"The Heros party? In the middle of summer?"
Xia De still said he didn't understand, and turned to look outside through the small window in front of the desk. In late autumn, Tobesk was shrouded in smog, but it still couldn't cover up the bright red sunset. The sunset glow had already appeared on the horizon. Looking from the window on the third floor, over the rooftops of thousands of households, over the chimneys emitting black smoke, you can see that the clouds have also been dyed the color of maple leaves.
"That was before Dr. Schneider met you."
Dorothy whispered, her memory going back to the dinner-party in the middle of summer:
"That was a dinner party held by Count Helos in the city. The Count has a rich family and likes luxurious dinners and dances. The princes and princesses of the royal family have been invited to participate in those social dances. Before leaving for Carsenrick, Leicia also went there and invited me..."
Her voice gradually lowered, and Shade understood that Leicia wanted to get as close to Dorothy as possible before leaving Tobesk. But they couldn't get close, couldn't talk, and couldn't even look at each other from a distance.
This is indeed a great pity. No matter how hot the summer night is, no matter how lively the dance party atmosphere is, Leisia Cavendish and Dorothy Louisa would not be in a good mood that night.
The banquet in midsummer was held at the famous restaurant "Sunset Hotel" in the city. It was the most upscale restaurant, but it also held banquets and ceremonies. To enter such a restaurant, of course, you had to dress formally. So with the help of Shad, Dorothy spent more than an hour changing her clothes and putting on makeup.
Shad just changed his coat and pants - Leicia also stayed with Dorothy, and then the two of them went to the Sunset Hotel in the south of the city.
Even at night, the high-end restaurant was as brightly lit as day. The waiter was waiting at the door. When Shad and Dorothy entered together, the waiter immediately asked respectfully:
"Excuse me, Miss Hamilton and Dorothy Louisa of Rheged?"
After Xia De nodded, he whispered:
"Someone has reserved a seat for you. Please follow me."
Xia De and the blonde girl in a long dress sat down at the round table against the wall. The waiter pushed the dining cart, but there were only fruits and an appetizer dessert on the cart. On the table, there was already a music box.
Dorothy turned the spring, and as the lid of the silver music box slowly opened, the little statues of the blonde and red-haired girl, who were embracing each other and spinning, slowly rose up.
Dorothy smiled a little:
"She still remembers it."
Shard and I ate the delicious but slightly sour cream pineapple mousse together, listening to the dance music played by the music box. Soon, a small drawer popped out from the bottom of the music box. Then they got a brand new note and the same riddle-like sentence:
Among the three cats in early spring, your smile is unforgettable.
"This time our destination is the Three Cats Inn in Anthem Square."
This time Shad learned to answer quickly, and Dorothy smiled:
"Yes, the Three Cats Inn, that's the story of spring. But, finish this dessert before you leave, Leicia... I must scold her severely in my diary."
On the way from the south to the north of the city, Xia De heard another story again.
It was the fourth month since Dorothy and Leicia exchanged bodies, and the time went from the winter of 1852 to the spring of 1853. It was another forced exchange, and Leicia, who had obtained Dorothy's body, had to go to the Three Cats Inn on behalf of Dorothy, meet with the second-ring female sorceress from outside, arrange her accommodation, and complete the academy mission that Dorothy had accepted.
This academy task sounds simple, but it is worth 4 practical credits. The sorceress who came to Tobesk for a transfer got into some trouble, and because the weekly mandatory exchange was not at a fixed time, Leicia did not get much information from Dorothy.
That night, not only did Resia use Dorothy's body to deal with the blood-sucking rats that came from nowhere in the Three Cats Inn, but Dorothy also used Resia's body to mobilize people in her capacity as a princess to provide assistance for the security of the Three Cats Inn.
The two were inside and outside the Three Cats Inn that night. They didn't meet each other, but they knew what the other was doing. After a busy night, eight hours were over and they returned to their own bodies. However, their relationship also advanced rapidly after that incident, until they became close after the stranger came to this world.
It was almost eight o'clock in the evening when we arrived at Anthem Square. The Three Cats Inn had entered the so-called "night mode" and many prostitutes could be seen waiting for customers against the wall on the first floor.
Mrs. Sang Mei, the owner of the Three Cats Inn, was also a friend of Shade. When she saw Shade walking to the counter with the cats and the blonde girl, she jokingly asked:
"Isn't this Mr. Champion from the Big City Players 1853? Oh, look, you finally brought a duplicate pretty girl this time. This dress is really beautiful. I also had one when I was young, but it's a pity that I can't wear it now."
Xia De ignored her teasing:
"Are there any letters here for Shad Hamilton or Dorothy Louisa?"
"Of course."
