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What a tragedy...

Sean a mournful cry and stiffly turned around.

Sure enough, outside the large iron gate, a petite girl with long silver-white hair was quietly watching Sean.

"Good day, Sean, I'm not late, am I?" Stephanie said.

"Ha... ha... how could that be? You're here very early..." Sean forced a smile.

He originally wanted to play a little trick. Since Hermione and Daisy were guests invited by Ayla, it was normal for the few of you to hang out together, wasn't it?

Then, I'll find an excuse to get some drinks or desserts to greet Stephanie, and then take Stephanie to the private reception room that my father converted...

The plan failed before it could even be implemented.

Stephanie, didn't we agree to meet at 1 p. m.? It's only 12:40 p. m.!

The England are usually about ten minutes late!

They just happened to run into each other...

"I'm not late, am I?"

The moment Hermione and Daisy saw Stephanie appear, their expressions changed drastically after those words were spoken.

Hermione's eyes already held a hint of resentment.

You, Sean, haven't invited me to your house once since summer vacation started, but you invited Stephanie directly—and it was a date between the two of you?!

No wonder, no wonder someone as lazy as you would dress so formally even at home.

Various thoughts drifted through Hermione's mind as she puffed out one cheek, seemingly taking a deep breath without exhaling.

Daisy, standing nearby, blinked and then whispered to Ayla, "Ayla, did Sean invite Stephanie?"

"I don't know," Ayla said loudly.

The little guy's voice startled Sean; it was really impolite to have someone standing outside the door like that.

He quickly opened the door and welcomed Stephanie in.

"Excuse me— Ayla, hello, this is our second time meeting," Stephanie greeted Ayla.

"Hello, Stephanie!" Ayla greeted her warmly.

Stephanie had naturally seen Hermione and Daisy long ago, but it was only now that she formally greeted them.

"It's great to see you again, Hermione and Daisy."

Hermione forced a smile, "Yes, it's nice to see you, Stephanie."

Daisy tugged at Hermione's sleeve and then asked sweetly, "How have you been, Stephanie?"

"Very good, thank you for your concern."

Then Stephanie turned to Sean: "Sean, I brought everything. Shall we begin now?"

"Hiss--"

The wizards who had been silently observing and protecting the villa witnessed this scene and heard the conversation between the group of teenagers. They all gasped in shock.

"Mr. Wallop is really popular. These girls are all top beauties..." one wizard exclaimed.

Another witch responded through the headset, "That's normal. If I were a few years younger, still in Hogwarts, I'd like a guy like Sean too—but it seems like Sean messed up?"

"It wasn't exactly a disaster. It seems like it was just a coincidence. The two girls who arrived first were apparently invited by Ayla. Sean probably only invited the girl with long silver hair—hiss, does that girl have Veela blood? I just stared at her for a couple of seconds, and suddenly I had a feeling that I was about to fall for her."

"It seems so. And that girl is amazing. Listen to what she said, 'Shall we start now?' Tsk tsk tsk, that's a tacit agreement. Sean only invited her. The other two girls were invited by Ayla. This shows that she trusts Sean and also subtly flaunts her relationship with Sean in front of the other two girls. The other two girls can't compete with her."

"That girl with long brown hair seems to have a strong personality, but she can't hide her expressions very well and she's also impatient. Look at that little expression, she's so jealous she's practically flying to the sky. When Sean looks over, she's trying to pretend to be calm."

"That fiery red-haired girl looks quite innocent, but the calmer she is, the more it proves she's hiding something... Hey, she looks like someone else, James Potter's wife, Lily Potter, like they were made from the same mold, the youngest daughter of the Potter family?"

"Yes, that should be it. The girl with long brown hair must be from the Granger family. I helped guard the Granger family for a while before."

"The key question is, what should we do with our brilliant little Wallerup- Lepp?"

Sean stood in the middle, glanced left and right, gave a wry smile to himself, and said to Stephanie, "Welcome to my home. Come on, let's go in and have a seat."

