Chapter 8: 7. Letter from Mrs. Sharon
Until the sky turned pale and the warm sunlight replaced the cold Red Moon Light, Angel, looking exhausted, finally lifted her head and tossed aside the fountain pen that had almost run out of ink.
In front of her were two pages of notes filled with writing, detailing "Angel Granger's" journey from West Sivellaus County to the city of Tingen in Awwa County.
Also included were plans for the future and ways to deal with unexpected events.
Having committed the results of an all-night's work to memory, Angel tore up these two pages of notes. Feeling that this was not secure enough, she tore up a few more pages from the sides and burned them to ashes on the stove, then flushed them down the drain to destroy the evidence.
Looking at the time, it was almost 8 a.m. She went to the washroom, washed her face briefly to make herself look less tired.
As the clock pointed to 8 o'clock, along with the church bells ringing outside the window, there was also a crisp knocking sound.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
Living alone, Cole Granger had hired a female general worker from a domestic service company, who came to his home to do laundry and clean every Monday and Friday morning. The following afternoon, she would also come to collect the laundry that had been hung out to dry. Cole paid 1 Soli each week for this service.
Angel roughly calculated that even if the female worker's schedule was full, working from morning to night seven days a week, she could earn less than 10 Soli. However, this was already a decent job among the lower classes, requiring no knowledge or special skills. As long as one was willing to work, there was income, colloquially known as "having hands is enough."
Now was the time for her visit.
Facing the mirror and putting on a natural smile, Angel said to herself, "From now on, you are Cole Granger's distant cousin, Angel Granger."
As if hypnotizing herself, she repeated this three times before leaving the washroom.
Opening the front door, the noise from the street immediately poured into the living room. A short woman stood at the door, her brown curly hair barely straightened with a hairband, wearing a cheap burlap dress, one hand holding a bucket filled with tools, and the other hand raised, ready to continue knocking.
Seeing the door open, she greeted happily, "Hello, Mr. Granger—" realizing that the person in front of her was not her employer but a strange young girl, she swallowed the rest of her greeting.
She looked left and right, confirming she had not gone to the wrong door, and then greeted again, "Hello, beautiful lady, may I ask if Mr. Granger is home?"
"You are the female worker hired by my cousin? He is not at home right now, you can just come in and clean." Angel answered with a smile, stepping aside to make room at the door.
"Oh, okay!" The female worker showed a suddenly enlightened expression, skillfully carried her tools into the house, and closed the door behind her.
This is also part of Angel's plan; she wants to interact with as many people around her as possible, leaving an impression on them. This way, even if the police suspect the authenticity of her identification, their investigation in the surroundings would yield the conclusion she hopes for.
At the same time, she also needs to spread the news of Cole Granger's disappearance.
"I am Angel Granger, I just arrived in Tingen City this week and am staying here temporarily. You are... Tromy, right? Cole has mentioned you to me." Angel pretends to ponder before calling out the female worker's name. Seeing Tromy nod, she continues, "He said there was some urgent matter the night before last, grabbed a leather bag, and left the house, and he hasn't come back since then."
Upon saying this, Angel timely made a worried expression.
This emotion successfully affected the kind-hearted Tromy. The female worker also expressed her concerns for Cole Granger's safety, and after discussing Cole's whereabouts for a while, Tromy started her work for the day.
Good, this lays the groundwork, so when Tromy comes again on Monday morning, it would be natural to bring up the matter of calling the police.
Looking at the busy odd-job woman, Angel shows a slight smile.
…
As planned, during these two days, Angel almost visited every location around Daffodil Street that Cole had been to.
Restaurants, libraries, bakeries, and vegetable markets, even the weapons store Cole had only visited twice. While dining or making purchases, she also took the opportunity to spread the information that "Cole Granger has been missing for several days," and at the same time, made sure they remembered this distant relative concerned about her cousin.
On Saturday evening, as Angel returned to her doorstep, the clothes that had been hanging on the balcony of the second floor when she left at noon were already collected by the maid, Tromy.
"Cole actually gave the maid a key, he really trusts Tromy," Angel thought. Before leaving, she hid valuable items such as the revolver and cash in a secret compartment of the study desk. However, she remembered that Cole often forgot to lock the study door. It was either that he was too careless, or he trusted the maid called Tromy very much.
Since Tromy had been working here for quite a while, Angel had no immediate plans to replace her, but she would take care to secure valuable items instead of testing human nature.
Just as she was about to enter the house, the corner of an envelope sticking out of the mailbox caught her attention.
Could it be from Tromy? Or perhaps it was the gas bill or something similar?
Curiously, Angel took out the letter. There were no names of the sender or recipient on the envelope, nor was there a postage stamp, indicating it wasn't from the postal system.
Tearing open the envelope, she pulled out the thin letter inside, glanced at it, then stuffed it back into the envelope and walked into the living room.
Moments later, dressed in light attire, cloaked, and carrying all her cash and weapons, Angel slipped out of the back door.
She was preparing to run away.
