OBS Chapter 3455 Lacey's Reading Salon
Chapter 3455 Lacey's Reading Salon
Chapter 3455 Lacey's Reading Salon
In the snow-capped hall, Shad asked the returning girls for snake sloughs and recorded them in his "Manual of Fate." He didn't mention that he too had a "role," but instead talked about what would happen next week:
"Claire, my friends and I plan to confront the false people in the Topesque region tomorrow, so we won't be coming over. Don't worry about us; Topesque is a major parish, and a church contingent will be there with us."
"Do you need me to go to Tobesk? I know you can take people and go straight back to your house."
The Great Witch of the Sun immediately perked up. They stood at the entrance of the unicorn's den, the brilliant sunset turning her hair orange-red and making Shad's profile even more defined—Claire liked his serious expression at that moment.
Shade shook his head:
"Galina won't be directly involved in the operation, so it's better for the witches not to appear in Topsk. Besides, All Souls' Day is next week. If I take you away at a time like this, Elder Harald will come after me for my life."
In short, if the fake people have nothing to do with the story on the island, we might be able to deal with the "Fake People's House" directly this time. After evicting them from the building, the remaining fake people scattered throughout the city wouldn't pose much of a threat. But if they are related to this place, Claire, you'll have plenty of opportunities to deal with them.
The girl bathing in the sunset looked disgusted.
“Who cares about them? I just wanted to talk to you because I was curious about what your house is like. I heard from Sylvia this morning that they all went to your place for the holidays at the end of the year.”
"After All Souls' Day, if there's time, I can take you back to visit."
Claire was finally satisfied, and before Shad left, she gave him another piece of advice:
"Anyway, be careful. I know you've faced far more terrifying things, but nobody knows what secrets the fakes have. You'll be coming on Tuesday, right?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, yes."
Claire nodded:
"I've already reported the matter of the treasure and the Fate Pilgrims to the council. I don't know if Galina told you, but Bella has to deal with Moon Bay for the time being, so she can't come immediately. However, next Tuesday, her apprentice will bring several high-ringed diviners to help her try to find the pilgrimage route. So you'll be able to see them when you come back on Tuesday."
"Matilda, is that right?"
Shad's eyes lit up as the blonde maid's playful smile appeared before him.
The imposter is suspected to be related to "resurrection," while the pilgrims and treasure are linked to "wealth and faith." Add to this the broken magic sword and the "immortal flower," which seems to be connected to "love and ice flowers," and the seven stories are gradually becoming clearer.
The characters who have already taken the stage are climbing their own paths to the sole leading role. Perhaps they will encounter Shad again, and Shad is also looking forward to their reappearance.
Because it was agreed that Saturday's evening class would be moved to tonight, when Shade returned home in the evening, Lacey was already there with her maid.
"Shad, get dressed, let's go. I've been thinking about you all day."
The princess hummed a song, grabbed some clothes, and pushed Shad toward the bedroom, pretending that she hadn't actually participated in the morning's activities.
"To the opera house?"
"Of course not. We went to the opera house on the day of the Red Butterfly. I'm not the kind of girl who always takes her lover to the same places. This time it's a book salon."
A few days ago you mentioned postponing evening classes, so tonight I've invited a few aristocratic ladies to a book salon. We'll be analyzing and reinterpreting the classic fairy tale, 'Snow White.' The location is a small drawing room at the Jodel Palace. We'll have dinner first, and the book salon will start at 7 PM and end around 9 PM.
"Shad, let's see how ordinary people understand this fairy tale; it'll be very interesting."
Xia De didn't mind participating in these kinds of ordinary people's activities:
"You only invited noble ladies? And it's for appreciating fairy tales? Wouldn't it seem strange for me, the only male, to participate?"
Lacey burst out laughing:
“It’s not surprising. I’ve already spoken with Galina. This time, I’m using you to attract sophisticated noblewomen to the salon through your reputation. I’ve specifically chosen people who can help us. Although most of them are young, they are all thoughtful and talented girls.”
"My reputation? Hmm... It's not the merit that Galina touted at the afternoon tea party organized by Queen Diana a while ago, is it?"
Even Lacey blushed a little at this moment, after all, Galina had been quite bold last time:
"What are you talking about? Why would I invite a girl like that to an event? That's my reward for tonight. Ahem, let's get down to business. Don't you know how attractive your image is to young literary girls?"
