Chapter 972: Secret Meeting
"Good evening, Hamilton Knight of Rejed."
Shard did not recognize the young Prince Nasser Cavendish, a courteous young royal gentleman dressed in a black tailcoat. However, Prince Nasser, with the signature fiery red hair of the Cavendish Family, clearly recognized Shard. After Leicia, the salon host, casually chatted with Shard at the door, the prince took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him.
Of course, Prince Nasser was quickly interrupted by Angelina, who, as the King's most favored princess, held a higher status than the prince, who did not participate in governmental affairs and had little influence. However, Angelina didn't exchange many words with Shard either, as he couldn't block the doorway and inconvenience the arriving guests.
As Shard expected, due to some incidents at public events in Huntington and Lakeside Manor, Princess Margaret had direct protection from Circle Sorcerers at tonight's salon. It wasn't easy to arrange several noticeable strangers who didn't fit the ambience in a salon with only about thirty people, so the church disguised them as Prophet's Society staff.
Judging by their numbers, it seemed to be a full 7-member team of the True God, Lady of Creation, also known as the God of Creation and Destruction. These individuals did not appear directly at the salon venue but waited in an adjacent room. Since they gathered together and were frequently using Arcane Techniques like recon, Shard could pinpoint their location.
Luviya should have been in a room on the third floor waiting for Shard's message, while the servants of the salon were all arranged by Leicia. Seeing that nothing had happened yet, Shard entered the room, pretending to genuinely participate in the literary salon.
This was originally a divination room for the Prophet's Society, but now the divination-related tools were shifted to the sides of the room. A fireplace was lit, and a few soft sofas were arranged rather irregularly in front of it.
There was a table by the wall with drinks and desserts for guests to help themselves. Besides the sofas, there were a few square tables with round stools around them placed at either side of the fireplace.
The seated guests conversed with each other. Compared to banquets and balls, the literary salon was quieter; at least everyone knew this was a gathering of "intellectuals."
Shard didn't see anyone he recognized at first. He randomly chose a sofa to sit on, set his "Hamilton Detective Stories" aside on a small table next to him, and casually picked up an anthology called "Sunset at Dusk" from the tabletop to browse. Shortly after he sat down, Princess Margaret entered with her entourage and maid.
She greeted Leicia at the door and stepped into the room. While exchanging pleasantries with her companions, she immediately noticed Shard with his head lowered, reading while holding a glass.
Recalling the foggy afternoon last week at the Three Cats Inn when she met Shard, Princess Margaret had already formed an idea.
She whispered a few words to the lady accompanying her and gestured to Sir Plisha, leading them to take seats near Shard. Although the sofas weren't arranged neatly, some had been moved together. With not enough nearby seats, Sir Plisha, after obtaining permission from Shard, sat beside him.
Because of Shard's outstanding performance at the Lakeside Manor banquet, especially under his title as the "One-penny Detective," he had become a social celebrity in the city. Guests from Carsonrick naturally recognized Shard and invited him into their conversations before the salon even officially began.
Princess Margaret, seated on the sofa in front of Shard, initiated the conversation, mentioning books she had recently read. As the princess talked with others, Sir Plisha warmly addressed Shard:
"Good evening, Mr. Hamilton, what are you reading?"
"Good evening, Sir."
Shard closed the book and shook hands with him, then displayed the book he held:
"It's an anthology written over 300 years ago by an unknown author from Draleon. The manuscript was discovered and compiled for publication many years after his death. Judging by the content of the essays, this author led a rather desolate life; if only he had been able to receive payment for his works during his lifetime."
"'Sunset at Dusk'? Yes, I've read it. But if the author had been paid during his lifetime, he likely would not have been able to write the essays we can read today."
This poet from Carsonrick shook his head. After some small talk, he handed Shard a piece of paper:
"His Highness asked me to give this to you."
Shard knew for sure that Sir Plisha sitting beside him was no coincidence.
He discreetly checked the content of the note, avoiding Sir Plisha's line of sight:
"Mr. Hamilton, at six fifty-five, second floor east side stairwell. Please make sure to come; I want to thank you for your help during the fog last week."
Shard raised an eyebrow and glanced at the princess, who was speaking with the lady poet, Ms. Lewis. He then folded the note. This invitation signified that Margaret Anjou acknowledged being among those who contained the relic with Mr. Alan Madison that afternoon.
"His Highness gave me a math problem, purely a sequence to solve without any application scenario."
He smiled as he spoke to Sir Plisha.