The female shopkeeper put down the pen she was using to record accounts and tapped twice on the striped wooden table, which looked dirty but was actually spotless.
"I've already given the money."
Shade complained in his heart, but still took out two one-shilling silver alloy coins and pushed them over:
"Where is the letter?"
Mrs. Sangmei swept the coins into the biscuit box under the counter and took out a bottle of red wine from under the counter with a smile:
"Take this first. Someone has left some wine for you here. Please take it with you."
Then he pulled the gas lamp above his head and turned the account book two pages forward:
"I can't give you the letter now. It will be available at 8 pm, which is 12 minutes later."
"Why?"
Dorothy asked in confusion, and Mrs. Sammi smiled meaningfully:
"You can sit here for a while. Don't worry, I have informed the neighbors in advance, and no indecent people will appear in my hotel tonight... except for the girls by the wall."
So Shad took the bottle of wine and sat down with Dorothy. Two minutes before eight o'clock, Mrs. Sammy asked them to go out to the door.
Shad counted down, standing with Dorothy on the edge of St. Teresa's Square. At eight o'clock, there was a whoosh in the distance, and a streak of light flew into the sky, then exploded into brilliant fireworks under the starry sky.
Light streaks flew into the sky, and the exploding fireworks lit up the faces of Shad and Dorothy. The blonde stared at the fireworks in the sky and whispered:
"It turns out that she still remembers that I like..."
The letter from Mrs. Sang Mei still only had one sentence—
Since I first saw your eyes in the winter of 1853, I have never been able to forget you.
Xia De, who was already familiar with the rules of "solving puzzles", immediately asked:
"Now I know that you must have tried to see each other after the abnormality appeared last winter. Although you realized at that time that you couldn't get close, look at each other, or touch each other, it was also your first attempt. Where was the place?"
"Under the central fountain of Saint Teresa's Square."
After wandering around the city, Shade finally returned to his beloved house before nine o'clock. At night, vendors were not allowed to stay in Saint Teresa Square, and most residents who had been busy all day went home to rest. It was quiet and peaceful here.
The gas lamps around the square provided light here, and the gas street lamps in the square were under maintenance recently so they were not on, so the moonlight in the center of the square was still brighter. However, dark clouds floated over from a distance, and it seemed that it was going to rain.
When Shad and Dorothy got off the carriage, the square was empty. Dorothy hurried to the fountain in the center of the square where the girl was holding a water bottle. After a careful inspection, she crossed her fingers and pointed them at the east side of the pool and whispered:
"appear."
An ancient spell was recited, and an envelope weighed down by a heavy object appeared on the edge of the fountain pool, which was originally empty.
The heavy object was half a red butterfly pendant. Although the pendant had no signs of wear and rust, it had an ancient and vicissitudes of life. Dorothy picked up the pendant in confusion, then opened the envelope and looked at the contents:
Maybe fate has passed us by, but we are the most distant relatives.
This was not a note, but a whole piece of paper. The letter was written in the middle of the paper, and below it was a butterfly pattern drawn in red ink.
"What does this mean?"
The blonde girl was puzzled and looked up at Shade beside her. Shade, illuminated by the moonlight, suddenly pointed at the letter and said:
"Look at this."
Dorothy looked down again and saw that the red butterfly painted on the letter actually flapped its wings and flew out from the paper.
The translucent red butterfly sprinkled red dust in the air and flew towards the edge of the square. It flew from the cold moonlight to the warm yellow gas street lamp. Dorothy followed it subconsciously, but found that the red butterfly actually came to the door of number 6 St. Teresa's Square and then disappeared into the door panel.
At this moment, the wall lamp next to the door outside the house, which Xia De rarely opened, suddenly lit up. At the same time, the gas lamp in the living room on the second floor of No. 6 St. Teresa's Square, which was supposed to be empty, also lit up.
"This is... ... "
Dorothy, dressed in her best, stood at the doorstep and saw Shad standing beside her handing her the house key tied with a red rope.
The blonde girl walked up the stairs quickly, holding up her skirt, and opened the door in the dim light. She pushed the door open gently, and the lights on the first floor were off, but the lights in the hallway and the stairs were so bright.
She turned her back to the stars, bathing in the warm yellow light. The red carpet stretched from the door to the top of the stairs, and red, white and pink petals were scattered all over the carpet.
There was a familiar smell of incense in the air. Holding the red butterfly pendant in her hand, the blonde girl felt her heartbeat suddenly speed up.
She stepped over the threshold in disbelief, and then she heard a familiar voice. The voice was waiting for her higher up, reciting their story:
To Dorothy
—Late Autumn of 1853
She walked up the stairs, holding the handrail, and looked higher up the stairs.
Maybe fate exists and passes by,
We are the most distant relatives.
