Chapter 838: Murder Case

Princess Margaret had never been to Tobesk before, and the last time she went to Deraerion was when she accompanied the contemporary king on a visit at the age of sixteen. Therefore, the princess was very talkative this afternoon, which also had to do with Mr. "Sherlock Holmes," who operated a winery in the New Continent, having just left Tobesk before coming to Casenrik.

Xia De was happy to guess the princess's temper in this way, and Mr. Bernhard also felt that this private conversation could narrow the distance between him and the royal family, so none of the three had the intention to end this conversation actively.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the princess's maid also prepared afternoon tea and small snacks for them. As for the bottle of red wine that had been opened, it was put away again. It seems that this princess with pale golden hair really likes the "blood brew" provided by Xia De.

Around three o'clock in the afternoon, Xia De was discussing the steam pipeline renovation project carried out in the city this year with Princess Margaret, and the door of the room was knocked. The maid who seemed to be a first-ring Ringed Shushi walked quietly to the door, opened the door and listened to the guards at the door say a few words, then returned behind the princess and whispered:

"It's Count Sacia."

The voice was not loud or small, just enough to be heard by Xia De and Mr. Bernhard. The two stood up very sensibly:

"Your Highness, then we will leave first, and wish your Tobesk journey smooth."

"Maybe you can say this sentence at the farewell party. Viscount Bernhard, you should have received the invitation letter, right?"

Princess Margaret said to the middle-aged vampire, who nodded lightly, and then left the room with Xia De.

And waiting at the door was a middle-aged man wearing a black formal suit, wearing a monocle, and a bit chubby. His hairstyle was very unique, separated from the middle and then combed to both sides, which made the whole person look a bit short.

Mr. Bernhard obviously knew this count, and the two greeted each other, and then the count walked into the door.

Xia De walked along the corridor to the stairs with Mr. Bernhard:

"Is that the local count?"

"Yes, it is considered a traditional noble in Huntington. His son is the former mayor of Huntington, and he himself has a seat in the Upper House of Parliament. It is said that he is seeking cooperation with the Aurora family, the very famous navigation family, and wants to intervene in the mineral business of the New Continent. Don't look at him as kind and amiable, he is actually a very ruthless person. Many famous local gangs are related to his family. Of course, those are just ordinary people..."

Mr. Bernhard said the local secrets, and then took Xia De back to the restaurant on the first floor.

The two originally planned to finish the afternoon tea, and then Mr. Bernhard would take Xia De to the local Ringed Shushi black market to take a look. But the hot drinks mixed with goat milk had just been served, and one of the royal guards guarding Princess Margaret entered the restaurant in a hurry, ignoring the surprised gazes of the people around, and went straight to find the two:

"Two gentlemen, Her Highness invites you to go up again."

This middle-aged man with freckles on his face and looking to be in his thirties, with a firm expression, seemed to be a bit panicked in his eyes. Mr. Bernhard stood up in surprise:

"What happened?"

He tried his best to lower his voice. The guard wearing a uniform wanted to speak, but closed his mouth, and then leaned close to Mr. Bernhard's ear:

"Someone is dead."

After speaking, he stopped explaining, and then took Xia De and Mr. Bernhard, who didn't understand what happened, to the door of the restaurant.

The third floor of the Bai Wang Club was still very quiet, but the accompanying royal guards had blocked the stairs on the left, right, and middle, and the manager of the Bai Wang Club was wiping sweat while talking to the secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the visiting delegation who had published photos in the newspaper.

All the doors on the third floor were tightly closed, and the princess's door was guarded by more royal guards than just now. After confirming their identities, those guards actually wanted to search Xia De and Mr. Bernhard, but fortunately, the princess's maid opened the door in time to let the two in.

And as soon as they entered the room, the two were surprised to see that the chubby Count Sacia was lying on the carpet beside the sofa without moving, with an overturned teacup beside his hand, and the tea wet a large area of the carpet. The princess's private doctor—not the great witch Miss Sylvia, but another one—was checking the corpse, and the captain of the royal guard was checking the supplies on the coffee table.

There was an eerie silence in the room, and everyone was busy with their own things. As for Princess Margaret, she was sitting at the desk on the other side of the room under the protection of a group of maids, and a screen was placed between the sofa and the desk, so the princess didn't have to see the tragic scene directly.

"What's the situation? Princess Margaret killed Count Sacia, and then wanted to silence us as eyewitnesses?"

