Killing the Spirit

“Princess Chloe is the sixth princess of the Kingdom of Salter, a rather inconspicuous member of their royal family.”

Miss Valente looked at Lynch, who was nodding vigorously with an expression of sudden realization as though he genuinely understood, and let out a gentle sigh.

“The Kingdom of Salter was founded on the New Continent by an expeditionary force in the early Fifth Age... You at least know what the New Continent is, right?”

“Mhm, mhm, mhm! I actually do know that one,” Lynch said with an emphatic nod, feeling as though she was treating him like an idiot. “Civilization originated on the Old Continent in the Mythological Era, flourished on Middle Earth starting in the Fourth Age, and expanded outward to the New Continent in the Fifth Age. I am an intermediate student of archaeology, after all. Even if I failed to recognize my own archaeology professor, I still know basic knowledge like this.”

“In the Fourth Age, those lands were still vassal territories of Lande. However, under the impact of the great catastrophe at the end of the Fourth Age, sea routes were severed for a century. By the time the three continents were reconnected, the vassal territories on the New Continent had all established their own kingdoms. Back then, the Valente family was merely a baron house, and we even lost a vast stretch of farmland.”

The noblewoman let out a wistful sigh and spoke softly.

“Unlike our neighbor Friedman, which fights a war with its former vassal territories every few decades, Lande enjoys rather good relations with Salter. The Salter royal family was originally a branch of the Rose family, so they maintain ample respect for us. Every year on Salter’s National Day, they send symbolic gifts to the Rose family to show they haven't forgotten their origins. Royal family members from both nations visit each other often.”

Was my past self actually a fool? How did he not know any of this? Then again, for a muddleheaded commoner, just staying fed and warm was already a blessing.

Lynch generously forgave his past self's ignorance and pressed on, “So that's why Princess Troy came here to study?”

“It's Princess Chloe. Keep that in mind. If you really forget her name, keep it vague and refer to her as 'Her Highness' or 'that princess.' Try your best not to get it wrong. Some nobles take names very seriously—getting it wrong might get your head blown off with a shotgun.”

“There’s only one person who would actually do that, ‘that’ young lady.”

“Hee-hee, Princess Chloe didn't come here to study merely because our two nations are close. Mr. Lynch, did you truly graduate from secondary school?” Miss Valente shook her head with a look of pity. “Lande’s higher education standards rank among the highest in the world. Many royal families and high nobles send their children to Lande for advanced studies. Not only do they gain knowledge, but more importantly, they make connections with descendants of prominent families to broaden their network. Rhine actually has very few of them—over in Norin, with its four higher institutions of learning, foreign noble youth are everywhere. It’s quite lively.”

“I am not very familiar with Princess Chloe; I only know she exists. On the other hand, Flaming Red Lips caused quite a stir a few months ago and even made the newspapers. Supposedly, it’s an extraordinarily beautiful ruby that appeared out of nowhere and ended up in the hands of a Salter royal family member. So it was her after all.”

“I heard Flaming Red Lips has some special significance. Do you know what it is?”

“Special significance? Do you mean something related to mystery?”

“I'm not sure either, just something I heard from the police.”

“My apologies. I was so troubled by that affair recently that I truly had no heart to inquire into such news.” Miss Valente pondered for a moment. “How about this? I’ll look into it tonight and do my best to give you a reply tomorrow.”

“There’s no need to be so serious about it.”

“No, we must be careful. This invitation is rather odd. I suspect Princess Chloe harbors bad intentions.”

Lynch frowned. “Is it a trap?”

“It isn't a direct trap like you might imagine; there won't be any danger to your life.” Miss Valente lightly toyed with her folding fan, her faint eyebrows knitting together as she murmured, “Many methods used by nobility are far darker and more covert than you think. Many actions that appear normal—or even completely well-meaning—often conceal the most sinister motives. Traps capable of ruining a person's entire life or an entire family's reputation are often hidden within tiny details. So when dealing with black-hearted nobles like us, you must be extremely cautious.”

Is it really that exaggerated? Lynch was somewhat taken aback.

“Heh, it’s hard to imagine, but it really isn't an exaggeration.”

Miss Valente straightened her posture and reined in her smile. A faint thread of anger touched her brow, instantly bathing her in an aura of noble sharpness and authority.

