Prince
In her perception, anything that drew Mister Fool's attention was either extremely dangerous, extremely secret, or had far-reaching consequences—it was never simple. For example, the
Drawing an analogy from these examples, Audrey had every reason to believe that if it wasn't handled well or given enough attention, the major incident involving Prince Edessak would inevitably bring a very, very, very terrifying "storm"!
Hmm... It's been a long time since Prince Edessak bothered me. I just felt relieved and didn't think much about it. Now, looking back, it seems a bit problematic... At the previous ball, he was enthusiastically stopping me to chat about boring topics and trying to play his self-righteous, clumsy humor. Just two or three days later, he became quite cold and even deliberately avoided me... I must find a chance to ask Father about him, but I can't seem too curious, or he might just agree to the royal family's marriage proposal... Audrey recalled some specific details and suddenly felt that her shoulders had become heavy.
— She had never liked Prince Edessak, nor his two elder brothers. She had never thought of becoming a princess. The reason was very simple: a follower of the
Just thinking about being placed in an ancient, strict, and extremely conservative environment as a princess made Audrey feel she would surely go mad and flee without hesitation. Therefore, when faced with the princes' somewhat enthusiastic courtship, she felt no gratitude whatsoever; instead, she was extremely repulsed.
Edessak Augustus... With that surname, he's a member of the royal family. I vaguely remember he's a prince? What dangerous thing is he going to do? I have absolutely no way to contact him... Ah! I can ask Miss Audrey and Viscount Glelinet for help, but I need to think of a reason in advance so they won't be suspicious... "Magician" Fors frowned slightly, interpreting Mister Fool's words.
"The Hanged Man" Alger was quite interested in this but didn't dare to ask Mister Fool, who was clearly only giving hints. So, he paused for two seconds before speaking to "Justice," "Magician," and "The World": "The atmosphere above the sea is not calm either. This might be linked to Backlund, just like those machines."
His statement was completely unfounded; he simply wanted to exaggerate the danger to motivate the three
... I must say, Mr. Hanged Man cooperates really well... Klein, who was observing, immediately abandoned his plan to have "The World" say something similar.
The reason he only mentioned Prince Edessak, without talking about the lady with the sapphire ring suspected of having a Grade 0
This was also why Klein didn't look for an opportunity to inform "Mechanical Heart" himself. Based on some guesses about Sealed Artifact "0—08," he suspected that if he left Minsk Street with such a thought and took a carriage to Leverage Church or the Steam Church, he would encounter a sudden, unavoidable attack—like a large-scale riot of Sealed Artifacts in the underground area, or a fatal blow from a high-sequence powerhouse.
Only the shielding of the
Besides this, Klein had another plan. After the supporting character of a supporting character faded from the stage, "leaving" Backlund, he would change his appearance unnoticed, quietly return, and contact "Mechanical Heart" outside the sight of the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact!
Hopefully, it will succeed! Hopefully, there will be a chance to root out Ince Zangwill! Hmm, that is, if he is indeed involved in this matter... Wait, Mr. Azik, in the process of pursuing Ince Zangwill, clashed with Military Intelligence Department 9 and was secretly wanted.
Klein closed his eyes, and the images of a pair of shiny leather boots and a pale hand flashed through his mind again.
He leaned back in his chair, a slight smile curling at the corners of his mouth: "Ladies and gentlemen, see you next week."
...
Queen's District, the luxurious villa of
Audrey stood in front of a full-length mirror, staring blankly at her reflection.
This Tarot Gathering had both good news and bad news for her.
The good news was that she was about to obtain one of the main ingredients for the "Psychiatrist" potion.
Although she was no longer the ignorant girl who bought basic knowledge from "The Hanged Man" for 1,000 pounds, and she knew the approximate prices of many mystical ingredients, she didn't mind paying a premium for the Eye of a Mirror Dragon.
After the assassination of Duke Nigon, she had an urgent desire and motivation to advance her Sequence and gain corresponding combat power. For this, she no longer wanted to wait and was willing to pay a certain price—as long as an ingredient appeared, and as long as it wasn't too ridiculous, she would accept it immediately to avoid missing the opportunity due to unexpected interference.
This was like a piece of precious jewelry favored by many noble ladies, or a rare horse with a peculiar bloodline favored by men. A premium was inevitable. Sometimes, even a two or three times markup wasn't impossible... Besides, Fors was running around in the middle, contacting her teacher. She definitely couldn't just let her waste time and take risks for nothing. Hmm, she doesn't know I'm "Justice" either... Audrey thought casually.
As for the bad news, it was undoubtedly the matter of Prince Edessak, which made Audrey unusually worried.
Thankfully, "The World" got the news, and "Mister Fool" gave the warning. Otherwise, who knows how bad things could have gotten... Audrey, with such good conditions, you can definitely solve this problem! Come on! The girl traced a Crimson Moon in front of the mirror image, trying to be optimistic.
Then, she calmed down, left the room, and headed to the music room, preparing for the upcoming piano lesson as if nothing had happened.
This was because Earl and Countess Hall, as well as
Before the tutor arrived, Audrey casually played a tune, letting the beautiful melody wash her soul.