Chapter 208 The Viscount's Salon
“Ma’am, please come in, the lady is waiting for you.
Angel was led by the maid into the reception room where he met Sylvia last time.
The latter was wearing a purple silk long dress today, dotted with some black lace, and her long hair was tied into a ponytail, making her look younger than before.
"Very good, it seems you did read the etiquette book. If you come here wearing a cloak and trousers, I will send you home immediately."
Sylvia looked at Angel with satisfaction and nodded.
Angel had changed into a light yellow ruffled long skirt today. Her forearms, which had been restored to a healthy color by the healing potion, were exposed, and her hair was carefully tied back, but under the effect of the Madness Ring, it was still black.
The etiquette book isn't the point, the point is that I spent £20 on this outfit and the shoes that went with it...
Angel, who threw the Rose Bishop's body into the Tussock River to feed the fish yesterday and got up early in the morning to buy clothes, pursed his lips and finally did not dare to ask for reimbursement.
Riding in Baron Langdon's carriage, the two came from the West Side to a luxurious villa in Queens.
Led by her personal maid, Lady Severia entered the villa's garden with grace, while Angel followed behind as if she were another of her maids.
The servants in the villa's living room pushed open the door, and the salon inside had already begun. The theme of this afternoon was literature. The owner of the villa, Viscount Grallint, had invited famous writers and novelists from Backlund, as well as aristocrats he was familiar with. They were enthusiastically communicating in the large living room that connected the first and second floors.
Feeling the curious, scrutinizing, and playful gazes focused on him, Angel's cram schooling on aristocratic etiquette instantly disappeared from his mind.
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Hugh Dilcha sat on the sofa in the corner of the living room, holding an exquisite crystal glass and looking at the tiny bubbles floating in the carbonated fruit wine inside.
She had no interest in the low-alcohol drinks that were consumed at these aristocratic gatherings, but she had to pretend to enjoy them, and this hypocrisy made her feel uncomfortable.
If Fors hadn't gone to a Beyonder gathering with Miss Audrey in the northern suburbs, and she hadn't had something to report and needed to wait for them to return, she wouldn't have wanted to stay in this salon where everyone was wearing fake smiles and pretending to be nice.
The door was opened by the waiter and two late guests entered the living room. Hugh's professionalism made her subconsciously observe the newcomers to the salon.
A beautiful black-haired lady in a purple dress instantly attracted the attention of the whole audience. Viscount Glint, who was talking to a guest, immediately went up to her, kissed her hand, and started talking to her eagerly.
The young lady behind her, who was nearly 1.8 meters tall and wearing a light yellow long dress, trembled her right hand, as if she wanted to raise her hand to invite him, but stopped halfway, which made Xio almost laugh. He quickly picked up the wine glass and took a sip to hide his expression.
But then she remembered what she had learned about Williams' death in the morning, and her smile disappeared in an instant.
Hugh learned of Williams' death from the morning paper and was not even able to see his friend for the last time.
This poor man had simply asked other acquaintances in the East District to help him search for clues about Lanevus, but he was found and murdered by the overreacting enemy. This couldn't be called cruel, it was simply insane.
Generally, wanted criminals will quietly slip away when someone questions them, change their hiding place, or even leave the city to avoid key search areas.
Why would Kelanerwus kill someone so openly to silence them? Was he too lazy to hide, or was he unable to leave immediately due to some unforeseen circumstances?
Xio had already informed Miss Audrey, who had issued the commission, of the deaths of Williams and his other friend, as well as the news that Lanevus might be hiding near the East Balam Dockyard. However, she then went to a Beyonder gathering with Fors, and it was unknown when she would return.
"Forget it, I'd better go back first. I'll wait for that Fors guy to come back and then come over together..."
Fed up with not being able to fit in in the salon, Xio picked up the wine glass on the coffee table, drank the fruit wine, stood up and prepared to leave.
"Miss Xiu," Viscount Grallint, who had come to the corner of the room with a guest, called out to her, "This is Miss Irene, Madam Severia's niece. She recently arrived in Backlund from Tingen City, and this is her first time attending my salon."
"She is more interested in those aspects..." the Viscount added in a low voice.
Who is Lady Severia?
Quinn subconsciously wanted to ask back, but the other person's expression seemed to be saying something that everyone should know, so she didn't dare to ask.
But she could guess that "those aspects" were the little secret shared by several people: a love of mysticism.
This hobby connected Miss Audrey, Viscount Glint, herself, and people of vastly different statuses like Fors. It also allowed her to receive many lucrative commissions and obtain the potion formula of the "Sheriff."
Xio nodded and looked at the slightly nervous lady next to the Viscount, and found that it was the black-haired woman who had just entered the living room with awkward etiquette.
She is a full head taller than me...
Looking at each other with some envy, Xio bowed and introduced himself: "Miss Irene, good afternoon, I am Xio Deercha."
At the sound of her name, Miss Irene raised her eyebrows in interest, making her round face look even cuter.
