Caroline was wearing a luxurious black and gold trimmed gown, the lace blended perfectly with the tectonic lines, accentuating her slender and fragile body. She looked so beautiful and conspicuous that even Tawana changed into her formal attire and followed behind Caroline with a little bit of uneasiness, for her, attending the Imperial Minister's dinner party was an experience she had never had before, and the fact that she didn't even know how to do it made little Tawana very nervous.
（So, what happened?)
Caroline picked up a glass of wine from the table, then looked over at Jared.
（You go out and stare at people, and then you come back with a dinner table?)
"The situation is more complicated than we thought ..."
Seeing that Tawana was gazing curiously out of the window, Jared lowered his voice and whispered to Caroline about what had happened after that. This made Caroline frown, and she began to think about the connection.
(Generally speaking, those who are treated as close friends are called close friends because it is believed that they will not betray.)
"That's true, and the truth is, I'm sure Kelly didn't expect them to betray themselves at all."
Jared looked around, it was time to prepare for the dinner, many waiters and maids were busy preparing. After that, Kylie returned to her room to recuperate because she wasn't feeling well, and Vito followed suit to take care of his daughter because he was worried. Although his expression was very sincere, but before that hint of almost illusory murderous intent was like a thorn in Jared's heart, he could not accept this man's affection for his own daughter no matter what, I think it was also because of this reason.
（But they betrayed him? Who do you think could have infiltrated him with more power than the Imperial Minister?)
"Caroline, you're thinking in the wrong direction."
Jared was quick to point out the problem. Caroline stared back at him in disbelief, clearly asking Jared for an explanation.
"The only one who was 'betrayed' was Kelly, those two didn't betray Vito, so if you think about it that way, doesn't that solve everything?"
(That conspiracy theory of yours again?)
Caroline obviously can't accept this.
"I don't think so, I just think he's really weird ..."
Jared didn't say anything else, he had no evidence to back up his claim. In fact, Caroline's concern was not misplaced, if you focused too much on one person, it was very possible to lose sight of other important things. Just then, Kelly and her father had arrived in the ballroom, so Caroline and Jared stopped talking, and Tawana hastily withdrew her envious gaze and scrambled back to her seat. There was a long oval table in front of them, and the three of them were seated close to the master's table, while Vito sat in the center, and Kylie sat beside her father, looking as if she was still a little pale. Tawana looked at her with concern, wanting to inquire, but in the end didn't due to the atmosphere.
Once everyone was seated, Vito raised his glass.
"Although I don't think it's appropriate to say this right now, thank you Mr. Jared for saving my daughter's life, I really don't know what to ... do."
"You're too kind, if those two hadn't fought so hard to keep watch, I'm afraid Ms. Kelly would have been dead by the time I got there."
Jared hastily responded, although he did not have prior and Kylie to tamper with the confession, but with his fingers can guess what Kylie will say, since she wants to save the reputation of those two, naturally, will make up lies, nothing more than their own attack, the two in order to protect her death and so on. And she couldn't have appeared before that, or else anyone with a clear mind would have seen the problem. Facing an opponent who was able to seriously injure and kill those two people, but he didn't even break his skin, this is not reasonable in any case. If he was so strong that his enemies couldn't even touch him, then why did he let Kelly get hurt and the other two die?
"Hey ... Yufeng they ... are really pitiful."
Vito put down his glass, his face grim.
"I trusted them too much, thought there was no danger or difficulty they couldn't handle, and that's why I sent them to protect Kelly. But I didn't expect ..."
His voice was a little choked with emotion, his eyes were slightly red, and the atmosphere of the whole hall became a little heavy for a while. But soon Vito realized his own words, he smiled bitterly and raised his glass again, at the same time to the crowd.
"Let's not talk about those unpleasant things for now. It is necessary to honor the dead, but before that, we the living must be happy to be alive. Please enjoy your meal without any formalities. Please don't be so nervous, I'm not a magical beast." Looking at little Tawana, who was already so nervous that she didn't know what to say, Vito snorted. But just as he was about to say something else, suddenly a waiter walked in quickly and whispered something in Vito's ear, then Vito's face changed slightly, then he stood up and smiled apologetically at the crowd.
"Well, if you'll all enjoy yourselves, I have some business to attend to. Mr. Jared ... After the dinner, if you are free, could you please come to my study? There is something we need to talk about in private."
"Okay."
Jared replied lightly as he swirled his glass. Vito stood up and left, leaving Kelly to entertain them.
"Sister Kelly, you look like you're not feeling well?"
Little Tawana breathed a sigh of relief when Vito left, and then she looked at Kelly and cautiously asked a question. Kelly smiled back wearily and shook her head slightly.
"It's nothing, just a small injury."
"It's best if you don't drink alcohol or eat these foods for a while."