…
It was not until Angel sat on the public carriage that she slightly calmed down.
She recalled the letter she had just received, which contained only a few words, but plunged her into the worst-case scenario she had anticipated.
"Tomorrow night at eight, meet at the usual place."
There was no signature, but the handwriting was graceful and the strokes were confident, a letter from Sharon Khoy.
To most people in Tingen City, Mrs. Sharon was an unapproachable socialite. After her husband, Baron Khoy, passed away, she continued to be active in various events in Tingen, maintaining the political and business network left by the baron. There were even rumors of an ambiguous relationship between her and her stepson, the current Baron Khoy.
Cole, deeply enchanted by Mrs. Sharon, was undoubtedly one of her loyal followers, obeying her every command, just like her other suitors.
But to Angel, who was able to step back and reflect, Mrs. Sharon was one of the most terrifying people in Tingen City.
She possessed strength far beyond that of a Sequence 7 "Witch," likely having reached the level of Sequence 6. The Beyonder abilities Cole had seen included attacks of outward ice frost and black flames, and the ability to bind others with invisible spider silk.
If the "Assassin's" dark vision and light footsteps could be considered the "limit of what normal people could achieve," then Mrs. Sharon's various abilities were truly "extraordinary." Even in Angel's original world, such a person would be considered among the top combatants.
Of course, Mrs. Sharon probably hasn't realized that this Cole is not the Cole she knew, but Angel had no confidence in hiding her identity in front of a Sequence 7 or even stronger Beyonder being. Even though she had acquired most of Cole's memories, she could not perfectly impersonate another person without any flaws.
Moreover, what if Mrs. Sharon wanted her to display newly acquired Beyonder abilities?
If she couldn't win and didn't want to join, then running away was the only option.
In Angel's original plan, she had considered Mrs. Sharon as an important factor, but she intended to face this former "mentor" after making sufficient preparations and groundwork. By then, whether through deception or confrontation, she was confident she would handle it better.
She just didn't expect Mrs. Sharon's invitation to come so soon.
After all, Cole was also one of Mrs. Sharon's "bedmates," and it was normal to be invited to "the usual place" for a gathering after his promotion to Sequence 7. But for Angel, this was undoubtedly a death knell.
Facing Mrs. Sharon without having made various preparations, she was almost certainly facing a desperate situation.
"Perhaps relying on an assassin's full-force strike could yield some success?" This wishful thinking was quickly suppressed by Angel. The opponent was also of an assassin's background; it wouldn't be so easy.
"Vlad Street has arrived," the coachman outside the carriage announced.
Several people inside the carriage moved to the door, preparing to get off. Angel's first stop on her escape route was here. After the others got off, she followed suit.
The sound of horse hooves and carriage wheels faded into the distance as Angel stood on the bustling Vlad Street, looking towards her destination, the Tingen City Police Headquarters.
This was a six-story building that, despite the land scarcity in the northern district of Tingen, boasted a high-walled courtyard. The main entrance was wide enough for four carriages to pass through. It was after office hours now, and most of the lights inside were turned off, but the diligent guards at the entrance still stood erect.
She took out a thick envelope from under her cloak and walked towards the report mailbox next to the main entrance. This was a half-person-tall red mailbox, set up for citizens to make anonymous or named reports. It was supposed to be managed by the city hall, but since most anonymous reports involved criminal activity, they simply handed the matter over to the police.
The envelope Angel held contained some of Cole Granger's notebooks and diaries, as well as letters connecting him to Mrs. Sharon. With this evidence, the police would only need to investigate a little to confirm most of Cole's crimes. Although Mrs. Sharon didn't have the habit of signing off her letters, the unilateral records of Cole Granger alone had a high chance of subjecting her to investigation. Even if she could escape legal punishment through her network, she would have to lay low for a while.
Dealing with an opponent with a solid network, the best strategy would have been to act first and report later, but unfortunately, she was no longer able to take that step.
Angel sighed and stuffed the envelope into the mailbox, which made a "bang" sound as if there were already many letters inside.
"By tomorrow night when Mrs. Sharon realizes 'Cole Granger' has missed the appointment, I guess I'll already be in Backlund. Given her reach in Tingen, she won't be able to do anything to me by then, right?"
Angel returned to the street, waiting for the public coach to arrive.
Next was leaving Tingen City. Due to lighting restrictions, there were no train services in Tingen City at night. Angel planned to go to the dock to hire a boat downstream to the capital of the Loen Kingdom, Backlund, to first find Cole's sister, Lily Granger, and remind her to seek official protection from the Beyonders to avoid Mrs. Sharon's retaliation, then set sail from the Pritz Harbor next to Backlund.
Whether she would settle in the islands near the Loen Kingdom or head to the southern continent of Balam would depend on the circumstances.
Just then, the familiar hourly bell rang again, sounding quite close to her. The ethereal bell sound seemed to strike directly at her heart, prompting Angel involuntarily to look in the direction of the bell sound.
Under the sunset's afterglow, the spire of Saint Selena's Church was reflecting a golden light.
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