"What? Tonight?"
Dorothy nodded and looked at him with some dissatisfaction:
"Yes, Shad, you have to prepare carefully tonight. Although you and Leicia are very familiar with each other, you still have to show your attitude. She can't stay outside for long. His Majesty the King is furious about Saxe Cavendish, and no one wants to make him unhappy now."
"What should I do?"
Not only was Shad happy to finally meet the princess in Tobesk, he was even more happy to give away the four 1-shilling printing plates in his hand. With those things in his hands, he always felt that he could become a criminal at any time.
"Time is too urgent, how should I arrange it?"
"I knew you couldn't do it. It's okay. I've already arranged it for you."
The carriage started towards St. Teresa's Square. Dorothy took out her notebook, in which she wrote down her schedule:
"Go home right now and change into some clothes you don't usually wear. Wear grey gloves on both hands and pin a brooch of some animal on your chest as a token of trust. At 6:50, wait at the alley next to the Prophecy Association. When the carriage with the falcon family crest stops, jump on it immediately. Be quick, the carriage will only stop for five seconds."
"Is Leicia in the carriage?"
"Oh, Shade please shut up, time is tight, don't interrupt me."
Dorothy seemed a little anxious:
"The carriage will go east, then turn south and stop on the street on the edge of the university district and the southern part of Tobesk. You leave the carriage, go around the alley twice, and enter the nearby Red Flame Restaurant at 7:40. I have booked a private room for you, and Leisia is waiting for you inside."
"You have done for us..."
"You can eat and chat at the same time, but remember that the opera at the Tobysk Grand Opera House in the South District starts at nine o'clock tonight. I have already booked the tickets for you."
"You have done for us..."
"Try not to leave the box after the opera starts to avoid being seen. After the show ends at 10:30, Shad, you need to be more gentlemanly. You can take Resia back to Saint Teresa Square to sit for a while and talk about topics that interest you, or you can send her directly back to Silver Cross Avenue. I have already booked a four-wheeled rental carriage for you to return from the opera house. The driver is Resia's man, so please rest assured."
"You have done for us..."
"Finally, remember to get Lecia back to Yodel Palace before twelve o'clock, otherwise..."
"Otherwise, will Leicia change from a princess to a broom girl?"
Shade suddenly said.
"What fairy tale are you talking about? Shad, time is running out."
Dorothy waved her hand to silence Shad:
"The Royal Guards of the Yodel Palace will be replaced for the second half of the night shift and will appear at 12:10. Leicia can only control the guards of the first half of the night, so she must be back before 12 o'clock."
After that, she roughly tore off a page from the notebook and stuffed it into Shade's hand. It contained not only a schedule, but also notes and Dorothy's reminder of Leisia's preferences.
The blonde looked at Shade very seriously:
"Also, I don't think you have prepared any gifts to welcome Resia back to Tobesk. Oh, gentlemen nowadays are always so careless. But don't worry, I sent a letter yesterday and ordered a bouquet of flowers for you from Mary Jane's Flower Shop near St. Teresa's Square. It will be delivered when we return to the square. You can take one to see Resia, or you can go to the opera and bring her back to the square and give it to her."
"help me... ... "
Xia De finally couldn't help but interrupt her:
"Dorothy, won't you come with us?"
He looked at the girl in front of him. Although Dorothy had a smile on her face, her expression seemed a little sad when she looked at him:
"I said before that Lecia and I cannot be in close contact, or even look each other in the eye from a distance. Rather than following you from a distance, it would be better for me not to show up tonight. This is better for both of us."
"but... ... "
"Don't use transition words, Shad, I can do anything for you guys, it doesn't matter."
She didn't know what she was thinking of. Her face turned red and she shook her hair:
"Lecia is me, and I am Lecia. I don't care about that. Besides, all the expenses for tonight are paid by Lecia, including the bouquet. I also left the name of Lecia's personal maid. Shade, have fun tonight."
She said with a smile, looking like she really didn't care.
The carriage was moving smoothly, but the clatter of horse hooves and the noisy sounds on the streets outside the window in the evening still made the silence in the carriage a little weird.
Dorothy opened the window, and a warm breeze with a burnt smell rushed in.
She turned her head and looked at the densely packed tall chimneys standing in the distance, with billowing black smoke spewing into the sky. This was the unique skyline of Tobysk, the steam capital, and a symbol of this era.
Xia De also looked out the window:
"Dorothy, if I can find a way for you to meet, look each other in the eye, touch each other..."
"Then you will be our..."
