Chapter 2244: Searching for Someone on a Rainy Day

Chapter 2244: Chapter 2244: Searching for Someone on a Rainy Day

In the plan that Shard and the doctor had discussed in advance, there was already this necessary step of Shard being targeted early. The doctor, who was used to making multiple contingency plans for everything, had even thought through how to protect Shard. But as things stood now, those measures of his were temporarily unnecessary. And this battle that was supposed to erupt on the weekend could at this moment only be considered to have just begun its warm-up.

"However, since it has already come looking for me, it probably won’t go..."

After crossing the Saint George Stone Bridge into the city, Shard took a carriage to the Belindel Estate. Only today the Countess had business and had gone out early with the Maids, so when Shard arrived at the estate he only saw Emilia.

Back at the Dragon Nest just now, he had been planning to look for Mr. Benhart, but by this time he had already abandoned that idea. While he waited at the estate for the Witch to return and kept Emilia company doing experiments in the Alchemical Laboratory, hazy drizzle had already begun to fall upon the City of Wealth.

Shard had asked the Maids in the estate; Miss Belindel had said before leaving this morning that she would be back at eleven-thirty for lunch. And if she couldn’t return due to some matter, she would send a Maid back to tell Emilia.

But when time reached eleven-thirty, under the overcast sky there was still no sign of the carriage returning.

Shard and Emilia stood together on the second-floor terrace, watching the estate’s gate. The Little Unicorn and a High Ring Maid with brown hair stood behind them.

"It’s exactly eleven-thirty."

Shard suddenly said, then turned to ask that Maid, who lowered her head slightly.

"Miss Belindel’s schedule this morning was first the city Council, then a visit to Earl George Dalmanin, correct?"

That Earl had stepped down from the political scene of Velindale and then settled here at leisure. The locals relished talking about two things regarding him. One was that his granddaughter was the wife of the current Viscount Wright, one of the Seven Great Families. The other was that in the winter two years ago, the Old Earl married a new wife of twenty-six, and this new Countess was his distant niece with whom he had no blood relation.

Shard knew of this because Miss Belindel had mentioned it when telling him about the current state of the Seven Great Families.

"Yes, Mr. Watson... how many people do you need to go with you?"

The brown-haired Maid asked softly through the sound of the rain. Shard shook his head:

"No need, I’ll go on my own. You stay at the estate and be careful about everything... you’re sure there have been no Crows around the estate today?"

"None."

Shard nodded, then looked again at Emilia. The Elf Girl pressed her lips together:

"Is it because of me..."

"Perhaps Miss Belindel’s carriage simply had a wheel break and that delayed her return. Don’t overthink it, Emilia. You stay with Little Liana and don’t wander off."

"Ang~"

The little beast, hearing its name, immediately cried out and trotted forward, rubbing Shard’s hand with its horn. Shard smiled and stroked the fur along its back using the same motion he used to pet Mia:

"I’ll go take a look at the situation, don’t worry, I’ll be back soon."

When Miss Belindel left early in the morning, the Maids at her side, including Miss Matilda, numbered five in total, among whom three were Circle Sorcerers. Besides serving as Maids, they were also responsible for Scribe work such as record keeping. As for the coachman and nominal guards, they did not accompany the Countess at all times.

Although her schedule for the morning had two stops, Shard skipped the city Council and went directly to pay a visit to that old but still young-at-heart Earl George Dalmanin.

The Earl did not live in the city center; he resided on the western edge of the city. Southern Moon Bay City and the western part both faced the sea. The crescent-shaped harbor formed by the south and southwest was the origin of the name "Moon Bay," while the west was higher ground. The newly rich merchants and nobles who had moved here from other places mostly lived there. The truly old-guard nobles of Moon Bay City lived in the city center; that was the distinction between the two.

Though called a mansion, the Old Earl’s residence was in no way comparable to the Belindel Estate. The building was a three-story structure encircled by its courtyard. Although in land-scarce Moon Bay it was quite valuable, it still could not compare with the seven nobles who truly held this city in their grasp.

The D’Armanin Mansion lay in a secluded spot in the western part of the city. One followed an alley to its end and then went up a sloping road before it came into view. The main gate of the courtyard faced the street directly, while behind the grounds was the Sea Cliff; below the cliff were towering bluffs and the sea. Its location was very similar to Aphrola Manor at Coldwater Port.

"A genuine seaside house as well."

The Outlander thought to himself.

In the hazy rain, the mansion looked especially tranquil. Shard held his umbrella and rang the bell at the barred gate. He had expected no response, but unexpectedly a young Maid with an umbrella hurried out of the house to greet him.

