Chapter 82: Ninth Episode: Chapter 9 (2/2)

”All right, desserts after meals are a must! Would you prefer vanilla cake or matcha cheese?” Sasha asked while tidying up the plates.

”Uhh… Are there any other choices?” Oscar wrinkled his eyebrows with his mouth hanging open, with a look of having not much appetite.

”There’s still yogurt and heated banana walnut paste.”

”What are those things? Are they edible? I mean… can they be eaten by humans?” The Prince groaned in exaggeration.

”I should remind you, high-calorie food intake is not beneficial to you at all! My brother, if you don’t wish to one day become like the Sea Creature who makes one want to throw up in the future, then I advise you to just go with my arrangements!”

The young lady rang the copper bell on the dining table and an attendant responded.

”Prepare a set of matcha cheese and banana walnut paste for the prince.”

Oscar heaved a sigh. He did not know when it started, perhaps it was the feeling of guilt, but he dared not dismiss any of Sasha’s suggestions. The prince focused his attention on the banana walnut paste served on the table. It was a black, mashed shape object wrapped in tender banana, just like when he attempted to roast rats back in Damorga prison; Oscar gripped the ladle, trembling.

***************

It could be said that Dulin's winter had just started, yet it had entered its peak all of a sudden. The snow that had accumulated on the buildings would not melt before spring arrived and, looking down from a high point in the city, one could see that Titan’s capital was shrouded in a mystifying white fog. The warm smoke rising from the ten thousand over households diluted the color of the fog. When this warm, greyish-black air met the cold breeze, the whole city would be filled with a thin layer of charcoal residue.

The greyish black charcoal residue would always fall to the ground, causing Dulin to become even filthier in the winter. Pure white sceneries would only appear in the lofty blocks of the nobles and Vatican assembly area; while in the ghettos on either side of Victory Square, mud and all sorts of domestic garbage would be frozen together, forming hideous ice sculptures of all forms. The people would dump their domestic water and leftovers in between these ice sculptures, and when the next day came, new sculptures would be formed! That was why it was said that the best sculptures usually came from among the people; these words were absolutely justified.

The bitter coldness effectively cleared tramps of all ages from the streets of Dulin. The nobles regarded these people who did not even have a birth certificate as the largest hidden threats to society. These people were condescending and cruelly greedy; they would brandish their daggers for a piece of bread and also murder for a prostitute. With regards to the capital or whole Titan, tramps were the largest enemies, the root of all evil. Fortunately, nature had created the exquisite weapons of freezing and starving to counter them! When the patrolling soldiers received a corpse, they would happily chant the name of the God of Light. If the gods heard the prayers of these bandits, they would definitely be angered beyond measure by those who held malice.

The House of Andrew’s highest-grade carriage horse galloped past Jewel Street and a group of patrolling soldiers under the Ministry of Justice immediately paid their respects towards the carriage. Soon, another carriage following behind the Prince’s carriage also approached. The soldiers on patrol watched the entirely black carriage and could not help but burst into laughter; that belonged to the secret agents of the Secret Service Department. These arrogant men seemed to have a huge change in temperament overnight and even in Dulin, they dared not parade themselves ostentatiously about the city as before. It was said that it was His Imperial Highness The Prince who brought about this state; the few corpses hung inverted on the street lamps even had their hearts dug out by people and now no one dared provoke the military personnel who came from Narcissus.

”Oh Wellington, Wellington! I knew from the start that you were a good lad! Ola! You don’t know just how dangerous it was a while ago, if it weren’t for the message you conveyed, I may already be suffering from food poisoning now! Truly, I am extremely grateful! You have saved my life!” Oscar hooked onto the messenger, First Lieutenant Wellington’s neck like a rogue.

”Your Highness, I am very honored! But you seem to keep whining for most of the day, could it be that you are not interested at all in the matter I want to relay?” The young messenger adopted a childish and deadpan expression as before.

”What matter?”

