“The Helios banquet? Midsummer?”
Shad still didn't understand, turning to look outside through the small window in front of his desk. It was late autumn, and Tobeisk was shrouded in smog, yet it could not hide the crimson sunset. The evening glow had already appeared on the horizon; looking out from the third-floor window, past the rooftops of thousands of households and above the chimneys belching black smoke, one could see the clouds dyed in colors like maple leaves.
“That was before Doctor Schneider encountered you,” Dorothy said in a low voice, her memory returning to that banquet in the height of summer.
“It was a banquet held in the city by Earl Helios. The Earl was wealthy and fond of lavish feasts and balls. The princes and princesses of the royal family had all been invited to those social gatherings. Lacia had attended one before she departed for her visit to Carsonrick, and she invited me...”
Her voice gradually trailed off. Shad understood that Lacia had wanted to get as close to Dorothy as possible before leaving Tobeisk. But they could not get close, could not converse, and could not even look at each other from afar.
It was indeed a great regret. No matter how hot the summer night was, or how fervent the atmosphere of the bustling ball, Lacia Cavendish and Dorothy Louisa must not have been in a good mood that evening.
That midsummer banquet was held at the "Sunset Hotel," a renowned restaurant in the city. It was the highest-class establishment, which also contracted the work of hosting banquets and ceremonies. Entering such a place naturally required formal attire; thus, with Shad's help, it took Dorothy over an hour to change her clothes and finish her makeup.
Shad, meanwhile, only changed his coat and trousers—Lacia had remained at Dorothy's place—and then the two of them headed together to the Sunset Hotel in the south of the city.
Even at night, the high-end restaurant was as brightly lit as day. Waiters waited at the door, and as Shad and Dorothy entered together, a waiter immediately asked respectfully
“May I ask if you are Mr. Hamilton of Reged and Miss Dorothy Louisa?”
After Shad nodded, the waiter added softly
“Someone has reserved a table for you. Please follow me.”
Shad and the blonde girl in her evening gown took their seats at a round table against the wall. The waiter pushed over a trolley, but it held only fruit and a single appetizer dessert. On the tabletop, however, a music box had already been placed.
Dorothy wound the key. As the lid of the silver music box slowly opened, small figurines of a blonde girl and a red-haired girl embracing and rotating slowly rose up.
A slight smile appeared on Dorothy's face
“She really did remember this.”
While eating that delicious but slightly tart creamy pineapple mousse with Shad, they listened to the dance music played by the music box. Soon, a small drawer popped out from the bottom of the box. Thus, they obtained a brand new note, with a sentence that remained as enigmatic as a riddle
【Among the Three Cats in early spring, your smile is unforgettable.】
“The destination this time is the Three Cats Inn at Anthem Square.”
This time, Shad learned to answer quickly. Dorothy smiled
“Yes, the Three Cats Inn; that is a story from the spring. However, let's finish this dessert before we go. I absolutely must scold Lacia severely in my diary.”
On the way from the south of the city to the north, Shad heard another story.
It was the fourth month since Dorothy and Lacia had swapped. The time had moved from the winter of 1852 of the Common Calendar to the spring of 1853. It was another forced exchange. Lacia, having obtained Dorothy's body, had to go to the Three Cats Inn in Dorothy's stead to meet a Second-Circle female sorceress from out of town, arrange her accommodation, and complete an academy task Dorothy had accepted.
This academy task sounded simple, but it offered a reward of four practical credits. The female sorceress using Tobeisk as a transit point had run into some trouble, and because the forced weekly exchange did not happen at a fixed time, Lacia had not received much information from Dorothy.
That night, not only did Lacia use Dorothy's body to deal with vampire rats that had appeared from nowhere in the Three Cats Inn, but Dorothy also used Lacia's body, in her capacity as a princess, to mobilize manpower to provide security assistance for the inn.
The two of them were inside and outside the Three Cats Inn respectively that night. They did not meet, of course, but they both knew what the other was doing. After a busy night, the eight hours ended, and they returned to their own bodies. However, their relationship progressed rapidly after that incident, leading to the intimacy they shared after the outsider arrived in this world.
By the time they reached Anthem Square, it was nearly eight o'clock. The Three Cats Inn had entered its so-called "night mode," and many singing girls waiting for customers could already be seen along the walls of the first floor.
The owner of the Three Cats Inn, Madame Somme, could be considered a friend of Shad. Seeing Shad carrying his cat and leading the blonde girl to the counter, she teased
“Isn't this the champion Mr. 1853 of the Big City players? Oh, look, you've finally brought a duplicate beautiful girl this time. This dress is truly lovely; I had one when I was young, though unfortunately, I can't fit into it now.”
Shad ignored her teasing
“Are there any letters here for Shad Hamilton or Dorothy Louisa?”