Although Stephanie was the one who suggested coming to his house first, she had business to attend to, and he had agreed. It was neither reasonable nor ethical for him to let her just stand there like that.

Stephanie nodded slightly and followed Sean into the house.

Hermione and Daisy stood still, Hermione staring intently at the approaching two, as if wanting an explanation.

Sean had a headache. He was about to speak when Stephanie behind him spoke first.

"The matter we investigated together has made some progress. Diagon Alley is under strict control now, so it's not convenient for Sean to come to me. That's why I took the liberty of bothering you. I didn't expect to run into you. Please don't misunderstand."

"Wow, what an amazing girl!" The onlookers gasped in unison once again.

The witch who had initially said Sean was likable clicked her tongue in amazement, "This girl doesn't look very old, maybe a third or fourth grader at most? That's quite a statement."

"She helped ease Sean's awkward situation, and the fact that she said it made it much more convincing. She was generous and considerate. She was very clear about her goals. She wasn't trying to compete with the Granger family and Potter family girls for a man, but simply trying to increase Sean's favorability—brilliant, truly brilliant."

The witch curled her lip. "You can only see the surface meaning. Girls are not as simple as you think."

"Um?"

"Raising Sean's favorability is one aspect, but the other, and most important, aspect is that last sentence."

"The last sentence?... 'Don't misunderstand'?"

"Yes, you see, of those two girls, the Granger family girl is clearly in control, and she's the one who's the angrier. And how would you respond to that 'Don't misunderstand'?"

Several male wizards frowned, pondering the meaning of those words.

"Ha, with your level of sensitivity, you think you can find a girlfriend? Don't dream about it."

"It's just a simple explanation..." several wizards muttered to themselves.

The witch chuckled. "You lot, how could you possibly understand a woman's mind? Think about it, my friends. Don't misunderstand, this sounds like an explanation—an explanation that she and Sean don't have that kind of ambiguous relationship, and they're not secretly dating behind everyone's back. Miss Granger is obviously not stupid; she'll immediately realize that if she acts too calculating, it will unconsciously lower Sean's opinion of her. And she definitely will?"

A quick-witted wizard chimed in, "Say immediately, 'There's nothing to misunderstand. Ayla invited us here, and we just happened to run into you. It's a pleasure to see you,' to show your magnanimity and composure?"

"That's right, but 'there's nothing to misunderstand' can be interpreted in another way—I don't like Sean yet, so of course I'm not jealous."

Hermione smiled immediately as she walked along the garden path.

"There's nothing to misunderstand. Ayla invited us here, and it just so happened that we ran into you. It's so nice to see you."

The male wizards hiding outside the villa were dumbfounded. It really was exactly the same?

"Hmph," the witch snorted smugly, "I knew you wouldn't understand these subtexts—but it seems the Granger family girls are no match for that silver-haired girl. Their scheming is on a completely different level, and strong-willed people like to show off—"

Sean, standing below, had no idea that the guards he had hired had discussed such a long and complicated matter. Stephanie's explanation made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Otherwise, there's a lot to explain...

The atmosphere finally returned to normal, and Mrs. Wallop came out to greet them. With her warm welcome, the three girls went inside.

Sean, meanwhile, secretly pulled his sister Ayla aside.

"You little rascal, why did you suddenly invite Hermione and Daisy?"

Ayla put her hands on her hips, looking like a little adult, and said in a childish voice, "Because I want to eat dessert!"

"Just for this?" Sean was dumbfounded.

"Is there anything more important than dessert?" Ayla stared wide-eyed at her brother, puzzled.

Sean was speechless for a moment—desserts are harmful!

He rubbed his temples and asked helplessly, "Then why invite her on the day Stephanie comes to our house?"

"Because that way I can have two desserts!" the little guy exclaimed excitedly, waving his fist.

Sean: "..."

He glanced at Ayla, who was happily running into the house, and made up his mind.

