Operation Red Book

"If you insist on doing this, then I can't say anything more..."

"I respect your decision and your wishes, but I must remind you..."

"This is not an easy thing to do. You are still young and have not yet entered society. You don't know how crazy this world is..."

In Christine's room, the voice of Marquis Sebastian floated softly.

"In fact, this is just a temporary thought of mine..."

Christine's voice was heard immediately afterwards. Her voice was soft and sounded weak.

I don’t know if it’s because my body is too tired, or because the energy in my heart is just a rising mist that has never condensed.

"My parents have too many things to worry about. My brother is away at the battlefield and the situation is not going well. Now Xiaoben is also..."

"Christine..."

"I also want to contribute to our Goodwin family, but not in the form of marriage."

"Your Excellency the Marquis..." She choked a little.

"We haven't met much, but I firmly believe that you must be a very good person!"

"The feeling you give me is completely different from that of Count Waite. I trust you very much and regard you as an important person in my life..."

"Don't say that..."

"I have caused you a lot of trouble these past two days. Please forgive me. I will definitely ask my father to give you a gift in return in the future."

"It's okay. This is what I should do. The most important thing now is..."

"Boom boom boom!"

A rapid knock on the door interrupted the conversation between Christine and Marquis Sebastian.

The two of them looked at the bronze door together, and then looked at each other warily.

Christine walked quickly towards the door, while the Marquis quietly hid in a cabinet nearby.

"Who is it?" Christine asked cautiously.

"Kiki! It's me! Ivy and Joshua!"

"Click..."

"Ms. Ivy!"

"Shh! Uh..."

Christine cried out in delight, turned the doorknob and rushed in.

Before Ivy could react, a white figure jumped out from the crack of the door and almost knocked her down.

At this moment, there was a noise in the corridor. Joshua quickly pushed the two girls who were entangled with each other into the room and locked the heavy door.

Although the two were wearing servants' uniforms, their oriental faces and ugly hairstyles were too conspicuous. Ivy and Joshua still had to hide all the time while looking for them.

Christine staggered to the bed holding Ivy. She pushed Ivy to sit on the bed, then hurriedly ran over to pull Joshua over.

Her face was flushed and her movements were anxious, as if she was trying to divert Ivy and Joshua's attention.

After completing this general operation, Christine stood in front of the two of them and curled the corners of her mouth politely.

"What a nice day today, Miss Ivy!"

"Oh, and...Mr. Williams...are you sure you don't want to wear a hat?"

"To be honest, I almost didn't recognize Mr. Williams. Even though I usually don't recognize him, I just know that he has been sticking to you, Miss Ivy, like a follower who can't take care of himself..."

The most mean girl I have ever seen in my life... Joshua stared and complained in his heart.

Kristen continued to smile awkwardly, but Ivy didn't have time to continue talking about the weather.

She straightened her hair and went straight to the point: "Kiki, where were you when Xiaoben fell?"

"Eh?"

Christine was a little confused when the case was suddenly brought up, but the smart girl quickly got into the mood.

"The ladies and I are drinking tea in the living room, mainly...mainly waiting for Marquis Sebastian to visit the manor..."

She was a little nervous and her eyes unconsciously moved to the left.

Ivy was so absorbed in recording that she didn't notice anything unusual about Christine.

But Joshua saw all these actions. His pupils sank and he followed Christine's gaze to look behind her.

There is a dressing table at the back, and next to it is a large black pointed cabinet.

"Is Baroness Bruce here too?"

"Yes, she is the organizer of the party and the hostess of this manor, so of course she has to be there."

"Before the incident, did Madam leave the reception room?"

Christine thought for a moment and said, "She went out twice. Once she was accompanied by a maid. She gave instructions and came back soon."

"The second time it took a little longer. She was very calm when she left, but a little flustered when she came back..."

“Can you give a rough idea of ​​how long it was?”

"how to say……"

Christine frowned, she seemed a little embarrassed.

"Because my mother and aunt kept talking to me about engagements and the Marquis, I always felt that this period of time passed very slowly..."

After saying that, Christine blushed and lowered her head again. Ivy expressed her understanding. She walked forward and gently patted Christine on the back.

Joshua followed Christine's gaze and stared at the silent closet. Maybe it was because he was too worried, but he seemed to hear some strange noises just now.

"Anyway, it took quite a while. I finished two cups of tea, so it must have taken me more than ten minutes."

Christine said hesitantly.

After saying that, she blinked, her expression somewhat unbelievable:

"Do you doubt Baroness Bruce?"

"Yes, she is a suspect, but it's not certain." Ivy told the truth.

"I don't think so. Baroness Bruce has been very good to us. During the time I have lived here, I have received unprecedented care and attention."

Christine said meticulously, her back straightened and her expression serious.

"Many people left the reception room, including my mother, my aunt, the maid, and even I went out twice."

"Madam is very busy and always has to deal with emergencies in the manor. Later, when she went out, Baron Bruce was waiting at the door. The two of them went out together after discussing it."

"Besides, she has no reason to hurt Xiaoben. She likes Xiaoben very much. I can feel it!"

"During the archery competition two days ago, there was a conflict between Little Ben and Little Wendy, and their mother lost her composure. Auntie was the boss and it was Mrs. Bruce who took the initiative to comfort the two and helped them reconcile..."

"What shooting competition?" Ivy looked up and asked.

"Have they had conflicts for a long time?" Joshua narrowed his eyes.

Christine looked at the two of them and replied one by one:

"In the shooting competition held in the town, pumpkin targets were placed on the grass. Two people formed a team and held a shotgun to compete to see who could shoot quickly and accurately within a limited time."

"Oh! Interesting activities!"

"It's for Halloween!"

"Forget Halloween, it's so boring." Ivy rolled her eyes.

"Student Ivy..." Joshua said helplessly.

"As for Mr. Williams' question, I think it's unnecessary. There will always be more or less conflicts between children. This time it's because of pudding, the next time it's because of toys. You can't predict whether they will be yelling at each other one second and hugging each other the next."

Christine said this dignifiedly, looking at Joshua with some malice in her eyes.

Joshua did not respond. He remained calm and composed.

Ivy was a little confused, there was obviously a secret war between the two of them, she had already seen it.

In order to ease the atmosphere, Ivy smiled awkwardly and asked a humorous question.

"So who won the archery competition?"

"Of course it's our Xiaoben!"

Talking about Xiao Ben, Christine smiled happily again.

"The number of shots he hit set a new record in the town's history! But little Wendy is also very good. If her gun hadn't jammed at the beginning, who knows who would have won the medal and the big basket of apples!"

"Medal? Where is it?" Joshua asked.

"I don't know." Christine shook her head.

"The medal was always in Xiaoben's hands before, but now... it should have been taken away by my father..."

The medal is blue, triangular, and inlaid with a beautiful dove of peace. Although it is made of bronze, it is very delicate and beautiful.

Now, it was lying in the palm of Mrs. Bruce's hand. The light was a little dim, but if you look closely, you can see some red bloodstains on the tip of the medal and the eyes of the dove of peace.

The next second, the bloodstain was wiped away by the lady's sleeve, and the perfect medal was placed under Wendy's bed.