Xia De thought of the impossible answer in his heart, and felt a bit emotional that a murder case actually happened here:

"This princess's luck is really bad."

Princess Margaret did not see them again, but was informed of the current situation by Mr. Wood, the captain of the Royal Guard who had the rank of Casenrik Colonel and was checking the situation everywhere. The matter was not complicated at all. After Xia De and Mr. Bernhardt left here just now, Count Sacia entered the room to discuss the farewell banquet on Saturday with Princess Margaret.

At that time, the pot of black tea on the coffee table was not changed, and the maid just brought a new cup to pour tea for the count. And shortly after the count drank the tea, he suddenly fell to the ground and died. Although there was no autopsy yet, the traces left on the surface of the corpse were undoubtedly signs of poisoning.

Therefore, that pot of black tea became the most suspicious tool for poisoning. A total of three people had drunk the black tea, so Xia De and Mr. Bernhard were invited up again.

"Is it to ask us to testify that there is no poison in that pot of black tea, and the count's death has nothing to do with the princess?"

The three stood by the coffee table in the room and talked. Mr. Bernhard asked this question as implicitly as possible. Mr. Wood nodded slowly:

"Two gentlemen don't have to be too nervous. The local police station will arrive soon to investigate. It's just that the identity of the deceased is too special, and he died in front of Her Highness, and just happened to drink the black tea prepared by Her Highness's maid... Viscount, don't worry, this will not implicate you, you just need to testify."

Mr. Bernhard nodded immediately. He understood the other party's hint:

"It is unfortunate that such a thing happened, but it has nothing to do with Her Highness. I am a long-time friend of the count. In the summer, I played Rod cards in Willendale... The police are coming?"

He realized that something was wrong, looked at Xia De carefully, and Xia De also understood. Even if this matter had nothing to do with them, the police would not suspect them, but the matter involved the death of a count with a seat in the Upper House, and the identity of the foreigner "Holmes" would definitely be investigated. Even if there was Mr. Bernhard's cover, the identity would inevitably have flaws.

So, they must not let the police come here, at least not let the police have the opportunity to investigate Xia De's identity.

But fortunately, Xia De had dealt with similar situations more than once. He turned to look at the corpse lying on the ground. At this time, the old doctor who was carrying a medicine box and wearing a beige plaid formal suit had stood up.

"Colonel, was the count in other rooms on the third floor before arriving in this room, or did he come from outside the club? Maybe you can investigate the place before he came, maybe there is a source of poison there."

Xia De asked softly, and Colonel Wood agreed deeply:

"We also thought so. The count had been in a room on the other side of the third floor before. I have sent someone to check that room just now, and there is no one in it. The count arrived at the club after lunch. According to the club's waiter, a total of three people had entered his room, and the three people brought red wine, sweet snacks, and cigarettes respectively. The club's kitchen is also checking, but no suspicious items have been found yet."

Xia De nodded and looked at Mr. Bernhard, who understood:

"Why don't we check the situation of those three people before the police arrive. If we can find the truth before the police arrive, I think it will be of great benefit to Her Highness's reputation."

After speaking, he lowered his voice again:

"If we find the murderer before the police arrive, with my status locally, I can suppress the impact of this matter to the minimum. Once the police arrive, those reporters like blood-sucking locusts will also hear the wind. So, it is best for the police not to come upstairs first."

Mr. Bernhard's proposal was of great value. Colonel Wood nodded and went to the desk behind the screen to ask the princess for instructions. Princess Margaret also thought Mr. Bernhard's proposal was very good, so she specifically explained to notify the secretary accompanying the visiting delegation to let the local police come half an hour later.

And after being allowed, Colonel Wood took Xia De and Mr. Bernhard to the next room. As important suspects in the case, the three people who had secret meetings with Count Sacia after he arrived at the club after lunch were all found and brought there to wait for the police to arrive.

At this time, the royal guards had already imposed martial law on the third floor of the Bai Wang Club and did not allow anyone to enter or leave, and Viscount Lyon, who was responsible for crisis handling accompanying the visiting delegation, had also begun to act.

Even in the steam age, whether it is the Kingdom of Deraerion or the Kingdom of Casenrik, the power of the royal family still radiates to every corner of the country, so these actions will not be questioned. However, among the various contingency plans prepared by the royal family for Princess Margaret Anjou's visit to Tobesk, they never expected that the first accident would occur before the visiting delegation had even left Casenrik territory.