“Of course there are.”
The proprietress put down the pen she was using for bookkeeping and tapped twice on the striped wooden tabletop, which looked dirty but was actually spotless.
“I've clearly already paid,” Shad complained in his heart, but he still fished out two one-shilling alloy silver coins and pushed them forward.
“Where is the letter?”
Madame Somme swept the coins into a biscuit tin under the counter and smilingly pulled out a bottle of red wine from beneath
“Take this first. Someone left this wine here for you and asked that you take it with you.”
Then she tugged the gas lamp above her head and flipped the ledger forward two pages
“The letter cannot be given to you now. It can only be given at eight o'clock—which is in twelve minutes.”
“Why?” Dorothy asked in confusion. Madame Somme gave a meaningful smile
“You can sit here for a while. Don't worry, I've warned the neighbors in advance; no indecent people will appear in my inn tonight... except for the girls by the wall.”
Thus, Shad took the bottle of wine and sat down with Dorothy. When there were two minutes left until eight, Madame Somme told them to look outside.
Shad counted down, standing with Dorothy at the edge of Anthem Square. At exactly eight o'clock, a *whoosh* sounded in the distance, and a streak of light flew into the sky, subsequently exploding into brilliant fireworks under the starry night.
Streak after streak of light flew upward, the exploding fireworks illuminating the faces of Shad and Dorothy. The blonde girl stared blankly at the fireworks in the sky and whispered
“So, she still remembers that I like...”
The letter from Madame Somme still contained only one sentence—
【Since the first time I saw your eyes in the winter of 1852, I have been unable to forget you.】
Shad, already familiar with the rules of "puzzle-solving," immediately asked
“I've got it this time. After the anomalies appeared last winter, you two must have tried to meet each other. Although you realized then that you couldn't get close, couldn't make eye contact, and certainly couldn't touch, that was your first attempt. Where was the location?”
“Under the central fountain of St. Delan Square.”
After circling inside and outside the city, Shad finally returned to his beloved house before nine o'clock. Vendors were not allowed to linger in St. Delan Square at night, and most residents who had been busy all day had gone home to rest; it was quiet and peaceful.
The gas lamps around the perimeter of the square provided light, but the gas streetlamps in the center were under repair and thus unlit; consequently, the moonlight remained the brightest light in the center of the square. However, dark clouds were drifting in from the distance, as if it were about to rain.
When Shad and Dorothy stepped off the carriage, the square was empty. Dorothy hurried to the fountain in the center of the square, where a young girl held up a water jar. After a careful inspection, she crossed two fingers, pointed toward the east side of the pool, and whispered a spell
“Reveal.”
As the ancient incantation was spoken, an envelope pressed down by a heavy object appeared on the edge of the previously empty fountain pool.
The heavy object was half of a red butterfly pendant. Although the pendant showed no signs of wear or corrosion, it possessed an ancient, weathered feel. Dorothy picked up the pendant in confusion, then opened the envelope to read the contents
【Perhaps fate allows for passing glances, but we are the most distant of kin.】
This was not a scrap of paper, but a full sheet. The letters were written in the center of the page, and below them was a butterfly pattern drawn in red ink.
“What does this mean this time?”
The blonde girl was puzzled and looked up at Shad beside her. Shad, illuminated by the moonlight, suddenly pointed at the letter and said
“Look at this.”
Dorothy looked down again and saw that the red butterfly drawn on the paper actually fluttered its wings and flew off the page.
The translucent red butterfly scattered red powder in the air and then flew toward the edge of the square. From the cold moonlight, it flew toward the warm yellow gas streetlamps. Dorothy instinctively followed, only to find that the red butterfly had arrived at the door of Number 6, St. Delan Square, and then vanished into the door panel.
At that moment, the wall lamp beside the outer door—which Shad rarely opened—suddenly lit up. Simultaneously, in the second-floor living room of Number 6, St. Delan Square, where no one should have been home, the gas lamps also flickered to life.
“This is...”
The formally dressed Dorothy stood before the door steps, only to see Shad beside her hand her the house key tied with a red string.
The blonde girl lifted the hem of her dress and stepped quickly up the stairs, opening the door in the hazy light. As she gently pushed the door open, the lights on the first floor were off, but the lights in the foyer and on the stairs were incredibly bright.
She stood with her back to the starlight, bathed in warm yellow light. A red carpet extended from the door up the stairs, and petals of red, white, and pink covered the carpet.
A familiar scent of incense diffused through the air. Holding the red butterfly pendant in her hand, the blonde girl felt her heart suddenly accelerate.
Unable to believe it, she stepped over the threshold and then heard a familiar voice. That voice was waiting for her from higher up, reciting their story
【To Dorothy, —Late Autumn, 1853】
She walked up the stairs, holding the banister and looking further up.
