Chapter 99: A Drama About Family Ethics

Suspecting infidelity?

Is it true or false? Is there any need to doubt it? Isn't this an indisputable fact?

Unaware that he appeared as a blond boy to the Mori trio, Verlaine softened his movements. As a true artificial creation, his five senses were far superior to those of an ordinary person.

Naturally, he could also hear Otis's words. He absentmindedly poked at the potatoes on his plate, and then he heard the shocking truth that his "father" was suspected of having an affair.

He stopped what he was doing; listening to gossip was clearly more interesting than eating. Unfortunately, Otis stood back down after he finished speaking and didn't continue.

However, he shared the same thought as X: there was no need to investigate, since his "father" had been having an affair all along, so there was no need to investigate at all.

As is customary, guests are seated next to the host to show the host's respect for them.

Kogoro Mouri was chatting with the white-haired Mr. Enshaw. The two seemed to get along very well. When they got to the most interesting part of the conversation, the middle-aged man, who had drunk a little wine and was slightly tipsy, couldn't help but wave his arms and make exaggerated gestures.

Normally it would only be considered somewhat embarrassing, but he accidentally spilled the wine beside him, and a few drops of water splashed onto the back of Mr. Earnshaw's hand.

He had just been very supportive, but his expression immediately changed, revealing an uncontrollable look of disgust, as if it wasn't just a simple drink but some disgusting thing.

Don Quixote had something to say. Although he wasn't as afraid of water as his children, it was still...

The Blood Demon failed to control his expression, and the blond boy sitting next to him was unaware of what had happened, only noticing the disgust on his father's face, who usually wore a smile.

"What's wrong? Father...Grandpa?" When she saw the water droplets on her father's hand, she showed the same expression and even moved her chair away from him.

This slight movement pushed him into the dark-haired woman sitting on his other side. The older butler standing behind her immediately frowned and reprimanded him:

"Young Master Hareton, what are you doing?! Please be quiet during mealtime!"

Something's not right, something's very wrong!

The high school detective, trapped inside the child's body, quietly observed the somewhat chaotic corner.

If Mr. Earnshaw had a cleanliness obsession, his reaction would be relatively normal. But what's with the blond boy called Master Hareton? He's reacting the same way.

The expression of extreme disgust when seeing something dirty, no, it should be something extremely disgusting. Also, why can a hired butler arbitrarily scold the employer's children?

He doesn't look like a neglected child sitting next to Mr. Earnshaw.

“Otis, Hareton didn’t mean it,” the dark-haired woman who had been jostled said, trying to smooth things over.

"I'm sorry, Madam, I overreacted." The butler, who had been so aggressive just moments before, immediately backed down, as if he hadn't been the one who had spoken.

Otis... that name sounds familiar...

Just as Conan Edogawa was trying to recall where he had heard the name before, the slightly soiled tablecloth had already been replaced by the well-trained butlers.

The boy named Hareton was eventually sent back, but this time not by the butler named Otis, but by another black-haired man with a menacing appearance.

Moreover, the young detective frowned... The man's words were extremely impolite and didn't sound like someone addressing their own junior at all. His tone was also unpleasant; if it were gentle, it would sound like a mocking rebuke, but his tone only contained pure disgust.

Since those people were all on the other side and didn't seem to want to talk to them at all, Conan, being the best kid to get information out of them, and Mr. Earnshaw didn't seem like the kind of person who disliked kids.

The bespectacled child, seemingly curious about interpersonal relationships, asked, "Mr. Earnshaw, who are those people?"

Since Mr. Eun-Sho was still feeling a bit disgusted, he took the opportunity to distract himself, and Ran Mouri pulled her father to Conan's position so that he could calm down.

Now, Kogoro Mouri wasn't standing next to his daughter and Mr. Enshaw anymore; next to him was the white-haired woman, who, already showing little interest, only glanced at him before looking away.

Completely ignored by this cold beauty, Kogoro Mouri calmed down and quietly enjoyed his food. Mainly, he felt that it wouldn't have any effect if he boasted to her about his detective career, and also, for some reason, he felt a bit fuzzy.

Ran Mouri was relieved and listened as Mr. Earnshaw, who sounded like an aristocrat, introduced his family members.

“This is Hareton, my grandson,” he said, pointing to the blond boy whose chair had been moved back to its original position, and then introducing the lady next to him, “This is Isabella, my youngest son’s wife.”

Although they had already heard the blond boy's name, Conan Edogawa and Ran Mouri were still somewhat incredulous.

"Are you a grandfather already?"

After all, the white-haired gentleman looked to be no more than thirty years old, while his grandson looked to be at least fifteen or sixteen.

"You take such good care of yourself." Ran Mouri even wanted to ask him for advice on skincare products.

Conan noticed that Mr. Earnshaw used the male pronoun "he" to describe his daughter-in-law, which must be because she was a foreigner, since she was indeed a real woman.

The well-maintained old gentleman continued to explain: "Next to him is my little grandson, Linton, and the one with the sour face is my youngest son, Heathcliff."

Something suddenly flashed through Conan's mind: Wait, the Earnshaw family, Heathcliff...

Isn't this Wuthering Heights? And there's a butler named Joseph, Linton, and Isabella.

