༺ The Blue Carbuncle (4) ༻
“Adler…?”
“No, what is…”
The eyes of Charlotte and Lestrade, who had brought the strange lady they met on the streets with them, slowly widened at the scene they witnessed.
– Gulp…
The girl who had been impersonating Baynes, just moments ago, was now blushing heavily while holding onto Adler’s hair as he greedily sucked blood out of her neck.
“What the hell are you doing right now!?”
As Lestrade, startled by the sight in front of her, hurried forward… her gaze was inevitably drawn to the impersonating girl, especially, to the sight of her revealing her neck to Adler with a resigned look on her face.
“………..”
Her pupils were dilated, her hair was a mess, and her once slightly mischievous and witty face was now bruised and wrecked.
In essence, she was in a pitiful and ruined state.
The girl, who had been so vibrant, bubbly, and energetic just moments ago, was now wilted like a trampled flower, having surrendered to Adler’s violence.
“Excuse me but…”
Lestrade, utterly horrified by her serious condition, stopped in her tracks and shifted her gaze back to Adler. Meanwhile, the girl began whispering something, moving her bruised lips slowly.
– Thud…!
“… Eugh.”
However, before she could even finish her sentence, Adler, who had roughly pulled his teeth out of her neck, plunged his heavy fist into the girl’s solar plexus.
– Tremble…
Instantly, the pitiful girl’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s, her face paled like a corpse, and her body started to tremble violently; she couldn’t help but hold onto Adler’s arms to support her weak body.
– Slap!
However, as soon as Adler’s merciless hand harshly slapped the girl’s cheek, she was unable to keep her balance any longer and finally fell to the floor, clutching onto her bleeding nose.
“… Ugh.”
As Adler, quietly observing her, put his foot on the girl’s stomach as she lay on the floor, her body began to convulse ever so slightly and a faint moan leaked out of her ruined mouth.
From the looks of it, her face was not the only part of her body that had been ruined by Adler’s violence.
“… Just, what are you doing?”
Therefore, it was quite natural for a furious voice to flow out of Lestrade’s mouth, who had been blankly watching the gruesome scene with utter disbelief till then.
“Even though she is an imposter, she’s still a human being, there’s no need to treat her so harshly…”
“Strange. Since master has engraved his seal onto you already, there should be no way that you don’t know, right?”
However, at that very moment, a chuckling voice echoed from behind.
“Hey, you don’t really know anything about Master Adler now, do you?”
“… Pardon?”
At that remark, Lestrade’s head snapped back, her head tilting to the side along the way as she looked at the woman with a cold expression.
“What are you talking about?”
“If you belong to my master, there’s no way that you shouldn’t know…”
Then, the lady, covering her mouth with her hand, made an equally cold expression while adding,
“… That master doesn’t touch women who don’t want to be touched.”
“So, are you saying that this is a voluntary action?”
Lestrade, snorting at those words, started to move towards Adler when…
“Hey…”
The girl, who swiftly reached out to grab Adler’s raised arm, began to mutter with tired eyes.
“My face…”
Lestrade, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, became absent-minded once more.
“Instead of a slap, I want you to punch me.”
The reason being… the girl, whose condition was so bad that she looked pitiful even from a distance, was muttering those incomprehensible words, gently resting her cheek on Adler’s leg while looking down.
“… Just how many times do I have to tell you, huh?”
With that, silence ensued in the house.
“… Did I misunderstand something?”
Charlotte, who had been looking at the girl with a sharp gaze from behind the blankly staring Lestrade, began to mutter to herself while tilting her head.
“The alcohol in your system seems to be slowly wearing off too.”
Adler, who had been looking down at the girl resting her cheek on his leg with tired eyes, began to mutter quietly, shifting his gaze forward.
“… Could you please get this girl out of here?”
His gaze was just as tired as the girl who was resting quietly on his leg with her eyes half-closed.
