After reading the report in his hand, Emperor Nicholas I raised his head and looked at the beautiful man in front of him. It was the first time he had met the daughter of Count Hecate, the heir of the Hecate family and the Thirteen Lessons, who was not quite the same as Count Hecate. The earl was a model of nobility, and his manners and manners were no less than those of his own courtiers, and he was obviously a director of the Ministry of the Interior, and this Miss Hecate was now quite handsome in front of him, standing straight, and there was not much to be faulted with, but behind her appearance the Emperor was keenly aware of something peculiar, and this young lady seemed to be very tired, and her eyes wandered from time to time.

Neither father nor daughter looked quite like someone from the Home Office should be, the father was too elegant, the daughter was too inattentive. The Emperor thought to himself.

The Emperor coughed softly, pulling back the thoughts that Artemis had just distracted. "Do you have any suspicions about Maxsimian's murderer?" the Emperor's bushy eyebrows were twisted together, and the troubles were one after the other, and after two bad things in quick succession in the previous days, these two things were also developing in a worse direction. In the case of Hadrian, due to the delay in receiving a reply to the request for a meeting with the Foreign Ministry, the Foreign Secretary Menccan has been criticized a lot, and the Foreign Ministry has fallen into a great passivity, and the Emperor has even heard the proposal to make the Marquis of Metternich as Foreign Minister again, and the matter of the Earl of Midnight, the director of the thirteenth section has actually been attacked, which is simply a challenge to the majesty of the Empire!

Seeing the emperor's gloomy and angry face, Artemis lowered his head and replied cautiously: "We have some speculations about this matter, but there is not enough evidence, and everything will not be conclusive until my father wakes up." ”

"Hecate Qing. The Emperor called out to Artemis in a deep voice.

"Yes. Watching the Emperor so oppressively, Artemis felt sweat oozing from his forehead. That's why I hate to do that!" she grumbled to herself.

"In order to protect the security and stability within the empire, and to maintain the majesty and dignity of the empire and the imperial family, the Ministry of the Interior sometimes does not need too hard evidence. Attacking the officials of the Empire and my vassals is already provoking the Empire and the Imperial Family!So, even the slightest suspicion, be prepared to arrest this person at any time, do you understand?"

Artmis's head hung lower. "I see, Your Majesty. ”

"So, tell your speculation. ”

Artemis took a breath, trying to calm himself down. "My father found signs of a private meeting between Jericho and the Marquis at the Marquis de Metternich's banquet, so in order to fulfill the task you have given him, he decided to monitor the meeting, and in the process, he was attacked. From the point of view of motives, the Marquis of Metternich and Count Jericho were deeply suspicious, and the Count should have been the only person who had the ability to hurt my father at that time, so we speculate that it was probably Count Jericho's doing, but the specific circumstances need to be investigated. ”

With that, Artemis heard a rattling sound from the Emperor's mouth, as if he had gritted his teeth.

Oliver, old bastard!, the Emperor scolded the Marquis viciously in his heart. There is no good person who does diplomacy, hmph, I was here here to intercede with Ernest No. Jericht, and in the blink of an eye I met with Earl Midnight in private, what are the plans of this old fellow?

Although he scolded the marquis in his heart, the emperor was still very jealous of the marquis, because he still did not understand the purpose of the Marquis of Metternich. A few days ago, the marquis talked to him about so many old things in front of him with a gloomy tone, and he thought suspiciously that the marquis was really preparing to plan for his posthumous affairs, and now it seems that this guy is still so slippery when he is old, and no one can guess the ghost idea in his stomach.

"You continue to look at Jericho, and if the evidence is conclusive, I will do you justice. ”

The suppressed anger in the emperor's tone made Artemis uneasy, standing in front of this supreme girl, who was usually quite presumptuous, did not dare to move, when the kind of coercion that pressed on the entire empire was pressed on Artemis alone, she finally understood why so many ministers could only be silent in front of the emperor.

But fortunately, she finally didn't have to face the supreme who started the fire.

"Your Majesty retired. ”

Artemis hurried out of the Emperor's study, and the moment she stepped out of the room, she finally felt herself breathe air. Atmis, who had eased down, slowed down his pace and walked slowly, visiting the palatial Tiamat Palace by the way.

However, Tiamat Palace is the emperor's palace after all, and as its name suggests, it is like the mother of all things that created the Chaos Vortex, and this palace is also the center of the Imperial Power Vortex. Atmis's relaxed mood didn't last long, and she met another person she needed to take seriously.

