Chapter 132 Chapter 132 No luxurious lunch, Harkley...
It was a pleasant time to be gardening in Crawley, especially with the twins around.
After several symbolic excuses, Elio became their teacher; he privately investigated the Piece of Eden in the hands of the Templars and found that Lucy Thorne was obsessed with it and had not found a way to use it, so he put his mind at ease.
As for Starrick, the British Assassins hadn't yet reached the point where they had to ask Elio to do it for them.
Elio was happy not to work for the British, but when the Italian embassy sent him a letter, his smile was somewhat dampened. Although he had refused all the special treatment the embassy offered, even going so far as to not employ a single servant, which they considered quite unconventional, Elio still enjoyed those hidden privileges as a duke, and he couldn't keep playing dead.
Therefore, the Duke of Caserta still appeared at the Christmas dinner hosted by the French Embassy that day.
Although Elio was reluctant, he didn't show it. The Italian ambassador probably saw this as a good opportunity to introduce him to London society, and from his point of view, Elio couldn't bear to refuse such a good offer.
So, Elio had to listen awkwardly to the ambassador introducing his medals and titles that he had not brought to London again and again in front of him. An officer with gold ribbons on his chest (who seemed to be called the Earl of Cardigan) even asked him why he didn't wear his "Annunciation". Elio replied, "It is not an honor that belongs to me alone, so I left it to my family." In this way, Elio declined all potential introductions, but it was obvious that the look in the ambassador's eyes made him believe that he was a "maverick" person.
Forced to do so, Elio finally found a newspaper after downing a few glasses of champagne and pretending to read the news. The Daily Express had some boring stuff like "No Lunch, Hack Practices Economy," but Elio wasn't really reading it. Instead, he stared at the picture of Jim Hack, the Secretary of State for Public Administration, eating a sandwich on a paper plate, wondering when the dinner would end.
There was a copy of the Standard right next to him, and Elio flipped through it and saw another article about Jim Hack. It said that the executive drivers were on strike to protest layoffs. Elio didn't understand this. What was the point of striking if they were going to be laid off?
Then again, what was the purpose of this Administration Department? Of course, Elio knew about "Administration," but what was the purpose of the Administration Department? Every department should have an "Administration" component, but why was there a dedicated Administration Department?
If he wasn't so familiar with the ambassador, Elio would have grabbed him and asked him questions. But just as Elio was holding the newspaper, his face full of thought, the star of the newspaper, Jim Hack, walked into the dinner party with a smile.
At this time, an hour and a half had passed since the dinner started. Elio could not help but look at Minister Harker with a pensive expression, because if he could arrive an hour and a half late, then Elio could actually leave an hour and a half early.
Judging from the Duke of Caserta's expression, Minister Hacker couldn't tell what he was thinking. Perhaps that was why, after all the pleasantries, he came over smilingly with a glass of champagne. His evening gown was pristine, practically new. It was the Italian ambassador who introduced them, and then Minister Hacker said, "I noticed you were reading that Daily Express. Are you in favor of the austerity movement?"
At that moment, Minister Hacker saw the Standard newspaper on the other side and the bold, large-print news: "Administrative Department Drivers Strike to Protest Layoffs." His expression froze, and Elio noticed where he was looking. Their eyes met awkwardly in the air, and then they both laughed awkwardly.
"I don't know much about these things," Elio said then, stepping aside (the sofa bounced slightly as the familiar Minister Hake sat down next to him), "but I think I should support it."
Every word Elio said was true. But his cautious nature made him sound like a professional, the civil servant in the administrative department with whom Huck daily battled wits and courage. To promote this "thrift movement," Huck led by example, cutting his own official car and half his staff, even replacing his beautifully decorated, luxurious furniture and wine cabinets; quite "bold," it must be said, because he had to drive here tonight, got stuck in the evening rush hour, and his car broke down, which was not good for the minister. Huck spent a long time repairing it, and his wife Anne even left in anger during that time.
So, when he arrived at the French Embassy, Minister Hake was actually soaked and covered in engine oil; his miserable appearance almost caused him to be refused entry by the French. Although the latter still made room for him to change clothes, it is hard to say whether it was out of kindness or because of the French's cumbersome etiquette of "How can guests be allowed to appear at a banquet inappropriately!"
