William Sykes... a steward of a manor... Klein repeated the other's answer in his mind, then steered the conversation toward the banner and the War of the White Rose.
After a brief chat, he politely took his leave and, together with his butler Walter and personal valet Richardson, headed to other display cases to continue his tour, as if the encounter had been nothing more than a trivial matter, a chance conversation.
As noon approached, Klein, back in his luxurious four-wheeled carriage, watched the bicycles clanging past outside and suddenly spoke:
" Walter, you seem to know Mr. William Sykes?"
Walter nodded seriously and said:
"I saw him when I was working for Viscount Conrad."
He served a member of the royal family, formerly Earl of Lasting, Prince Edessak.
He made no attempt to conceal anything and gave a detailed account of William Sykes ' background.
He once served Prince Edessak? After the prince died in the Great Smog of Backlund Incident, he seemed to be doing quite well, perhaps serving as a butler at some manor... Maybe he knows some secrets? Klein nodded slightly, not asking any further questions, but in his heart, he wondered if he should find an opportunity to investigate William Sykes.
If William Sykes really knows something, the royal faction won't let it go unchecked, or perhaps he belongs to that faction. In any case, investigating him would be quite dangerous, making it impossible to entrust the task to Miss " The Magician," Emlyn White, or Miss Hugh... Miss Sharron is capable enough, but that could very well disrupt her current peaceful life... The best solution would still be to hire the rogue thief " Black Emperor," but the problem is that before Stealing the Antigonus Family Notebook, my investigation into the Great Smog of Backlund Incident should remain confined to the periphery, without alerting anyone or causing any unexpected changes... Klein calmly admired the street scene outside the window, while numerous thoughts flashed through his mind.
Ultimately, he decided to be patient for the time being, not wanting to ruin what was most important at the moment.
After lunch and a nap, Klein received instruction in literary appreciation until nearly evening.
After seeing off the tutor, he was on his way to the second-floor dining room when he suddenly heard the doorbell ring.
Amidst the clanging and banging sounds, Klein glanced at Richardson, whose personal valet immediately stepped forward and opened the door.
Standing outside were two police officers in black and white checkered uniforms. Judging from their shoulder insignia, one was a senior inspector and the other a sergeant.
"Officer, what's the matter?" Richardson asked on behalf of his employer.
The senior inspector was a tall, thin man with dark hair hidden under his hat, only his sideburns showing color. He glanced around the room and smiled gently:
"I'm here to see Mr. Dawn Dantès. There's a case involving him and his butler."
"What case?" Klein walked slowly towards the door and said, "I am Dawn Dantès."
After introducing himself, he politely said:
"Officers, how should I address you?"
"If things are complicated and will take a long time, why don't you come to my reception room and we can talk over tea?"
The other police officer, the sheriff, was a very spirited woman. She was clearly interested and looked at the senior inspector next to her, waiting for her superior's decision.
Due to the Church of the Evernight Goddess, there are quite a few female police officers in the Loen police system. However, due to the influence of other faiths, social trends, and other factors, they still face a certain degree of discrimination in promotion and job positions. Most of them are internal clerks, and there is an invisible glass ceiling in their career advancement.
The senior inspector smiled and said:
"No need for tea, but we'll have to ask your servants."
He paused for a moment, then finally got to the point:
"Mr. Dawn Dantès, do you know William Sykes?"
"I met him this morning at the Kingdom Museum." Klein sensed something was amiss and asked, "Did something happen to him?"
The senior inspector put away his smile and said:
He died in a hotel near the Kingdom Museum.
"Dead?" Klein made no attempt to hide his surprise and astonishment.
I had just met him when he died?
Was he being watched all along?
The senior inspector nodded seriously and said:
"Yes, the cause of death is quite complex; the possibility of murder cannot be ruled out."
"Where was his female companion?" Klein asked, frowning. "When I met him, he had a female companion."
"That lady was his mistress. William Sykes was still alive when she left the hotel; the hotel staff can confirm this, as they later delivered wine to him," the senior inspector briefly explained. "Where did you go after leaving the Kingdom Museum?"
"I came straight back here—for lunch, sleep, and classes. My servants, my neighbors, and my literature teacher can attest to that," Klein answered frankly.
He immediately turned to Richardson and said:
"Go and invite Walter over."
Soon, the butler, Walter, wearing white gloves, came down from the second floor and answered the same question.
After obtaining Dawn Dantès's consent, the two officers questioned Richardson and the other servants, but found nothing amiss.