”Thank heavens! You finally thought about enquiring!” Wellington did a gesture of thanking the God of Light; it seemed that he still had a little humor.

”My Imperial Highness, Madame Zoera had personally sent you a gift and says that you must receive it in person.”

***************

”Zoera!” Oscar shouted Zoera’s name loudly when he stepped into the living room then spread his arms towards the big shot of Red Light Street.

Zoera was a little flattered, she was aware that the young prince had disliked her position all this while.

”Your Highness! You are really too warm!” Zoera commented while sizing up the youngster before her; she wanted to see just what had caused the sudden change in character.

”Where is my present?” Oscar rubbed his hands together excitedly. Actually, he did not care whatsoever about the dog Madame of the Red Light Street; if it weren’t for her being a military person, Oscar believed that he would not even look her in the eyes. However, Zoera admittedly had a charm that captivated one, but from how Oscar saw it, it was nothing as compared to being able to break away from that banana walnut paste.

”Your Highness, right in the corner of this room, is a living person; don’t tell me that you did not notice?” Zoera pointed to the corner of the wall

The Prince had already noticed earlier on that aside from him and Zoera, there was another young lady. This young lady hung her head and both her hands were clasped together respectfully. Her braids were made up to look like a servant and she was dressed like the maids at the Kenshin Palace.

Oscar racked his brain to recall the young lady’s name, but he gave up in the end. He had a strong grasp of all knowledge and only had problems with the names of people.

”Mirandez, come quickly! Don’t be like a an idiot standing around foolishly.” Zoera pulled over the young lady who was in charged of the reception matters at the Dog Biting Club from the corner.

”What are you doing?” Oscar was a little dubious; he already recalled this young lady Mirandez who was the incautious person that engaged in a dispute with him back at the Dog Biting Club.

Madame Zoera seemed darkly familiar in terms of delivering people as she ushered Mirandez to the middle of the room as if she was promoting goods.

”Look at this young lady, a pure-blooded Rielese. She has pupils as blue as the sky and a figure like the water snake. Your Highness, don’t tell me that you did not notice that she is the main culprit who caused harm to Lady Aeolia? Haven’t you always been well known for being fair? So you see, Mirandez will use her whole life to serve Lady Aeolia, isn’t this fair?”

Oscar nodded; he understood Madame Zoera’s meaning! Aeolia indeed did not have a maid by her side that she could call upon, and this Mirandez appeared to be quite a bright girl. Perhaps letting her take care of Aeolia would not be such a bad choice.

”You are Mirandez?”

”Yes, Your Highness!” Mirandez gazed at the youngster before her, a little terrified. The crisis that took place that night at Red Light Street was still fresh in her mind; she knew that this Prince was not as easy to negotiate with as he might have appeared.

”Do you know what you should do?”

”Yes, Your Highness!” After saying this, Mirandez inadvertently calmed herself down. ”I plead myself guilty. Since I was the one who brought on harm to Lady Aeolia’s body, mind, and reputation, so in the days that follow, I will use my life to serve Lady Aeolia.”

”So…” Oscar turned to Madame Zoera, ”It seems that I have no reason to reject this gift.”

Zoera nodded.

”Vick! Vick!”

”Your Highness!” The response from the Prince’s Secretary appeared at the door.

”Lead Lady Mirandez to the maids’ room, after settling down, explain to Lady Aeolia the purpose of her coming.”

”Yes, Your Highness!” Vick bowed then indicated to Mirandez that she could follow him out. Before leaving, the Confidential Secretary did not forget to shut the door securely for the prince and the female visitor of the Andrew Family.

”Okay Zoera, tell me, what else is there that warrants you making a trip in person?”

Zoera fished out a piece of paper that appeared like a document, edged close to the prince and took a seat, resulting in Oscar leaning towards the other end of the sofa.

The Madame gave a shallow smile, unconcerned, ”Your Highness, the Military Investigation Bureau has confirmed the person of choice as the new leader of Dulin; her name is in here.

