Princess Margaret had never been to Tobesk before, and the last time she went to Delarion was when she was sixteen years old and accompanied the current king on a visit. Therefore, the princess was very interested in talking this afternoon, which was also related to Mr. "Sherlock Holmes", who ran a winery in the New World, and had just left Tobesk before coming to Carsenrick.
Shadler enjoyed trying to figure out the princess's temperament in this way, and Mr. Bernhardt also felt that this kind of private conversation could bring him closer to the royal family, so none of the three of them wanted to end the conversation.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the princess' maid prepared afternoon tea and snacks for them. As for the bottle of red wine that had been opened, it was put away again. It seemed that the princess with light golden hair really liked the "blood wine" provided by Xia De.
At about three o'clock in the afternoon, Shade was talking to Princess Margaret about the steam pipeline renovation project that was being carried out in the city this year when there was a knock on the door of the room. The maid who seemed to be a first-ring warlock walked quietly to the door, opened the door, listened to the guard at the door and said a few words, then returned to the princess and whispered:
"It's Count Sachia."
The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Mr. Shade and Mr. Bernhard to hear. They stood up tactfully.
"Your Highness, we will leave first. I wish you a safe journey to Tobesk."
"Perhaps you can say this at the farewell party. Viscount Bernhardt, you should have received the invitation, right?"
Princess Margaret said to the middle-aged Dhampir, who nodded slightly before leaving the room with Shade.
Waiting at the door was a chubby middle-aged man wearing a black suit and a monocle. His hairstyle was very unique, parted in the middle and combed to the sides, which made him look a little short.
Mr. Bernhardt obviously knew the count, and the two greeted each other before the count walked in.
Shade followed Mr. Bernhardt down the corridor toward the staircase:
"Is that the local earl?"
"Yes, he is a traditional noble in Huntington. His son is the former mayor of Huntington, and he has a seat in the upper house of parliament. It is said that he is seeking to cooperate with the Aurora family, a very famous sailing family, to intervene in the mineral business in the New World. Although he looks amiable, he is actually a very ruthless person. Many famous local gangs are related to his family. Of course, they are just ordinary people..."
Mr. Bernhardt talked about the local secrets, and then took Shad back to the restaurant on the first floor.
The two had planned to finish their afternoon tea, and then Mr. Bernhardt would take Shad to the city's black market for ring sorcerers. However, just as the two cups of hot drinks mixed with goat's milk were served, one of the royal guards guarding the door for Princess Margaret hurried into the restaurant. Under the surprised gazes of the people around him, he went straight to Shad and the others:
"Gentlemen, His Royal Highness asks you to go up again."
This middle-aged man with freckles on his face, who looked to be in his thirties, had a resolute expression and seemed a little panicked. Mr. Bernhardt stood up in surprise:
"What happened?"
He tried to lower his voice. The uniformed guard wanted to speak, but then closed his mouth and leaned close to Mr. Bernhardt's ear:
"Someone died."
After saying that, he stopped explaining and walked towards the restaurant door with Mr. Bernhardt, taking Shad, who didn't understand what was going on.
The third floor of the club was still very quiet, but the accompanying royal guards blocked the three staircases on the left, right and center. The manager of the White King Club was wiping his sweat while talking to the secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who was in the visiting delegation and whose photo was published in the newspaper.
All the doors of the rooms on the third floor were closed, and there were even more royal guards standing in front of the princess's door. After confirming their identities, the guards even wanted to search Mr. Shade and Mr. Bernhardt. Fortunately, the princess's maid opened the door in time and let the two in.
As soon as they entered the room, they were surprised to see the fat Count Sachia lying motionless on the carpet next to the sofa, with an overturned teacup beside him, and the tea soaking a large area of the carpet. The princess's personal doctor - not the witch Miss Sylvia, but another one - was examining the body, and the captain of the royal guards was checking the supplies on the coffee table.
There was an eerie silence in the room, as everyone was busy with their own affairs. As for Princess Margaret, she was sitting at a desk on the other side of the room, protected by a group of maids. A screen was placed between the sofa and the desk, so that the princess didn't have to see the tragic scene directly.
"What's going on? Princess Margaret killed Count Sachia, and then wanted to silence us as witnesses?"
