Ch.79Chapter 79 – Caroline Augustus Milverton (3)

“Yes, I feel much better now.”

“…Hmm hmm.”

As Milverton returns from washing up in the boarding house bathroom, Sharlotte Holmes mutters in a calm voice, shakes her hand, and takes a seat.

“I apologize for earlier. I had a slightly unpleasant experience on my way here…”

“Never mind that, let’s get straight to the point.”

She interrupts Milverton’s words, her eyes quietly gleaming.

“Are you aware that you’re committing a serious offense against the royal family?”

“Ah… so that’s what this is about.”

At Sharlotte’s words, Milverton’s eyes light up as well.

“Now I understand why a world-renowned detective like yourself wanted to see me.”

“What do you want?”

“…Nothing in particular.”

When she answers so bluntly, Sharlotte slightly furrows her brow.

“I’m sorry, but I value certain things more than money.”

“Such as?”

“The omnipotent feeling of having a British prince’s life in my hands, controlling it as I please?”

“…That’s quite a dangerous statement.”

The corner of Milverton’s mouth turns up slightly.

“The more dangerous, the more thrilling, don’t you think?”

“Hmm…”

“Still, I think I might have crossed the line a bit recently.”

Crossing her legs slightly, she makes an offer.

“100,000 pounds. For that amount, I’ll burn the letters I received from the adorable prince and leave for America.”

“………”

“I plan to create a new identity there and start a new life. I’m only asking for the minimum amount needed for that, so isn’t that quite reasonable?”

Sharlotte, who had been wearing a stiff expression, quietly begins tapping her finger on the table.

“…20,000 pounds.”

“Pardon?”

“20,000 pounds is the limit.”

At the statement that finally escapes her lips, Milverton makes an incredulous expression.

“You’ve suddenly cut it by about 80 percent, leaving me speechless.”

“………”

“I suppose the British royal family doesn’t value the prince’s life any higher than that?”

Her eyes narrow.

“I heard there was a very important international engagement recently.”

“I’m well aware that the prince is the party involved in that engagement.”

“Then you shouldn’t be slashing the price so recklessly, should you?”

“That’s the maximum amount I can arrange right now.”

Sharlotte leans forward with a serious expression.

“The royal family initially said they wouldn’t pay a penny for this matter. You probably won’t get even one pound from this affair.”

“………..”

“So why not take the 20,000 pounds I’m preparing? If I were you, I’d take that and live happily in America.”

“…So you’re saying you’ll provide the money after accepting the request? That sounds so suspicious I don’t even want to take it.”

Hearing Milverton’s words, Sharlotte sighs and responds.

“It’s a profitable deal if I can get what I want most in my life for 20,000 pounds.”

“……?”

“So what will it be? 20,000 pounds, or a lifetime of being pursued by the British royal family?”

As her ultimatum follows, Milverton smiles without blinking an eye.

“Unless it’s 100,000 pounds, I’m not interested.”

As she resolutely stands up, black mana begins to leak from Sharlotte’s body as she frowns.

– Swish…

Simultaneously, Watson quietly rises from her seat and picks up a chair.

– Click…

“I thought you would use a more sophisticated approach.”

But Milverton turns her head slightly, pointing a gun at them first, and quietly gestures.

– Gooooo…

Then, the maid who had been standing calmly beside her until now begins to emit a terrifying killing intent.

“…I see maids are also Aurors these days.”

“With so many people like you around, they have to be. Hehe…”

Smiling with her eyes, Milverton walks gracefully toward the exit.

“Deposit 100,000 pounds into my account within a week.”

“………”

“If you don’t, England will suffer from quite a massive scandal.”

As the door finally closes, Sharlotte quietly withdraws her mana.

“…She got us.”

Watson, who had been awkwardly holding the chair, scratches her head and mutters, while Sharlotte quietly rises from her seat and speaks.

“No, not at all.”

“Huh?”

“Inviting that woman here was a trap from the beginning.”

At those words, Watson quietly tilts her head.

“When I shook hands with her, I attached magic stone powder to her hand without her noticing.”

“…Magic stone powder?”

“It’s a very small amount, but high quality magic stone, so it won’t interfere with my plan.”

As Sharlotte calmly explains this to her, Watson’s eyes narrow.

“What exactly are you planning…?”

“Secret.”

“What?”

