To prevent any further accidents, after learning the location of the gentleman known as Mr. Victor Bunny, the three of them bid farewell to the spice merchant. To thank the two ladies for accompanying him today, and since it was already noon, Shade invited them to lunch.
There were no good restaurants in the northwestern district of the city, so the three took a carriage back to St. Delan Square first. After picking up Mia, they dined at a nearby restaurant.
During the meal, Shade skimmed through the investigation report that Princess Margaret had helped record and mentioned his history with the Three Cats Inn.
"Last time, Miss Mary and I were at the Three Cats Inn together to recover relics. Even earlier than that, I went there to investigate a very dangerous Ring-caster."
"I once received an academy mission to help receive a female caster who was staying in Tobesk for a few days before heading north to the academy," Dorothy added.
"The Ring-casters of Tobesk have all, to some extent, had contact with the Three Cats Inn. The north of the city is the slum district; the probability of things happening there is higher than anywhere else, but it is also suitable for hiding oneself or conducting trades. Anthem Square is the center of the North District, and the Three Cats Inn is the largest inn around Anthem Square, so there are many, many stories that happen there."
"There are similar places in Wyndell," Princess Margaret said, turning to look at the light snow drifting outside the restaurant window; the snowflakes had been falling all morning. Just as she was about to introduce Wyndell, she saw the writer sitting beside her lean forward slightly and tug the collar of Shade, who was sitting opposite her.
"You always neglect this," Dorothy complained softly. Her movements were very fluid, showing that she had done this more than once.
"Hmm."
Since this morning, the princess of the Southern Kingdom had suspected the relationship between the writer and the detective. Now it seemed that this suspicion was definitely not a case of her overthinking.
In reality, as two people in the same group whose professional skills complemented each other, it wouldn't be a problem if there were romantic entanglements. The problem was that even she, a princess of Carsonrick, had heard rumors in Wyndell about "Hamilton of Reged" and Duchess Galina Cavendish; there was no reason for a female writer from Tobesk not to have heard them.
"Relationships are truly complicated."
Margaret Anjou lifted her teacup to hide her expression.
"Since we still have to investigate this afternoon, we won't drink alcohol. I am still looking forward to the results. Speaking of which, I once obtained a batch of quite excellent red wine in Huntington, but unfortunately, I've already given them all away as gifts. When I return to Huntington, I can look for that gentleman with the vineyard in the New World again and ask if he has any stock left. If he does, I can send some to you."
She used a change of subject to mask her emotions.
"I know the kind of wine you're talking about. At the Lakeview Manor banquet, Miss Galina once drank it with me..."
Shade added another sentence
"Your mathematics teacher, Miss Sylvia, was also there at the time. Miss Galina admired that lady very much."
Dorothy glanced at Shade but said nothing. Princess Margaret also looked at the blonde girl; seeing that Shade mentioned his "lover" in front of her, yet the writer's expression didn't change in the slightest, she felt that this young and powerful Ring-caster's life in Tobesk was truly colorful.
After lunch, the three returned home to rest for a while. They set out again at two in the afternoon. By this time, the snowfall had become denser. The people of Tobesk did not use umbrellas in the snow, so the hats of the people walking on the streets were all stained with a layer of white.
Although Anthem Square in the North District was not as important as St. Delan Square, because there were many merchants hawking goods on the square, the merchants spontaneously cleared the accumulated snow, preventing the environment from becoming too muddy.
Due to the continuous snowfall throughout the day, the temperature in the gray-mist-shrouded city was very low in the afternoon. In the entire Anthem Square, there were more pedestrians only near the "Upper-Class Blacksmith Shop" on the southwest side; the light and heat emanating from the blacksmith's furnace subconsciously drew people closer in this snowy weather.
The arrival of winter had reduced the number of pedestrians in Anthem Square, but the sounds of hawking were still incessant. Although it wasn't Princess Margaret's first time here, she still found the environment novel.
As the three crossed the square toward the Three Cats Inn, the princess of the Southern Kingdom took a keen interest in asking Dorothy about the small vendors on the square, and even inquired about the illegal exchange rate between the two countries' currencies at the "Honest Man's Gold Shop" on the southwest side.
By the time the three entered the inn braving the snow, the princess already had a small wooden hair ornament in her hand, bought for 10 pence—paid for by Dorothy. Margaret Anjou was different from the Lacia and little Princess Adelina that Shade was familiar with. Lacia was serious and earnest, possessing a well-measured sensibility like Dorothy's; Adelina loved fantasy and was full of determination. As for the princess of the Anjou royal family, perhaps because she had too few siblings and had not experienced the fierce competition between the princes and princesses of the Cavendish family, she still possessed a maidenly innocence despite being only a few months younger than Lacia.
