Chapter 76: Refusal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 76: Refusal
Clatter, clatter…
Inside the carriage rattling toward an unknown destination, Jane Moriarty sat with her chin resting quietly in her hand, lost in thought.
“…It would be best if you didn’t try to open the window.”
As she reached toward the window—sealed shut with boards and nails—the coachman’s deep voice echoed from the front.
“Our destination is one of the royal family’s secret rendezvous points. It is, naturally, a state secret. If you were to discover its location…”
“I don’t need to look out the window to know we’re heading toward the western districts of London.”
Professor Moriarty didn’t care for his threats. She replied with a sharp gleam in her eyes.
“To be precise, we are likely heading toward Windsor, the royal residential area. But let’s pretend I didn’t say anything about that.”
“………”
“I’m not curious about the destination; I simply want to breathe. It’s stifling in here.”
As she spoke, she concentrated mana into her fingertips and touched the wooden board. Instantly, a small hole was carved through the wood.
“Much better.”
Leaning her head against the opening, Professor Moriarty flashed a broad smile.
“One can see Windsor Castle quite clearly from here.”
When the coachman failed to react further, her gaze grew bored and dull, eventually drifting to her side.
“Hmm.”
Immediately, her eyes narrowed.
“………”
Charlotte, who hadn't slept for four days while keeping watch over Moriarty, and Adler, who had been harassed by the thief all day, were both fast asleep. Their heads were touching as they leaned against each other.
Swoosh…
After observing them for a moment, Jane quietly reached out and pushed Charlotte’s head toward the opposite window.
“………”
Gently, the professor guided Adler’s head to rest on her own shoulder instead. She couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle as she watched him sleep.
‘…What am I even doing?’
She leaned back into the seat, feeling her strength drain away. She recalled the Reigate incident from a few weeks prior.
Back then, she had been the one asleep—or rather, pretending to be—while Charlotte and Adler were wide awake. Until that very moment, she had held the upper hand in their game.
But now, the board had flipped.
She was the one awake, and the game was in Charlotte Holmes’s hands, not hers. The very same Charlotte Holmes she had dismissed as a mere child and an amateur only days ago.
‘…What did you realize during that incident?’
The professor stared coldly at Charlotte. The detective pouted in her sleep, her brow furrowing as if sensing the sudden loss of Adler’s warmth.
‘What changed you this much?’
In truth, the professor already knew the answer.
Beneath Charlotte’s closed lids, her pupils were now permanently dyed in the golden hues of Adler. And in return, Isaac Adler’s pupils were dyed in the black hues of Charlotte, rather than the grey of her own.
That was the fundamental reason why Charlotte was now overwhelming her in this game.
“So, you’ve finally fallen for her, have you?”
Moriarty felt the warmth of Adler’s weight against her shoulder and murmured with a melancholic expression.
“I wasn't the player; I was the pawn all along…”
It was supposed to be a simple observation. A game for her amusement. From the start, he was merely a substitute for the sugar she craved. Adler wasn’t the only one with the right to end this relationship—perhaps the most peculiar relationship in the history of London. She, too, could end this little game whenever she wished.
“………”
She was certain of that fact.
Then why? Why was this strange sensation, the likes of which she had never felt before, seizing control of her mind and body?
Lick…
“……?!”
The professor’s eyes, downcast in silent contemplation, widened at a ticklish sensation on her hand.
“Mr. Adler.”
Isaac Adler had apparently stirred. With his eyes still tightly shut, he was licking her hand.
“You aren’t a puppy… What are you doing?”
As she watched him with wide eyes, she noticed blood dripping from her hand. She let out another bitter laugh.
“…Mr. Adler?”
Her expression quickly sharpened into a frown.
Lick…
Adler’s face was pale and sickly as he devotedly licked the blood from her hand, even sinking his teeth into her skin.
“Are you ill?”
She tilted her head, watching his abnormal behavior. He was drinking blood as if he had lost his sanity.
“…Hmm.”
When her assistant didn't answer, the professor cautiously extended her other hand toward him.
“Hah.”
“…!”
In a swift motion, she snatched Adler’s protruding tail and took the tip into her mouth.
“Pr-Professor!”
As she sucked on his tail, Adler’s body began to convulse. The shock finally brought him to his senses. He stopped drinking her blood and gazed up at her, startled.
Bite.
“…Ah?”
The professor, looking down at him with a cold gaze, bit the tip of the tail she had been holding.
“Let’s… let’s talk. We…”
“………”
“Ahhh…”
Adler held onto her shoulder, his body twitching and squirming. He let out a sound as if the air had been knocked out of his lungs. Professor Moriarty watched the display from start to finish before lifting his chin with her hand.
“You don't have much life left in you, do you?”
“…What?”
“I’ve heard that when a vampire’s life nears its end, their bloodlust intensifies.”
Her cold, grey-tinted gaze met Adler’s blood-stained eyes.
“Why didn’t you ask for my help when your condition had become this severe?”
“………”
“Do you truly think I wouldn't be able to find a way to extend your life?”