The man who greeted him was a middle-aged man, who looked about the same age as Count Hecate, and at most a few years older. But unlike the chic and elegant earl, he embodies more of the old state of a man after entering middle age. His skin was sickly white, probably because he hadn't walked much in the sun since he had been in the office all the year round, and the hair on his head had gradually become bald, and his hairline was pulled back very far. His appearance is very inconspicuous, although he does not have too many wrinkles because he is well maintained, but he already looks like an ordinary middle-aged man, and he will not attract much attention in the crowd. He wore a pair of round-rimmed glasses, looked very Sven, had a somewhat fat build, was not very tall, and did not look much like his lion-like father, but on the face of it, he was at most an honest cow.

"Regards you, Your Highness. Artemis hurriedly made way for the man and saluted respectfully.

"I remember you ...... Ah, by the way, you're the daughter of Count Hecate, Artmis!" the man remembered her name, and greeted her in a very gentle tone, "Did you accompany your father into the palace today? ”

"Actually, my father had some accidents, and I came to report it to His Majesty. Artemis replied, bowing his head.

"Count Hecate has had an accident?" the man showed a modest surprise, "is it hurt?"

"Yes. Although the thirteen lessons only belonged to the emperor, because of this man's special status, Artemis had to report it truthfully.

"That's right. The man sighed, "May your father recover soon." ”

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Allow me to take my leave. ”

Artemis hurriedly found an opportunity to end the conversation with this man, and even walked much faster as he walked.

The man stood still, looking at the back of Artemis in the distance, his inconspicuous eyes behind the lenses showing a thoughtful look.

————————————————————

Jericho's mansion, Swain was ready to go out early in the morning.

"Brother, are you going out so early?" Sophia, who was startled by Swain, was still wearing pajamas, sleepily watching her brother tidy up in front of the mirror.

"There's something to go out, you go back to sleep, I should be back before lunch." After one night, Swain's attitude became so lukewarm again, and the tenderness of last night was gone.

But Sophia didn't care, she was used to her brother's attitude.

"Your bow tie is still crooked. Seeing her brother standing in front of the mirror fiddling for a long time, Sophia chuckled and walked up to him, "I'll help you." ”

Swain didn't insist, he really wasn't good at this kind of delicate thing. He reached out and picked up Sophia's sideburns.

"Don't catch a cold. ”

"Hmm. ”

Before parting, Sophia hugged her brother and then trotted back into the bed.

"Be careful all the way, brother. ”

Swain nodded and closed the door.

Swain handed a letter to the valet and got into the carriage, and today his destination was the Red Pinwheel Cafe, a famous spot in the imperial capital.

The imperial capital along the way is no different from yesterday, the Triumphal Avenue is still full of traffic, and last night's Metternich family's one-night carnival has nothing to do with these small people, they still live their daily budgetary days, only occasionally take out the drunken gold fans and romantic affairs of the hearsay nobles as after-dinner conversations.

The imperial capital is too big, and it is difficult for anything to affect the entire imperial capital, even the Hadrian Empire, which is now in turmoil, is still too far away for these ordinary people.

When Swain arrived at the Red Windmill, it was about the same as the day he first arrived in the imperial capital, and the guests were still scarce. However, despite the small number of customers, the red windmill is still bright, and its fame comes not from the number of guests, but from the legend that has spread so widely.

Most customers choose to enjoy a glass of juice and a plate of dessert directly at the open-air coffee table set up outside the store, which is convenient and inexpensive. There is hardly a single customer in the store, and the consumption and taste in the store are not what ordinary people consume.

Swain walked straight into the store, he wasn't here to simply grab a cup of coffee. The Red Pinwheel is at least as good as its reputation, and the interior of the store is exquisitely decorated, with seats separated by various decorations and potted plants, and a private space that can be disturbed by people. Thanks to the use of dark glass, the light in the store appears dim even in the morning, giving you a natural sense of mystery. Of course, the most mysterious thing is that there are no waiters in the café, and the coffee and desserts in the café are made by the owner himself, and they are also served to the guests, and the waiters only work outside.

Walking over to the empty counter, Swain rang the bell on the counter, and there was a small door behind the counter, which was probably the owner's kitchen.

As he waited, he looked at the setting of the counter. Although the inside of the Red Pinwheel has always been mysterious, the counter is not much different from other cafes. Coffee cups are neatly arranged on the white cabinet, and on the back wall is a price list with food and prices, and a little more striking is the lost and found box next to the counter, but it looks like the box is cluttered with everything. Normal ones such as handkerchiefs, pipes, hairpins, etc. Strangely there were even children's shoes, a pot of cacti, and a bulging briefcase that took up half of the cupboard.

Sven just glanced at it, and although there was something strange, it wasn't too curious. It didn't take long for footsteps to come from the small door behind the counter, and an old woman stepped out of the small door.

"What do you want?" her voice sounded hoarse, and she looked like a witch in a story in her old gray knitted shawl.

"A cup of black coffee, plus a chocolate cake, that's all. ”

The old woman was short, and Swain couldn't see any expression on her drooping face, but he was sure that when he said he wanted black coffee, the old woman let out a distinct laugh, albeit a small one.