“No matter how much I suck her blood, she won’t listen to any of my commands.”
“”………..””
“Help me, please…”
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A few minutes later…
“… You’re telling me that you called me here, not due to Master, but for a duck?”
When Charlotte, who had tied the unidentified girl to the end of the sofa with handcuffs, began to explain the whole story while sitting next to Adler, the lady, who had been quietly listening to her words, started to frown and speak.
“That can’t be. This is the first time I’ve heard from master in months; I was looking forward to this encounter so much too…”
“Excuse me… I’m not done talking yet…”
“Master, ha, have you abandoned us?”
Adler, who had been looking at her with a quizzical look on his face, couldn’t help but ask.
“Us?”
“We’re still waiting in patience for you.”
“… Could you explain a bit about this us you’re speaking of?”
Charlotte, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, darkened her gaze and asked the question.
“… You commoner folks might not understand, but there’s an unspoken rule among the high-class ladies of London.”
Sipping the tea brought by Lestrade’s youngest sibling, the lady began her story with an air of nobility in each of her actions.
“It doesn’t matter how many husbands we have, but there’ll always be only one master for us.”
“Isn’t that a rather rude statement to the married men of London’s upper class?”
“You mean those men that we didn’t even want to marry but had to because of familial circumstances, who treat us like objects, and who resort to using violence whenever they please? Are you talking about those wretched men?”
Her gaze began to turn fierce the more she spoke.
“You’re young, so it might be hard for you to believe and understand. But, you saw it earlier didn’t you? My violent alcoholic of a husband who beats me up as he pleases.”
“………..”
“Would you want to be embraced by such a horrible person? Or would you rather be embraced by Master, who sincerely supports us and warms us with his gentle and soothing smile?”
At the chilling voice filled with hatred, Charlotte and Lestrade quietly closed their mouths, turning silent. Meanwhile, the noble lady couldn’t help but smirk while setting down the teacup she had been holding in her hands.
“Simply counting those who had become so infatuated with Master Adler’s appearance that they willingly branded themselves as his slaves, I can say for certain that more than half of London’s ladies would choose the latter option.”
“… Isn’t that just an exaggeration?”
“Surprisingly, it’s actually true. I confirmed it with my own eyes already— the majority of the high-class ladies who dominate London’s social scene have the same golden seal branded on them as you and I do.”
Hearing those words, Charlotte threw a question at her with a hollow laugh.
“So, you’ve been going around social gatherings and lifting the clothes of noblewomen to confirm that fact?”
“If you chant a special spell, those with the seal can recognize each other. It’s only natural that such people would band together and form a faction.”
However, her response made her face don a slightly serious look.
“If such a power really exists, why hasn’t it been exposed already?”
“The higher-ups wouldn’t be higher-ups for nothing now, would they?”
“What do you mean by…”
“… Even though master is a mage, he has crossed the line quite a few times already, right? Why do you think he has never been legally prosecuted then? Hmm?”
Cold sweat started flowing down from Adler’s forehead, who had been silently listening to the conversation.
“The organization… it already existed?”
“Recently, however, master’s contact has been completely cut off, so everyone is becoming quite anxious.”
However, as though not noticing Adler’s condition, the lady calmly continued her explanation.
“That bewitching fox, Gia Lestrade, is definitely the cause.”
“……..!”
“Everyone’s waiting for master. I don’t know how she seduced master, but if they just broke up, then surely…”
“I’ve heard enough.”
Charlotte Holmes interrupted the noblewoman’s words with an expression that seemingly conveyed her rough understanding of the matter. Meanwhile, the eyes of Gia Lestrade, who was silently standing next to Charlotte, began to tremble due to the noblewoman’s last remarks.
“Alright, returning to the duck w…”
“I think we can skip that.”
As she tentatively tried to circle back to the original topic, the lady waved her off with a cold, indifferent expression on her face.
