Chapter 1041

Lowering her gun, the lady in the brown coat led Xia De into a vacant room on the second floor.

Aside from a small stool and a brazier burning charcoal, there was no furniture in the room. A kettle, a metal basin, bandages stained with blood, and women's clothing were scattered on the floor. Although the indoor temperature had risen slightly, it was still very cold. Xia De, who had not yet deactivated the 【Echo of Blood】 effect, saw a large patch of blood in the bronze basin nearby; she must have been treating her own wounds just moments ago.

Miss Brown sat down on the small stool, struggling to lean her body to one side as she pressed down on her left leg:

"I was just extracting a bullet from myself; the blood loss was more than I expected. It's been so many years since I've done this kind of thing, I'm a bit rusty."

"Your uncle has been taken away by MI6."

Xia De sat directly on the floor and reached out to warm his hands over the fire.

"It doesn't matter. My uncle has extensive connections locally, and he truly has nothing to do with this matter. He doesn't even know what secrets I actually have."

Miss Brown looked at the brazier in front of her with a dejected expression.

"Who found you at noon?"

Xia De asked again, adding:

"It wasn't me who reported you."

"Of course it wasn't you, sir. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been only one person coming to find me at noon."

She picked up a teacup to moisten her pale lips:

"It was my handler, who was responsible for contacting me before I left Tobesk eight years ago, who discovered me. The case of the bomb attack on the Princess last week forced MI6 to deploy as many of their agents as possible, so he saw me... what rotten luck."

She said dryly with her head bowed. Xia De did not know how to comment on such luck:

"I have delivered your letter. This is the reply."

Without asking about the feelings of this lady whose hope for life had been completely shattered, he handed over the letter:

"It really wasn't easy to find you."

"It really wasn't easy for you to find me, either."

Miss Brown said as she set down the teacup. After opening the envelope, she held the corner of the letter to check its contents.

After reading it, she folded the letter back up without a word and tossed it into the brazier. Watching the letter being licked by the flames and emitting a bright glow, she seemed somewhat dazed, or perhaps lost in some kind of hallucination.

After a long while, she said in a somewhat hoarse voice:

"I didn't expect the Princess to forgive me so easily. Of course, I also didn't expect that such a noble lady would reprimand me in such a tone. The Princess has grown up, too."

"That was eight years ago, after all. What if she doesn't forgive you? Should I kill you? Or bring you before her and berate you for being a despicable woman?"

At this point, Xia De also laughed. Thinking of the elegant Princess with long, pale-gold hair cursing someone out, it was indeed quite comical:

"The letter is delivered, and there is nothing left for me to do here. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else your location. Good luck, miss."

"Please wait a moment."

As expected, she called out to Xia De, looking at him with some hesitation.

"You don't mean to ask me to tell Princess Margaret about your situation and have her help you escape, do you?"

Xia De asked. Miss Brown shook her head:

"That the Princess would not pursue my disloyalty is already something I dared not imagine. How could I have the face to... Sir, would you be willing to accept my commission?"

She took a letter from the inside of her coat:

"Help me deliver a letter. Don't worry, it's not to someone who can help me; it's for my fiancé... No matter what, I must say goodbye to him."

Xia De did not reach for the letter, standing before the brazier and looking down into her eyes:

"You should know that MI6 has likely already found him by now."

"No, I had thought that my affairs might be exposed one day, so apart from my uncle, no one knows where he lives, and I have never discussed his workplace with neighbors. I rarely interact with neighbors; I know who I really am."

Miss Brown also looked up at Xia De:

"Even if MI6 is fast, they won't be able to find him until at least this evening. Before then, please give him this letter... With this letter, MI6 will know he is not involved in my secret identity, and they won't make things difficult for him... I hope so, anyway."

Xia De hummed a laugh:

"Then why should I help you? After all, we have no friendship. Or do you think I've been easily moved by you?"

Xia De did indeed appreciate the sincerity of her feelings, but to maintain his persona as a "heartless Princess's agent," he could not agree directly. Running errands was simple for him, but he needed her to give him a suitable reason.

Miss Brown pursed her lips:

"I can pay you."

Xia De smiled:

"Money?"

He then took the letter and opened the folded paper in front of Miss Brown to ensure there was no suspicious content:

"How much?"

"... 20, no, how about 50 pounds?"

She looked at Xia De with some embarrassment:

"I don't have many savings myself. After faking my death to escape, most of my money went toward paying tuition and renting safe houses... Tobesk's housing prices are truly too expensive."

"If it's just delivering a letter, 30 pounds is enough. If I take more of your money, I'll be in your debt. I am loyal to the Princess, and I won't easily owe favors."

Xia De said, folding the letter and tucking it into his pocket:

"I won't take the deposit, but don't think about running away. Otherwise, even if you run to the New Continent, I can still find you."

"In this state, I can't run anywhere."

Miss Brown said with self-mockery. As Xia De walked out, he heard "her" laughter:

【You are not suited to play this kind of person.】

"Of course, but it's not bad to experience it once in a while... How did I do?"

"She" whispered in Xia De's ear:

【Truly terrible.】

Miss Brown's fiancé, Mr. Fellinger, came from a local commoner family. His mother died of the plague when he was ten, and his father was robbed and stabbed to death in an alley when he returned home late when he was thirteen. Although this sounded tragic, it was not unimaginable in this era.

Fortunately, Mr. Fellinger had no relatives, so he was able to inherit the entire estate. Relying on this inheritance, his own hard work, and the dividends of the era, he successfully graduated to become a mechanic and was currently employed at a steam factory in the West City.

When Xia De found this gentleman, it was nearly four o'clock on this Wednesday afternoon. The gentleman, who did not yet know what had happened, was in his narrow office, holding a teacup while examining blueprints, occasionally sketching something on them with a pencil.

When Xia De entered the room politely, Mr. Fellinger thought Xia De was from the factory.

"Your fiancée has been exposed."

Xia De used a very short sentence to shatter the gentleman's leisurely afternoon, and the contents of the letter destroyed his aspirations for life:

"Where is Bella now?"

The middle-aged man, who had somewhat plain features but a well-proportioned build, finished reading the letter and asked Xia De while clutching the paper, his eyes wide and his breathing labored. His eye color was brown, just like Miss Brown's.

"I can't tell you. And even if I did, what could you do? Sir, with your physique, you'd be dead after blocking three bullets at most. No, maybe just two; MI6 agents generally have decent marksmanship."

Xia De mocked, and Mr. Fellinger immediately said:

"Although her identity is hard to accept, I still want to marry her.

We can leave here together, go to the New Continent, or to the southernmost part of Karsenrik, or even live on an isolated island overseas. We were already planning to leave Tobesk; the luggage is packed, and my savings have long been withdrawn and are at home. As long as she is willing to leave with me, we can completely say goodbye to everything in the past at any time."

He stood up and looked at Xia De, almost pleading:

"Sir, please, tell me, where is she? She is my true love, the only family I have in this world. I don't care who she used to be, as long as she still loves me..."

He wanted to grab Xia De's hand, but Xia De dodged him.

【Do you think his performance right now is real or fake?】

"She" asked softly in Xia De's ear.

"You should know my judgment."

Xia De responded in his heart, looking Mr. Fellinger up and down, and added before the other could plead again:

"I won't help you directly; after all, the risk is too high for me.

MI6 should find you very soon, so go home immediately, take your cash and portable luggage, and hide for the time being. I can go tell Miss Brown your decision. If she is willing to leave with you, I will come back to find you; if she is not willing, and you haven't seen me by ten o'clock tonight, you can go to the police and turn yourself in. If you are caught by the police before I return, then it means your love is not blessed by the Goddess of Luck."

Mr. Fellinger nodded in pleasant surprise:

"A few years ago, while assisting in the repair of steam pipes in the sewers, I obtained a map of the Tobesk sewers. I know where it's safer to hide."

He told Xia De the location where he intended to hide. It was in the sewers in the core of Tobesk, so no matter which direction Xia De searched from, he could find him as quickly as possible:

"Sir, I don't know how to thank you."

He grabbed Xia De's hand and shook it vigorously.

"Money will do."

Xia De, who had felt short of money recently, said. Mr. Fellinger was stunned for a moment, then revealed a smile:

"No problem, I have some savings from these years. I'll go home now to get my luggage. May the 【Father of Peace】 bless us. I don't want to hurt anyone, nor do I want anyone to be hurt. I only hope to leave with her and completely forget everything from before."