The greatest private detective in the Kingdom of Lande, resident of 221 Villa Avenue, defender of Rhine order, guardian of the Lande pound, Mr. Lynch Levive, had just been abducted by an old woman.
He had only just enough time to return to his room to say a quick greeting before being whisked away into a carriage.
It was a modest looking carriage, appearing no different from the rental cabs seen everywhere, yet only after being dragged inside did one realize it possessed unique qualities.
The enclosed cabin exuded the natural scent of roses. The air was fresh and humid, never once feeling stuffy. The floor was covered with a thick cashmere rug that felt like walking on clouds, and the seats were plush, soft sofas. Pulling open the small drawer in the table before him, he found fresh dried fruit and warm black tea inside.
The person sitting beside him was no longer the old woman who had been grinning at him, but a young lady who was now doing the same.
Miss Valente.
The young noblewoman was dressed in a green lady's gown, her feathered hat tilted playfully atop her head. A folding fan obscured her red lips, leaving only a pair of large, brown eyes visible. They twinkled with laughter as she watched Lynch. It was a pity that her face still lacked color; even light makeup could not hide her pallor, but her spirit seemed excellent, and even her voice carried a healthy vigor.
"Mr. Lynch, long time no see." Her large eyes curved into crescents, and her straight nose crinkled. The noblewoman's voice held an unprecedented sense of ease as she said softly, "Being able to see that you are well is my greatest reward today."
Looking at her delicate face and breathing in the faint fragrance drifting from her, Lynch opened his mouth, wanting to say something to celebrate Miss Valente's recovery. He found his mind so dull that he could not think of a single appropriate remark. For a moment, he could only scratch his head and grin foolishly, until after a long silence he managed to blurt out: "Me too."
"Ah?"
"Forget it, it is nothing. Just a fool acting foolishly."
How strange. Why did my intelligence suddenly hit zero? Or did I never have that to begin with? Besides, it is not as if I have never seen a patient recover before, and I just recovered myself, so why do I suddenly feel so excited, to the point that my chest is aching in waves?
Lynch could not fathom such profound questions, and he was too lazy to try. Following his instincts, he said sincerely: "I am very happy to see you awake, but could you please stop waving that fan? It makes me a little nervous."
???
The eyes that had just been full of laughter suddenly turned sharp. The beautiful noblewoman lowered her head slightly, squinting at Lynch from behind her fan like a puffed up little quail. Her wrist twitched as if the fan might come crashing down at any moment.
"Wait, let me think. There must be another topic."
Cold sweat broke out on Lynch's forehead. Damn it, how do you talk to a young lady? Online waiting, it is urgent.
"Pfft, you are still as infuriating as ever." The puffed up quail regained her smile. Miss Valente made a face from behind her fan before saying seriously, "Listen, Mr. Lynch Levive, I will only say this once."
"Hm?"
"Your efforts unraveled the shackles the Valente family had tied upon themselves for a millennium, liberating the family from their duty. The Valente family does not like to say thank you to others; we prefer to show it through actions. So, from now on, you are a forever friend of the family. As long as the Valente family exists, our doors will always be open to you. This will always be your second home."
Hiss. The resonant promise moved Lynch. He was silent for a moment before shaking his head: "Can you represent the Valente family? There is no need to put yourself in a difficult position by making such a promise for the whole family."
"I cannot. The only person who can truly represent the family is the Count of Valente himself, who is currently my father. However, based on my understanding of the family, they will not oppose my promise, so it is not difficult. Moreover, while I cannot represent the entire Valente family, I can at least represent myself."
Miss Valente said calmly, pressing a hand to her chest with a smile:
"Speaking as Diana de Valente, you generously extended a helping hand to a lady in despair, regardless of the cost, asking for no reward, and even risking self harm. Then, please show that same generosity and accept the friendship she offers, forever."
What else could he say? Lynch sighed softly, consciously taking the hand Miss Valente extended, and bowed to press a light kiss upon the back of it.
"I fight for you, my lady."
"Pfft, you cannot say that. This is not a knighting ceremony, unless you want to become a knight of the Valente family? Otherwise, you should say 'my pleasure' instead."
"But it is not a pleasure at all." What a mood killer. Besides, who knows the protocols of you nobles? I did not see this much detail when watching plays. Lynch rolled his eyes, but his heart suddenly stirred, "Shouldn't a family knight get a salary? How much?"
"None, and you have to pay a monthly fee of ten pounds."
"Ha? Are you serious?"
"Of course I am joking. What did you expect?"
Miss Valente gritted her teeth and waved her little fan, appearing to fantasize about some violent act, which made Lynch shudder. He quickly shifted her attention: "Well, now that you are awake, what are your plans? Returning to the capital?"
"Impossible. Although my main purpose was for the sacrifice, I was nominally assigned by the Church to be stationed in Rhine. I still have to work for the Church for a while. This is an unspoken agreement between the nobility and the Church. Why? Do you have a plan?"
"Elder Nikolai hasn't crawled back into his cave yet, has he?"
"Be careful or the Elder might come over to beat you if he hears that." Miss Valente shook her head with a smile. "He has not, he still needs to wait and see for a while."
"After the threat of Mordiggian is completely resolved, does the Valente family have any arrangements for the hillmen?"
"It mainly depends on their wishes and the progress of the tunnel. If the tunnel project is not carried out, they will return to their old lives, helping the family develop mines. If the tunnel construction begins, the family will provide a sum of money to move them elsewhere."
"Then I have a plan..." Lynch licked his lips, making a motion of counting money. "How about we negotiate with Elder Nikolai and sell the development rights for Zur-Baha-Sahr as a package?"
"Ha?"
"I know the Valente family is wealthy, but who complains about having too much money? The hillmen's relocation fees, new housing construction fees, loss of homeland fees, emotional compensation fees; the buyer should at least pay for all of those. Plus excavation fees, cooperation fees, navigation fees. Roughly calculating, why not make the buyer cough up a few thousand pounds? And they better not complain about it being expensive. If they do, raise it by a thousand. One thousand at a time."
"Can you even do that?" Miss Valente was dumbfounded.
"Of course." Lynch curled his lip. Stubborn otherworldly people, have you never heard of demolition compensation and holdouts?
"You should discuss such matters with Elder Nikolai; the Valente family will assist from the sidelines." Miss Valente said with a dry laugh. "I will take you to see him tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow won't work, there is a ball invitation."
Lynch suddenly realized that the person before him was a high noble whose status was in no way inferior to that princess. He immediately recounted the whole matter to Miss Valente, only to find that as she listened, the noblewoman's eyes almost emitted tangible light.
Oh no, how could I forget this girl is a fan of detective novels.
"This is interesting. I will accompany you tomorrow."
"The invitation, the invitation, that was for me alone."
"Heh. There are three representatives of the Lande noble families in Rhine. No matter what kind of princess she is, if she dares to leave any of them out of an event, she will be pinned as a laughingstock for decades to come." Miss Valente's tone was matter of fact. "Come on, accompany me home. I will have someone dig through the trash, we should be able to find the invitation."
Lynch's expression was subtle. He told himself that at this moment, it was best to just smile.
Rate on N.U.