Jared looked at the sumptuous dishes in front of him, which, although they looked very tasty, were totally unsuitable for someone who was injured or sick. Strong stimuli were not good for wounds, didn't the people of this world know that?
"Better let Caroline heal you."
"No need."
Kelly shook her head, weakly but firmly refusing Jared's request.
（A lady shouldn't have scars, Miss Kelly.)
"Thank you, but I want to stay."
Kelly gently touched her shoulder, a look of fortitude in her weakness.
"It should stay and be a constant reminder as well as a ... memento..."
It was then that Jared noticed that the corners of Kylie's eyes were slightly red and her voice was a little hoarse. Apparently she had been crying since she got back. However, he did not ask too many questions, but shifted his gaze to Caroline, slightly signaling to her. Understanding Jared's meaning, although Caroline was a bit dissatisfied, she still activated "thought communication", and quickly found Vito's voice.
"... Is that what Her Majesty the Queen said?"
Vito's voice sounded a little surprised.
"Yes."
A small, dark voice appeared, and it seemed to be the person he was talking to.
"The details are written here ..."
The voice was lowered, but for Caroline, who had no need for volume, it was no problem at all. Even if someone was whispering in her ear to the point that she couldn't even hear herself, as long as she spoke, it was very obvious and clear to Caroline. However, I didn't expect that the other party would actually pay attention to this extent, although it was certainly impossible for them to discover Caroline's ability, but in order to prevent eavesdropping, they used a letter to convey their meaning, so it was obviously very careful.
"I see."
After a few moments of silence, Vito's voice sounded again.
"I will write a letter to assure Her Majesty that such a thing will not happen again."
"I hope it's what you say it is ..."
"Then, please take me to greet His Majesty and the Princess."
"I understand ..."
Caroline refocused her attention on the party in front of her. In fact, the mood of the party was anything but relaxed, with young Tawana asking Kylie about her health with concern, and Jared just twirling his glass, wondering what he was thinking. After that, Vito didn't say anything of significance, and like before, he was obviously a very careful and deliberate person. Otherwise, there was nothing to say. Jared thought Kelly's father was a suspect, but only a suspect.
And just then, Caroline suddenly distilled a sensitive word from the cacophony of voices around her, and she immediately focused and locked onto that voice.
"About that cart of magic gems ... still can't find it in the end?"
"Yes, my lord."
It was Vidocq, and it was obvious he was talking to someone else. But this time it didn't sound like the palace messenger.
"How did it come to this?"
Vito's obviously a little anxious.
"Who leaked the information? Just now, the royal palace came to the people, the intention is obviously to test me. They must have gotten hold of something, to immediately go to find out ... otherwise, what will happen who can not say."
"Sir, according to the information, those two men are highly suspicious."
"You mean the two warriors the Academy sent to Kelly?"
"Yes, my lord, according to intelligence, the two of them appeared out of nowhere, and it is possible that they are ..."
"... Are they from the Academy? No, the academy shouldn't care about me, no, I should have made a deal with them. ... Are they from the royal family?"
Vito's tone was becoming agitated and confused. Caroline, on the other hand, became more and more amazed as she listened, not realizing that things would turn out this way. Although she didn't get any information about Kelly's murder, she didn't realize that Vito was the one who made the deal with Florence. Could it be that he was the one who needed that truckload of magic gems?
"I think it's possible, my lord. They were at Florence's daughter's side after she disappeared and the cart with the jewel was nowhere to be found. Judging by the strength of that man, who could even injure me, I suspect they were secretly sent by the crown, lurking on the sidelines. Please be careful, if they find out anything, I'm afraid things will become very troublesome!"
The voice was unfamiliar, but it seemed to have been heard somewhere before, but Caroline couldn't remember for the life of her.
"I know."
In the end, Vito seems to have made his decision.
"I'll try to find out what they're up to, and then I'll make a plan. Since they appeared after that, they must have some connection with the royal family or someone in the academy. Moreover, this attack is also a little bit suspicious ... I heard Kylie say that they belong to the Tower of Darkness?"
"Yes."
At the mention of the name, the voice became much more grave, as if it were talking about some taboo that should not be known.
"Now that Florence's daughter has joined the Tower of Darkness faction, it's very unusual. You know, in these decades, the Tower of Darkness has never invited anyone to join, but if it really is the Lord of Darkness interfering, then we need to be even more cautious. After all, no one, including the Lord of the Heavens, can truly grasp what the Dark Lord is thinking."
"Okay, I get it."
Vito's obviously nervous too.
"Well, then, I hope you'll proceed with caution, Mr. Stephen."
"Ding!"
The knife and fork in Caroline's hand dropped onto the plate with a crisp clatter, and she finally remembered who it was that had been talking to Vito.