The news of Queen Diana's assassination attempt at Tobesk Station quickly spread throughout the city on Wednesday, and then to the entire United Kingdom and even the entire world.
Even though the Queen, as the victim, was unharmed, that afternoon, Yodel Palace still issued a stern diplomatic statement from the Delarion United Kingdom, condemning the Carson Rick United Kingdom's despicable actions.
However, both the Royal Family and MI6 believed that this was not done by the Gray Gloves.
The station's ribbon-cutting ceremony was, of course, immediately canceled, and the police force, along with the Royal Guard, escorted the severely frightened Queen back to Yodel Palace.
The assassin committed suicide, but people on the entire street had to be identified and confirmed not to be his accomplices before they could leave. And the greatest contributor to this incident, Xia De, who ran two blocks just to inexplicably take a bullet, was escorted into Yodel Palace later after regaining consciousness, under the care of MI6, the police, the Royal Guards, and the Queen's personal maid.
"What are you doing?"
Yodel Palace is not a single palace, but a complex of palace buildings. Although its area is not very large compared to other properties and real estate owned by the Royal Family in Tobesk, apart from its good location, Yodel Palace has been the residence of successive Royal Families.
Xia De, sitting in the waiting room, was playing with a few coins he had won from playing rhode cards with a lawyer dozens of hours ago.
The question was posed by Miss Tifa Servett, Miss Jialinna's personal maid. Xia De was currently "injured" and waiting for an audience with the King. To show respect for Xia De, their "savior," Queen Diana sent a maid to care for the "injured" Detective. The Black-haired maid was arranged by Miss Jialinna to protect Xia De from getting involved in unnecessary political struggles.
This was very effective; Miss Tifa stayed by Xia De's side after he "woke up," warding off many people with ulterior motives. After all, Miss Jialinna, in terms of seniority, is a generation older than the King, and everyone here must show her respect.
"I am contemplating the relationship between God, man, and fate... *cough, cough*."
He pretended to cough, clutching his chest, and from his collar, the bandages inside were faintly visible:
"Dozens of hours ago, before I met the woman who had lost her child, what I was thinking was to donate the half a pounds cash in my pocket to the Dawn Church. In fact, if I hadn't met that woman, I should have arrived at the Dawn Church by noon."
"Really? Such a thing happened?"
Miss Servett asked curiously; this was the first time she had heard of it. The other maids in the room secretly observed Xia De. Just as Miss Bei Ya Si said, the subtle changes in his appearance had made Xia De's face more handsome, and combined with what he had done today, it was normal for him to win the ladies' favor.
"So, today's events tell me that fate is absolutely fair."
He said another nonsensical remark, then put the 1-penny coins into his pocket. Just then, an exasperated voice came from the corridor outside:
"He was recruited by me personally! It was us who uncovered this conspiracy and protected the Queen at the last moment!"
The voice should have belonged to Chief Anlos of MI6.
"To be honest, I was indeed worried that MI6 wouldn't recognize my identity; in that case, my actions might be difficult to explain."
He pretended to turn his head with difficulty and spoke to Miss Tifa Servett, who was standing by his side. This was actually to act more realistically in front of the Queen's maid, as Miss Tifa knew that Xia De had suffered no injuries other than shock.
"Detective, it's impossible for Chief Anlos not to recognize your identity. If he doesn't use your actions to cover up MI6's incompetence, he'll probably really be reassigned to the National Cemetery Management Association."
Even though there were other servants in the room, Miss Servett did not lower her voice. And those who heard their conversation all pretended as if they hadn't heard anything.
Servants here understand what they should and should not hear.
Xia De nodded, then pretended to cough weakly again. Although he looked good on the surface now and had changed into new clothes, just a few hours ago, he had actually been diagnosed by a doctor with "internal organ damage due to impact and slight internal bleeding."
The above diagnosis was completely incorrect, as Xia De hadn't even seen that doctor; it was Miss Jialinna, who was present at the time, who arranged for someone to do this to cover up Xia De's physical abnormality. And Chief Anlos of MI6 was already on good terms with Miss Jialinna and needed Xia De's "injury" to show that MI6 had paid a price to protect the Royal Family, so he enthusiastically helped falsify Xia De's injuries.
"Chief Dak Anlos is truly lucky. Not only does he not have to bear responsibility for the Queen's assassination now, but he can even claim credit."