The young Maid looked only seventeen or eighteen, with striking looks and figure. The courtyard of this mansion was not large. Though it could accommodate carriages, even a Maid needed only a dozen seconds to run from the house to the gate of the grounds.

"Excuse me, are you Earl Belindel’s cousin?"

Shard had not yet spoken when the Maid, with her long eyelashes and eyes that seemed to talk, smiled from inside the gate and asked.

He looked at her face, studied the dress that seemed a little different from the maid’s uniform in his memory, then quietly drew a breath, catching the scent of her perfume through the damp smell of the rain:

"Yes, I am."

He nodded, and the pretty Maid opened the gate:

"Please, come in quickly. Earl Belindel is still visiting here and will be staying for lunch. She said that if you came looking for her, you should stay for lunch as well."

As she spoke, she made an inviting gesture with one hand. Shard nodded and stepped into the yard, following her towards the house after she closed the gate again.

"The badge at my chest has no warmth—neither Miss Belindel nor Miss Matilda is here."

He sighed softly in his heart.

[Then why did you still come in?]

"If I don’t come in, how am I supposed to know what they’re up to?"

Just like that, the Maid led Shard into the house. After entering, she first folded her own umbrella and set it into the stand by the door, then took Shard’s umbrella from him. Yet when she took it, she clearly scratched the palm of his hand. When Shard looked at her, she pretended to be utterly innocent and met his gaze with a questioning look.

Outside it was unusually gloomy, yet not a single lamp was lit inside the Old Earl’s great house. The tightly shut doors and windows made the interior feel stifling at once. As he followed the Maid up the carpeted stairs, listening to the dense drum of raindrops on the glass, Shard even suspected he had walked into a haunted house.

But when Shard listened with the Heart of Stone, he could clearly hear that there were still quite a few people inside this building.

While going upstairs, he took the initiative to ask about the house and why the lights were off, and the Maid leading the way smiled as she walked ahead of him and said:

"Everyone is upstairs, busy preparing lunch for the Countess and Earl Belindel. As for the gas lamps, I’m terribly sorry—the gas pipes in the house had some trouble this morning and they’re still being repaired. But we can use candles for lighting; lunch won’t be delayed."

"What about Earl D’Armanin? Isn’t he having lunch?"

Shard asked again, and the Maid answered as she led him on:

"The Earl has been bedridden for nearly half a year now. Usually we bring his meals up to the bedroom on the third floor."

Shard nodded lightly; this was indeed something he had not known.

The Maid who walked ahead of him was two steps above. From his lower position, Shard’s eyes fell on her shoes and legs. The unreasonable part of this maid’s uniform lay in the fact that the hem of the skirt was too high.

Maidservants of nobles must maintain an image of elegance and decorum. The hem of a proper maid’s skirt should reach the ankles: it might not completely cover the shoes, but it would definitely not expose the legs. Last night, the maid outfits worn by Luviya and Miss Galina were precisely that sort of proper clothing—Shard had studied them thoroughly.

Yet now, the Maid leading him had a skirt whose hemline fell just below the knees. Shard could clearly see the low-heeled black leather shoes and the black stockings she was wearing.

"Is the Earl really so rich that even the maids wear stockings?"

The second floor was still unlit, and the sound of rain striking the glass seemed to grow even clearer. The two of them continued up to the third floor, but Shard still saw no one other than the Maid guiding him. Fortunately, when that Maid knocked on the study door and led Shard inside, he found that there were quite a few people in the room.

Six maids were in the study attending to the lady of the manor, the young and beautiful Countess D’Armanin. This lady, who had married the Old Earl the year before last, was at that moment seated behind the desk in the study, smiling at Shard standing in the doorway.

Candles were lit within for illumination. She looked especially stunning; her red hair fell loose in a manner that defied proper rules, her face bore a light makeup, and on her lips she wore lipstick and gloss that shone with a tempting luster. Seeing Shard hesitate there, she even rose as if to greet him, allowing Shard to take in the full appearance of this woman in a red dress.

Her figure was excellent, and every movement carried an undeniable, almost sacrosanct beauty and allure. Her allure was quite different from that of the Witches—the Witches’ beauty surpassed human limits and carried an inhuman quality, whereas this Countess was precisely the kind of woman men most liked.

"Mr. John Watson, is it? Please, come in."

She smiled and made a welcoming gesture, but Shard stopped at the doorway and did not step inside, because this was somewhat improper.

To meet a guest in the study was reserved for those with whom one had very close relations; ordinary guests should be received in the parlor. If Miss Belindel were present, Shard could still have entered on the pretext of accompanying the Countess, but now Earl Belindel was not here, nor was the master of the house, Earl D’Armanin. Only the young and beautiful Countess was present, so Shard stopping at the threshold was the proper reaction.