【Perhaps fate allows for passing glances, We are the most distant of kin. Since the first time I saw your eyes in the winter of 1852, I have been unable to forget you;】
With her heart pounding rapidly, she hurried upward, the red butterfly leading the way.
【Among the Three Cats in early spring, Your smile is unforgettable; At the Helios banquet in midsummer, The failure to dance together is an eternal regret;】
Turning the corner of the stairs, the petals extended further up, leading into a room where the door was open only a crack.
【In this late autumn, watching the falling leaves, I wish to lightly kiss your cheek— O blonde girl, do you still remember, Our first encounter.】
She could barely control her emotions, nor could she remember exactly how she had reached the second-floor door.
【In that moment I knew, You and I are like the front and back of a mirror. Though we can never meet, just by leaning on you, I feel complete.】
The transparent red butterfly vanished before her eyes, and a trembling hand pushed open the door.
Tears, for some reason, began to slide down her cheeks at this moment. Inside the room, massive bouquets of flowers filled the floor, making the place look like a flower field in midsummer.
In the center of those bouquets, a red-haired girl wearing a silver crown, a golden evening gown, and black high heels turned and looked at her with emerald eyes.
A red ribbon was tied around her waist, and her smooth long hair was braided in a complex and elegant style trailing behind her. Her face wore light makeup, and her eyelashes looked exquisitely beautiful.
Eyes blinked; emerald eyes met emerald eyes. Standing amidst the flowers, Lacia Cavendish, with lips painted in lipstick, softly recited the final line
【Dear Dorothy, You are me, and I am you. This is our story.】
Tears slid down the fair face into the flowers at her feet. Dorothy covered her mouth with her hand, struggling to suppress the sound of her sobbing.
The furniture in the living room had been temporarily moved to the corners, leaving a small path through the flowers so she could walk toward Lacia. At the other end of the path, the dining room lights were off, but candles were lit on the table set with gold and silver utensils and exquisite dishes.
There was no wind indoors, but the light was bright. They gazed at each other, their eyes seemingly conveying a thousand words.
The red-haired princess swayed the half-relic pendant hanging from her waist. Her emerald eyes gazed into those emerald eyes, and she lifted the hem of her dress with one hand, curtsying slightly
“Meeting for the first time, I am Lacia Seville Cavendish.”
The blonde writer wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, striving to show a joyful expression. Taking a deep breath, she similarly lifted the hem of her dress and curtsied
“It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Dorothy Redempt Louisa.”
The blonde girl wore a red gown; the red-haired girl wore a golden gown. The simultaneous act of curtsying was like a strange mirror reflecting a wondrous scene. But on those two completely different faces, one was smiling tenderly, while the other was weeping.
She walked along the path through the flowers, and she walked along the path through the flowers, embracing in the center of the blooms
“Finally...”
“Finally, I have touched you.”
Swarms of red butterflies flew in from nowhere, dancing around the girls amidst the flowers. The sounds of sobbing and whispering represented joy, but also the sorrows of the past.
The explosion of accumulated emotion made the embracing girls unwilling to part for a long time. At the door, Shad, who had been maintaining the illusion while holding his cat, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked happily at the scene inside the room and snapped his fingers; soft violin and saxophone music began to play in the dining room.
【Aren't you going to walk over and hug them?】
The voice in his ear chuckled. Shad shook his head, held his breath, and carefully closed the door, then tiptoed downstairs to leave
“At a time like this, no one should disturb them. This is a candlelight dinner prepared for them.”
Thinking this, he arrived on the first floor. There was a dinner Lacia had prepared for him on the first floor; having only eaten an appetizer after working all afternoon, Shad was starving.
Upstairs, Lacia and Dorothy poured out their hearts, speaking of things that could not be told through diaries and letters. Downstairs, after finishing his meal, Shad washed up on the first floor, preparing to rest immediately after Lacia and Dorothy left.
He was no idle person; he had an important appointment with Doctor Schneider tomorrow.
Music played by an alchemical recording stone echoed overhead, and outside, it had indeed begun to rain.
Shad was in a very good mood and thought that, as a reward for this, he must obtain the right to read their diaries. But at ten o'clock, as the rain tapped against the window and the music continued to linger, Shad—sitting on the first-floor sofa with his cat, flipping through a book—suddenly heard someone calling him from upstairs
“Detective, Knight, could you please come up? We have finished talking, and there are some things... that need you to do, to put a period to this memorable night.”
Because of the floorboard between them, he couldn't tell who was calling him.
“Need me to do something?”
Suspicious, he stood up and walked up the stairs, with Mia following close behind his heels.
The lights in the foyer were bright, while the gas lamps on the stairs were somewhat dim. Amidst the increasingly dense sound of rain, the young outsider cautiously walked toward the dimly lit upper floor.
(End of Chapter)