This week, Mia had always been taken outside by Shade. Now that the weekend had arrived, the cat had made up her mind that she absolutely would not leave the house again. So, the moment Shade opened the door after returning home, she wriggled out of his arms and darted straight to the third floor. No matter how Shade called, she refused to come down from Luvia's expensive astrolabe in Room One.
Shade could only head to Randall River Valley himself. When he arrived at the main hall of the Forgotten Church, he glanced at the old photograph of the Watsont family beside Mr. Lathers's statue. After some consideration, he decided not to take it with him.
He borrowed a horse from the Wilde Opera Troupe, then rode out of the city toward Osenfott Manor. The journey was long, and by the time Shade crossed Small Bridge and saw the distant silhouette of Osenfott Manor beyond the somewhat gloomy forest, it was already half past two in the afternoon.
Stone Osenfott was still not home this time. If Shade had not once seen him appear together with Madam Haila Osenfott, he might sometimes have suspected that the two of them were actually the same person.
The quiet, somewhat dilapidated manor still contained only Madam Haila Osenfott, the strange maid, and the Old Butler. Shade and Haila Osenfott met once again in that familiar reception room. After the maid withdrew, Shade handed her the letter and photographs he had retrieved from Captain Woody:
"Your husband asked me to deliver these to the manor."
Haila Osenfott still wore a veil and a black long dress resembling a nun's habit.
She silently accepted the items and examined them on her lap.
"I met Captain Woody. He told me about some things concerning you