"I got some news about the chosen one in Coldwater Harbor, but I didn't tell Miss Jalina. Instead, I was forced to tell Ms. Xiwei Aurora."
Shade admitted honestly.
"I heard from the young lady that the witch spoke highly of you."
The maid said with a smile.
"Oh, I did help her... So?"
"You obtained the information in Coldwater Harbor and failed to inform the lady in time. She can understand that. What really made her angry was that Ms. Xiwei Aurora took the initiative to contact you, and you left a good impression on her."
Xia De looked suspiciously from behind the newspaper at the maid sitting opposite him. The maid smiled and told Xia De a very unfortunate news:
"Mr. Hamilton, your existence is equivalent to directly challenging the rules of the witch's curse. For such a secret, the lady would rather be known only by herself. And now, because of your adventurous actions, another witch also knows it... She thinks that the other witch has stolen her secrets and treasures."
"Um... ... "
Shade had never expected that the red-haired Duchess would think this way, but after careful consideration, if he knew a secret, he would probably want to keep it to himself.
"Miss Servet, is there anything Miss Carina would like? I thought maybe I could bring some gifts for this visit."
Even when the maid smiled, she still managed to maintain her elegance:
"There are many things that the young lady likes, but you probably can't give them to her."
"How about this?"
Xia De thought for a moment, pulled out his handkerchief, and then reached into the inner pocket of his coat. Then, he pulled out a milky white pearl that was half the size of his fist. The divinity stored in the pearl was perfectly absorbed by Xia De. Unlike the dolls made by the gods to store divinity, the pearl was a real object, so it was preserved, but unfortunately its size was reduced by half, and it could no longer store divinity.
The smile on the black-haired maid's face disappeared. She tilted her head slightly, staring at the treasure that Shade was holding with wide eyes in surprise:
"Oh~"
She let out a groan-like sigh. Although Miss Tifa Servet was well-informed and a ring mage herself, any woman would probably not be able to refuse such jewelry.
In fact, men probably can't refuse it either.
When Xia De met Miss Carina in the study of the manor with the pearl in his hand, the Duchess wanted to look up and say something, but when she saw what he was holding, she put down her pen in surprise:
"Although I thought that one day you would give me a gift like jewelry, this is too exaggerated... I have pearls in my collection that are bigger than this, but this is the first time I have seen such a round one... Where did you get this from?"
"I found it at Coldwater Harbor. I also went to the sea yesterday morning. After the ancient ruins of the murlocs collapsed, all kinds of messy things fell down. Now the Orthodox Church of the Coldwater Harbor Diocese is still searching the entire sea area for abnormal items."
Shade handed the pearl to Miss Carina, who seemed to like it very much after taking it. But after looking at it, she handed it back to Shade:
"Instead of giving it to me, why don't you keep it for yourself? You will have a chance to use this thing soon. Keep it at home and don't sell it. Wait for me to give you a hint, and then you can give it away."
"Who is it for?"
Shade wrapped the handkerchief around the outer garment and, turning it back into a toy, dropped it into his pocket.
"Queen Diana, her birthday is at the end of this month."
Miss Carina handed the signed document to the secretary, who sent it out. She capped her pen and looked at Shade:
"There will probably be some political incidents in Tobesk in the near future."
The Duchess frowned slightly, not knowing what she was thinking:
"Shad, when the time is right, I will let you give this gift to Queen Diana. Although you have no intention of participating in politics, the upcoming turmoil will inevitably affect you. After all, you saved Queen Diana. Sometimes doing the right thing will also make people jealous... Moreover, Queen Diana will bring greater benefits to your life in Tobesk."
"But I have you."
Shade joked. Tifa, who was standing behind Miss Carina, smiled. The witch also looked very happy.
"But I am the Duchess of Saradir, not Tobesk. Queen Diana has more influence in this country than I do. And it is not convenient for me to intervene in the turmoil in Tobesk in the next few weeks... You should understand."
Standing up and walking towards the sofa, Xia De also stood up and changed his position:
"I heard from Ms. Aurora that the murderer behind the murder of the queen has been found? It's Sax Cavendish."
Xia De asked tentatively, and Miss Carina nodded:
"Yes, MI6 finally played a role this time. As a powerful duchess, I cannot easily interfere in this matter."
"Because it has something to do with the succession to the throne?"
