Capítulo 1287: Chapter 1287: Missions, Birthdays, and Gifts
When Dorothy returned with her clothes, Shard was still busy washing the cat. Little Mia, unable to resist Shard, had no choice but to somewhat reluctantly accept his rubbing and washing in the bathtub. The orange cat Mia was a short-haired cat, but even so, after the wash, with wet fur clinging to its body, it seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight.
In this era, there were already machines similar to the “hair dryer” from the Outlander’s hometown, but unfortunately, the Shard family didn’t have such a steam blower device. So, after washing the cat, Shard didn’t forget to quickly wrap Mia in a large towel and then took her to the fireplace to dry.
The cat stood obediently by the fireplace and suddenly shook itself, splashing water everywhere. Because of this, its wet fur “stood up” again, and the clean and tidy orange cat Mia returned to its normal state.
Mia sniffed its own scent with its nose and then seemed to forget the humiliation of being captured by Shard, happily following Shard around, walking with an air of arrogance that showed no hint of the “thunderous rage” it had at the start of the wash.
Sometimes, Shard really felt that this cat was so emotionally rich that it didn’t seem like a cat at all.
In any case, although it wasn’t the first time participating in such an important party, preparing for the party still made one anxious. Dorothy took more than two hours to get dressed, even needing Shard’s help during the process.
And before they left home this Sunday evening, Shard didn’t forget to bring the Time Key gifted by the Elf Girl Emilia. Although tonight was a date with Dorothy and Lecia, it wouldn’t prevent him from momentarily leaving for three seconds to embark on a whole new and interesting adventure.
Knock, knock, knock ~
Shard was still discussing with Dorothy whether to bring many relics to the party when the door downstairs was knocked.
“Are the servants here to help you move the statue?”
The Golden-haired Girl, dressed gorgeously in a bright red long dress, asked in confusion, looking at the wall clock:
“It’s not time yet.”
Shard could not possibly carry the stone statue to Yordle Palace by himself, nor could he arrive at the palace gates and then turn the toy into a stone statue. Therefore, he had asked Miss Galina in advance to send a carriage to pick him up and take the stone statue to Yordle Palace as well.
“It’s not Miss Galina’s men.”
Shard was also a bit puzzled, glanced out the window, and then went downstairs alone.
After opening the door, he saw his superior standing outside, holding the brim of his hat, Director Anlos of MI6, who slipped inside:
“Your attire is indeed quite nice… I hope you don’t feel like my appearance has brought you bad news again.”
Dark Anlos said, taking off his hat and holding it in his hand.
“As long as you’re not here to tell me that someone plans to assassinate Princess Angelina tonight.”
Shard said half-jokingly.
“We are a peaceful country, where would all these assassination cases come from? Besides, do you not have much faith in your colleagues?”
Director Anlos laughed and then stated his purpose:
“You also know that Her Highness Angelina is already seventeen, and His Majesty intends… intends to arrange her engagement in the near future. The reason why tonight’s birthday party is held at Yordle Palace is also to gather and assess those possible candidates. Tonight, it won’t take too much time away from your enjoyment of the party; it’s just that if you get a chance with these people on this list, try to make contact.”
He handed Shard an envelope which, upon opening, contained three photos and three names:
“Two sons of dukes, one son of the Marquis of the New World Frontier Legion, Philip…”
“Yes, tonight you will have an initial contact with these three people and write up an investigation report afterward, explaining your impression of these three individuals, which will influence His Majesty’s final decision.”
He lowered his voice slightly:
“Marquis Philip and Miss Galina do not get along at all, being very resistant to Miss Galina’s interference with New World trade issues, and even viewing Miss Galina as a divisive figure in the kingdom. With Little Philip returned from the New World, if you encounter him at the party, he will surely be hostile to you, be cautious. Oh, by the way, Her Highness Lecia is currently responsible for the New World Frontier Legion’s logistical work, which is also being thwarted by his father.”
Shard’s relationship with Lecia was not public, but if Director Anlos of MI6 did not know about it, that would be strange. Of course, he did not inform the King about this, as he was loyal to Miss Galina.
After warning Shard, he returned to a normal volume and patted Shard on the shoulder:
“This task is most suited for you, naturally, besides you, there are other means to further understand them. So, do not stress too much about this task; if you have time to do it, just do it naturally, if there are no opportunities to talk, you don’t need to deliberate creating opportunities.”
“Understood.”
Shard nodded, already beginning to conceive of subtle ways to praise the three young men for their virtues. He wouldn’t use degrading means to directly slander others; sometimes, inappropriate praise could be annoying, especially since Shard knew that descriptions like “very ambitious” and “very active in political and military affairs” were certainly not qualities seen as suitable for the Princess’s suitor by Larus III.