Xia De thought about the impossible answer and lamented that a murder had actually happened here:
"This princess has really bad luck."
Princess Margaret did not see them again, but was informed of their current situation by Captain Wood of the Royal Guards, who was checking the situation. It was not complicated at all. Just now, after Mr. Shade and Mr. Bernhardt left here, Count Sachia entered the room and discussed the farewell dinner on Saturday with Princess Margaret.
The pot of black tea on the tea table was not replaced at the time. The maid only brought a new cup to pour tea for the Earl. Shortly after drinking the tea, the Earl suddenly fell to the ground and died. Although an autopsy has not been conducted, the traces left on the surface of the body are undoubtedly signs of poisoning.
Therefore, the pot of black tea became the most suspected poisoning tool. There were three people who drank the black tea, so Mr. Shade and Mr. Bernhardt were invited back.
"You want us to testify that there is no poison in the pot of black tea and that the earl's death has nothing to do with the princess, right?"
The three of them stood by the coffee table in the room and talked. Mr. Bernhardt asked the question as obscurely as possible, and Mr. Wood nodded slowly:
"Gentlemen, don't be too nervous. The local police will arrive soon to investigate. However, the identity of the deceased is too special. He died here, and he just drank the black tea prepared by your maid... Viscount, don't worry. This will not implicate you. You just need to testify."
Mr. Bernhardt nodded immediately. He understood the other party's hint:
"It is unfortunate that this happened, but it has nothing to do with your Highness. The Earl and I have been friends for many years. In the summer, we played Rhodes in Willendale... Are the police coming?"
He then realized something was wrong and looked at Shade carefully, who also understood. Even if this matter had nothing to do with them, the police would not suspect them, but the matter involved the death of an earl with a seat in the House of Lords, and the identity of the foreigner "Sherlock Holmes" would definitely be investigated. Even with Mr. Bernhard's cover-up, his identity would inevitably be exposed.
Therefore, they absolutely could not let the police come here, or at least not give the police the opportunity to investigate Xia De's identity.
Fortunately, Xia De had dealt with similar situations more than once. He turned around and looked at the body lying on the ground. At this time, the old doctor with gray hair and wearing a beige checkered suit and carrying a medicine box had stood up.
"Colonel, before the Count came to this room, was he in another room on the third floor, or did he come from outside the club? Perhaps we can investigate the place where he came before, as there might be a source of poison there."
Shade asked quietly, and Colonel Wood agreed:
"That's what we thought. The Earl had been in a room on the other side of the third floor. I've sent someone to check that room just now, and there's no one inside. The Earl arrived at the club after lunch, and according to the club's waiter, three people had entered his room, and they brought red wine, desserts, and cigarettes. The club's kitchen is also being checked, but nothing suspicious has been found so far."
Xia De nodded and glanced at Mr. Bernhardt, who understood what he meant:
"Why don't we go check on those three people before the police arrive? If we can find out the truth before the police arrive, I think it will be of great benefit to Her Royal Highness's reputation."
Then he lowered his voice:
"If we find the murderer before the police arrive, with my local status, I can minimize the impact of this incident. Once the police arrive, those reporters who are like blood-sucking locusts will also get wind of it. So, it's best for the police not to go upstairs first."
Mr. Bernhardt's proposal was quite valuable. Colonel Wood nodded and went to the desk behind the screen to ask the princess for instructions. Princess Margaret also thought that Mr. Bernhardt's proposal was very good, so she specifically instructed the secretary accompanying the delegation to ask the local police to come back in half an hour.
After getting permission, Colonel Wood took Mr. Shade and Mr. Bernhardt to the next room. As the important suspects in this case, the three people who had a secret meeting with the deceased Count Sachia after he arrived at the club after lunch were now called in and taken there to wait for the arrival of the police.
At this time, the royal guards had imposed martial law on the third floor of the entire White King Club, not allowing anyone to enter or leave. Viscount Lyon, who was in charge of crisis management and accompanying the delegation, had also begun to act.
Even in the age of steam, whether it was the Kingdom of Delarion or the Kingdom of Carsenrick, the royal family's power still radiated every corner of the country, so these actions would not be questioned. However, the royal family prepared various contingencies for Princess Margaret of Anjou's visit to Tobesk, but they did not expect that the first accident had already occurred before the delegation even left Carsenrick.