“As soon as I bought the duck, some madwoman attacked me… and before I knew it, I found myself on the outskirts of London, far from home…”
“… Hmm.”
“It must have been some paranormal phenomenon. That duck is definitely cursed. So, I don’t need it.”
“Are you sure that you don’t need it?”
“It was originally a tool to play the role of the submissive wife anyway. Strangle it a few times before it dies, or whatever. I don’t care anymore.”
And then, she stood up and pointed at her hat on the desk.
“I would like my hat back though, if you don’t mind.”
“………”
“Then, I will be taking my leave.”
After looking at her wordlessly for a while, Charlotte handed over the hat to her, and the lady promptly placed it on her head and began heading toward the entrance.
“… I don’t care if you abandon us.”
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and whispered in a soft, faint voice,
“But please contact us occasionally, dearest Master Adler…”
At the end of those words, silence descended on the room for a while.
– Swoosh…
“Perhaps, you should contact me instead from now on.”
“Do I even have a reason to…”
Charlotte, watching the lady’s retreating figure, quietly lifted Adler’s coat with a smirk on her face. Meanwhile, the lady who had turned around to respond couldn’t help but widen her eyes in surprise once she saw Adler’s lifted top.
“That is…..”
“I believe you more or less understand our relationship now.”
It was because Charlotte’s black seal was engraved on Adler’s stomach, a result of the contract they had established in the previous Reigate case.
“… I, I apologize.”
“I was in a bind since my sister suddenly declared her neutrality, but this will do for now.”
After staring at the seal blankly for a while, the lady quickly knelt in front of Charlotte, her face turning frighteningly pale in fright.
“Arrange a meeting soon.”
“… Yes.”
She respectfully bowed her head to their new leader.
“I should also ask Big Brother Adler to engrave the seal on me.”
“… London is doomed.”
From the mouths of the second and third siblings, who had been quietly watching the situation from their room until then, voices filled with differing emotions flowed out.
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“Everything’s going as expected so far.”
As soon as the lady, who had been repeatedly bowing her head toward Charlotte in a contrived manner, left the house, Charlotte picked up the cold black tea in front of her and began mumbling in a low voice.
“The owner of the hat was that lady and she involuntarily got caught up in this whole mess.”
Then, she began tapping her desk with her finger while taking a sip of the cold tea.
“So that only leaves the other person at the scene.”
“Yes, but I’m afraid it’s too late to mobilize the police to catch them now.”
“… Too late?”
Lestrade, whose mind had momentarily frozen due to the previous conversation that had surpassed her level of understanding, opened her mouth with a questioning look on her face.
“The London police are skilled in search and arrest. I think within a few hours…”
“Considering how swiftly they disappeared from your sight, Miss Lestrade, and with the lady’s testimony just now, it’s clear that the culprit has the ability to leap through space.”
However, Charlotte’s sharp voice left her speechless, a stunned expression manifesting on her face.
“Is that even possible? An object, maybe, but people themselves teleporting?”
“It’s a bizarre phenomenon that’s been reported a few times recently in France. Apparently, there’s a new organization there that uses such means to commit thefts.”
Lestrade, hearing this, asked with a serious expression on her face.
“So, there’s no way to catch the thief targeting the jewels?”
“Don’t worry, I have a way to bring them back.”
“How?”
“By utilizing the advantage we have.”
A sly smile began to appear on Charlotte’s face, who had been quietly tapping on the desk till now.
“The blue carbuncle they were after is now with us.”
“Oh, right! We have the jewel with us!”
“And we also have that slightly messed up girl…”
Charlotte then began to stare at the girl who had been tied up to the end of the sofa.
“… ?”
“… At first, I thought she might be the leader of the organization that’s been rampaging in France lately, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
As the girl, who was kneeling and licking the duck meat from Adler’s outstretched hand, tilted her head to the side, Charlotte grumbled with a frown.