“Take your invitation, for instance. There is a huge problem with it. High-society socialization has strict rules governing every detail. Setting aside speech, dress, and seating arrangements, even knowing which occasions allow you to speak, which require you to stay quiet, and which person must speak before you can open your mouth are all tacit agreements that cannot be broken. Bringing someone who doesn't belong to this circle into the gathering is, in itself, a form of implicit malice. Perhaps she doesn't have an ulterior motive and merely did it out of convenience, but at the very least, it proves she doesn't care in the slightest about your honor, dignity, or interests. Such a malicious scheme might deceive the general public, but it cannot deceive my eyes.”

By the end of her words, a distinct tone of fury had crept into her voice.

Seeing Miss Valente so incensed, Lynch’s gaze softened. He smiled and said softly, “Thank you, Miss Diana, for troubling yourself on my behalf.”

Miss Valente turned her face away, her cheeks blushing slightly as her eyes darted about. “There is no need to thank me. I am doing this for the family's interests as well. You are a friend of the Valente family. For her to dare display malice toward you in such a manner is an open provocation against the Valente family. I will never allow her to get away with it.”

“Yes, yes, family interests.” Lynch couldn't help but chuckle softly until those big, pretty eyes glared back at him in puff-cheeked irritation. Only then did he straighten his face and nod. “If things proceed as planned, what will happen?”

“If nothing unexpected happens, you will make a fool of yourself, be discriminated against, and become the laughingstock of the entire ball,” Miss Valente said with a sigh. “On other occasions, these wouldn't be major issues. Experience takes time to cultivate, and making a fool of oneself can be seen as paying tuition, not necessarily a malicious scheme.”

Lynch nodded. He truly didn't care much about that.

“However, that only applies if you embarrass yourself quietly. The moment anyone acts with malice and temporarily pushes you into the center of attention for most attendees, it will turn into a monumental disaster for you. Since this is your first public appearance among high society, making a fool of yourself will leave the entire upper class with a first impression of you as a joke and a clown. In the future, whenever people bring you up, they won't think of the formidable Great Detective Mr. Levive, but rather Mr. Levive the clown, who knows nothing of etiquette and made a fool of himself before a foreign princess.”

Miss Valente offered an icy smile and spoke in a chilling voice:

“Perhaps she wouldn't do it herself, but she cannot guarantee that no one else at the ball will. That is why I say sending you this invitation letter is a demonstration of malice. While you won't suffer any physical loss at the time, once a bad first impression is established, it will be nearly impossible to overturn. By then, it’s practically guaranteed that you will be cut off from commissions by nobles and wealthy merchants. No matter how capable you are, those people won't hire someone they perceive as a clown. And that’s merely the long-term consequence. The immediate consequence is that you will inevitably be excluded from investigating this case. Because of your 'own failings,' you won't gain the trust of the princess's side, and everyone else will blame you.”

Lynch felt a chill run through him as he listened. The methods of these high and mighty figures were truly impossible to guard against.

“So Chloe doesn't actually want me involved at all, and used this method to indirectly shut me out?”

“Most likely.”

Hiss... killing the spirit without spilling a drop of blood. Looking at Miss Valente, Lynch couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If he hadn't befriended her, he might have been set up to fail without ever knowing who struck the blow.

Lynch narrowed his eyes as anger flared in his heart. However, now that Miss Valente had seen through the scheme in advance, the development of the situation was no longer in the other party's control. As long as he parried every blow and neutralized all attacks, it would be equivalent to them setting up the perfect stage for him to make a high-profile entry into the circle of big figures.

As for whether he could pull it off, Lynch wasn't worried in the slightest. The young lady clamoring to attend the ball with him earlier was likely acting on more than just her detective-fan whims.

“Of course, you are the Valente family's best friend. If I let them scheme against you right under my nose, my years of noble education would be completely wasted.” Miss Valente gave a confident smile and pulled back the curtain to look outside the carriage. “We’ve arrived. It’s time to sound the trumpet of counterattack.”

“Hmm?”

“Now for the first step.” Miss Valente pulled open the carriage door and dragged Lynch down with her. “First, let’s get you a few new outfits.”

“Huh?”