Chapter 79: Caroline Augustus Milverton (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79: Caroline Augustus Milverton (3)
“Yes, that’s much better.”
“…Ahem.”
Milverton returned from her bath in the Baker Street boarding house. Once she was properly seated, Charlotte greeted her with a handshake and spoke in a calm, measured voice.
“I apologize for earlier. I had a rather unpleasant experience on my way here…”
“Let’s skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point, shall we?”
Charlotte interrupted Milverton’s monologue immediately, a sharp gleam in her eyes.
“Do you realize that you are currently committing a grave offense against the royal family?”
“Oh… I wonder what I’ve done now.”
Milverton’s eyes shimmered in response to Charlotte’s accusation.
“I finally understand why the world-renowned detective was so eager to see me.”
“What is it you want?”
“…Nothing in particular, if I’m being honest.”
A slight frown etched itself onto Charlotte’s face at Milverton’s blunt response.
“I apologize, but there are certain things I value far more than money.”
“Such as?”
“The absolute power of holding the Prince of England’s life in the palm of my hand, I suppose?”
“…That is a very dangerous thing to say.”
The corners of Milverton’s lips curled into a slight smirk.
“The more dangerous it is, the more thrilling it feels.”
“Hmm…”
“However, I do think I may have crossed the line a bit recently.”
With that, she crossed her legs and made her offer.
“100,000 pounds. For that sum, I’ll burn the letters I received from the darling prince and leave for America.”
“………”
“I plan to start anew there with a laundered identity. I’m only asking for the minimum amount of money required to do so. Isn’t that quite conscientious of me?”
Charlotte’s expression hardened. She began tapping her finger rhythmically on the table as she processed the request.
“…20,000 pounds.”
“What?”
“20,000 pounds is my limit.”
An incredulous look washed over Milverton’s face.
“You cut the price by eighty percent out of the blue and expect me to accept? I am truly at a loss for words.”
“………”
“It seems the prince’s life is only worth that much to the royal family.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I’ve heard there is a very important international engagement scheduled for the near future. And I am well aware that the prince is one of the parties involved. In that case, should you really be slashing the price so aggressively?”
“Let me be clear: that is the maximum amount I can offer at the moment.”
Charlotte lifted her head, her face a mask of seriousness.
“The royal family has already stated they will not contribute a single penny to this matter. You won’t get so much as a pound from them if you take this to their doorstep.”
“………”
“So why don’t you take the 20,000 pounds I’ve prepared? If it were me, I’d take the money and live out the rest of my days in comfort in America.”
“…So, you’re saying that even though you’ve taken a commission from the royal family, you’d rather pay me out of your own pocket to get rid of me? That’s far too suspicious. It makes me unwilling to take the money at all. Anyone in my position would feel the same, don’t you think?”
Charlotte sighed.
“If 20,000 pounds can get me what I want most in life, then it’s a bargain.”
“……?”
“So, what will it be? 20,000 pounds, or a life spent being hunted like a dog by the British Crown?”
Charlotte delivered the ultimatum, but Milverton didn’t even blink. Instead, a smile played on her lips.
“I’m not interested in anything less than 100,000 pounds, unfortunately.”
As Milverton rose resolutely to leave, black mana began to seep out from the heavily frowning Charlotte.
—Swoosh…
Simultaneously, Watson quietly rose from her seat and gripped a chair, readying herself for a fight.
—Click…
“I was expecting a more refined approach from you.”
However, Milverton was one step ahead. She turned her head slightly, pointing a gun toward them while making a subtle gesture to the side.
—Goooooooooo…
Taking the signal, the calm maid standing by her side began to emit a terrifying wave of murderous aura, directed straight at Charlotte and Watson.
“…Do maids use aura nowadays?”
“Well, it’s only natural when there are so many people like you after me. Hehe…”
Milverton, eyes glinting with amusement, stepped lightly toward the exit of the boarding house.
“Deposit 100,000 pounds into my account within a week.”
“………”
“Otherwise, Britain is going to suffer a massive scandal in the coming days.”
As her voice faded, the door closed behind her. Charlotte quietly retracted her mana.
“…We’ve been had.”
Watson, still awkwardly holding the chair, scratched her head and muttered. Charlotte rose from her seat to respond.
“Not at all.”
“Huh?”
“The trap was set the moment I invited that woman here.”
Watson tilted her head in silent puzzlement.
“When I shook hands with her, I secretly dusted her hand with powdered mana stones without her noticing.”
“…Powdered mana stones?”
“It’s only a tiny amount, but the quality is high enough that it won’t interfere with my plans.”
Hearing Charlotte’s calm explanation, Watson’s eyes narrowed.
