South Tivian, Bishop’s Square.
In the cold winter night, the grand New Year’s celebration continues. When the figure in bright red appears on the stage under the spotlight, the audience almost erupts in excitement, and the atmosphere reaches its peak.
The crowd never expected that on this New Year’s Eve, the most famous dancer in all of Tivian would not be performing in a grand palace or at an upper-class banquet filled with dignitaries. Instead, she would be here, in the old, worn-out square of the southern district, dancing on a makeshift stage in the cold wind for the common folk.
For these ordinary people who cannot afford to attend high-end theaters, the name Adèle is something they only see in newspapers. For almost all of them, this is the first time they have witnessed the woman hailed as the most captivating in Tivian.
Surrounded by her troupe of dancers, Adèle dances tirelessly amidst waves of cheers from the audience. Her performance is not only witnessed by the many commoners in front of the stage but also admired by two high-status individuals on the balcony of a building at the edge of the square.
"I never thought you could convince Adèle to participate in this event. Watching her dance in such a setting is a first for me. Heh, little Isabella, your surprise is truly delightful."
Sitting comfortably on the balcony, Barrett smiles as he watches Adèle on the distant stage. Beside him, Isabella also smiles and responds.
"I’m glad you like it, Uncle Barrett. My hope is that everyone attending this celebration can have a wonderful evening, which is why I invited Miss Adèle."
"Is that so... But for someone like Adèle, she must have had other more important and prestigious engagements tonight. It must have taken quite some effort to get her here, didn’t it?" Barrett turns to Isabella and continues, while Isabella replies in a humble tone.
"Uncle Barrett, you’re mistaken. In fact, I didn’t have to put in much effort to invite Miss Adèle. As you said, she had many options for tonight. When I sent her the invitation, I didn’t have high expectations, but to my surprise, she readily agreed.”"Later, when I asked her why, she said her dancing shouldn’t be confined to just a few stages. She wanted people from different walks of life to see her perform. She wants to be Tivian’s ruby, not just the ruby of Tivian’s upper class. It seems she wants to expand her audience, and I happened to give her that opportunity."
Isabella explains this to Barrett, who nods thoughtfully upon hearing her words. He gazes at Adèle on the distant stage and murmurs.
"What a thoughtful dancer. Compared to those so-called stars who are nothing more than playthings, Adèle might have a level of depth we never expected. Perhaps one day her fame won’t be limited to Tivian, or even Pritt."
Barrett offers this evaluation, and Isabella, sitting beside him, nods in agreement before turning her attention back to the stage. At this moment, the dancers on stage are preparing for a new act.
"Ah, Uncle Barrett, look! Miss Adèle seems to be inviting audience members to dance with her."
"Is that so? Did she plan this as part of the performance?"
Isabella watches the distant stage with curiosity, and Barrett also refocuses his gaze on the performance.
On the stage at the edge of the square, Adèle has just finished a dance amidst the cheers of the crowd. Instead of leaving the stage, she exchanges a glance with her accompanying dancers and the backstage crew during the interlude. Soon, a soft, melodious tune begins to play, and with the new music, she and her dancers begin a new routine.
Under Adèle’s lead, she and her dancers start moving once more. This time, however, their dance is different. After a few simple moves, the accompanying dancers begin to disperse to the edges of the stage. To the audience’s surprise, they step down from the stage and approach the front-row spectators, extending their hands to randomly invite audience members to join them in dance.
This direct interaction with the audience astonishes everyone. Amidst the excitement, Adèle also steps down from the stage with a smile, extending her hand to the front-row audience.
Faced with Adèle’s gesture, the front-row audience erupts in excitement. Overwhelmed with desire, they all reach out their hands, their hearts urging them to rush forward and grasp Adèle’s delicate hand.
Under normal circumstances, such a scene would lead to massive crowding and potential stampedes. However, surprisingly, the crowd manages to restrain their impulses at this critical moment. They simply extend their hands, eagerly watching as Adèle approaches, without causing chaos or a dangerous situation.
