Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Just as Miss Luisa opined, the carriage that Maid Tifa rode in was indeed reserved for nobility. The interior décor and furniture were akin to a small drawing room.

The black-haired maid sat by herself, still dressed in the same head maid gown and even the hairband from their last meeting. With her hands neatly placed atop her lap, she gave Shard a slight nod upon seeing him:

"Good evening, Hamilton Detective."

"Good evening, am I late?"

After sitting down, Shard handed over the item wrapped in newspaper. However, the black-haired maid did not take it; instead, she evaluated Shard:

"Not too late, try opening it."

Shard glanced at the maid without asking more, unlocked it again, and attempted to lift the lid of the lacquered wooden box, but still couldn't succeed.

It was then that he passed the makeup box to Miss Tifa, who gently pulled it open in her hands. Shard looked over curiously as the maid turned the box to let him clearly see its contents.

A very ordinary makeup box, divided into several small compartments, each holding different cosmetics... an outlander couldn't recognize any of them.

The black-haired maid was definitely a Circle Sorcerer; Shard didn't know what method she used, but after a faint brass-colored spiritual light flickered, she confirmed the authenticity of the item and gave Shard a gentle smile:

"Detective, you did quite well."

"There's something else I wish to mention, that delivery man... I killed him, does it matter?"

"What concern is that of mine?"

The maid tilted her head slightly, her puzzled gaze fixed on Shard; she appeared to be around the same age as Shard's body and had exceptionally fair skin. But it wasn't pale, rather the color of milk. Her eyes were large, and her black hair most conformed to the outlander's aesthetic standards.

"I mean, will it affect Miss Cavendish..."

He roughly understood that she didn't care about that.

"The lady prefers to be addressed as 'Miss Galina'."

The maid reminded him.

"Alright, will it affect Miss Galina's affairs?"

"Mr. Hamilton, do not underestimate the lady's power, nor think that the Blood of Mercury is some formidable force."

The maid said, then patted the small box she had placed on the table, giving Shard a smile:

"Indeed, in accordance with the commission agreement, you have delivered this makeup box. Beyond that, Miss Galina doesn't care what else you do... However."

She glanced at Shard's expression, lowering her voice to ask:

"That explosion just now, it wasn't your doing, was it?"

Being only a half-hour walk from Saint Delan Square to the pickup location, it was normal for her to have heard the noise. Shard smiled awkwardly, and the maid did not press further, continuing:

"A little earlier on Sunday afternoon, I'll send someone over here to help you prepare for the Roder Card game that evening. Please don't go out. If you win, the lady will not be stingy with her rewards, and you will then know which side she truly belongs to... Actually, you might guess it, the Witch Council."

She divulged such secretive information and only when she noticed that Shard's surprise wasn't overly apparent, did she shake her head in disappointment:

"The lady was right; you would have guessed it."

"You just told me like that?"

Shard was actually surprised by this point; he had already suspected that she was a member of the Witch Council.

"So what if I did? Besides, after you win the bet this weekend, won't you find out anyway?"

The maid replied, straightening her hair.

The carriage departed Saint Delan Square with the maid, and Shard watched her leave before calling out to Miss Luisa, who stood in the shadow of the house, and took out his keys to unlock the door.

Instantly, a shadow darted towards him from the brightly lit hallway, and Shard joyously embraced the cat that had leapt from the shoe cabinet:

"Mia, is it boring being at home alone?"

Having a creature to welcome one home was something that pleased the lonely outlander.

The orange cat rubbed its soft little face against Shard, then suddenly lifted its nose and looked towards Miss Luisa, smelling the scent of fish.

"Oh, the kitty is meeting us again."

Miss Luisa greeted Mia, but the orange cat "roared" at Miss Luisa again in fear. Although the cat could be fierce at times, it was unusually timid, and even to this day, was not accustomed to being taken out and about by Shard.

Taking Miss Luisa to the second floor, it was, of course, impossible for the young detective's home to house women's clothing. Fortunately, Detective Sparrow kept several oversized overcoats and trench coats for ease of tailing, allowing Miss Luisa to change in Detective Sparrow Hamilton's bedroom, while Shard returned to his study to record the day's transactions.

"I really didn't expect 'that lady' to be Galina Cavendish."

This was the first thing the blonde girl said as she walked out of the bedroom while wiping her hair with a towel. She didn't take a bath in a single man's home, but simply wiped her hair with a towel to make sure she wouldn't arouse any suspicion from the landlady when she returned.

"Hmm? You noticed?"

Shard put down the pen he held.

"Are you surprised that I recognized that maid, Tifa Servet? She's the personal maid of Duchess Galina Cavendish, and since she came to handle the exchange with you personally, that lady must definitely be Galina... I didn't expect it, she's actually a High Ring Sorcerer... With that, many things make sense now."

Miss Luisa pondered as she walked over to the couch.

Shard had been organizing the ledger but now couldn't even bother to continue:

"That maid only showed herself for a moment; I almost didn't recognize her."

"Consider it my little secret, I have a good relationship with a certain member of the Royal Family, to be precise, with a certain Princess."

The blonde girl spoke lightly, then looked around the detective agency. She, like the visiting Miss Beyas and Miss Annette, showed interest in the adorable Mia Cat, but unfortunately, even though she still carried the fishy smell of the Relic, Mia didn't like being held by strangers.

Professors in Saint Byrons suspected Miss Luisa was a spy from Zaras Literary Academy, but her demeanor suggested there was more secrecy involved.

"This place is quite nice."

Miss Luisa remarked.

"Please don't tell anyone about Miss Galina's matter,"

Shard advised again.

"Her being a Circle Sorcerer, of course, I won't spread that around. I'm fine just knowing it myself. Just now, I was amazed at how it seems like everyone has secrets."

She joked, while Shard gave her a sidelong look, not daring to meet her gaze.

"But when working with that woman, you must be very cautious. She has disliked men for a very long time. Privately, there are rumors... that she prefers... beautiful girls."

The blonde girl flashed an ambiguous smile:

"This person has a fixation on spiritual cleanliness. That's the word, right? I heard a doctor mention it last time."

Experience tales at empire

"Are you close with Miss Galina?"

Shard probed again, not out of a desire to know secrets, just curiosity.

Miss Luisa toyed with her earring with a finger, looking at the lock of hair, not at Shard – a clear sign of lying.

"Of course not, Galina Cavendish is a Duchess with a fief, and I'm just a plain author from Tobesk; where would I meet her? Only heard about her through a friend. But a High Ring Sorcerer, disliking men, single..."

Only then she turned towards Shard:

"It used to be strange to me, but now knowing these things, it only makes me think, could she be from the Witch Council? All these criteria, she fits. Oh, if that's really the case, then the affairs of the Cavendish Royalty in Draleon are getting more interesting by the minute."

The blonde authoress tilted her head back, her laughter becoming more evident under the light in Shard's living room.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Her relationship with the Royalty was definitely not that simple.