"His Highness is still very mindful of the 'one-penny' issue from the Lakeside Manor."
Sir Plisha slightly raised his head to look at the princess in the front row as well, making it unclear to Shard whether he knew the note's content.
In a lowered voice, Sir Plisha reminded him:
"Miss Emma Sylvia, the princess's math tutor, is very strict with her, so the princess values her mathematical skills highly."
"I know Miss Sylvia, she's a renowned scholar."
Shard replied quietly, taking out his notebook from his pocket and slipping the note inside:
"The last math problem was merely a trap of thought; His Highness did not need to compete with me over it. Wisdom is never a tool for comparison. Perhaps I should admit that I cannot solve this problem."
He was pondering what excuse to use to stand up and leave.
"No, no, no."
Sir Plisha immediately shook his head:
"Gentlemen would never concede for such a reason; it would be an insult to His Highness. Besides, wisdom is expressed through a medium. The question you raised at Lakeside Manor was quite brilliant. Once trapped in your logical snares, it's quite difficult to climb out."
Writers and authors of this era also usually excel in mathematics. Shard did not understand the reason behind this, but Sir Plisha before him was evidently such a person. Prior to this, Shard's understanding of the gentleman was solely as a "poet," "noble," and "Circle Sorcerer." Miss Danester's provided materials did not elaborate on the gentleman's character.
Having the chance to converse closely now, Shard discovered that Sir Sharply, "Guiding Moon," was quite a talkative and intelligent gentleman. He could engage Shard on any topic with a breadth of knowledge encompassing, but not limited to, literature, politics, geography, history, and mathematics.
Even judged as a Circle Sorcerer, the gentleman was exceedingly learned. On mathematical subjects, his accomplishments were not inferior to Princess Margaret's, and on political subjects, he could comprehend the things Shard had said to neighbor Mr. Smith at the Lakeside Manor banquet.
Shard found his interest piqued by Sir Plisha, and planned to wait until Princess Margaret decided to leave before standing to depart.
Sir Plisha too showed keen interest in Shard, and through their conversations, Shard learned of his experiences. The gentleman hailed from a close family of the Anjou Royal Family. Although the family was fairly affluent, he left the city of the Plisha Family at a young age to study in Velindale City.
Despite having ample living expenses, during his studies, he worked as a copyist at the church to understand the lives of the lower classes and experience the hardships of labor, supplementing his living expenses.
His early independence allowed him to live and navigate his academic pursuits as he pleased. Unlike the "illiterate" level of education Shard had, the gentleman, just passed thirty, had four degrees: in literature, mathematics, law, and theology. Beyond being a poet, he was also a scholar. However, these aspects were overshadowed by his noble status, as people focused more on his lineage than his personal efforts.
At this point, Sir Plisha shook his head regretfully:
"Sages are never blind to truth, yet we all know there are no true sages, only flawed mortals."
"Saying this makes you sound like a sage."
Shard said with a smile, glancing sidelong to see Princess Margaret rising with her maid toward the door, and when Sir Plisha humbly shook his head, Shard tipped his glass slightly, accidentally spilling the juice on his shoes:
"Oh!"
He set the glass down apologetically:
"Unlucky me, thankfully it didn't spill on the carpet. I suppose I need to go to the lavatory and clean it off. Sir, I'll come back shortly to continue our conversation. You truly are well-versed in many subjects."
"Indeed, there's plenty of time for conversation tonight."
The middle-aged poet of the Southern Nation stood to give Shard a way to exit, and Shard walked normally toward the door. First acquiring a handkerchief from the servant at the door to wipe his shoes, he exchanged a polite word with the Princess and Princes at the doorway and returned to the corridor.
With about seven minutes until the salon began, almost every guest had arrived. The second floor of the Prophet's Society was silent, with no additional staff arranged to interrupt the nobles' gathering.
Walking through the brightly lit corridor under gas lamps, Shard arrived at the deserted eastern staircase as indicated in the note, where the First Ring maid was cautiously on guard. Upon seeing Shard approach, the maid stepped away slightly to avoid overhearing inappropriate sentences. The princess with light golden hair was standing under the gas lamp at the staircase, waiting for Shard.
The gas lamp had a spherical glass shade, and beside it hung an oil painting depicting a prophet using a crystal ball for divination, though its meaning was unclear.
"Good evening, Mr. Hamilton."
Margaret Anjou extended her hand, adorned with white lace gloves, to Shard.
Shard smiled:
"Good evening, Margaret... no, Miss Mary."
Their hands joined together.