Chapter 502
“Good morning.” Aivina nodded slightly at Charles as she took her seat and began to eat her breakfast slowly.
The atmosphere in the dining room was somewhat tense. Several times, Charles opened his mouth as if to say something, but the words never came. Finally, it was Aivina who broke the silence, glancing in his direction and asking, “Any news?”
“...I’ve sent out most of my trusted people to search for her. Leading the team is Seraphine; you’ve met her, and she’s seen Miss Char as well.” Charles shook his head. “So far, there’s nothing.”
Aivina had instructed him to find Char, but she couldn’t provide a detailed description of Char’s appearance, hair color, or height. She couldn’t request a search warrant or publicly post missing person notices or rewards.
The search relied heavily on Seraphine and a few trusted aides, making progress slow... However, based on the current clues, it seemed that Char hadn’t left the city yet.
“Thank you.” Aivina nodded and returned to her silent breakfast.
Charles opened his mouth again but ultimately chose to pop a piece of fried egg into his mouth instead.
He longed to have a conversation with his daughter but didn’t know how to start. He could only manage a couple of questions like “Is your injury feeling better?” or “Is the food to your liking?” but those would quickly fizzle out.
Aivina would occasionally initiate a topic, but it was usually just to ask about the progress of the search for Char.
This left Charles feeling a bit uneasy... But when he thought of the madness that had consumed Qiangyin before his death and the name “Char” carved into his bones, his discontent faded away.
Charles wasn’t willing to let breakfast pass in such a meaningless way, so he racked his brain for topics that might interest Aivina. He knew that improving their father-daughter relationship wouldn’t happen overnight.
Soon, he recalled a piece of information he hadn’t paid much attention to and said, “When you returned to Ansu, did you meet Princess Windsor?”
“No.” Aivina shook her head and replied, “At that time, she probably didn’t know I was in Ansu City.”
“After Qiangyin’s death, Windsor’s mental state deteriorated,” Charles said, raising a finger to lightly tap the front of his temple. “She developed what’s called ‘moonlight syndrome.’”
“Moonlight syndrome?” Aivina looked at Charles, curiosity evident in her voice. “Why? Did she suffer too much?”
“‘Moonlight syndrome’ is a colloquial term describing someone whose mental state fluctuates like the phases of the moon. Generally, people refer to such individuals as ‘fools’ or bluntly as ‘madmen.’ However, given Windsor’s status, the term must be used more discreetly.”
“No, the ordinary doctors at the Royal Medical Academy diagnosed her with ‘atavistic deficiency syndrome,’ but... Windsor couldn’t possibly have such a condition because she is the daughter of the Queen and Qiangyin... uh...” Charles hesitated for a moment before continuing, “In the end, she was sent to the Oracle Society for examination, and the results were somewhat unexpected.”
“Atavistic deficiency syndrome” refers to the cognitive impairments that can occur in offspring from close relatives, but of course, this was absolutely impossible for Windsor.
“What was it?” This topic seemed to genuinely pique Aivina’s interest; she paused her actions and looked at Charles, pressing for more.
“Her frontal lobe was completely excavated... This was likely done by her teacher, Lafayette, who has disappeared and seems to have secretly left Ansu City,” Charles shook his head and said. “But the Queen doesn’t have the energy to deal with these matters right now; there are more pressing issues to attend to.”
With Qiangyin’s death, the two most significant factions in Ansu City, the “Queen’s Sword” and the “Royal Symphony,” were left leaderless. Only Charles’s intervention could barely keep things from spiraling out of control.
But beyond these issues, there were many more matters that needed careful handling.
“By the way, Princess Vitalis seems to have rushed back after hearing about Qiangyin’s death. If you have time, you might want to spend some time with her,” Charles suggested. “After all, staying cooped up at home all the time...”
Realizing he had slipped into a lecturing tone, he quickly added, “If you’re bored, you could invite her over for a meal; she shouldn’t refuse.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Aivina nodded.