He wasn't particularly interested in this kind of work; he'd only heard of it. But this was too much of a coincidence... Was it really just a coincidence?

Conspiracy theories swirled in the young detective's mind, but Mr. Earnshaw insisted on continuing his explanation.

The young detective asked, seemingly casually, "Was Hareton also Mrs. Isabella's child?"

Mr. Earnshaw shook his head: "He is my eldest son's child."

He then gestured for him to look behind him, where his eldest son and his family were sitting.

"Hey, why isn't Hareton going with his mom and dad?"

Kogoro Mouri: "Isn't it obvious? He's the eldest grandson!"

Mr. Earnshaw neither denied nor confirmed, nor did he show any displeasure. He simply introduced the white-haired woman sitting next to Kogoro Mouri.

Actually, he didn't know how to explain it, because he and Sancho were both blood demons, and they were afraid of water, so they simply had them sit together, and even the water from the steward was placed with Verlaine.

Who knew Kogoro Mouri could dance around while eating!

“This is my daughter, Catherine…”

Conan stopped listening to the rest of the conversation; he suddenly realized something was wrong.

It is known that Ms. Isabella is Mr. Earnshaw's daughter-in-law and Ms. Catherine is his daughter, but the two of them look exactly alike!

Conan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, both upon closer examination and upon casual thought. Was this the legendary substitute literature?

The meal was eaten in a tedious and tasteless manner. The three members of the Mori trio squeezed into the same room. Conan was still thinking, as was Kogoro Mori.

After a long pause, Kogoro Mouri, a former police officer, suddenly spoke up: "Something's not right about this house."

Conan was surprised to find that Kogoro Mouri had also noticed something was wrong. Just as he was about to listen attentively, he heard this unreliable old man suddenly say something.

“Mr. Earnshaw’s daughter and daughter-in-law look so alike, and I actually overheard some news just now.”

He lowered his voice mysteriously: "That guy named Heath... he's the youngest son, actually he was picked up by Mr. Earnshaw!"

"So, is this related to Dad's request?" Ran Mouri asked, somewhat puzzled after hearing a bit of the family secrets.

“Let me finish,” he waved his hand to interrupt his daughter, “that Miss Catherine’s husband is actually Mrs. Isabella’s brother.”

"However, Mr. Edgar showed absolutely no interest in interacting with his sister, as if she were air rather than his sister."

"Are the siblings not on good terms?" Ran Mouri speculated.

"Not only that, her husband also ignores her, or rather, this youngest son only gives Miss Catherine a friendly look."

The more Conan listened, the more he felt it was a Wuthering Heights setting, but then Kogoro Mouri quietly dropped a bombshell.

“But Mr. Earnshaw was very kind to her, so there’s only one possibility!” His voice suddenly rose, as if he were about to announce a major discovery, “Mrs. Isabella is Mr. Earnshaw’s own daughter!”

Conan stared blankly at Kogoro Mouri, who was explaining his reasoning. What was this guy talking about?

"The best way for Mr. Earnshaw to bring back his daughter who had been living away from home is to have his youngest son, who is not related to him by blood. It's just a pity that he can't be with his sweetheart."

"My beloved?"

"That's Miss Catherine, who married Mr. Edgar," Kogoro Mouri said with a sigh.

Matsuda Jinpei happened to be passing by when he heard such a shocking statement. His mind went blank for a moment. What should he say?

Is this detective a genius? He shouldn't be a detective; he should be a screenwriter. Is it possible that Catherine and Isabella look alike because of casting issues?

Don't arbitrarily damage Mr. Earnshaw's reputation!

*

Late at night, this remote manor welcomed new guests once again. Unlike the invited Maori family, this time the guests were clearly uninvited.

These were a few people who, like their guests, were stranded on the mountain. Their car had broken down, they had no phone signal, and they were unfamiliar with the area, so they had no choice but to ask for lodging for the night.

They could have just spent the night in the car, but then a thunderstorm started, and lightning struck a tree next to them, crushing their car underneath.

The blond, dark-skinned young man had a smile on his face. He was the least threatening-looking among them, so it was natural for him to ask for lodging.

The people in the manor were obviously asleep. Amuro Tooru was prepared to be scolded, but to his surprise, the door opened as soon as he knocked.

Someone was specifically guarding the door; he was clearly aware of this, indicating that the family valued security.

The person who opened the door was a woman with a ponytail. She was carrying a square bag on her back and had a Japanese sword hanging at her waist. Judging from its length, it was probably a tachi or an octachi. She was wearing a long maid outfit and was looking at the three of them with great interest.

Amuro Tooru spoke first: "We're lost, and it's raining so hard outside. Can we stay the night?"

"Lord Ryoshu, is someone here?" The knocking attracted more than one person. Ishmael hurried over with a broom in her hand. She and Ryoshu were in charge of the patrol tonight.

“I need a place to stay.” She replied briefly to her colleague. Ishmael understood, turned and went upstairs. She had to find her employer; this was not something their housekeeper could decide.

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Author's Note: A Kogoro Mouri version of Wuthering Heights: Suneo becomes the biggest victim – is this a distortion of humanity or a moral decay? [doge][doge][doge]