Since I first saw your eyes in the winter of 1853,
I will never be able to forget you;
With her heart beating rapidly, she walked quickly upwards, with the red butterfly leading the way in front of her.
Among the three cats in early spring,
Your smile is unforgettable;
The Heigs banquet in midsummer,
It is an eternal regret that we cannot dance together;
Turning the corner of the stairs, the petals extended all the way upward and entered a door that was only slightly open.
In this late autumn, looking at the falling leaves,
I want to kiss your cheek—
Blonde girl, do you remember
Our first encounter.
I could hardly control my emotions, and I couldn't even remember how I got to the door on the second floor.
Then I knew,
You and I are like the front and back of a mirror.
Although we can never meet, I can only rely on you.
I felt complete.
The transparent red butterfly disappeared before his eyes, and his trembling hands pushed open the door.
Somehow, tears rolled down my cheeks at this moment, and inside the door, huge bouquets of flowers filled the floor, making this place look like a flower field in midsummer.
In the center of the bouquets, a red-haired girl wearing a silver crown, a golden long dress and black high heels turned around and looked at her with her brown eyes.
There was a red ribbon around her waist, and her long, smooth hair was braided into a complex and elegant style and hung down behind her. She had light makeup on her face, and her eyelashes looked so beautiful.
Blinking, the brown eyes met the green eyes. Standing in the flowers, Leithia Cavendish whispered the last sentence with her lipstick-coated lips:
Dear Dorothy,
You are me and I am you.
This is our story.
Tears slid down her fair face into the flowers at her feet. Dorothy covered her mouth with her hands, trying hard not to cry.
The furniture in the living room was temporarily moved to the corner, leaving a path in the flowers so that she could walk to Leicia. At the other end of the path, the lights in the restaurant were not on, but candles were lit on the table with gold and silver utensils and exquisite dishes.
There was no wind in the room, but the light was bright. They looked at each other, and their eyes seemed to contain thousands of words.
The red-haired princess shook the half-relic pendant hanging around her waist, her brown eyes staring into the emerald eyes, and she lifted the edge of her skirt with one hand and bowed slightly:
"Nice to meet you. I am Leicia Sewell Cavendish."
The blond writer wiped away the tears from her eyes, trying to show a happy expression, taking a deep breath, and bowed while holding the edge of her skirt with one hand:
"Nice to meet you. I'm Dorothy Redanput Louisa."
The blonde girl was wearing a red dress, and the red-haired girl was wearing a gold dress. They saluted at the same time, like a strange mirror reflecting a strange scene. But on those two completely different faces, one was smiling gently, and the other was crying.
She walked along the path among the flowers, and she also walked along the path among the flowers, and they embraced each other in the middle of the flowers:
"finally... ... "
"I finally touched you."
Large groups of red butterflies flew from nowhere, fluttering around the girls in the flowers. The cries and whispers represented joy, but also the sadness of the past.
The pent-up emotions burst out in an instant, and the girls who were hugging each other were reluctant to separate for a long time. At the door, Shade, who was holding the cat and performing magic, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the scene in the room happily and snapped his fingers. Soft violin and saxophone music rang out in the restaurant.
Why don't you go over and hug them
The voice beside him chuckled. Xia De shook his head, held his breath, carefully closed the door, and then tiptoed downstairs to leave:
"No one should disturb them at this time. This is a candlelight dinner prepared for them."
He thought about it and went to the first floor. There was dinner prepared by Leixia on the first floor. After working all afternoon, he only had appetizers and was starving.
Upstairs, Leicia and Dorothy were talking to each other, telling each other things that could not be expressed in diaries or on letter paper. Downstairs, Shad finished his meal and washed up on the first floor, ready to rest immediately after Leicia and Dorothy left.
He is not an idle person. He has an important appointment with Dr. Schneider to do tomorrow.
The music played by the alchemical item sound stone was playing above my head, and it really started raining outside the window.
Xia De was in a very good mood, and thought that he must get the right to read their diaries as a reward after this incident. But at ten o'clock in the evening, the sound of rain knocked on the window, and the music above was still lingering. Xia De was sitting on the sofa on the first floor, holding the cat and reading a book, when he suddenly heard someone calling him upstairs:
"Detective, Knight, will you please come up? We have finished our talk, and there are some things... ...that we need you to do to bring this memorable night to an end."
Because there was a floor between them, he couldn't hear who was calling him.
"Do you need me to do it?"
He stood up suspiciously and walked up the stairs, and Mia followed Shad's footsteps and went up the stairs.
The lights in the hallway were bright, but the gas lamps on the stairs were dim. Amid the increasingly heavy rain, the young stranger walked cautiously towards the dimly lit upper floors.