Charlotte's expression was written plainly across her face. She stared intently at Russell, but he simply returned an innocent smile.
"That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Miss Holmes."
Louise, standing between the two of them, let out a cheerful cry.
"We never intended to cause you any trouble."
She gazed at the princess shining like a little sun before her, then glanced at the man beside her, and finally took a deep breath.
"I actually have other plans for this afternoon," she said in as calm a tone as possible. "So I may not be able to stay with you the whole time."
"That's no problem at all!" Louise shook her head lightly. "Then let's spend just a little while together, okay? Just a tiny bit?"
She clasped her hands in front of her chest, her beautiful amber eyes sparkling like those of a small animal.
Charlotte felt a throbbing pain at her temple.
Kids are really such a hassle. I have no intention of ever having children in the future. Absolutely not.
"Fine."
"Yay!"
Once she received permission, Louise's smile grew even brighter. The girl couldn't help but jump up, her skirt fluttering in the wind.
Seeing how genuinely happy she looked, Charlotte instinctively pinched the bridge of her nose, then turned her gaze toward Russell. As if an idea had suddenly occurred to her, she leaned forward slightly and softened her tone.
"By the way, Your Highness, this is my first time visiting Buckingham Palace, so I'm not very familiar with the layout inside. If it's not too much trouble, would you mind showing us around?"
"Of course! So, where should we go next?"
Louise nodded vigorously.
"Please head to the tower in the west wing."
"Theo's Tower—I know the way. Follow me!"
Louise eagerly dashed to the front of the group and waved for the two to follow.
"Miss Holmes, Mr. Watson, it's just up ahead."
"All right."
Russell replied, then followed after her.
Charlotte walked right behind Russell, keeping pace with him while maintaining a certain distance from Louise.
"Russell Watson, I need a satisfactory explanation."
She kept her voice low as she spoke to the man beside her, her eyes fixed on Louise ahead.
"Did you forget what I said yesterday?"
[Malice Points from Charlotte Holmes: +30]
"Don't take it so seriously."
Russell smiled while simultaneously reaching out a hand to block the elbow strike Charlotte aimed at him.
"We can't keep Her Highness cooped up in her room all day. She'd get bored."
"It seems you've forgotten why we came to Buckingham Palace. Shall I remind you? We didn't come here to babysit a child."
"My job feels pretty much the same as babysitting."
Russell shrugged, looking quite unyielding.
"Anyway, you've already taken her out. Can't you tell her to go back to her bedroom?"
Charlotte fell silent.
She watched the small figure hopping ahead like a little bird, then turned to the seemingly innocent man beside her as if nothing had happened.
"Fine."
After a long silence, she finally squeezed out, "We'll settle this when we get back."
The three of them formed a clever formation and descended toward the base of the tower.
The tower was extremely tall, its spiral staircase stretching almost to the horizon.
"I've never been up there before."
Louise stood at the bottom of the stairs, gazing up at the opening at the very top.
"Then let's consider today a real eye-opening experience."
Russell smiled and stepped forward, guiding Louise up to the second floor.
Charlotte took a deep breath to temporarily suppress her uncontrollable emotions and followed after him.
When they reached the top of the tower, a panoramic view instantly unfolded before the three of them.
The entire Buckingham Palace, and even most of London, came into sight.
"Wow…" Louise leaned against the railing and let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration.
"This is my first time seeing London from this angle."
Russell and Charlotte walked over to her and followed her gaze.
In the distance, the Thames River snaked through the city like a silver ribbon, and the faint outlines of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben could be seen through the thin mist.
The streets bustled with cars and pedestrians, overflowing with the lively daily life of the city.
"It really is nice," Russell nodded and gave his honest opinion.
"This is one of the highest points in the entire Buckingham Palace," Charlotte explained while standing beside them. "It's also one of the surveillance spots Mycroft chose. From here, you can monitor every possible route of intrusion."
