Miss Danister and Shad talked about many things, so it was not until half past ten that Shad finished the projection and returned to the guest room of Miss Carina's mansion.
The small orange cat lying on the soft bed had long been impatient and meowed and jumped onto the carpet. Shade bent down and picked up the cat, thinking that Mia wanted to play with him for a while, but then he realized that the cat most likely wanted a midnight snack.
The stranger had heard horrible rumors about the weight of orange cats in his hometown and this world, so he was always very careful when feeding cats. But since he adopted this cat in the summer, not to mention the weight, even the shape of the cat has hardly changed. Sometimes Xiade envied Mia's physique that she could eat anything without gaining weight, but then he thought of himself who could not be affected by overeating and could eat anything without gaining weight.
I pushed the door open and left the room, wanting to get some midnight snacks and check if Resia and Miss Carina had finished their discussion. As soon as I followed the maid around the corner of the corridor, I saw Resia coming with a group of maids, with Tifa leading the way.
It was getting late at night. Miss Carina had to go to the city to attend the parliament report tomorrow morning. And for the sake of her skin, she should rest. The witch went to take a shower, and Tifa led Leicia to see Shade.
Only then did Lecia realize that the so-called guest room where Shad lived was right next to the witch's large bedroom.
She stared at the detective holding the cat for a long moment, then snorted and said nothing.
Then, she went to the restaurant with Xia De. Her Royal Highness would not eat so late, not only because of good habits, but also to keep in shape.
Tifa had to go to Miss Carina, so she quickly said goodbye and left, but left the old butler of the manor behind.
Leicia sat next to Shad, watching him eat and feed the cat, and asked what happened in Midhill Castle on Wednesday night. But Shad did not tell her own experience, but asked:
"I have two stories here, one about love between life and death, and one about family love spanning two eras. Do you want to hear the stories, Leicia?"
Leicia asked with a smile:
“Is it a true story?”
"Of course it's true. Maybe I will appear in the story, but I'm just a passer-by in the story, providing insignificant help to the protagonists."
Leicia nodded, gently lifted the hair beside her ears and tucked it behind her ears, then rested her right arm on the table and supported her face with her hand:
"You can start talking now."
Holding a cup of tea, Shade first told the story of Joeyne Barton's life and what happened in his death. He concealed many unimportant details, especially the details of the battle. The focus of the story was Joeyne Barton's love and crazy obsession.
When she heard that Barton wanted to revive the dead and break the balance between life and death, Resia kept shaking her head. When she heard that Barton abandoned his body and entered the waters of death with his soul, although Resia was moved, she still felt that he was wrong. When she heard that the defeated Barton curled up on the water and cried loudly, and then looked up and saw the beloved he had been thinking about day and night, Resia suddenly turned her head to look at the window, not letting Shade see her expression:
"Don't mind me. Go on with the story. It is very interesting, and Dorothy will enjoy it very much."
Even Shade knew that this sentence should be understood as "I like it very much." Although she and Dorothy both hated tragedies, the touching love story was still particularly attractive.
What happened after Marilyn Handel appeared was very impressive. The departed soul wanted to leave with the curse, leaving only the thoughts and memories that time could not take away for the living. But the living voluntarily donated his bones, flesh and soul, and finally the two of them walked out of death together, carrying the curse of death to pay for the sin.
The life of the man who reversed his life was in reverse, but when he finally came to the end of his life, he got the chance to live his life again with the help of his beloved. Everything will eventually die, but at least he really changed the course of his life.
Even though this was a story he experienced as a bystander, after telling the story again, Xia De felt an indescribable melancholy in his heart:
"So people are very complicated. It's hard to define a purely good person or a purely bad person. Joe Yin Barton is a good example. Leixia, Mr. Barton's actions are undoubtedly wrong, but just in terms of the story, do you think this ending is a tragedy or a comedy?"
Leisia still looked out the window at the starry sky. The air in the suburbs was very good, and the stars were shining brightly above her head in the late autumn night:
"It's hard to evaluate, but... it's a good story. When Dorothy knows this story, she can write it into Hamilton's Detective Stories and serialize it as a long novel, or just write it in the published book as a special chapter as a means to attract book buyers... What about the second story?"
Her voice was very soft and her mood was also affected by the story.
"The second story is related to the Red Butterfly I mentioned before. Do you remember the cocktail party in the Fifth Era? That's where the Red Butterfly nursery rhyme came from. I've told you the first half of this story before, but please forgive me, I have to start from that cocktail party this time..."
The story of Grace and Helen, although covering a longer period of time, is far less complex than the previous one.