No wonder Minister Hack drank one drink after another. Although his clothes were clean and new, the hour and a half he'd spent driving had left an indelible mark on him. To erase that "indelible" mark, Hack socialized more enthusiastically than usual, pretending to be careless as he sat down on the "Standard" newspaper that reported on the strike of the administrative department drivers, then casually stuffed it into the crack of the sofa.
If someone else were sitting here, they might not have noticed his little trick. But unfortunately, the person sitting here was a master assassin.
Elio silently watched Minister Harker's little action, turned his face away, and covered the lower half of his face with his hand in a thoughtful manner. What did he say just now? Elio thought.
Oh, by the way, he asked about Italy.
Under Minister Hack's social smile, Elio recalled his previous question. But it was clearly one Elio couldn't answer. So Elio decisively feigned drunkenness, his hand resting on his head. "Sorry, I can't quite recall. You know, it must be the wine..."
Elio's feigned drunkenness was a success. However, Huck, who was trying hard to pretend to be sober, was not as successful. After only three or four glasses of champagne, he was a little shaky, slumped on the sofa, mumbling incomprehensible words like "office efficiency" and "Inspection Office." Even when Elio asked him if he was drunk, Huck replied dazedly, "Yes and no."
Elio hesitated.
Is it possible for someone to be drunk and sober at the same time?
Elio was baffled. He wanted to ask Huck why he was an hour and a half late, but seeing how drunk he was, Elio couldn't get any results. Even after the dinner ended, Elio couldn't find a chance to sneak away. By the time he left, it was already pitch dark. The Italian ambassador invited Elio to go back with him, but Elio declined, saying he needed "fresh air," thus successfully avoiding another round of social nonsense in the car.
The Italian ambassador respected his wish and reserved a car for him. Even as Elio spoke, they could still see the thick fog hanging over the streets. In daylight, they could also see the black smoke rising from the factory chimneys.
But regardless, Elio considered himself free. After all, the poor clarity visible to the naked eye was an assassin's favorite disguise. He didn't rush back, but instead drove around the streets, listening to the clatter of swords and canes on the ground. During this time, Elio stopped two street bullies, a murder, and several burglaries, and couldn't help but sigh deeply at the safety of London.
How is this different from Gotham?
Elio had completely forgotten how much he looked like a weak nobleman, which was probably why the robbers were all shocked when he pulled the sword from the dark gray cane.
When he came back and passed the French Embassy again, Elio was even shocked to find a "corpse" lying on the gutter fence on the side of the road. He took a closer look and found that the corpse was still struggling to reach inside.
"Minister Hake?" Elio asked.
"Oh! For God's sake..."
Huck jumped to his feet, looking as if he were about to curse. But the sudden movement only made him more dizzy, and he staggered and almost fell to the ground. It was then that he saw Elio's face clearly.
"...What a coincidence, Duke of Caserta!" Minister Hack said with a forced smile.
Elio wanted to ask if he was okay, but a question with such an obvious answer would only come off as sarcastic, so he hesitated for two or three seconds before politely answering, "What a coincidence. Did you drop anything?"
Huck's relief was palpable. His smile grew more genuine, though still awkward. "My keys fell in there," he said, pointing toward the gutter grating, a wisp of wet black hair drooping awkwardly from his forehead.
Even if Elio didn't know what he had experienced earlier today, he felt that the minister was unlucky. He looked inside and saw that the key had probably been washed away by the rain flowing underground. There was no trace of the golden light.
"It looks out of reach," Elio commented objectively.
Huck's expression suddenly became desperate.
"But if you don't mind, you can take my car tonight." Elio raised his sword cane and pointed to a black car parked on the street. "You live in Westminster anyway, right?"
Now, Huck's expression was as if he had seen a savior shining in gold.
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Author's note: The Earl of Cardigan is a councilman killed by Jacob later in Syndicate. He even had to exchange secret codes to see him. And when he turned his back to Jacob before his death, he thought it was "Minister Hack" coming to see him. This is probably a Ubisoft meme, because Jim Hack's "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister" are both set after Syndicate... They all drive cars to work instead of horse-drawn carriages, so this is my timeline fabrication again [dog head] Just think of it as a mixed setting where the rich drive cars while most people still drive horse-drawn carriages... hehe...
And I'd like to recommend the "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister" series that are available on B station. They are simply the funniest comedy films I have ever seen. I swear I laughed out loud every time the canned laughter sounded in the series.
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