They didn't linger; they politely said goodbye and went to visit their neighbors.
Klein's appetite was not affected by this incident. He went upstairs to the second floor and enjoyed his dinner.
The time that followed flew by leisurely as he read books and newspapers. Before going to sleep, Klein gazed at the night view outside the window, waiting for his personal valet Richardson, to remove the fruit from the room.
Suddenly, without turning his head, he asked:
What did Walter do this afternoon?
"I've been handling various matters and haven't left," Richardson replied in a low voice.
Klein nodded slightly, not asking any further questions, somewhat wondering if he was overthinking things.
He let out a slow breath, walked to the bed, and lay down.
In the middle of the night, Klein was suddenly struck by a Spirituality awakening, and he woke up with a start.
He raised an eyebrow, got up from the bed, walked to the window, and pulled the curtain open a crack.
Under the dim Moonlight and in the deep darkness of the night, a figure carefully made his way from the garden path to the outer wall and climbed over.
He had a broad forehead, glossy black hair, and serious brown eyes; he was none other than the butler Walter.
"Agile and fluid movements; either highly trained or Low-Sequence Beyonder..." Klein observed the scene, making a preliminary judgment in his mind.
He saw Walter follow the shadows of the street to the sewer entrance that Hibbert had entered before, remove the manhole cover, climb down, and then restore it.
Why are they all so adept at climbing down the sewers? The butler probably didn't do it before, otherwise my Spirituality would have given me a warning, since he was leaving my "territory"... This means that before he became my butler, he often did similar things elsewhere... Klein slightly curled the corners of his mouth, returned to the bedside, and took out a metal cigarette case from under the pillow.
He wants to Manipulation the " Wraith " Senor, track the butler Walter, and see what he's doing.
"Hopefully it's not more than 100 meters, otherwise I'll have to go into the sewers too..." Klein muttered to himself as he returned to the gap in the curtain.
His Marionette Senor, immediately used the mysterious connection between the different mirrors to leap onto the gas lamp next to the sewer entrance, then passed through the manhole cover and followed silently.
Klein saw Walter walk about ten meters before turning into a more secluded and gloomy passage, with moss and filth covering the walls and floor.
Suddenly, the butler stopped and said to someone:
Why were you so impulsive?
Why not wait for a better opportunity?
Soon, a slightly hoarse female voice, weak from exhaustion, responded to Walter's question:
This is the best opportunity.
"Once he returns to that manor, who knows how long it will be before he comes out again."
"But why were you so badly injured?" Walter asked with some concern.
The woman chuckled and said:
" William Sykes is more imaginative than you are, and more imaginative than I am; perhaps only in this way can he be befit his clandestine identity."
"Anyway, I finally got a clue from him. After so long, I finally have a chance to get closer to the truth."
"There's no need for you to be in such a hurry," Walter said after a moment of silence.
The weak female voice chuckled softly:
"I have sold my soul to the evil god; from now on, the only meaning of my life is revenge."
Walter, unusually, let out a sigh of relief and said:
"You stay here and I will prepare food for you until you recover."
"If anything unexpected happens, please contact me using the old method."
The weak female voice remained silent for a long time before saying:
"When he was alive, he had many self-proclaimed loyal subordinates, but after his death, only a few people remembered him and were still willing to risk their lives for him. You are the most surprising to me."
"He was the first nobleman to treat me that way, and he's the one I truly want to serve," Walter replied in a low voice.
Having overheard these conversations through the Marionette, Klein vaguely understood the whole story:
After Prince Edessak's death, a few loyal followers secretly investigated the truth behind his suicide. Walter was one of them, but he was mainly responsible for overt intelligence gathering and using his position to provide assistance... This should be the additional development mentioned by the " Magic Mirror " Arrodes...
Klein immediately had the " Wraith " Senor conceal himself and sneak into the secluded passage. He saw Walter standing sideways, talking to someone, while in the area he was partially blocking, a woman in a black dress was sitting against the wall, her face quite pale.
After hearing Walter's words, the woman chuckled softly and looked towards the exit, saying:
"You should leave now, or you'll be noticed."
Her turning her head allowed Klein to see her clearly: a slightly round face, long, narrow eyes, a gentle demeanor, and a hidden sweetness—an exceptionally beautiful and alluring young woman, and also someone Klein "knew":
Trissy!
Trissy Cheek!
P. S.: Updated first, then revised.