"And the other one?" Louise asked with great interest.
"The east wing—the other symmetrical tower," Charlotte said, pointing into the distance. "That's the area Mycroft is responsible for."
The three of them spent some time enjoying the gentle breeze and the scenery at the top of the tower.
Louise seemed especially excited and kept chatting nonstop.
She pointed at the distant St. Paul's Cathedral and asked if angels really lived there. Then she pointed at the steamboats coming and going on the Thames and asked if they were heading toward the legendary land of gold. Charlotte, unusually without showing any irritation, patiently answered the princess's whimsical questions.
Most of her answers were surprisingly realistic and lacked any sense of romance, but Louise listened with great fascination. Meanwhile, Russell simply observed quietly from the side, occasionally chiming in with a short remark.
"It's almost time," Charlotte said, glancing at her pocket watch. "Your Highness should return for lunch."
"Ah… already?" Louise sounded a little disappointed.
"Miss Holmes, would it be all right if I went out this afternoon?"
She asked expectantly.
"That depends on Mr. Watson."
Charlotte kicked the ball back to him while simultaneously shooting Russell a warning glance.
"Mr. Watson?"
Louise turned to face him, her large, moist amber eyes fixed on Russell.
"Well…" Russell cleared his throat. "Your Highness, let's talk about this afternoon after we've eaten. Shall we go have lunch first?"
The three of them left the tower and returned to the dining room.
There was still plenty of food left for lunch. After they finished eating, however, Louise showed no particular desire to continue exploring the area around Buckingham Palace.
"Mr. Watson, I'd like to take a short nap. Would you mind escorting me back to my room?"
The girl tugged at Russell's sleeve and spoke while rubbing her eyes.
"Of course, Your Highness."
Russell nodded, bid farewell to Charlotte, and led Louise back to her bedroom.
Once the door closed, Louise took off her shawl, turned around, and gave Russell an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Watson."
Why is she apologizing?
Russell raised one eyebrow.
"Because… Miss Holmes is really angry, isn't she?"
The girl said quietly.
"It's my fault for being so selfish. Everyone seemed really busy today… but… it's been such a long time since Buckingham Palace felt this lively."
Hearing this, Russell smiled with satisfaction and reached out to ruffle Louise's hair.
"Being a little selfish is a special right that children have, Your Highness."
He said.
"And Charlotte wasn't angry."
"Really… really?"
Louise looked at Russell.
"Of course. Don't worry."
Russell nodded.
"She may seem hard to get along with, but she's actually much easier to talk to than you think."
Hearing Russell's calm tone, Louise's anxiety eased somewhat.
Russell walked over to the bedside and helped pull back her blanket.
"It's naptime now. You should get some rest."
"If you rest well, you'll have enough energy to meet that mysterious guest tonight, right?"
"Mmm."
Louise nodded obediently, lay down on the bed, and pulled the blanket over herself.
She was indeed quite tired. The morning's excitement and anticipation had nearly exhausted all her energy.
"And you… Mr. Watson?"
She peeked her small head out from under the blanket and asked curiously.
"I'll stay here and keep watch," Russell said, pointing to the soft sofa in the corner of the room.
"Don't worry, I won't leave this spot."
"Got it."
Louise contentedly pulled her head back under the covers and closed her beautiful amber eyes.
Before long, the only sound in the room was her steady, gentle breathing.
Russell walked over to the sofa, sat down, picked up a book, and prepared to spend the long afternoon leisurely.
However, the moment he turned the page, a sudden system notification sound rang in his head.
[Phase 2 Mission (Return) — Already Completed.]
The music box has been safely returned, and no one noticed during the operation.
[Evaluation: S+ (Quietly)]
[Reward Settlement: All malicious points consumed during the mission have been fully refunded (1000)] Malice points gained from Buckingham Palace, Scotland Yard, etc.: +2000 Attribute Points: +1
The final mission has begun. [Perfect Curtain Call]
…
…
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