"Speaking of which, among the girls I know, it seems only sixteen-year-old Adelina and seventeen-year-old Iluna are younger than this body's age... Miss Sylvia seems to be about the same age as this body," Shade thought to himself as he followed the girls into the inn.
After entering the Three Cats Inn through the snow, Dorothy and Princess Margaret looked for a seat on the first floor, while Shade walked alone toward the counter. The afternoon was the time when the inn had the fewest guests, and the female owner, Madame Somme, was standing boredly behind the counter.
The moment the three entered, she noticed that Shade had come here again. As Shade approached, she teased him with a smile
"Detective, truly impressive, bringing two beautiful girls this time. I think one day, all the beautiful girls of Tobesk will be brought here by you."
"Then you should thank me for frequently patronizing your business," Shade smiled. "Three hot drinks, no alcohol. The weather is truly cold; I wonder how long this snow will last."
"Every winter is like this. However, you didn't bring the girls here just to drink hot fruit juice, did you?" Madame Somme asked.
Shade thought for a moment. "Then change them to butterbeer..."
Then he asked with some concern, "You don't have small, medium, large, and extra-large cups here, do you?"
"Detective, this isn't your first time here, what kind of strange question is that? If you really feel it's not enough, it's not impossible for me to give you a larger cup for free," Madame Somme asked strangely, then signaled a nearby waiter to prepare the drinks for Shade.
"That Southern girl looks quite nice," she whispered to Shade after instructing the waiter. She was referring to Princess Margaret; although the princess had disguised her face, she still looked like a person from Carsonrick.
"Oh, Madame Somme, although I sometimes bring different girls here, I'm not trying to do anything bad."
"Yes, yes," the middle-aged woman in the apron laughed. "You only do bad things to the Duchess; everyone in the city knows that."
She laughed happily. On this snowy winter afternoon, teasing a familiar young man was a very good form of entertainment.
"Tell me, detective, who are you here to investigate this time? Considering you have a discount at this establishment, I can lower the intelligence fee for you a bit."
"This time I'm just visiting a friend."
Shade shook his head. Mr. Victor Bunny, the box peddler, lived in the inn, and Shade knew how to contact him. Considering he didn't know what might happen in a moment, there was no need to fish for intelligence from Madame Somme this time. If things really got messy, asking Madame Somme for intelligence would mean directly telling others why he had come.
The waiter soon delivered the butterbeer to the trio's table. The Three Cats Inn used wooden tables with very prominent grain, which provided a great atmosphere for those who loved taverns, but Shade felt nothing about it.
He picked up the glass and took a sip of the drink that was said to be completely alcohol-free, finding the taste strange. Princess Margaret held her cup to feel the warmth, and Dorothy, after removing her gloves, took out her notebook.
"Are you going up alone, or are we following you?"
Shade thought for a moment. "I don't know the situation yet. I'll go upstairs and take a walk to scout it out myself first."
In truth, he wanted to rely on "her" perception to confirm exactly what the opponent was.
"I'll decide on the plan of action after that. If the opponent is too strong, I'll report this to the Church; I have acquaintances there."
Both ladies smiled. That Miss Iluna Bayes from Wednesday night clearly had a very unusual relationship with Shade. Although Margaret Anjou still didn't understand why that Angel-level relic considered Shade an ordinary person, the parchment in Iluna Bayes' hand at the time clearly contained more than just the information of an ordinary person.
"If we can solve it ourselves, then we'll visit that gentleman together. I think he will learn a lesson."
Dorothy and Princess Margaret also agreed with Shade's plan, but Shade did not stand up immediately, chatting with them for another ten minutes. Taking advantage of the moment Madame Somme went to the kitchen, he finally stood up and walked toward the stairs, heading for the fourth floor of the inn.
While thinking about what he would encounter on the fourth floor, Shade stopped his pace just as he reached the second floor.
Frowning, he looked at the second floor. There were quite a few guests here on Monday afternoon; ordering a drink and sitting with friends for the afternoon, or gambling with familiar players over Lord cards, were all good ways to kill time.
A strange smell of food mixed with alcohol diffused in the air. Shade stopped because he saw an acquaintance. After hesitating, he retreated back to the stairs. Seeing that no one was above or below him, he changed his coat and then applied the witch's eyeshadow.