Chapter 486
Having received the answer, Shaer bid farewell to Raven and climbed into the carriage with Aivina.
Inside the carriage, Aivina turned to Shaer and asked, “Are you... going to find my father?”
“Yeah,” Shaer replied without hesitation.
“Is it related to... what happened this time?”
“Exactly,” Shaer nodded.
Aivina felt a mix of emotions at Shaer’s response.
“Then... do you need me to...”
Aivina wanted to say more, but Shaer interrupted her.
“No, I need to go alone this time,” Shaer said, looking at Aivina. “It’s just a simple inquiry, there’s no danger. Nothing will happen.”
“...Alright.”
After a moment of silence, Aivina nodded.
If she accompanied Shaer back to the Duke’s residence, there was a good chance she wouldn’t be able to leave. This time, she truly couldn’t go in with Shaer.
But if there were real danger, even if it meant not coming back out, Aivina would have stood by Shaer’s side.
Shaer got off the carriage at the intersection and, along with Tara, watched Aivina’s carriage disappear down the road.
Sitting in the carriage, Aivina leaned back against the seat and let out a soft sigh.
At that moment, her mind was still clouded with frustration over her inability to help Shaer. It felt as if the crises Shaer faced grew heavier with each meeting, while Aivina struggled to keep pace.
Standing at the intersection, Shaer didn’t withdraw her gaze until Aivina’s carriage vanished from sight.
She could see the frustration in Aivina’s heart, but there was nothing she could say to alleviate it.
Shaer felt like a scarecrow swaying in the turbulent currents of time and space, at any moment, she could be uprooted by a fierce wind, and all of this she could only bury deep within.
Shaking her head, Shaer pushed aside the trivial thoughts swirling in her mind.
Right now, she had more important matters to attend to.
She didn’t want to go directly to Duke Charles alone; having an ally would give her more leverage in negotiations. Otherwise, Duke Charles wouldn’t easily believe anything she said.
She couldn’t even afford to experiment with simulations—she needed to preserve this old simulation.
For that, she had to take risks in reality.
It was likely that the strong faction hadn’t yet initiated their actions against the Church of the Savior Goddess and the Church of the God of Order. Going directly to find someone might help her find an ally among Eleanor or Pope Erigama.
As for sending Tara to call Percie now, that was definitely too late.
Shaer and Tara boarded a public carriage heading toward Westminster Square, but when they arrived, Shaer didn’t get off with Tara.
From a distance, Shaer had already spotted several bands of musicians and knights gathered at the entrances of the Church of the Savior Goddess and the Church of the God of Order—when passing by the Archbishop’s residence, it was also blocked by knights.
The strong faction’s actions and responses were even quicker than Shaer had anticipated...
Although the strong faction wouldn’t find any clues by digging deeper, at this moment, neither Eleanor, Lafayette, nor Mond and Pope Erigama recognized Shaer.
The strong faction was searching for a nonexistent “key person.” Their best chance was to uncover a body of a real “key person” from the Dedton Group that hadn’t been dealt with at this time.
Finding the body was easy, but tracking down the person who created it would require waiting for the key figure, Princess Vita, to return... Until Princess Vita came back, none of Shaer’s information would be exposed.
Not only would the strong faction find themselves at a standstill, but due to their extreme reactions, Shaer’s side also seemed to be facing difficulties...
Lost in thought on the public carriage, Shaer ultimately decided to get off in the St. Lawrence district.
She needed to go directly to the Russell Duke’s residence.
There were no strong faction members at the Duke’s door yet, but in a few days... that could change.
Fortunately, Duke Charles was a high-ranking “detective” who had taken a wrong path; if Shaer pushed her limits, he wouldn’t have much leverage over her—that was the confidence that allowed Shaer to negotiate.
Shaer had to find Duke Charles before the strong faction went into a frenzy.
It seemed that fortune was smiling upon Shaer.
As she arrived at the Russell Duke’s residence, a carriage pulled up at the entrance, and Duke Charles stepped out, appearing to be in a hurry as he quickly made his way toward the residence.
Suddenly, he seemed to notice a sharp gaze and instinctively turned around, locking onto the person watching him.
A girl... who was taking off her mask?
No!
The spiritual alarm ringing in his mind and the unknown fear surging within him made Charles freeze as he stared into those dark red eyes.
His brow furrowed, and he stared at Shaer, his aura rising steadily.
But his gaze didn’t cause Shaer to panic or waver.
Shaer slowly extended her mask to the side, and Tara reached out to take it, following Shaer as they walked toward Charles.
Shaer stopped in front of the imposing Duke, slowly raised her head to meet his gaze, and said, “Nice to meet you, Duke Charles.”
“I’m Aivina’s friend, Shaer.”
This is... the red-haired girl Seraphine mentioned?
Red hair, wearing Dedton Group attire, an eerie sense of pressure... it must be her.
Charles looked down at the girl before him, nodded slightly, and said expressionlessly, “Do you need something?”
“I’d like to talk to you,” Shaer replied, meeting his gray-purple eyes without flinching.
“Please.” Charles offered no further words, simply saying that one word before continuing into the residence.
Shaer quickened her pace to keep up with him.
They entered the reception room, but Tara was stopped at the door by the guards. Once Shaer stepped inside, the heavy iron door behind her slowly closed, sealing off the sound of Tara calling for her.
Here, they were locked in, and Tara’s voice was completely cut off.
Charles leaned against the reception table, casually picking up a cup of cold tea and finishing it in one gulp. He then turned to Shaer and asked, “You’re Aivina’s friend?”
“More accurately... I’m her lover,” Shaer corrected herself after a moment’s hesitation.
Was this... the first formal meeting with her father-in-law?
Shaer hoped to bridge the gap a little, to avoid a situation where she would have to confront her father-in-law in a dire manner.
Charles, who had been expressionless and carefully choosing his words, seemed to freeze at the term “lover.” His pupils slightly contracted, and his mouth opened and closed several times, but he couldn’t find the words.
After a long pause, he finally exhaled slowly and asked, “Are you... serious?”
“Yeah.” Shaer nodded slightly. “But I’m not here for that.”
“Wait a moment.”
Charles turned away from Shaer, rubbing his temples. After a while, he turned back, took a deep breath, and looked at Shaer again.
“What’s the matter?” he asked again.
But he didn’t seem to have accepted what Shaer had just said; instead, he appeared to be avoiding it.
“Were you at the Queen’s private banquet today?” Shaer asked Charles, “Did you see the strong faction?”
Upon hearing the name “strong faction,” Charles’s mind cleared, and his expression turned serious again.
“Yeah.” He nodded, waiting for Shaer to continue.
“Did they show any signs of mutation? Hands, face, or elsewhere?” Shaer pressed on.
“...Yes.” Charles nodded again, a hint of surprise in his heart.
This had just happened, and after the mutation occurred, the strong faction immediately left and initiated a series of puzzling lockdown measures.
The girl before him seemed to know as much as he did.
“I’d like to ask you for a specific time,” Shaer said, looking at Charles. “On July 17th, at 12:15:05, where exactly was the strong faction during the luncheon, and who else was present?”
This time, Charles didn’t answer immediately.
“This is a royal matter,” he said, looking at Shaer. “What reason do I have to tell you?”
“I can kill him.”
Shaer looked directly at Charles and spoke slowly.
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