Oscar took the letter in astonishment; he was somewhat looking forward to it since this new leader was actually a ”she”!

”Hold on!” The prince suddenly placed the letter aside, ”This isn’t right! How can this new leader not be you? Could it be that there is a Military Secret Agent in Dulin who has a greater experience than you?”

Madame Zoera leaned into the sofa and heaved a sigh of regret, ”My Lord, this can’t be helped! My position can only stop at an assistant. You know, a genuine person in charge can come and go in court and saloons, a noble person who can interact with the high officials and nobles because only a character such as this can obtain reliable and valuable intelligence. While I am only the boss of a club; forever will I be unable to show myself.”

Oscar nodded in understanding. However, the instant he opened the letter and saw its contents, he completely lost all perception.

”Oh, someone! Anyone! Someone!”

The door The first to barge in was Snowstorm, then Baron Erbe the Household manager, followed by Sarlat the Paladin, then after that, the King of Sins and lastly was a group fully armed Knights! They all piled into the small living room swiftly; everyone gazed at the prince and Madame Zoera, stunned; just what had happened? This youngster had never screamed at the top of his lungs as if he had lost all sense, in his own Palace.

”Go… Go and bring Lady Aeolia here!”

The people scattered one after another and Aeolia appeared in the room.

The room door was again shut tightly. No one knew why the Prince had on a fierce look that appeared like a ferocious beast that had been starved for more than ten days.

”Aeolia… Aeolia!” Oscar fixed his eyes on her and scrutinized the girl who had once unexplainably stirred his heart. ”Shouldn’t I congratulate you? Your appointment by the Military Investigation Bureau is in my hands.”

Aeolia no longer had the look of a startled animal; she raised her head proudly and gave a standard Narcissus military salute.

”Put down your arm!” Oscar was suddenly disgusted with this for he knew that he was thoroughly being made fun of by the two ladies in front of him.

”It seems that I should still congratulate you for you have finally stopped turning red when meeting others!” Oscar wanted to further ridicule Aeolia, but he really could not find more words. The youngster was already trembling with rage.

”Am I like a fool?” Oscar glowered at Aeolia, ”My family and I treat you like how we look after a pet, and everyone here loves you dearly and protects you! But you? You only regard this as an experience before you assume office, am I right? It seems that I should congratulate you once again, Countess Aeolia, you have succeeded remarkably! Just like it is written in the appointment book, your form and spy techniques can already undergo any trials!”

From the beginning to the end, Aeolia had not uttered a single word; she only pursed her lips tightly and continued to salute stubbornly.

”I should have anticipated it!” Oscar flitted through his memories. ”A daughter of a Duke appearing at the Dog Biting Club of Red Light Street followed by encountering the most lascivious fatty of the present dynasty on the sidewalk by chance, and thus naturally this man would desire to have a taste of the most stunning beauty he encountered by chance, and after that, here comes the highlight of the show! The other lead of the show that is also an idiot who cherishes old friendships! He had to intervene and bring his teacher’s precious granddaughter home, then provide her with an appropriate identity so that she could come on and go into the upper-class society. Thus, people have no doubts that this girl is a secret agent to the House of Andrew. People will say, Aeolia, a pitiful creature from the Sika Household, she has certainly met her savior!”

”Zoera, all these are your plans, right?” Oscar suddenly turned to face the Madame.

”It was me!” Aeolia finally offered!

”Shut up!” The Prince’s roar seemed to have shaken the walls of the roof, causing dust to rain down. ”I am asking Zoera! Hmm, Zoera? Answer me, you know about all these, am I right? Without your cooperation, it is impossible for Aeolia to even be here!”

”Yes, Your Highness!” Zoera nodded, ”This was the only way to draw Aeolia into the Kenshin Palace. Even the Emperor knows of the dispute between you and the Sea Creature at the club, and thus no one will question Aya’s identity!”

”Wait!” Oscar waved his hand, ”I only wish to know what you guys take me for? Why couldn’t you inform me beforehand?”

”Your Highness!” Aeolia took a step forward, ”We are the family’s undercover investigators, we have our own superiors and we have a mission to never expose ourselves to anyone, certain things… we still have to keep confidential, even if it were you!”

Oscar gazed deeply at Aya. He felt reluctant; this expression, this tone, that business-like manner and that whatever so-called mission; all these were not Aeolia! His Aeolia seemed to have dissipated from the face of the Earth with a letter from the family!

The Prince slammed the door behind him, leaving the two girls, each immersed in their own thoughts.

”Did I hurt his feelings?”

”Of course!” Zoera shot a look at Aeolia, who was perplexed. ”But… Didn’t you already expect it to be like this?”

”I know!” Aeolia gave a sigh, ”But I did not know His Highness would have such a huge reaction! Could it be… Could it be that I was too successful? But… But you have to understand that sometimes… I’m saying that once I go into character, I… I will be out of myself! I will not heed others and act, I will… Oh, god! Once I enter a role, I don’t even know what I am doing!”

”So I am saying that you are a naturally-born spy!” Zoera fished out a few hazelnuts from a small pouch and carefully shuck its hard shell.

”Shouldn’t I… I find an opportunity to explain to His Highness?”

”Explain what?” Zoera furrowed her eyebrows.

”I have my orders, I have sorrows, I have…”

”Enough, my officer!” Zoera reached out her hands to cup Aeolia’s beautiful face, ”Could it be that you still want to flirt with His Imperial Highness Prince as before? Wake up! Your mission has arrived! You are the Chief Investigative Officer of the Investigation Bureau under the Narcissus Military Command Bureau, dispatched to Dulin. Remember this! You are now a spy; if you wish to bring up emotions, then I advise you to resign as soon as possible!”

Aeolia paced back and forth in the room; she understood that the current situation could not be remedied. As an investigative officer, her perception was that she should give it her all to gather intelligence, yet 'giving it her all' comprised wisdom and skills as well as her emotions and her physical body! The Prince could not accept these. Since it was this way, if she can’t be loved, then let him hate!”

Aeolia admired the people in charged of the Military Investigation Bureau more and more. Berkley Andrew Nedgabel was undoubtedly the most cunning leader of the spies. This old fellow even took into account the emotions and instincts of people when planning an operation.

”Go on back! Early tomorrow morning, I am following the family to set off for University Town!” Aeolia waved her hand exhaustedly. She was a little distracted. To a girl who was adept in acting, being too immersed in her role could produce strong after-effects.

”Yes! Please rest early as well, Your distinguished Chief Investigative Officer!” As if to remind Aeolia once again, Zoera emphasized on her title.

”However…” Zoera suddenly came to a halt at the door, ”This is not your home, you also do not have a family; you and I are similar, like the countless secret agents devoted to the family! You are only a fighting tool used by the family to strive for victory! Do not forget this, although this saying inadvertently lacks emotion, it will help you fare a lot better on your future journey!”

Aeolia turned around! She suddenly had on a startled expression and pointed at Zoera with a finger, trembling. Her face was flushed and tears welled up in her eyes.

”Oh, God of Light! You… You… You are… You are the boss of that club! I… I… I have seen you there before!”

Aeolia became that shy, terrified, innocent yet talented, attractive girl!

Zoera burst into laughter at the sudden change in Aeolia’s expression, ”That’s right! That’s right, my commanding officer, just like that! Just like that!

Aeolia was left alone in the room! Her expression of ridiculous ignorance vanished without a trace as soon as Zoera left. Aya suddenly collapsed onto the sofa completely drained; she was tired, very tired!

However, this was the first day of Countess Aeolia taking up the post as the Military Investigative Officer. Tomorrow, next year, and to the ends of time, her! She still had an exceedingly long road ahead of her!