“There’s no way such an extreme masochistic pervert could be the boss of an organization. Not even my sister is like that.”
“Then, what?”
“She’s probably a member of their organization. Of course, she’s not a small fry; considering her disguise and acting skills, she must be an executive.”
“Hmm…”
Lestrade’s eyes widened and she began intently staring at the handcuffed girl, following Charlotte’s words.
“Why the jewel that disappeared from the hotel a few days ago was swallowed by a duck in a grocery store, or how the culprit knew of this matter and attacked the lady who bought the duck… none of it has been clearly revealed yet.”
“……….”
“I have some guesses, of course, but now is not the time for chasing down evidence. It’s time to play a gamble to catch the culprit.”
Charlotte got up from her seat and approached the girl while muttering those words to herself.
“Mr. Adler, I need you to sign a contract with this girl.”
“… What?”
“We’re going to use this girl as bait to catch the culprit behind this incident.”
She then handed Adler a piece of paper and a pen.
“… Don’t you think we should teach those miscreants, who dared to invade England, a lesson?”
After pondering over her words for a moment, Adler, who quietly nodded his head, swiftly drafted a contract and laid it before the girl.
“Sign it.”
“… I don’t want to.”
The girl, who had been quietly staring up at him, shook her head from side to side.
– Smack!
But then, the sound of a palm colliding with flesh echoed through the room and the girl’s head spun all around as a result. Soon, she lifted the pen that had been lying on the ground, her eyes filled with tears.
“… Hey.”
Then, using her hand to caress her ruined face, she murmured in a tired voice.
“I’ve been saying this all along.”
“……….”
“I want you to punch me in the face too.”
After saying those words, the girl placed the pen on the paper and looked up at him with a blank look, causing Adler’s face to contort slightly in confusion and unease.
“… What on earth are you, really?”
A few seconds later, with the heavy sound of a fist sinking into flesh, the girl’s stomach began to glow in a golden hue.
“… Ugh.”
“This is driving me fucking insane…”
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That night. At the clock tower of Westminster Palace, hailed as the landmark that symbolized London, the tower that warned the citizens of the appearance of strange phenomena and beasts— and the tower which would later be called ‘Big Ben’…
“………”
The girl, who had been released from the house on Adler’s orders, sat on the roof of that place, quietly caressing the golden seal etched on her lower abdomen.
“… Who are you?”
But then, a cold voice suddenly began to sound next to her.
“Who are you to aim for the jewel we are after?”
“………”
The woman who had been fighting over the duck with the noblewoman in the morning was now, with her hat pulled low, pointing a gun at the girl’s head.
“Just who are you?”
Silence ensued following her question…
“If you won’t speak…”
– Swish!
“… Huh?”
The woman, who had been tightly holding onto the trigger, opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“This is…”
A blood-stained ace of spades had somehow found its way into her gun, blocking the firing mechanism.
“… Boss?”
The woman, who had been staring blankly at the card for a moment, finally spoke with an expression of disbelief.
“Weren’t you in India?”
“………”
“Didn’t you say that during our last communication? I know the signal was pretty bad but, I am sure you said that…”
With a sudden flash, the girl, who had been listening to her words quietly while looking down at the quiet streets of London, suddenly had a complete change of appearance.
“When did you come to England?”
With a perfectly healed face, a golden monocle on one of her eyes, and a stylish cape wrapped around a body that had been heavily bruised and even stamped with Adler’s seal, she sat there silently while gazing down.
“Ah…”
From the pitiful sight of being beaten up to the brink of death, the girl had suddenly transformed into a person exuding a mysterious aura— an aura that completely obscured her inner thoughts.
“… It’s pretty exciting to pretend to be weak and be dominated while hiding my strength.”
As she murmured in a calm voice, the woman standing next to her began to grow cloudy-eyed.
“… What did you… just say?”
“I might get addicted to this feeling.”
The darkness covering London continued to, ever so slightly, deepen…
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