“What exactly are you planning…?”
“It’s a secret.”
“What?”
Charlotte’s lips stretched into a playful smile.
“It’s a secret.”
“What kind of scheme are you concocting now…”
“I’m going to be lost in thought for a bit, Watson.”
Charlotte’s expression shifted back to seriousness as she began to stare blankly into the hearth.
“Sigh—”
Knowing better than anyone that Charlotte wouldn’t hear another word once she entered that state, Watson quietly stood up and left the room.
“I’ll be back in a bit, Charlotte…”
“………”
Outside, Watson bit her lip and frowned.
—Zzzing…!
‘Again?’
Isaac Adler’s golden seal, which he had engraved on her not long ago, was pulsing in her lower abdomen, summoning her to a specific location.
.
.
.
.
.
Several minutes later, at a coffee house near Baker Street.
“We’re going to rob Milverton’s house.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
Watson, facing a robe-clad Isaac Adler, stared at him with wide, bewildered eyes.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“The letter can’t be anywhere else. If it were, the royal family would have secured it by now. It’s definitely in her room.”
“No, that’s not the point… Why are you planning to break into her house?”
Adler answered with a cheerful expression.
“Didn’t you hear about the wager?”
“…Ah.”
Watson immediately remembered the wager Charlotte had mentioned regarding Adler.
“You’re in on it too?”
“Honestly, I have to win. The moment I lose, I’m tacitly surrendering ownership of myself to one of the two.”
“So, what does that have to do with me?”
Watson’s voice was chilly. Adler merely leaned toward her, a soft smile on his lips.
“Because you’re the only person I can use right now.”
“………”
“The organization I built with so much effort has been taken by the Professor, and Charlotte is participating in the bet as well. Moreover, I can’t use Miss Lestrade for such illegal affairs; she’s more or less useless when a matter doesn’t revolve around justice.”
“You’re truly out of your mind…”
“Even if you dislike it, you have no choice. You belong to me now, and you must obey my commands…”
“Let’s just do it already.”
“…What?”
To Adler’s surprise, Watson responded in a flat, calm tone.
“Let’s rob Milverton’s house together.”
“Uh, well…”
“What? Did you think I wouldn’t do it?”
A cold smile manifested on Watson’s lips.
“…There’s no reason for me to refuse if you’re walking into danger willingly, is there? I’ll make sure to hinder you as much as possible.”
“That would be impossible, given my orders.”
“We won’t know until we try, will we?”
As her lips twisted bitterly, Adler tilted his head.
“Something’s off…”
“So, when do we set off?”
Despite his confusion, Adler answered her nonchalant question.
“Three days from now, during the quiet hours of the night. No matter how much we hurry, we’ll need at least that much time to prepare.”
“…Three days later, at night.”
Watson’s eyes began to sparkle with a blazing heat.
“Then we should start preparing immediately.”
“……?”
Adler watched her sudden enthusiasm with skepticism before standing up.
“…I should start preparing as well.”
His gaze shifted toward a woman lingering near the entrance of the coffee house.
“What kind of preparations?”
“…A preliminary survey, if you will.”
A maid, caressing a scar by her eye, caught sight of Adler. She looked down shyly, a bashful expression adorning her face.
.
.
.
.
.
Several days later…
“…Huh.”
Watson arrived at the same coffee house, summoned once again by Adler. She couldn’t help but chuckle wryly at the sight before her.
“Ha…”
—Shiver…
The stern-faced maid who had threatened her and Charlotte with a murderous aura just days ago was now blushing furiously as Adler licked her neck.
“What are you doing?”
“…A neck kiss.”
Watson looked dazed as the maid submissively accepted the act with her head bowed low.
“It’s elder sister’s favorite.”
“…Call me by my name.”
“It’s Alice’s favorite.”
“Thank you…”
Watson frowned at the scene before speaking again.
“So, what is all this?”
“Don’t you see?”
Adler casually kissed the maid’s cheek and responded in a bright voice.
“She’s a new ally.”
“………”
“Let’s go rob the mansion now.”
“…Sigh.”
With a heavy sigh, Watson stepped back and pulled a small typewriter from her belongings.
—I’m sorry, darling.
—I don’t think I’ll see you tonight…
She began to type with a gloomy expression.
—Zzzing…!
But the very moment she sent the message…
“…Huh?”
The sound of a message being received echoed from close by.
“Neville!?”
Anxiously, Watson turned toward the source of the sound, her eyes narrowing.
“…What’s going on?”
Isaac Adler, currently sitting on the maid’s lap, looked up with a cheerful expression and tilted his head…
“………”
…while keeping his arms crossed awkwardly behind his back for some reason.