The maid continued speaking, which was actually telling Xia De his current situation.
"But what does the King want to see me for? A reward?"
He clutched his chest, feigning pain.
"At least not a reward this time. The woman you and that Captain caught has confessed to the crime of abducting children in Tobesk."
The maid said.
"Is it really the frequent child abductions reported in the newspapers over the past few months?"
Xia De asked.
The Black-haired maid's face showed a gentle smile:
"Yes, sir, you and your Captain friend have rendered great service this time. Leedweich Field is currently conducting arrests and believes that this clue can be used to apprehend most of the criminals and even possibly find the children who were lost before. The credit for this matter, combined with your credit for protecting the Queen, is probably enough for you to receive a medal. But the awarding of a United Kingdom medal requires a process, so the reward will not be today."
"Only a medal?"
Xia De was a little disappointed.
"This is a great honor."
The maid looked at him strangely:
"Many nobles have strived their whole lives and may not even get one. You've received such an honor at such a young age; this is what countless people dream of... You wouldn't be wanting pounds, would you?"
The last half of the sentence was whispered. She knew Xia De's situation, so she guessed his thoughts.
"Of course, I'm very short on money right now. As you know, my studies require a lot of pounds."
Xia De did not think this idea was wrong.
"The Tobesk child disappearance case has a reward from Leedweich Field, and Queen Diana will show her appreciation."
Miss Tifa Servett reminded softly. Xia De smiled, reflecting on the series of events today, feeling as if it had been a grand dream.
It was now 6:30 PM. Summer days are long, but night also arrives especially quickly.
When the sun completely disappeared below the western horizon, Xia De was still sitting there, waiting, as the streetlights on Silver Cross Avenue could be seen lighting up from the waiting room window.
This was not because he was not taken seriously or forgotten, but because the King was simply too busy, especially with the condemnation of Carson Rick issued today.
So, while waiting to be summoned, different people came to visit Xia De. First, of course, was his nominal superior, Chief Dak Anlos.
Upon entering, he motioned for the servants to leave. Seeing that the Black-haired maid standing beside Xia De did not leave, he merely raised an eyebrow and said nothing more:
"Hamilton, you did really well this time! Truly an outstanding talent nurtured by us."
He deliberately spoke in a very exaggerated volume. When he sat on the single sofa to Xia De's left, he also pointed to the door, implying that someone might be eavesdropping outside.
"Hamilton, this was really good."
Then he lowered his voice and spoke to Xia De, this time with sincerity:
"Remember, this morning you finally investigated that someone would attempt to harm the Queen, but you were frustrated by the lack of evidence and the tight schedule, so you went to the station yourself to stop it and blocked the gun at the last moment. As for the investigation of the child disappearance case, the credit is also yours, but the narrative needs to be changed to prevent discovery..."
He mouthed something, and Xia De understood the general meaning. Chief Anlos had already explained the above matters to Xia De once before entering Yodel Palace, and Xia De, of course, agreed.
After all, this way, no one would care how he managed to walk for half an hour and accurately find the criminals responsible for the child disappearance case.
"MI6 will not treat you unfairly, as long as this matter is smoothed over..."
He subtly rubbed his fingers together, and Xia De subtly nodded. The two men, whose physical ages differed by nearly twenty years, both received satisfactory answers.
"But which faction did that assassin belong to? Chief Anlos, it seems you don't think it was someone from Gray Gloves."
Xia De asked again.
Chief Anlos frowned, clearly troubled by the question:
"Gray Gloves don't act so crudely, and they have no reason to assassinate their own Queen; those people don't want to start a war. From Carson Rick's response today, it's indeed not them; someone wanted to frame them."
Chief Anlos rubbed his chin with his thumb:
"As for the assassin's identity, there are many possibilities: a radical organization that appeared out of nowhere, dissenters within small principalities affiliated with Delarion, ambitious individuals from the New World, pirate Kings, or even internal problems within our own United Kingdom..."
"*Cough, cough*."
The maid coughed (Note), and Chief Anlos quickly shut up. Such topics could not be easily spoken aloud:
"Regardless, we will continue to investigate. No matter how hidden, there will always be clues. However, these matters are unrelated to you, Mr. Hamilton. Focus on recovering from your injuries."
He let out a long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He rubbed his face with both hands, nodded to Xia De, and stood up, intending to leave.