"You really… seem to have had bad luck."
Even though she knew the man in front of her was lying, Mary showed an appropriate amount of sympathy.
"Yes."
Russell nodded with a sigh.
"If I had been there, I might have been able to catch that phantom thief."
"So, what did Charlotte say in the end?" Mary asked with great interest. "About Moriarty?"
"She said… she suddenly understood those people from Lloyds Bank."
Russell recounted, "In her eyes, Moriarty was like a ghost."
Hearing this, Mary raised her eyebrows in slight surprise.
"I never imagined Charlotte would say something like that. Moriarty really is an amazing person."
The girl sighed and turned her gaze to Russell.
How on earth did he manage it?
"Is there anything else?"
Mary asked again, showing that she was very concerned about last night's events.
"Well… there is," Russell thought for a moment and nodded. "It's about Mycroft."
"Hm?"
Mary leaned forward, and the faint scent of white tea tickled Russell's nose in time with her movement. "What about Mycroft?"
"All our previous speculations about the relationship between Moriarty and Mycroft were wrong."
Russell said.
"Wrong?"
Mary blinked. "There's no connection between Mycroft and Moriarty at all?"
"Yes, but not much."
Russell said.
He told Mary about the confrontation between Charlotte and Mycroft, as well as the entire bet.
"So," Mary said, resting her chin on her hand and unconsciously tapping her smooth cheek with her fingertips.
"At the moment, their only connection seems to be Buckingham Palace?"
"Exactly," Russell nodded.
"This is what Mycroft himself said. If he wasn't lying, then our previous conclusion—that Mycroft single-handedly raised Moriarty as a shadow tool—was wrong from the very beginning."
"Hmm," Mary pondered as she gazed out the window.
"If that's the case, then the clues have been cut off again?"
"It's not completely over. At most, we've just eliminated one wrong option."
Russell said.
"What remains is only the storyline between Moriarty and Professor."
"So, do you think there's some kind of relationship between Moriarty and the Professor?"
Mary looked at Russell.
Hearing this, Russell paused for a moment before asking back, "Do you think so?"
I don't think so.
Mary thought for a bit, then shook her head.
"I don't think so either."
Russell nodded in agreement.
"Sharp."
"This is just proof that we're thinking the same thing."
Russell shrugged.
The two implicitly avoided the topic, and in the end, Mary focused her remaining curiosity on Russell's earnings.
"You must have gained quite a lot from this trip, right?"
She asked.
"Setting the rewards aside, Charlotte and I each received a complete royal afternoon tea set," Russell replied vaguely.
"In addition, Her Majesty gifted us the evening dresses we wore on the first day."
"Evening dresses?"
Mary grew interested and sat up a little straighter.
Eh? There's even a special event I've never seen before?
I need to get up and take a look.
"What kind of dress?"
She continued, her blue eyes sparkling.
"Just… a normal tuxedo. What else could it be?"
Russell said absentmindedly.
"It's hard to imagine."
Mary said meaningfully. "When you wear a tuxedo, you look like this."
"It's fine. We'll dance again someday."
Russell said.
"Oh?"
The girl's lips curved slightly. "Can I take that as a promise?"
"It's just clothes. Why would I need to make a promise?"
Russell smiled.
"I only have two decent dresses in my closet. One of them I bought when I enrolled, and it's far inferior to the one from Her Majesty."
"If there's some important school event in the future, I might wear that one."
"Then I'll look forward to it."
Mary chuckled softly, then glanced at the clock on the wall.
"Ah, it's getting late. I have to get back to the classroom."
She stood up as she spoke and walked toward the door, then turned back and extended her hand to Russell.
"Are you coming with me, or staying here?"
"I told you, Mycroft only gave me half a day off."
Russell said, standing up and walking toward the door.
The two left the empty classroom one after another.
The afternoon sunlight turned the corridor into a long golden river, with countless sparkling dust particles floating in the air.
Their shadows stretched long and slanted, occasionally overlapping in the corridor's shadows as they walked.
"So," Mary walked ahead, occasionally glancing back, "are you taking a nap this afternoon?"
"Of course," Russell yawned lazily.
"Anyway, as long as Miss Mary takes care of the notes, I don't have anything to worry about."
"I thought you'd put a little more effort into the butter cookies today."
Mary's tone was slightly sarcastic.
"I did my best," Russell answered confidently.
"I fought honorably, upheld my faith, and fulfilled my duty."
"Really?" Mary smiled ambiguously.
"Unfortunately, if things continue like this, I'm not sure whether you'll get the crown of justice, but you're very likely to receive a failing notice."
"Don't worry, I have my own pace."
Russell remained unperturbed. "Even if all options are exhausted, I still have another plan."
"Hm?"
"I'll ask Professor Fields."
"What if he refuses?"
"Then let's go beg him together. If you're there, he'll surely grant permission for my sake."
"Should I beg too?"
"Right."
Mary was momentarily speechless. She turned her face and gave Russell a dissatisfied look.
The girl slowed her pace and walked beside him.
"So, regarding the professor matter, what are your and Charlotte's future plans?"
"There's nothing we can do except wait."
Russell shrugged.
"We can only wait until Lestrade catches that man Bilson, or until Charles fully recovers. Though I think the former is unlikely."
"We have to keep waiting like this?"
Mary raised her eyebrows. "That doesn't sound like Charlotte."
"What else can we do?" Russell sighed.
"Charlotte and I went to Lloyds Bank on Saturday, but as you know, we were stopped by the new Supervisor and denied entry."
"New supervisor?"
Mary paused for a moment. "That Tommy person got fired?"
"Pretty much," Russell nodded. "The new guy, George, is a stubborn one. He won't allow anything without approval documents from the board."
"So you hit a wall?"
"That doesn't count," Russell shook his head. "Mycroft got us a license. We just haven't had the chance to use it yet."
"Permission from Buckingham Palace?"
"Mm-hmm."
Russell nodded lightly.
"Charlotte said she planned to go again this weekend."
"Then we'll throw this letter right in front of that guy's face."
"That… sounds quite satisfying."
The girl's lips curved into a slight smile.
"Doesn't it?" Russell laughed along. "I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of expression he makes."
As they returned to the familiar lecture hall, the two cheerfully plotted how to humiliate their opponent over the weekend.
The afternoon class was as boring as ever. Russell lay across his desk as usual and fell asleep the moment he sat down.
Mary played the role of a serious student, diligently taking notes while occasionally glancing at the sleeping man beside her.
Perhaps it's fine to leave things as they are.
She thought.
Just watch him, stay by his side, and experience this one-man show where he both directs and stars in it together.
Only when the curtain falls and the lights come on will he remove his mask himself.
Then I can see what kind of flustered yet adorable expression appears on that face that always carries a hint of laziness and playfulness.
Just thinking about it… I'm incredibly excited.
A smile unconsciously formed at the corner of the girl's mouth.
…
…
PS: Support me and read advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode