Chapter 483

"What? Tonight?"

Dorothy nodded, looking at him with some dissatisfaction:

"Yes, Xia De, tonight. You must prepare seriously. Although Lei Qianya is very familiar with you, you must also show the right attitude. She cannot stay outside for long. His Majesty the King is furious because of the matter of Sax Cavendish, and no one wants to make him unhappy right now."

"What should I do?"

Xia De was not only happy to finally be able to see the Princess in Tobesk, but even happier to be able to get rid of the four 1-shilling printing plates in his hand. Putting those things in his hands, he always felt that he could become a criminal at any moment.

"The time is too urgent, how should I arrange it?"

"I knew you wouldn't be able to handle it. It's okay, I've already arranged it for you."

The carriage started and drove toward St. Theresa Square. Dorothy took out a notebook, on which the schedule was written:

"You go home immediately now and change into clothes you don't often wear. Wear gray gloves on both hands and pin a brooch of any animal on your chest as a token. At 6:50, wait at the alley entrance next to the Prophet Society. After the carriage with the falcon family crest stops, jump on immediately. You must be fast; the carriage will only stop for five seconds."

"Is Lei Qianya in the carriage?"

"Oh, Xia De, please shut your mouth. Time is very tight, don't interrupt me."

Dorothy appeared somewhat irritable:

"The carriage will drive east, then turn south, and stop on the street at the edge of the University District and Tobesk's South District. You leave the carriage, walk around the neighborhood through the alleys, and at 7:40, enter the nearby Red Flame Restaurant. I have already booked a private booth for you two, and Lei Qianya will be waiting for you inside."

"You for us..."

"You can chat while eating, but remember, the opera at the Tobesk Grand Opera House in the South District starts at 9:00 tonight. I have already booked tickets for you."

"You for us..."

"Try not to leave the booth after the opera starts to prevent being seen. After the show ends at 10:30, Xia De, you need to be a gentleman. You can take Lei Qianya back to St. Theresa Square to sit for a while and chat about topics you are interested in, or you can send her directly back to Silver Cross Avenue. I have already booked a four-wheeled rental carriage for your return from the opera house; the driver is one of Lei Qianya's people, so please rest assured."

"You for us..."

"Finally, you must remember, Lei Qianya must return to Yodel Palace before 12:00, otherwise..."

"Otherwise Lei Qianya will turn from a princess into a broom girl?"

Xia De suddenly said.

"What fairy tale are you talking about? Xia De, time is very tight."

Dorothy waved her hand, letting Xia De shut his mouth:

"Yodel Palace changes the late-night shift of the Royal Guards at 12:10. Lei Qianya can only control the early-night guards, so she must return before 12:00."

After speaking, with a rip, she tore the page from the notebook quite roughly and stuffed it into Xia De's hand. On it was not only the schedule but also precautions and Dorothy's reminders about Lei Qianya's preferences.

The blonde Miss looked at Xia De quite seriously:

"Also, I think you definitely haven't prepared a gift for Lei Qianya's return to Tobesk. Oh, gentlemen nowadays are always so careless. But don't worry, I sent a letter yesterday to help you order a bouquet of flowers at 'Mary Jane's Flower Shop' near St. Theresa Square. It should be delivered by the time we return to the square. You can take one to see Lei Qianya, or you can give it to her after watching the opera and taking her back to the square."

"Help me..."

Xia De finally couldn't help but interrupt her:

"Dorothy, aren't you coming with us?"

He looked at the girl in front of him. Although Dorothy's mouth curled into a smile, when her eyes looked at him, her expression seemed somewhat sorrowful:

"I said, Lei Qianya and I cannot have close contact, and we cannot even look at each other from a distance. Rather than me following you from afar, it is better if I don't appear tonight. This is good for both of us."

"But..."

"Don't use conjunctions, Xia De. I can do anything for you, it doesn't matter."

She didn't know what she was thinking, her face flushed slightly, and she tossed her hair:

"Lei Qianya is me, and I am Lei Qianya. I won't mind this point. Besides, all the expenses tonight are covered by Lei Qianya, including that bouquet of flowers; I also left the name of Lei Qianya's personal maid. Xia De, have a good time tonight."

She said with a smile, looking like she really didn't mind.

The carriage moved steadily, but the clattering sound of the horse's hooves and the noisy sounds of the street at dusk outside the window made the silence inside the carriage at this moment feel somewhat strange.

Dorothy pushed open the window, and the warm wind carrying a burnt smell immediately poured in.

She turned her head to look at the dense, tall chimneys towering in the distance, with billowing black smoke spraying into the sky. This was the unique skyline of the steam capital Tobesk, and this was the symbol of this era.

Xia De also looked out the window:

"Dorothy, if I can find a way in the future for you to meet, to look at each other, to touch..."

"Then, you will become our..."

This sentence was almost a murmur; Xia De did not hear the last word clearly.

The evening wind blew through the street, making the pedestrians on the street feel a bit chilly; autumn was coming. The wind also blew across the face of the girl at the window, making her blonde hair sway with the wind.

She did not look at Xia De, and Xia De could not see her expression. But this kind of loneliness, where the most familiar person is nearby, where they can talk about almost anything, where their souls are closely connected, yet they may never be able to touch or look at each other in their entire lives—Xia De looked at her lonely back and actually felt he had come to understand it a little.

【Outsider, is this like you and me?】

Her voice suddenly appeared in his ear. Xia De was stunned for a moment, folded the notebook page in his hand, and stuffed it into the chest pocket of his black coat:

"I didn't say anything."

After the carriage stopped at St. Theresa Square, Dorothy did not get off, but after repeatedly urging Xia De not to miss the time, she left by carriage.

This feeling of a girl arranging a meeting schedule for him with another girl made Xia De feel incredibly strange.

However, since it had already been arranged, he would not break his promise.

Although the agreed time was 6:30, to prevent being late, Xia De arrived at the alley entrance next to the Prophet Society at 6:10.

He had the gray gloves used as a token at home, but an animal brooch was really hard to find. Finally, he found a brass brooch in the shape of an eagle's head in the bedroom desk of the late Detective Sparrow; the design was quite similar to the emblem of a certain country in his hometown.

Standing still at the alley entrance would be very conspicuous, so Xia De also bought a newspaper from a child selling newspapers on the street.

Unexpectedly, the newspaper had just been opened, and he hadn't even finished reading the headline on the front page about His Majesty the King giving a speech, when he actually heard someone calling his name:

"Mr. Hamilton, what are you doing here?"

It was Mr. Adis Stan, the local president of the Prophet Society. He was accompanied by Vice President Mark and two other gentlemen Xia De did not know; it looked like they were going out for a drink together after work:

"I am... on a detective commission, I am meeting someone."

Xia De said half-truthfully, hoping these gentlemen would not stay here for long.

"Work is really hard, having to meet someone even during mealtime."

Vice President Mark sighed, and the other gentlemen also sympathized with Xia De's profession. Vice President Stan, however, had a good impression of him because Xia De helped solve the "Princess Angelina Injury Case" last time.

Casually taking out a one-shilling coin and flipping it, this most famous prophet in Tobesk smiled and reminded him:

"Mr. Hamilton, my divination shows that if you wear your gloves inside out, change the newspaper in your hand to the 'Three Penny News', and then buy a red rose to hold in your hand, then you will encounter great luck when meeting your contact."

Because this gentleman accurately predicted the "Knight" last time, Xia De was very convinced. After saying goodbye to the group, he found a newsboy on the street to buy another newspaper, and then bought a red rose from a girl selling flowers.

There was a bouquet of flowers at home, but to prevent them from being eaten by the cat, Xia De put them in the basement. He found it troublesome at the time and didn't take them out, so now he had to spend more money. But if it was for luck, this was probably worth it.

After buying the flowers, Xia De continued to stand at the alley entrance with the newspaper and the flowers. Silver Cross Avenue in the evening was exceptionally lively. One could hardly see the poor people from the lower city in tattered clothes here. Whether it was the gentlemen walking in a hurry on the street or the nobles leaving Yodel Palace by carriage, everyone looked so glamorous and so confident.

If Tobesk City was the core of the entire northern Old Continent, then Silver Cross Avenue was the core of all of Tobesk. The essence of civilization gathered here, and the people living nearby also enjoyed the dividends brought by the kingdom and the era.

If one only watched the street scene here, then this era was undoubtedly the most advanced, most civilized, and most stable era. But for an outsider mingling in this city, he knew very well that the essence of civilization could not be judged by the most gorgeous scene.

"Civilization~"

Sighing in his heart, light suddenly flickered beside him.

Xia De turned his head to look. Above the street lamp pole at the alley entrance, the warm yellow light flickered a few times, and with a soft pop, the light turned on completely.

Clusters of firelight were lit one by one along the street, from far to near, and then from near to farther away. The light illuminated the stone road under everyone's feet and illuminated everyone here.

No one stopped because of this scene; a few people turned their heads to look at the gas street lamp beside them, with smiles appearing on their faces.

Only the outsider widened his eyes and looked up. For the first time in the night of this era, he saw the scene of gas street lamps lighting up and illuminating the city.

This scene was very ordinary, but it hit Xia De's heart like a hammer.