“That’s quite convenient.”
At the door, after bidding farewell to his superior, Shard turned around and went back upstairs. He agreed to help Angelina escape from an arranged marriage, so the initial plan was to use Margaret’s intelligence and manpower to create some false impressions on those potential marriage candidates, making it seem like they had contact with the Casenli Grey Glove organization—this was actually not difficult, and Shard didn’t even have to do it himself.
And with Director Anlos’s temporary mission, helping Angelina became even easier.
Shard also shared the mission he had just received with Dorothy. Surprisingly, Miss Writer thought of an easier way for him:
“Just let Angelina write the investigation report directly; you don’t waste time. Don’t underestimate Angelina just because she’s seventeen; my sister is anything but simple.”
The soul at the moment was still Dorothy, but she was using Lecia’s tone, sometimes worrying Shard about them confusing each other:
“She will be happy to help you complete this report. Lecia values her not merely out of a desire to help—Angelina’s subtle thoughts, Shard, you don’t quite understand.”
As the dim sunset shone on the fog-covered “Northern Pearl” Tobesk City, Princess Angelina Cavendish’s 17th birthday party proceeded as planned. Private carriages from all over the city transported well-dressed gentlemen and ladies to the entrance of Yordle Palace. The royal family’s butlers and servants guided guests to their appropriate places, and acquaintances exchanged greetings, comparing outfits, and praising the palace for its decorations for the birthday party.
“Speaking of which, there’s something I’ve always found odd.”
Shard and Dorothy walked together on the red carpet, Miss Writer holding Shard’s arm, her face adorned with light makeup and a serene smile:
“What’s so odd?”
“In nearly a year of knowing you all, I’ve never heard any of you mention having a birthday.”
“We hardly want to share our birthdays with you, do we?”
Dorothy Louisa looked at the guests arriving for the party and then down at the red carpet:
“After turning eighteen, people usually don’t want to celebrate birthdays actively anymore. Besides, we’re all… slightly older than you, so how could we proactively celebrate birthdays? Oh, my knight, don’t you understand? Every birthday reminds a young lady that…”
She touched her face with some pity:
“Another step away from the youthful years, another year away from those wonderful, beautiful, dazzling things that fascinate us. Although it does not cause us to reject the flow of time, at least we don’t actively celebrate this helpless occasion.”
This manner of speaking certainly had Dorothy’s style.
“At least you should tell me, so that we can buy a small cake and celebrate at home, right?”
Shard spoke, regretful that he couldn’t bring Little Mia along.
“And what about your birthday?”
Dorothy shifted the topic, determined never to celebrate her birthday in front of Shard.
“My birthday? The school’s records don’t specify the exact date of my birth, only indicating that it’s in summer. So, I plan to make my birthday the day I met the doctor, the day Uncle Sparrow passed away, that silvermoon-lit day.”
Dorothy noted that day, which was in June, Sunlight Moon 22nd, Saturday.
As the host of the birthday party, Little Princess Angelina greeted guests in the banquet hall entrance, elegantly dressed and receiving their gifts. Miss Galina, not enjoying excessive social interaction, had arrived early and was upstairs chatting leisurely with local noble ladies. Behind Shard, the Yordle Palace footmen escorted a cart carrying a slender wooden box, closely following Shard and Dorothy.
The box was tied with a bow, evidently a gift for Princess Angelina. People were curious about its contents, but the query was answered at the banquet hall entrance.
“Good evening, Her Highness Angelina.”
“Good evening, Lord Rejed’s Hamilton, good evening, Miss Luisa.”
The Little Princess responded mannerly to Shard’s greeting, then curiously glanced behind him:
“May I ask, what is this…?”
“A birthday gift for you—an art sculpture I purchased at a high price. I hope you will like it.”
Shard introduced, smiling, as unwrapping gifts in front of guests was impolite. Thus, Angelina merely accepted it with a smile without inspecting it on the spot.
She then accepted the gift box containing a golden bookmark handed by Dorothy. Upon looking at Dorothy, Angelina instinctively felt a sense of fear but couldn’t understand why—she wasn’t aware of all the secrets between Dorothy and Lecia.
Shard didn’t wish to linger at the entrance too long, so after exchanging greetings, he intended to take Dorothy to find Lecia. Unexpectedly, a young man with brown hair, wearing a Royal Army red officer uniform and black boots, approached with large strides.
A face Shard had seen not long ago; this was Daniel Philip, the eldest son of Marquis Philip, one of the suitors favored by Larus III.