The professor’s voice trembled. Sensing something within her crumble into dust, she turned her head toward the window, wearing an expression she had never made in her entire life.
“…Hmph.”
A sound leaked from her lips—a tone she never believed she could utter just a few months ago.
“Umm, Professor…?”
Adler, who was all too familiar with such reactions from women, asked with an incredulous look.
“Are you… by any chance, upset?”
“Shut up.”
Her voice, laced with an endless chill, cut him off before he could finish.
“Excuse me…”
“Just live the rest of your life with your little detective. I don’t care anymore.”
Silence followed.
Squeak…
Adler, fidgeting and breaking into a cold sweat, widened his eyes as the carriage came to an abrupt halt.
“Hmm…”
At that moment, Charlotte Holmes stretched and sat up.
Yawn…
“I feel recharged after finally getting some sleep.”
She naturally linked her arm with Adler’s and smiled.
“Shall we head out then?”
“…Professor.”
Adler glanced at the professor, whose head was still turned away, and tried to speak to her.
“I’m not going.”
“…?”
“Go with the little detective you like so much.”
Hearing that sulky voice, Charlotte looked puzzled.
“Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?”
“…Haha.”
Adler could only manage a wry laugh while scratching his head, unable to give Charlotte an answer.
*
“My apologies, but from here on, Mr. Adler must proceed alone.”
“…What?”
“I must ask that Mr. Adler’s companions wait here, where we can keep an eye on them.”
Adler listened to the guard as the carriage door opened, lost in thought.
“Why can’t we follow?” Charlotte demanded.
“Security reasons.”
“How many times have I acted on behalf of your master? And now you speak to me of security?”
“…We are simply following orders. There is nothing we can do.”
Charlotte began to argue with the guard, her expression turning icy.
“At least allow me to accompany him to the building.”
“…Very well. we can grant that much.”
Moriarty, who had been looking away, finally glanced at them.
Flicker…
A moment later, her left eye began to glow with a greyish haze.
“………”
Her secret act of voyeurism—which had been a constant for months until recently—began once more.
.
.
.
The old building Charlotte and I entered after stepping out of the carriage was worn and shabby. However, it exuded an atmosphere that was impossible to ignore.
“You may enter now.”
Perhaps overwhelmed by the gravity of the place, the guard bowed his head and pointed toward the door.
“If anything happens, run out. Don’t try to endure it needlessly,” Charlotte whispered.
“Don’t worry about me.”
Taking a deep breath, I turned the doorknob and cautiously stepped inside.
“…Hmm.”
Immediately, I saw a massive veil hanging in the center of the room.
“Should I sit here?”
“…Yes.”
I approached the chair placed in front of the veil. A faint voice replied from behind the blurry silhouette of the curtain.
“Who are you?”
“You may think of me as the representative of the greatest authority in England.”
I listened closely. I couldn't sense any magical interference in the voice, nor could I tell if it was even real. I asked my next question.
“And for what purpose would such a high and mighty individual summon me in secret?”
My mouth felt dry.
“I wanted to meet you.”
“Me?”
“I have been quite interested in your actions for a long time.”
The voice from beyond the veil sounded surprisingly distant, as if the speaker were reminiscing.
“So, I asked Her Majesty the Queen herself.”
“…I see.”
Based on that information, the person in front of me was royalty at the very least. Only a handful of people could ask such a favor of the Queen and have it granted. Perhaps it was someone with considerable power, someone close to the line of succession?
However, it seemed unlikely such a person would call me here just for a chat.
“Then, shall we cut to the chase?”
As I tilted my head, the figure behind the veil leaned forward and whispered.
“I have a proposal for you.”
A sweet voice echoed in my ear, carrying a request she clearly wanted fulfilled.
“Please remove Professor Jane Moriarty.”
“Do you mean my supervising professor?”
“In the name of the royal family, I am entrusting you with this secret request.”
As she spoke, a message appeared before my eyes, making me realize exactly what was happening.
[Ending 10: The Fallen Kingdom]
I was standing at a critical crossroads.
“In truth, it is more an order than a request.”
“………”
“You have been appointed in the name of Her Majesty the Queen. Consider it an honor.”
Of course, there was only one answer I could give.
“I’m sorry, but I only serve one queen.”
It was too late for me to play the hero. I had already crossed too many lines.
“Go to hell, Princess.”
I had grown too fond of Professor Moriarty—who was likely sitting in the carriage right now, lonely and brooding.
“You are quite amusing.”
A cold chill began to seep from behind the veil, but I had no regrets.
.
.
.
Meanwhile…
“Apologies, ma’am, but will you not be getting off?”
The coachman opened the carriage door and tilted his head in confusion.
“………”
Professor Moriarty sat there, wearing a distraught expression entirely unlike her usual self.
“I can’t understand you, even though I thought I did.”
Her eyes flickered back and forth as if responding to someone’s words. For an instant, they shone gold, illuminated by the sunlight pouring through the open door.
“‘To serve only one queen’… what a childish line.”
The faint blush on her cheeks was the only giveaway.