"You have a great eye, young sir. The black coffee here was tasted by His Majesty the Emperor back then, but now he can't drink it if he wants to. The old woman took a cup from the counter and went back to the small door behind her.

Swain was noncommittal to her, if it was just the owner's boasting, this legend should not have spread so widely, not to mention that if it was really a lie, the royal family would come out to declare and punish the coffee shop for his own face. Now this café can have such a big reputation, although the emperor has not personally admitted it, but it probably will not be a rumor. The only thing that mattered was the old woman's tone.

But none of this had anything to do with Swain, and he found a seat in a corner. Although there were few people in the café, he still preferred the more closed places.

As there were no other customers in the café now, the old woman soon served him what he had ordered. Swain sipped the cake as he grabbed a newspaper from the newsrack and read the news.

Thanks to the invention and popularization of the telegraph, the efficiency of journalism is also dozens of times higher than it was more than ten years ago, and the news of the Kingdom of Silesia the day before yesterday has already appeared in the German newspaper early this morning. Although the Kingdom of Silesia informed its allies of the Syrian Empire of this dispute provoked by Hadrian's Empire as soon as possible, it is clear that now that the Treaty of Sromboli is about to expire, the Silesians are also worried about whether their allies will still punch Hadrian as they did ten years ago, so the Silesians continue to fulfill their obligations at the end of the Entente, and at the same time contact the Hadrians. The day before yesterday, the King of Silesia received Hadrian's envoy, and although Silesia did not make any promises afterwards, he did not make a statement, and such an attitude was enough to pull the nervous nerves of Silier.

As Swain read the impassioned, patriotic article, another customer walked into the café. The old woman was standing at the counter, and she was surprised to see that it was a young maid, who usually would not come to the store to buy take-out sweets.

"What do you want?" she asked, questioningly, to the maid with short, black ear-length hair.

The maid glanced at the price list, pointed to the most expensive at the end, and said, "A fresh fruit sabayon, with cherry flavor." With that, she walked straight to the corner where Swain was sitting and sat down across from Swain.

The old woman seemed to understand something, and without saying anything more, she turned and walked directly into the small door.

"The cherry blossoms are just blooming this season. Swain put down the newspaper and looked at Ramrem and said.

"This café will keep some of last year's fresh fruit in the ice cellar, although it won't taste very good. There was no expression on Swain's expressionless face, and there was no expression on Ramrem's face, and the two men looked at each other as if they were looking in a mirror.

"You're welcome," Swain didn't care about the money, "Does Viscount Ernest have anything to do with Count Hecate?"

"Nope. ”

"So do the two of them know each other?"

"Recognize. Ramrem thought for a moment and replied in the affirmative, "At one of the Phil family's birthday parties, Wood invited them at the same time, and they met. ”

"Acquaintance, but no friendship, right......" Sven stirred slowly as he put two sugar cubes in his coffee.

The two men were silent for a while, and during this time, the old woman brought up the Sabayong that Ramrem had wanted.

It has a rich aroma of wine, a thick and soft custard aroma, and a burnt aroma after being slightly roasted, and the smell of this dessert can be intoxicating. The custard is covered with cherries, cold and hot, slightly drunk and fresh, and people's mood seems to be affected by this delicacy.

Seeing that Sabayong, who wanted to eat but had never had a chance, was now in front of him, Ramrem's cold face now melted. She scooped up a spoonful, stuck out her tongue like a kitten and licked it gently, reluctant to eat it directly. If Ramrem had a tail, it must be cocked by now.

Looking at Ramrem, whose face was already flushed, Swain also picked up the famous cup of coffee and took a sip.

At that moment, Ramrem saw Sven's expression change for the first time. His eyes widened, the veins on his forehead turned hideous, and even Swain couldn't control the pain on his face. Fortunately, he at least maintained his gentlemanly demeanor and did not squirt out the coffee.

Ramrem laughed so happily that even the custard in the spoon fell off.

It took a while for Sven to breathe from the smell. He looked at Ramrem, who was smiling and trembling, and said coldly, "Why didn't you remind me earlier?"

"Because I just want to see you like that. Ramrem covered her mouth, but the uncontrollable corners of her eyes still revealed her snicker.

Swain put down the quilt, he was now losing interest in the chocolate cake.

"One last question. He stood up, and Ramrem finally stopped laughing unsightly, "Have you heard of Lesson Thirteen?"

"Lesson 13?" Ramrem tilted his head and looked at Swain quizzically.

"Nothing. He took out a stack of banknotes and put it on the table, then left the café alone.

Ramrem craned his neck as he watched Swain leave. In the end, she decided to ignore Swain's last unprovoked question and focus on her Sabayong.