In the front row of the audience, Gregor stands frozen, staring in shock as Adèle’s graceful figure approaches him. As her beautiful face draws nearer, Gregor feels his heart racing. He never expected that Tivian’s most dazzling star would walk straight toward him and extend her hand in invitation.
With an expression of disbelief, Gregor looks at the figure now standing before him. Filled with anticipation, he instinctively reaches out his hand, hoping to grasp the delicate hand extended toward him. However, just as their hands are about to touch, they brush past each other in the air.
With a slight turn, Adèle’s hand passes by Gregor’s and reaches out to his side. Seeing this, Gregor’s heart sinks, and he stands there dumbfounded. When he awkwardly turns to look beside him, he sees Adèle slightly bending down, smiling as she gazes at his younger sister, Dorothy, who is standing next to him. The hand that had brushed past him is now holding Dorothy’s hand. Dorothy looks up at Adèle, her expression complex and unreadable.
"Would you like to dance with me, little sister?"
Maintaining her smile, Adèle speaks to Dorothy, who silently nods. Seeing this, Adèle’s smile grows slightly wider. She then takes Dorothy’s hand, and the two walk away from the audience, joining the other dancers and their partners on stage.
Meanwhile, Gregor remains frozen, his hand still extended, his mouth agape as he watches his sister and the superstar walk onto the stage. It takes him a long moment to process what just happened.
On the stage, the dancers and their partners continue to dance to the music. Adèle smiles as she holds Dorothy’s hands, guiding her smaller frame to follow her steps. Dorothy, surprisingly, matches Adèle’s movements with precision. While the other audience members pulled onto the stage struggle to keep up despite the professional guidance, Dorothy’s coordination with Adèle is unexpectedly strong. Every move she makes seems to perfectly align with Adèle’s intentions, following the rhythm flawlessly, as if she were another dance master. Despite the height difference between them, Adèle’s skill ensures that their dance remains harmonious and graceful. The two figures, one tall and one petite, become the focal point of the stage, and the atmosphere in the square continues to rise.
"Miss... Miss Dorothy?!"
At the edge of the square, near the makeshift medical station, Vania, standing on a stool and gazing at the stage, can’t help but murmur in shock. She never expected to see a familiar figure in such a place.
“Why is Miss Dorothy here? And why is she on stage dancing with the superstar Adèle? And she’s dancing so well... Is that really Miss Dorothy?”
Watching Dorothy on stage, Vania thinks to herself. In her mind, Dorothy has always been a bookish, literary girl. She never imagined that Dorothy could dance so gracefully with a superstar.
On the other side, on the balcony of the building, Isabella watches the scene on the distant stage with a hint of surprise.
"I never expected Miss Adèle to invite audience members onto the stage to dance with her. Not only is she performing for the common folk, but she’s also dancing with them. Is this the ’public route’ she’s trying to take now?”
"And that silver-haired girl... Not only is she beautiful, but she dances so well. To be able to keep up with Adèle’s steps at such a young age... How interesting... Don’t you think so, Uncle Barrett?"
As she speaks, Isabella turns to Barrett. When she looks at him, however, she notices that his expression has become unusually serious. He gazes intently at the distant stage, at the silver-haired girl dancing with Adèle, his focused eyes betraying deep thoughts.
"Uncle Barrett... Is something wrong over there?"
"Ah... No, nothing... Heh... Adèle’s idea is indeed quite interesting. I’ve never seen audience members being pulled onto the stage like this before. Let’s keep watching..."
Prompted by Isabella, Barrett snaps out of his serious demeanor and forces a smile. Isabella, though still slightly puzzled, eventually shifts her attention back to the stage.
On the stage, Dorothy and Adèle continue to dance. As the music plays, Adèle guides Dorothy to a spot away from the other dancers. She maintains her smile as she looks at Dorothy’s serious expression and whispers in a voice only the two of them can hear.
"Compared to last time, your dancing has improved quite a bit. It seems your real body’s learning ability is even stronger than your puppet’s, Mr. Detective... Or should I say, Miss Detective..."