A joyful smile had appeared on Sharlotte’s face.

“It’s a secret.”

“What are you plotting now…”

“I need to think for a bit, Watson.”

But then she became serious and started staring into the nearby fireplace.

“…Sigh.”

Knowing better than anyone that Sharlotte wouldn’t listen to anything in this state, Watson quietly rose from her seat and moved toward the door.

“I’ll be out for a bit, Sharlotte…”

“………”

She was biting her lip quietly with a frown.

– Ziiing…

‘…Again?’

The golden seal that Issac Adler had recently engraved was vibrating in Watson’s lower abdomen, summoning her somewhere.

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Several dozen minutes later, at a coffee house near Baker Street.

“We’re going to break into Milverton’s house.”

“…What did you say?”

Watson, who was facing Issac Adler while wearing a robe, asks with wide eyes.

“What are you talking about?”

“The letters can’t be anywhere else. If they were, the British royal family would have secured them already. They must be in her room.”

“No, that’s not the issue… why are YOU breaking into her house?”

Adler responds with a bright expression.

“Haven’t you heard about the bet?”

“…Ah.”

Now Watson recalls the bet surrounding Adler that Sharlotte had mentioned.

“You’re participating in this case too.”

“To be honest, I must win. The moment I lose, my ownership implicitly passes to one of them.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

At Watson’s cold voice, Adler leans forward with a gentle smile.

“Well, you’re the only person I can employ right now.”

“………”

“The organization I built up has been taken by the professor, and Sharlotte is participating in the bet. And I can’t use Miss Lestrade, who’s a corpse without justice, for such illegal activities.”

“You’re truly out of your mind.”

“You have no choice. You belong to me now, and you must obey my orders…”

“Let’s do it right away.”

“…What?”

But when Watson calmly says this, Adler looks slightly confused.

“Let’s break into Milverton’s house together.”

“Uh, well…”

“What? Did you think I would refuse?”

A cold smile begins to appear on Watson’s face.

“If you’re walking into danger on your own, I have no reason to decline. I’ll make sure to interfere as much as possible.”

“That won’t be possible because of my orders.”

“We won’t know until we try.”

As her lips twist sinisterly, Adler quietly tilts his head.

“Something seems off…”

“So, when are we going?”

But when Watson calmly asks the question, Adler ponders for a moment before answering.

“Three days from now, at night. It seems we’ll need at least that much time no matter how we hurry.”

“…Three days later, at night.”

Upon hearing this, Watson’s eyes begin to shine again, full of fervor.

“Then I should start preparing now.”

“……?”

After showing a momentary look of doubt at her somewhat enthusiastic appearance, Adler stands up.

“I should start preparing too.”

His gaze turns to a woman lingering at the entrance of the coffee house.

“What kind of preparation?”

“…A preliminary survey.”

The maid who had been caressing the scar near her eye notices Adler and begins to lower her gaze shyly.

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A few days later.

“…Huh.”

Watson, who arrived at the same coffee house after being summoned by Adler again, starts to laugh dryly at the sight before her.

“Haap…”

– Shudder…

The maid who had threatened her and Sharlotte with a stern expression just days ago was now having her neck licked by Adler, her face red all the way to her ears.

“What are you doing?”

“…Neck kisses.”

After staring blankly at the maid who was accepting the act with her head bowed down without resistance, Watson casually asks a question.

“It’s what this noona likes best.”

“…Call me by my name.”

“It’s what Ellis likes best.”

“Thank you…”

With a frown, she speaks again.

“So, what exactly is going on here?”

“Can’t you tell by looking?”

Then, after casually kissing the maid’s cheek, Adler answers.

“She’s our new colleague.”

“………”

“Now let’s go rob the mansion.”

“…Sigh.”

Watson sighs deeply, steps back, and takes out a small typewriter.

> Sorry, honey.

> Looks like I can’t see you today either…

And then, with a deeply depressed expression, she begins typing.

– Ziiing…!

But at that very moment, just as she transmitted the message.

“…Huh?”

The sound of a message being received came from very nearby.

“Neville!?”

Watson, who quickly turned her head toward the sound, narrows her eyes.

“…What’s going on?”

Issac Adler, who was sitting on the maid’s lap, was tilting his head with a bright expression.

“………”

Quite awkwardly, with his hands behind his back.