a certain academy?"
Xia De blinked:
"Haven't you investigated my identity? I don't have any diplomas or graduation certificates. I learned mathematics by self-study after becoming a Ring術士."
Margaret Anjou certainly couldn't find out the exact date Xia De became a Ring術士, and Mr. Alan Madison wouldn't tell her either.
"Talent and years of study? I understand."
She took a deep breath, looking quite disheartened. After bidding farewell to Xia De, she left the stairwell and led her maid quickly towards the room at the other end of the corridor where the reading salon was being held. She couldn't be late for such an occasion.
Xia De stood in the shadows of the stairwell, watching Princess Margaret's retreating figure:
"Generally speaking, once so-called 'ancient families' are involved, there are definitely many stories behind them. I originally just wanted to see if I could start from the Princess's perspective and try to collect the aura of the Guiding Moon, but I didn't expect such a rumor."
"Are the rumors of ancient families related to you?"
"No."
He was also ready to go back:
"At least, not at the moment."
The time came to seven o'clock in the evening. All invited guests arrived on time, and Xia De, who had finished polishing his shoes, sat down again next to Sir Prisia.
Leia smiled and clapped her hands, signaling everyone to quiet down, then stood in front of the fireplace and took out a book. She thanked everyone for coming and especially thanked Princess Margaret, after which the reading salon officially began.
The reading salon was not a particularly serious event. People could enjoy tea and desserts while participating in interesting activities.
The salon was hosted by Leia, who first invited people to take turns sharing the books they had recently read. Those willing to share could stand up, come to the fireplace, face away from the fireplace to display the books they brought, and share interesting content they had just read or Knowledge they had gained from the books. The book Xia De brought was Dorothy's "hamilton detective story collection." This kind of popular fiction was not suitable for such an "elegant" reading salon, so Xia De did not actively share.
Princess Margaret brought a collection of traditional Carson Rick fairy tales called "Poems of Dreams." The 1853 edition added fifteen newly included fairy tales, among which the story of the mermaid princess was the focus of her sharing.
Baron Lalair of Tobesk shared a book called "Lightning on the Mountain Peak." People set up an array of iron rods on the mountain peak, hoping to attract lightning to deduce the specific cause and estimate the specific power of lightning.
It was a pity, though, that this book was not a popular science book, but a first-person disaster biography. Most of the people who suffered misfortunes in the mountains have not had their bodies found to this day.
Sir Prisia, next to Xia De, shared the essay collection "Moon Song" that he read in Tobesk. This book was published this march, the author is anonymous, and the essay collection is divided into three chapters: "Chapter of the yellow moon," "Chapter of the Red Moon," and "Chapter of the Silver Moon." Each chapter collects essays corresponding to a specific moon. The entire book has 17 articles. It can be seen that Sir Prisia liked this book very much and focused on sharing "Chapter of the yellow moon."
Sharing their respective books livened up the atmosphere of the salon. Dressed in proper attire, gentlemen and ladies, some actually brought popular science books and even popular fiction. Leia intended to have Xia De also participate in speaking, but Xia De shook his head slightly, so the Princess did not mention Xia De's name.
After the book sharing, people gathered in twos and threes, discussing their favorite topics.
Princess Margaret naturally sat with Leia, surrounded by noble young ladies of the same age; Prince Nasser Cavendish gathered familiar friends and chatted and laughed on the other side; and Xia De originally wanted to continue discussing the scenery of Carson Rick with Sir Prisia, but unexpectedly, little Princess Angelina walked over:
"Knight, do you mind if I sit here?"
She brought her friend, Lisa Eisberg, the youngest daughter of the Eisberg family, and sat on the sofa to Xia De's right:
"Knight, what are you talking about?"
"Good evening, Your Highness, we are talking about scenery and Detective stories."
Sir Prisia said respectfully, and Xia De added:
"Yes, Sir Prisia also asked me why I don't write my own stories. Oh, writing a book is a very troublesome thing, and even if I were to write, I wouldn't use my own name as the main character's name, as that would make people think I'm boasting."
"Then what name would you use?"
The little Princess said happily. Leia wasn't here now, and she was sitting next to Xia De, which was a good step forward.
"How about the name 'Angie'? I've always liked that name."
Sir Prisia suggested.
"I think Knight Hamilton's name is better."
Miss Lisa Eisberg said, blushing.
Xia De thought of his friends from his hometown, and then came up with a name:
"Jenkins..."
Then he thought of his friend's hobby, so he made up a surname and added a background:
"Jenkins Willimott, with a cat named Chocolate. That name sounds good, but Your Highness, let's not talk about Detective stories. My stories, people have seen them in books and newspapers. What book are you reading lately? I heard that the Royal Family's grammar teacher is a very strict old gentleman."
The march hung high in the night sky, and the atmosphere in the brightly lit second-floor room was just right. Silver Cross Avenue was empty, and the evening breeze swept withered leaves into the alley. So far, Leia's reading salon had not experienced any ripples.