In truth, it wasn’t just Charles; Aivina also didn’t know how to communicate with him. They felt like familiar strangers, and their conversations would stall after just a few sentences.
Their personalities simply didn’t lend themselves well to chatting, and they often found themselves at a loss for words.
Just as the atmosphere was about to become unbearably stiff, a knock at the door saved the moment.
Knock, knock, knock—
The dining room door swung open, and the butler entered, bowing slightly beside Aivina. “Miss Aivina, Specialist Lucy from the Dutton Group is here. She says she’s your friend.”
“Go ahead and chat; I have something to attend to.” Charles stood up, sensing the moment, and left the dining room, though he genuinely had matters to handle.
With Qiangyin dead, the power dynamics in Ansu City were about to undergo a major reshuffle. Those who had followed Qiangyin would face reckoning, while moderates like Charles had the opportunity to seize significant benefits.
Charles intended to use this chance to firmly establish the Russell family’s foothold in Ansu’s power circles, ensuring they wouldn’t be as precarious as before, caught in the winds of change.
“Bring her in.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Aivina set down her knife and fork, picked up a napkin to dab at her mouth, and took a couple of sips of red tea as she looked toward the door.
The door soon opened, revealing a figure whose face was nearly entirely wrapped in bandages, limping as she entered.
Even with the most advanced ointments, the burns and scars on her neck and other exposed skin were hard to conceal. It was difficult to imagine the torment she had endured.
“Miss Aivina.” Lucy approached Aivina, her voice hoarse as she spoke. “I apologize for intruding at such a time... May I ask where Miss Char is?”
“I can’t find her either.” Aivina shook her head and replied, “If I hear anything...”
Before Aivina could finish, Lucy’s lips trembled, and she became visibly agitated.
“Miss Aivina, you can’t possibly not know where she is! Please, tell her... I swear I didn’t say anything; it was my subordinate who couldn’t withstand the interrogation and revealed my whereabouts... I swear I haven’t betrayed Miss Char!”
Lucy’s expression was pained, and the intense emotions seemed to pull at her wounds, causing the bandaged left side of her face to flush slightly.
“I’m sorry, I’m really looking for her.” Aivina stood up, looking at Lucy as she spoke. “If I get any news about her, I’ll let you know.”
Lucy was panting, her trembling hand raised as she said, “The board has postponed the vote on my position. A group of competitors and opponents is using the investigation into Qiangyin as an excuse to slander me, claiming I made some sort of deal with the Pleasure Society. Only Miss Char can prove my innocence...”
At this point, Lucy’s hand fell weakly, as if resigned to her fate. Her voice dropped as she said, “If... you see her, please tell her... I have a clear conscience.”
With that, Lucy bowed slightly to Aivina and turned to leave, a sense of melancholy in her demeanor.
Once Lucy had departed, Aivina let out a slow sigh.
She removed her glasses and set them aside, reaching into her pocket to pull out a golden ring set with a green gemstone.
This was something Char had left behind at the hotel, a highly valuable seal.
Aivina traced the gemstone with her fingers, silently gazing at her reflection in its surface.
Char... where have you gone?
I miss you...
...
In the southwestern direction of Ansu, near the southern bank, there lay an area still largely undeveloped, unlike the bustling core regions of Ansu.
Aside from the occasional foul odor wafting from the nearby river, it was one of the rare quiet residential areas in Ansu City—of course, excluding the expensive mansions with vast gardens.
In one of the two-story houses, a little girl with dark green hair, dressed in a maid’s outfit, was busy cooking in the kitchen. She followed the recipe in her cookbook, standing on her tiptoes to drop a cubed potato into the pot.
She swore she only wanted to peel it.
Splash—
The cubed potato hit the boiling water, splattering hot water that nearly hit the maid’s face. A white shadow darted out from the shadow of her chin, blocking the scalding droplets.
“Phew...”
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