Operation Red Book

"Yesterday, it really happened suddenly."

Marquis Sebastian took off his outer black cloak, revealing a clean, upright three-piece suit.

The suit was camel-colored, the fabric was visibly smooth, and the fit was perfect. Even a country bumpkin like Joshua could tell at a glance that it was expensive.

"After Ben was sent to the emergency room, Christine waited anxiously outside the operating room without stopping for a moment."

The Marquis' eyes were a gentle dark brown, the same color as his neat short hair.

Oh, and the closely trimmed beard that covered half his face, of course.

With just a glance, Ivy could tell that he must be over 35.

If nothing else, just look at that calm temperament, the wrinkles on his face, and the gentle yet dignified eyes that are the result of rich experience.

It is said that white flowers have a short flowering period, and their appearance drops sharply after 25.

However, look at the 28-year-old British bastard next to the Marquis. Although he is unkempt, he is still presentable...

"Sister, if this is your new fiancé, I will stand by your bed and laugh for three days and three nights..."

Ivy leaned close to Kristen's ear and whispered.

"After daybreak, a nurse came out and announced the bad result to everyone. Then, Christine fainted."

"Everything was in chaos. Lady Goodwin seemed to be crazy, and the Earl was sighing and saying nothing."

"I had no choice but to accept the order and go take care of Christine who was unconscious in bed."

"I didn't expect that as soon as I entered the room, I saw the window wide open and found the rope she used to escape through the window."

"Oh, this little girl..."

Holmes stroked his chin and took a deep look at Christine who was sleeping soundly in the carriage.

"She didn't run far. In fact, how far could a little girl, holding the hem of her skirt and wearing leather shoes, run in this deserted place?"

The Marquis continued.

"I caught up with her, but she refused to go back and insisted on returning to London."

"Ask her where she wants to go and what she wants to do..."

"She said she was going to 221-B Baker Street to see the great detective Sherlock Holmes..."

After saying this, the Marquis and Holmes smiled at each other, looking like close friends who had known each other for decades.

"Okay, I have a general idea. Now I only have two questions."

Holmes crossed his arms in a cheerful tone.

"First, where were you when the child died? Second, are there any unusual rumors about this place?"

The Marquis thought about it carefully:

"The first problem is that I was busy with official business and arrived a little late. When I arrived at the gate of the manor, it had become very noisy inside."

"As for the second question, I don't know. I'm not from here."

"What evidence do you have for your story?" asked Holmes, more cheerfully.

"Go ask your brother. A batch of new documents was delivered to his office when I left."

"Don't bother. I believe you have a convincing alibi."

Holmes heard the answer he wanted to hear and happily gave up making things difficult.

"Christine disregarded her family honor and ladylike upbringing and was willing to come to Baker Street alone in the middle of the night. There are only two reasons..."

"His brother's death was by no means an accident," the Marquis immediately took over the conversation.

"Ahem... Of course, but this is just one of the reasons..."

"The person she's really looking for isn't you, it seems to be that lady."

The Marquis pointed at Holmes and said with a smile.

Following the direction of the finger, Holmes turned his head and glanced at Ivy, who looked puzzled.

Then he turned back, curled his lips and snorted in dissatisfaction:

"She's not as smart as me..."

"But Christine didn't say a word the whole way. The first thing she called out after getting off the carriage was a young lady's name."

The corners of the Marquis' mouth rose even higher, and he saluted Ivy with solemn etiquette.

"It seems that we must conduct an on-site investigation before we can draw a conclusion."

Holmes didn't want to hear anything he didn't want to hear. With his back to everyone, he looked into the distance and said.

"What? Any conclusion about who Christine is looking for?"

"I'm talking about the conclusion of the case in which the young master of the Goodwin family was pushed down the stairs by a demon and died mysteriously!"

"Demon...demon? How do you know there are demons?"

"Ok?"

Unexpectedly, there was an unexpected gain. When Ivy and Joshua heard the key words, they immediately pricked up their ears.

"The one who fell down the stairs with little Ben was the Bruce family's youngest daughter, Wendy Bruce."

"Why didn't you tell me such an important thing just now!"

“You only asked those two questions…”

The Marquis sighed, looked at Holmes's frustrated expression and continued.

"Should we say this little girl is lucky or unlucky..."

"Luckily, little Ben hit his head and died from excessive blood loss, while Wendy, the child, only broke an arm, a leg and three ribs."

"The unfortunate thing is..."

He paused, as if considering whether to continue speaking in front of the women.

After a while, he walked towards Holmes and whispered:

"She is possessed by a demon. Although her appearance remains the same, her behavior is horrible."

"What does it look like?"

"Ok?"

Joshua appeared beside the Marquis at some point.

This kind of disappearance and appearance only scared the Marquis a little, but made Holmes furious.

Holmes grabbed Joshua by the back of the neck and twisted him hard.

"You're so curious! You're so curious... What are you doing! You're so curious... Why don't you just go and see it with your own eyes?"

"oh oh……"

Joshua was dazzled by Holmes' words, but he still couldn't understand the meaning of Holmes' words.

"Yes, the Seville Manor is not far ahead. We..."

"Since it's not far, we can go there by ourselves. Marquis Sebastian, could you please go back to London?"

"Oh? Of course I can, but Kristen..."

The Marquis looked at the women in the carriage and seemed to be in a dilemma.

"With other women around, my reputation will definitely be preserved."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ivy jumped off the carriage.

She caught the unconscious Christine steadily, and then with a light effort, she held Christine horizontally in her arms.

"Go that way, right?"

Ivy walked past the men without looking around, taking one step at a time with a determined look in her eyes.

Joshua and the Marquis looked somewhat stunned, but Holmes tried his best to suppress the corners of his mouth that were about to turn up, and his expression was full of pride.

"It seems that I was worrying for nothing. No wonder Christine was able to climb down a 3-meter-high wall just to throw herself into Miss Ivy's arms..."

"Has that been enough? We are going to investigate the case!"

"That's enough, I'm going back to London..."

The Marquis put on his black robe again, and in two or three steps he jumped onto the carriage.

"Where do you want me to go? What message do you want to convey?"

"Go to the Hagia Sophia in the north and find a priest named Jacob Duran. Tell him my name and tell him about the Bruce family."

"it is good……"

The Marquis did not pause. Almost at the moment he finished speaking, the carriage turned around and galloped away in the opposite direction.

After the carriage disappeared at the end of the path, Joshua asked Holmes about the unusual incident while scratching the back of his head.

"Why can't we ask the girl about the details of being possessed by evil spirits?"

Holmes pursed his lips, frowned, and then opened his eyes.

"How can a person possessed by a demon behave normally? He must be as disgusting as possible. Sebastian was concerned about the presence of women, so he didn't elaborate. This is gentlemanly behavior, but..."

"It's just the black robe he's wearing, right?"

Joshua looked in the direction where the Marquis was going away with an indifferent expression.

"I read a book about religious beliefs. Black robes cover the body, masks cover the face, and the body and feet are bare."

"Gathering people for anger, drinking blood for sacrifice, taking Satan as the master, betraying God, this is called the Black Mass..."

"So, you are suspicious..."

Joshua blinked and looked at Holmes solemnly.

"You are doubting the Marquis of Sebastian..."

"That black robe is a bit too big. Look at his suit, and then look at his hair and beard. Do you think this is something that would appear in his wardrobe?"

Holmes retorted disdainfully, he hooked Joshua's neck and walked forward one after the other.

"You're still a little naive to be a famous detective, little brat!"