She asked questions while helping Xia De change his clothes:
"Young and handsome, he works as a detective in Tobesk to 'punish evil,' and his charm is enough to win the heart of the Duchess, who is rumored to be fond of women—this perfectly suits the desire of those naive and conservative girls who have fantasies about love and are looking for excitement."
“I noticed you used some contradictory adjectives. Okay, I'll go, but can I bring Xiaomia?”
"of course can."
Lacia had already booked a private room at the restaurant for a meal with Xia De. Although it wasn't a candlelight dinner, the atmosphere was still very romantic.
She then went ahead, and Shad followed alone to the Yordle Palace. After the usual, rather pointless search, Shad followed Lady Vess Doll, Lacey's maid, and then he realized that he had broken into the Yordle Palace far more often than he had entered through the proper channels.
This has been especially true in recent months, since Dorothy and Lacey learned how to send Shad directly to Lacey's boudoir.
"Mr. Hamilton."
The maid leading the way suddenly turned slightly and, when no one was around, lowered her voice and said to Xia De:
"We have already handed over the clothes you left in His Highness's room to Miss Servette. Can you take them with you later? It's not safe to leave them in His Highness's room."
Therefore, Dorothy and Lacey's behavior actually became a burden for the maids who needed to keep secrets.
Lacey didn't ask Shad to dress up specially, so Shad wasn't dressed in formal attire for the banquet, but rather in his everyday clothes. When he arrived at the private living room where the reading salon was being held, most of the girls who were going to participate were already there.
After Shad entered, they all greeted him in turn. Lacey, as the hostess of the salon, winked at Shad and then gestured for everyone to relax and talk.
Velvet armchairs, cashmere carpets, crystal chandeliers, and a fireplace—the room's furnishings seem tailor-made for this salon. The walls are adorned with paintings and bookshelves, the heavy, handcrafted antique curtains offer protection from the night wind, and the room's gaslight provides perfect illumination for quiet reading.
Cushioned chairs and sofas are arranged around the fireplace in the room, and each seat has a small table with paper, pens, snacks, teacups, and a teapot.
Lacey referred to the noble ladies attending the salon today as "literary girls," a description that quite suited the temperament of everyone present. They were indeed all very interested in Shad, but they remained reserved during the pre-salon discussion, casually chatting with him about the famous cases he had handled.
Among the girls attending the salon were two of Lacey's sisters, whose names Shad couldn't recall. However, Adelina wasn't there. This wasn't because Lacey was "bullying" Adelina, but because the moongrass the little princess had planted in the garden had matured that night, and she needed to process the potion ingredients tonight, otherwise she would miss another lunar cycle.
Soon all the girls who were going to attend the salon had arrived. Lacey first gave a brief introduction to Shad, and then briefly introduced the names of the noble ladies who had come to attend the reading salon.
Seeing that the atmosphere in the salon was quite pleasant, Lacia then asked everyone who was standing to sit down. So the girls each chose chairs and sofas around the fireplace, and Shad also sat in a single armchair to Lacia's left. At this moment, Lacia announced the theme of the salon—an appreciation of the classic fairy tale "Snow White".
The salon officially began.
Lacey first read aloud the oldest existing version of the original text of "Snow White". Then, the guests introduced the versions they had read and shared their favorite parts and passages.
It even includes artistic performances, such as two girls standing up and acting out classic passages from the story, or someone reading aloud while a maid provides musical accompaniment.
Only after that did we move on to the main part of the salon, where everyone shared their rewritten fairy tales and gave brief speeches and comments on different texts.
Teacups were occasionally lifted, and the rustling of pages turning was so pleasant against the backdrop of the fireplace. Tonight's book club was a resounding success, even a model of the proper etiquette for aristocratic women's salon gatherings of the time; Shad believed it deserved to be recorded as a "standard salon procedure."
Of course, all of Xia De's praise above would only be valid if the incident at 8:30 hadn't happened.
At that time, the book club had entered a high-energy phase, and the girls were having a heated discussion about whether the character of the "prince" should appear at the end of the story, and the stereotypical meaning of this character.
Shade and Lacey listened attentively, and after the discussion, the salon entered a short break. The ladies who had drunk too much tea could go to the restroom to take care of their ladylike needs, while those who remained gathered in small groups to continue their conversation.