This sentence was almost like a gibberish, and Xia De did not hear the last word clearly.
The evening breeze blew through the street, making the pedestrians feel a little chilly. Autumn is coming. The wind also blew across the face of the girl in the window, making her golden hair sway in the wind.
She didn't look at Xia De, and Xia De couldn't see her expression. But this kind of most familiar person is not far away, and they can talk about almost everything with each other, and their souls are closely connected, but there is a possibility that they will never be able to touch each other or look each other in the eye in their entire lives. Xia De looked at her lonely back and felt that he had experienced some of this loneliness.
Outsider, this is like me and you
Her voice suddenly appeared in his ears. Xia De was stunned for a moment, folded the notebook page in his hand, and stuffed it into the chest pocket of his black coat:
"I didn't say anything."
After the carriage stopped at St. Teresa's Square, Dorothy did not get off. Instead, she repeatedly reminded Shad not to miss the time before leaving in the carriage.
The feeling of a girl arranging a meeting schedule for herself with another girl made Xia De feel extremely weird.
However, since it has been arranged, he will not break his promise.
Although the agreed time was 6:30, in order to avoid being late, Xia De arrived at the alley next to the Prophet Association at 6:10.
The gray gloves used as keepsakes were already at home, but animal brooches were hard to find. Finally, I found a brass brooch with an eagle head in the desk of the late Detective Sparrow's bedroom. The shape was very similar to the emblem of a country in my hometown.
Standing still at the alley entrance would be conspicuous, so Xia De bought a newspaper from a newspaper boy on the street.
Unexpectedly, he had just opened the newspaper and hadn't even finished reading the headline of His Majesty the King's speech on the front page when he heard someone calling his name:
"Mr. Hamilton, what are you doing here?"
It was Mr. Addis Stan, the local president of the Prophet Association. He was accompanied by Vice President Mark and two other gentlemen whom Shade did not recognize. They looked like they were going out for a drink after get off work.
"I'm... on a detective commission. I'm making a contact."
Xia De said half-seriously that he hoped these gentlemen would not stay here for long.
"The work is really hard. I have to meet with people during meal times."
Vice President Mark sighed, and several other gentlemen also sympathized with Shad's profession. Vice President Stan, on the other hand, had a good impression of Shad because he helped solve the "Princess Ajelina Injury Case" last time.
Taking out a one-shilling coin and tossing it, the most famous prophet in Tobesk smiled and reminded:
"Mr. Hamilton, my divination shows that if you wear your gloves backwards, change the newspaper in your hand to the Threepenny Post, and then buy a red rose and hold it in your hand, then you will encounter great luck when you meet someone."
Because this gentleman had accurately predicted "Knight" last time, Shade was very convinced. After saying goodbye to everyone, he found a newsboy on the street and bought another newspaper, and then bought a red rose from the girl selling flowers.
There was a bunch of flowers at home, but to prevent them from being eaten by the cat, Shade put them in the basement. At that time, I didn't take the flowers out because it was too troublesome, so now I have to spend money. But if it's for luck, it's probably worth it.
After buying the flowers, Shade continued to stand at the entrance of the alley with the newspaper and the flowers. The Silver Cross Avenue was particularly lively in the evening. There were almost no poor people in the lower town in tattered clothes. Whether it was the gentlemen hurrying on the street or the nobles leaving the Yodel Palace in a carriage, everyone looked so glamorous and confident.
If Tobesk City is the core of the entire northern part of the Old World, then Silver Cross Avenue is the core of the entire Tobesk. The essence of civilization is gathered here, and the people living nearby are also enjoying the dividends brought by the kingdom and the era.
If we only look at the street scene here, this era is undoubtedly the most advanced, civilized and stable era. But for the outsiders who hang out in this city, he knows very well that the essence of civilization cannot be judged by the most gorgeous scene.
"Civilized~"
As I sighed in my heart, a light suddenly flashed around me.
Xia De turned his head and saw a warm yellow light flickering a few times above the lamppost at the entrance of the alley. With a slight puff sound, the light came on completely.
Clusters of firelight flashed from far away to the front, and then from the front to farther away, lighting up along the street. The light illuminated the cobblestone road under the feet of the crowd and illuminated everyone here.
No one stopped because of this scene. A few people turned their heads to look at the gas street lamps beside them with smiles on their faces.
Only the stranger looked up with wide eyes. For the first time in this era, he saw the gas street lights light up and illuminate the city at night.
This scene was very ordinary, but it hit Xia De's heart like a hammer. (To be continued)