Under the coffee table, the big golden retriever that Miss Audrey left here tilted its head and looked over here with a pair of wise eyes.
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Angel looked towards the center of the living room. Sylvia was at the focal point of the salon. Several young nobles surrounded her, vying openly and secretly for the opportunity to talk to her, while Sylvia looked over here from time to time, as if supervising Angel's work.
But Miss Audrey Hall wasn't in the salon at all, and she wouldn't even be back today...
She sighed helplessly and looked at the short lady sitting on the sofa opposite her. She had messy blond hair and some baby fat on her cheeks. Combined with her height, she looked like an underage girl.
In the brief introduction led by Viscount Grelint just now, she already knew the other party's name: Hugh Dilcha, the bounty hunter who was commissioning spies from the East District to find Lanevus, which led to him being mistakenly attacked by the Rose Bishop.
Of course, Angel didn't blame her. The problem was the Rose Bishop who attacked without understanding the situation. The latter had turned into a ball of contaminated Beyonder characteristics and lay quietly in the basement of her house, using his life to atone for his sins.
"Ms. Xio, I heard that Backlund only sees the sun for two months a year. I just arrived here. Is this true?"
Hmm, that sounds like Backlund is being bad...
As soon as she blurted out these words, she realized that something was wrong. Did she hit a snag when she was trying to make conversation out of nothing?
"That's probably right. Anyway, the weather here is terrible, not as good as East Chester County."
The other party didn't seem to notice that the topic was wrong. He answered with a wandering look in his eyes, and his mind was not on the conversation at all.
Fortunately, she didn't care...
Angel breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the knight training uniform on Xio, which did not conform to the etiquette book, but did not seem rude, but rather had a sense of majesty. She recalled several topics mentioned in the etiquette book that could easily open up a situation.
"Miss Xiu, your clothes..."
"Ms. Irene, let's not beat around the bush. What is it that brought you here to see me?"
Xio interrupted her rudely, exuding an authority that made people want to obey, which made Angel more certain of the other party's identity.
"Okay, then I'll be frank. You're a Beyonder, right?"
She said in a low voice.
The other person's gaze sharpened, and the emerald green eyes stared at Angel motionlessly.
"How do you know?"
"I've seen you before," Angel looked towards the center of the living room and found Viscount Greylint chatting with Severia. No one else noticed this small corner, so he continued, "At Mr. A's gathering, you and another lady were not disguised. I was there at the time."
"Really? I understand. So what exactly do you want from me? You're not just trying to expose my identity, are you?"
Xio, whose Beyonder identity was revealed, did not panic.
"I just wanted to get to know the Beyonders in Backlund. I just arrived here from Tingen and am eager to expand my social circle. Well, perhaps we will have the opportunity to cooperate in the future."
It would be great if you could introduce me to Miss Audrey...
Angel added in his mind.
When she learned from Hugh Dilcha that her target for the day was Audrey Hall's absence, she felt a little disappointed, but now she could only build a good relationship with this bounty hunter who was "waiting for Miss Audrey to come back", and perhaps she could get to know Audrey later.
In addition, in addition to the mission of the "Witch Sect", she also has another purpose of her own.
Seeing that the bounty hunter was already showing impatience and was about to get up and leave, Angel said softly:
"You're looking for a wanted criminal, aren't you? His name is Lanevus?"
Xio stopped moving and turned to look at Angel, with a hint of surprise and vigilance in his eyes.
"What do you know?"
"I know he's changed his appearance and is hiding in the dock area, in the dockworkers' dormitory next to the East Balam Dockyard," Angel said in a low voice, satisfied with the other party's reaction, glancing at the group of guests chatting animatedly in the middle of the living room. "His bronze skin is very distinctive, so it shouldn't be difficult to find him. Whatever you want to do, please do it as soon as possible. Perhaps tomorrow, the official Beyonders will know about this."
"East Balam Dockyard? As expected..."
The bounty hunter seemed to have already found out a lot of information. She didn't seem surprised to hear Lanevus's hiding place, but then she frowned and looked at Angel and asked:
"Why are you telling me all this? If you know where he is, why don't you go collect the reward?"
"It's just a small gift, my greeting gift."
Angel answered in a pretentiously profound manner, stood up, and prepared to go find Sylvia, who had finally had some free time. However, because he was wearing high-heeled dance shoes that he was not used to, he stumbled and almost sprained his ankle.
Fortunately, the Beyonder's physical coordination allowed her to quickly stand firm. She sighed, adjusted her skirt, and left the corner of the room.
Before leaving, she felt a gaze full of curiosity but without malice, and subconsciously looked over there, and found a big golden retriever lying obediently by the wall, looking at her.
There was admiration in its eyes. When it saw Angel looking at it, it tilted its head and wagged its tail friendly.
Appreciation, friendliness…how could I possibly interpret such emotions in a dog?
Angel felt her thoughts were a little confused. She quickly said goodbye to Xio who was in deep thought and walked towards Sylvia who was walking towards her.
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