As they dance, Adèle speaks to Dorothy, who, despite her serious expression, allows a faint smile to show as she responds in a soft voice.
"Do you really think I’m the ’Detective’? Just because of the scent on the envelope? What if I just got the letter from Mr. Detective?"
"Of course I’m sure, Miss Detective. Don’t forget, we’ve danced together before. When your puppet Maria danced with me, there were subtle habits and details in her movements that are exactly the same as yours now. When it comes to dancing, I’m quite sensitive."
Adèle continues with a light laugh, while Dorothy frowns slightly and asks.
"Even if I am the ‘Detective’, the girl standing before you could still just be another puppet of mine. I could still be talking to you through a puppet..."
"Heh... That’s impossible. Puppets have no desires, but I can clearly sense the desires in your heart. It’s reassuring to know that even Miss Detective isn’t completely immune to my charm. That makes me very happy, little girl~"
"..."
With a playful tone, Adèle speaks to Dorothy, who, upon hearing this, can’t help but grit her teeth and turn her head away. Adèle can sense any desire directed at her, and her own charm makes it nearly impossible for anyone not to feel some level of desire toward her.
Adèle’s ability to sense desire isn’t an active mystical detection but a passive reception of emotions directed at her. Dorothy’s Concealment Ring cannot block naturally occurring emotions, so it can’t hide this normal desire.
"Sigh... Never mind. This discussion is pointless now. Adèle, the reason I used that letter to get your attention is because there’s something very important I need to tell you."
Dorothy takes a deep breath and speaks. Seeing the situation, Dorothy no longer tries to deny being the Detective. After all, when she took out that letter, she had already prepared herself for the possibility of revealing her true identity to Adèle. This situation is simply an unavoidable necessity.
"Something important, huh... Oh? What could be more important than the fact that the famous Detective who outsmarted the Wolf Blood Society is actually a cute young girl?"
As they dance, Adèle teases Dorothy, who can’t help but feel a bit anxious.
"This is no time for jokes. Listen, Adèle, this entire venue is being targeted. Everyone here is in danger."
Dorothy continues, and upon hearing this, Adèle’s expression becomes slightly more serious. The playful tone in her voice fades as she responds with a hint of gravity.
"Targeted, huh? Heh... It seems tonight has some unexpected surprises... So, tell me, what exactly is this danger you’re talking about?"
Adèle asks Dorothy, who then calmly explains the current situation, informing Adèle about the suicide bombers among the audience and the involvement of the Eight-Spired Nest behind the scenes. After hearing Dorothy’s explanation, Adèle’s expression grows more solemn.
"The Eight-Spired Nest? I never expected those lunatics to suddenly show up here with a scheme. While I don’t have any direct conflicts with them, I won’t stand by and let them ruin my performance or harm the audience... I don’t want this celebration to turn into a bloodbath.”
"As a dancer, it’s my duty to protect my audience and my stage. Miss Detective, I’m more than willing to help prevent this tragedy. Tell me what you need me to do."
Adèle speaks solemnly to Dorothy, showing her complete trust in the little Detective’s abilities. Hearing Adèle’s commitment, Dorothy breathes a small sigh of relief and responds.
"Thank you for your help, Miss Adèle. The first thing we need to do is identify the suicide bombers among the audience and neutralize them without triggering the bombs. To achieve this, I’ll need to rely on your abilities..."
…
Outside Bishop’s Square, South Tivian.
On the dimly lit streets, Nephthys walks gracefully out of the darkness and stops under a streetlamp. She gazes toward the bustling square in the distance, where the crowd is gathered. After a long journey, she has finally made it from East Tivian to this place.
"We’re almost there... Let’s hurry, Mr. Kapak."
As she speaks, Nephthys turns to look behind her, where Kapak is leaning against a lamppost, sweating profusely and panting heavily.
" Huff... Huff... Huff... Got it, Miss Thief... Just... lead the way..."
"Alright, keep up. Just a little further, and we’ll find your fellow countrymen."
With that, Nephthys strides forward with light steps.