This summer, I can forget about eating your ice cream. Also, I need to go to China to look for some summer homework or something...

As a lady who often accompanied her husband to various social occasions, Mrs. Wallop could easily see through the thoughts of these young girls. However, she did not intend to say much, but simply used her skillful social skills to ensure that the girls received excellent hospitality.

When it was almost time, she looked at her son, and at Sean's prompting, she made an excuse and simply picked up little Ayla, who was stuffing desserts into her mouth.

Only the three girls and Sean remained in the room.

Sean stood up and shrugged. "Let's go inside and talk."

Stephanie immediately stood up and followed Sean, while Hermione's eyes flashed with displeasure, but she still stood up.

Daisy glanced at Hermione, then leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Hermione, stay calm, don't get carried away—don't let her get away with it."

Hermione snapped awake, took a deep breath, and finally regained her composure.

Daisy smiled at her and followed the two people ahead.

Watching the Little White Flower's light footsteps, a complex look flashed in Hermione's eyes.

As the four of them entered the private drawing room, Sean locked the door and turned around. Stephanie had already spread a piece of parchment on the table.

"I won't say much else, let me tell you about my new discovery." The girl's voice was calm and cool, with a convincing air.

Sean walked over, and on the parchment was the nursery rhyme Who Killed Cock Robin??"

He pondered and said, "There must be key information hidden in the nursery rhyme, but we can't find the objects that these animals refer to."

Hermione then reverted to her usual studious demeanor, speaking rapidly yet clearly, "Just as we speculated before, the birds are all accomplices, and the entire nursery rhyme is a trial of the Sparrow and the handling of the Robin's funeral—but in the end, the next Bird Court will again judge the Sparrow, which may represent a cycle. However, without specific identity information inserted into the nursery rhyme, it is impossible to interpret its deeper meaning."

Stephanie continued, "I think these birds are key, and they're connected to the trials in the story."

As she spoke, she glanced at Sean, her eyes questioning.

Sean shook his head almost imperceptibly. He hadn't yet told Hermione and Daisy that he was Pride, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Stephanie nodded slightly and continued, "The birds behave strangely because they always choose to deal with their afterlife during the day, and the first one—"

She pointed to the words on the parchment.

Who will dig his grave?

"It's me," said the owl.

With my chisel and shovel

I will come and dig up the grave.

"Owls are nocturnal creatures, so burying them at midnight is illogical, and then it's mentioned later—"

Who will record his history?

"It's me," said the Lark.

If not in the dark

I will record his history.

-

Who will carry the torch?

"It's me," said Red Sparrow.

I brought it over immediately.

I will carry a torch.

-

Who will carry the coffin?

"It's me," Yuan said.

If you don't walk at night,

I will come to carry the coffin.

"The behaviors of the Lark, the cardinal, and the kite are connected, and the funeral did indeed take place at night—I think the 'night' here refers to—cover-up."

Sean frowned. "Cover up? The death of Robin needs to be covered up?"

"Yes, and then I found this—" Stephanie took out a piece of yellowish parchment.

This parchment appears to have been torn from a book, with obvious marks along the edges.

"This parchment came from an Ancient Greek scholar and was tucked into his research manuscript."

Several people gathered around. The writing on the parchment was somewhat blurry, but it turned out to be a short story.

"The Snake and the Robin ..." Daisy read the title of the story.

The story isn't long; I skimmed through it and finished it. To summarize it simply:

At the beginning of the world, a snake and a Robin were born at the same time. They became good friends and managed the new world under the command of their master.

The story is very short, in which a clever snake emerges from the darkness, while a kind Robin awakens from the light.

The snake has all sorts of dark and evil thoughts, but the Robin always stops him, Robin is too kind, so the snake will also give a warning.

"A little story about creation?" Sean pondered, resting his chin on his hand.

"The key is the source." Stephanie looked at the three of them.

"That Ancient Greek scholar studied and worshipped a god from beginning to end."

"The God of Wizards".