The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 440: Farewell to Eileen

Clouds had drawn a thick veil across the sky, blanketing Belfast in a dense pall that even a fine, drizzling rain could not disperse.

In the distance, Moon Bay was barely visible through the hazy mist.

A cool, gray stillness reigned outside one of the most luxurious estates on the shores of Agate Lake. Inside Baroness Joseph’s home, a lavish reception was underway. A long line of guest carriages waited at the entrance, while their coachmen and servants, for whom there was no room inside, enjoyed refreshments prepared by the maids.

Even the most modest of the invitees were millionaires, so the appearance of an ordinary hired carriage among them looked utterly out of place and drew every eye.

Just as conspicuous was Baroness Joseph herself, who was being wheeled among the guests in a wheelchair.

The guests, however, did not allow themselves to underestimate this young and beautiful woman. As if not noticing the absence of legs beneath her luxurious purple gown, they raised their glasses and greeted Joseph as she passed.

Glances from the windows of elegant carriages were fixed on the unremarkable carriage that had briefly stopped at the estate gates. Without even presenting an invitation, the driver merely exchanged a few words with a maid, who immediately took the reins and led the horse onto the property.

“The Baroness has been waiting for you, Mr. Lu Li,” the maid said, addressing Lu Li without hiding her surprise.

“What does she wish to tell me?” came Lu Li’s calm, slightly detached voice.

...“I am so terribly sorry about what happened, my dear Eileen,” sighed a woman whose heavy makeup could not conceal the marks of time, standing before the wheelchair.

The roaring fireplace couldn't properly warm the spacious hall with its wide-open doors, yet she still fanned herself with a feathered fan.

It was clear she was very fond of her extravagant attire; otherwise, she would not have worn it despite the folds of fat cinched at her waist. Then again, perhaps she was surrounded only by flatterers who dared not tell her the truth.

“Compared to dying at the hands of an evil spirit, this is not a bad end,” Baroness Joseph remarked in her characteristically husky voice.

Most of the guests believed the baroness’s farewell reception and departure were connected to the evil spirit attack. And, to some extent, they were right.

They could not know that the true reason lay in one person’s advice.

It was this very person who was now ascending the stone steps at the entrance to the estate.

“Something puzzles me,” came Baroness Joseph’s quiet, husky voice. Her eyes, fixed on the woman, held a certain hidden meaning. “Monsters don’t just appear in an estate for no reason, do they?”

“Well... who knows... Ha-ha-ha...” Matron Mary had clearly grown flustered. Covering her mouth with her fan, she laughed unnaturally and hurried away.

Baroness Joseph narrowed her eyes, watching her go.

“Mr. Lu Li has arrived,” the butler whispered in the baroness’s ear.

Her slightly narrowed eyes immediately lit up, and she turned toward the tall figure entering through the doorway.

The butler took the glass from the baroness’s hand, placed it on a maid’s tray, and wheeled the chair toward Lu Li.

“You’re late,” Eileen said, her husky voice softening.

“I had things to attend to,” Lu Li replied, his gaze sweeping over her dress—or more precisely, the empty space beneath its hem.

“May I have this dance?” Eileen asked, extending a hand with a slight smile.

In Lu Li’s presence, she could allow herself to relax a little and set aside her aristocratic manners.

The air around Lu Li instantly grew cold. The guests standing nearby shivered involuntarily and quickly moved away from the entrance.

Eileen flushed, as if caught off guard, but immediately acted as if nothing had happened.

“Is Anna here too? Then let’s get down to business.”

However, the temperature did not rise, and before the baroness could say anything more, the butler hastily intervened. “Miss Anna, you know the baroness no longer has her legs. She cannot dance.”

The chill around Lu Li finally dissipated.

As they approached a window in the corner of the hall, Lu Li felt several hostile glares directed at him.

The reception, it seemed, was not going as smoothly as it first appeared.

“I heard you’re planning to leave the Allen Peninsula and head for the Lennon Archipelago,” Eileen said, leaning back in her chair. She seemed calmer beside Lu Li.

“Who did you hear that from?” Lu Li asked calmly.

“My servants told me,” Eileen replied nonchalantly.

“And how do your servants know?”

“Alright, alright, I’ve been monitoring your movements. As soon as you bought the tickets, I knew,” Eileen confessed, muttering quietly, “Must you press for such details... Are you even listening to me?”

Hearing her voice, Lu Li shifted his gaze from a familiar female figure in the hall. “What did you mean by ‘business’?”

Eileen cast a strange look at the guests and answered, “A farewell. And a little performance.”

Lu Li remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

In this world, which was growing ever more dangerous, aristocrats were moving their assets and relocating their families to safer places.

Some, like Lu Li, chose the Lennon Archipelago. Others, like Eileen, chose the shelters. But in any case, they needed to manage their property before leaving.

Sell it or hide it securely, waiting for better times.

As one of the wealthiest women in Belfast, with no heirs and influential connections, Eileen was facing claims from distant relatives and other aristocrats.

They wanted to snatch a piece of Baroness Joseph’s fortune.

Youth and beauty were the best disguise for Eileen, who possessed a vast fortune.

People tend to overestimate wise old men and underestimate a young baroness with a questionable reputation, surrounded by gossip.

Therefore, the current reception was merely a facade. The real “reception” was one Eileen planned to hold later, with only a select few invited.

“What am I supposed to do?” Lu Li asked.

“Nothing. I can handle these trifles myself. Your presence is only needed to frighten them a little. The more mysterious you are, the more they will worry,” Eileen replied, looking at the guests with a sly, fox-like smile.

“I believe they’ve already started to worry.”

The real reception began shortly after. Lu Li and Baroness Joseph went into the drawing-room, while the butler went to fetch those who were invited to the “real reception.”

One by one, the summoned aristocrats left the noisy hall and headed for the quiet drawing-room. Exchanging glances, they seemed to understand what was happening and silently took their seats, waiting for the others.

Among the invited was Mary, who, upon entering, first pretended not to understand the situation and began to ask loudly what was going on, but she quickly quieted under Eileen’s cold stare.

Soon, all twelve seats at the long table were occupied by richly dressed aristocrats.

With the exception of Lu Li, the other eleven people, including Eileen, controlled nearly a third of Belfast’s wealth.

And just as Eileen had said, Lu Li didn’t have to do anything. His presence served only to evoke a sense of unease among those present and to satisfy Eileen’s whim.