Miss Carina's lips curved into a charming arc:
"I'm glad you thought of it. I didn't expect you to be so sensitive about politics. I won't talk about too many political topics. Let's talk about Coldwater Harbor. I've heard about you and Xiwei Aurora from her. She stole the limelight in the parliament this time."
Picking up the teacup, he looked at Xia De:
"I was a little angry when I wrote to you, but when I think about it, it's nothing. I'm not a petty person."
This statement was different from what Tifa said. Shad glanced at the maid standing behind the Duchess. The black-haired maid looked straight towards the door and didn't look at Shad.
"But there is one thing I want to confirm. Is the so-called 'God Summoner' you using the power you used in Lakeview Manor, or is the thirteenth ring warlock really recovered from his serious injury? This is very important for the council's next arrangements."
"It wasn't me. I was washed to the bottom of the sea by the tide."
Shade had already thought about this problem, and there was no need for him to admit that it was his own doing. This way, the next time he was forced to use his divinity, people would naturally think that the "God Summoner" had recovered, so it would not be a problem to summon the God again.
Miss Carina thought for a moment:
"That's a bit troublesome. Although there is more than one thirteen-ring sorcerer with an unknown identity, this one can summon gods. If he did it the first time, he might do it the second time... ... What is it in the Murloc Temple that can heal the injuries caused by calling on gods?"
Xia De was cautious and did not speak, looking at the afternoon tea snacks on the coffee table. There were no small frosted pancakes that Leixia used to entertain him. Those were the delicacies of Coldwater Port, and the afternoon tea in the capital was more popular with delicate desserts.
While Shade was thinking about the flavors of the snacks, Miss Carina asked an unexpected question:
"Shad, what is your relationship with my great-niece, Leicia?"
"What?"
Xia De was stunned. The witch leaned against the back of the sofa and smiled:
"Don't say you're just friends. Xiwei told me that you were hiding in the closet in Leisia's lounge and were caught by her. You were wearing garters at the time?"
"No, it's nepotism, and I can explain that."
"I know that Lecia is a ring wizard from Zarath. If she hadn't been discovered earlier, I would have wanted her to become a witch. Shade, I don't care how you met her or what kind of relationship you plan to develop in the future. You must be careful. She is a very ambitious woman."
This was the first time that Shade heard someone comment on Leicia in this way.
"Ambition? Does Leicia want to be crowned as Her Majesty the Queen of Draerion?"
Shade joked:
"Where does she have the time? Attending meetings, giving speeches, and touring the country, even with a staff, Leisia doesn't have that much time. Unless she is willing to give up her identity as a ring sorcerer, but how is that possible?"
"Of course I won't give up."
Miss Carina organized her words carefully. She squinted her eyes and looked at Xia De's puzzled face:
"She doesn't have time to be a queen, but others do. My nephew, King Larus III, has many children. It's not difficult to find a few who are willing to listen to her. Leicia doesn't need to be a queen to gain power."
Shade immediately understood what she meant. He looked at Carina Cavendish in surprise:
"You mean, Leicia wants to support..."
The witch stretched out her slender fingers and placed them in front of her mouth to silence Shade, telling him not to continue.
"I don't have any idea about that position, and I'm too lazy to interfere in the succession of the kingdom, so don't talk about this in front of me. If you are interested in this, you should ask Leicia. Don't you have a good relationship with her?"
Her right hand was at her ear, twisting her red hair, and her tone was full of teasing.
Xia De nodded. He didn't expect that the red-haired girl had such big ambitions.
The Witch Council is still tracking Darkness. Although divination for the chosen one is extremely difficult, with the help of the boot, the Council has at least confirmed that the other party did not go to the New World, but moved inland from the west coast.
It would take some time for new information to come out, but Darkness couldn't come to Tobesk without exposing his tracks. Miss Carina didn't anticipate the possibility of him coming to Tobesk, and Shade didn't say that the witch should know about this "surprise" within half a month.
After bidding farewell to Miss Carina, the carriage took Shade into the city. It was only four o'clock in the afternoon when he returned home, and Shade took the cat to the Prophet's Association to find Luvia, wanting to talk about Coldwater Port and the escaped Darkness.
Unfortunately, Luvia was not in the association this time, but she should be back before evening.
Since there was nothing else to do today, Shade wanted to check out the latest Rhodes deck in the association and inquire about the city players next month. But when he turned around and put the cat on his shoulder, he saw Vice President Mark and Mr. Addis Stan, the president of the Tobesk branch, getting off the carriage and entering the door.
"Now there's something to do."
Xia De went to meet him.