As Shade ate his midnight snack while telling the story, Resia's expression remained the same. Even when Shade introduced the Sleeping Princess's puzzle lock at the end, praising their lessons for really working, and how the Sleeping Princess's characteristics were very similar to the writer and the princess's necromancy, Resia's expression remained the same.
Finally, the story came to the cliff on the top of the mountain where the stars were hanging upside down. Shade looked at the girls, and watched the illusory red butterflies fly out of their bodies, along the path of broken light leading to the night sky, and flew to the silent waters in the sea of stars with countless souls:
"It's a pity that I'm not good at painting, otherwise I would definitely paint that scene. It's really beautiful, and I will remember it for many, many years."
Xia De said with regret, and Leixia spoke at this time, her voice was very soft:
"So, you were in the city where God descended on Wednesday night, and even in the center of the story... The audience, the audience of these scenes... You looked very excited. I guess you saved them in the end? Because of the kiss?"
This topic was a bit awkward, but Shade nodded. Although he didn't mention the gods, Leixia should have guessed that the appearance of the gods was related to the red butterfly twins. However, Leixia would not ask for more details. She knew that there were some things she shouldn't know.
"It must be that unknown old god who saved them, and I just did a very small job to make them stay."
Lift your right thumb and index finger together, leaving only a small gap:
"That's about it."
"So, you risked great danger to return to Mount Xikar early Thursday morning just to save them?"
Only then did Leicia turn her head and move her gaze from the window to Shad's face.
“That’s just one of the reasons.”
Xia De showed an excited expression:
"There is an even more important reason, Leicia. This is a surprise for you. I deliberately saved it for last. Although I didn't expect to meet you here, I have always carried it with me."
Xia De put the heavy red metal pendant in his pocket on the table. It was a pieced-together red butterfly pendant. Although there was no trace of rust on the surface, the traces of simplicity and the erosion of time could not be concealed.
"This is... ... "
The red-haired princess hesitated a little. She guessed the truth but couldn't believe it at all.
"Grace and Helen can help you, which is why I insisted on going up the mountain that night... Of course, not wanting to see them die was also an important reason."
Shade said, pushing the pendant to Leicia. Mia took a look at the pendant and was not interested.
"This was the gift the twins received at the end of the Fifth Era cocktail party. They used this as proof to gain the help of the Twin Gods. Later, Grace and Helen kept this pendant in their hands, accompanying them through countless reincarnations, from the Fifth Era to the Sixth Era."
This is the complete story of the Red Butterflies. As Shade continued to tell the story, the whispering elements on the pendant seemed to affect reality. Shade immediately stopped the story:
"Now, this belongs to you and Dorothy. I named it the Sage-level Relic - the True Crimson Butterfly. With it, you and Dorothy can have a complete day of normal contact every 21 days, and you don't have to pay any price."
There was a smile on Xia De’s face:
"There should be other effects besides this, but you need to explore them on your own. I participated in the story of the Red Butterfly not for any reward, but I still got this gift in the end. It's just that this gift is more suitable for you and Dorothy than for me."
Shade was really happy. Although this did not completely solve the problem between Dorothy and Lesia, it was at least a good start:
"You see, I said I would help you, and I did it."
Leicia looked down at the relic in front of her, then looked up at Shade:
"Come here."
She said to Shad, so Shad stretched his head over, and Leicia hugged Shad and hugged him tightly.
Xia De felt a little embarrassed:
"You don't have to do this. This is what I should do."
"Shad..."
Xia De felt as if his shoulders were wet, and he knew without saying anything that Leicia was crying.
"But I suggest that you don't go directly to Dorothy. You can give her a surprise. A dramatic ceremony will not waste my hard work in bringing this relic. This is a story that spans two eras."
Shade said again, and the red-haired girl hugged him tightly, even making Shade a little breathless.
"Crossing two eras, just for..."
"Lecia, I have a great plan, it's very dramatic, but it requires your cooperation. Tomorrow is Saturday. After leaving Dr. Schneider this afternoon, I will temporarily hold her back, and you will... Oh, I'm really a little out of breath."
Leicia loosened her arms slightly and kissed Shade. Although it was not the first time Shade tasted a kiss with the taste of tears, the feeling was different every time.
“Ahem!”
Lecia kissed really seriously, and even when Miss Carina, who was wearing a nightgown, coughed softly at the door of the restaurant, she seemed not to hear it at all.
"You see, Rejade's Hamilton is really amazing. You were only away for less than half an hour, and he had already tricked silly little Leicia."
The witch shook her head and said to Tifa who was smiling.