Chapter 33: The Bow Tie’s Deception

Grabbing a few loose strands of her hair, Xiluo’er’s face twisted into an uncertain expression beneath her mask.

‘Damn it, I was too careless.’

‘If, if that bow tie had indeed fallen off accidentally during her confrontation with Rona, and Rona had picked it up…’

Xiluo’er couldn’t help but shiver. She slowly squatted down, clutching her head.

‘Oh no, this is a huge problem now.’

‘No, absolutely not! There must be a way to fix this. Come on, Xiluo’er, use that clever little head of yours!’

After pondering for a moment, her clever little head finally lived up to expectations and yielded a solution.

‘It seems… before returning to the Adventurers’ Guild, I’ll have to make one more stop.’

Having made up her mind, Xiluo’er stood up. She pinpointed a direction and quickly moved through the night.

****

Late into the night, a figure dressed in white appeared in the corridor on the second floor of the Adventurers’ Guild.

Their long white hair cascaded freely, making them look indistinguishable from the female ghosts in certain tales.

Naturally, this was no ghost. The one who appeared in the corridor late at night was Eve.

The conversation from earlier that evening had instilled a faint sense of crisis within her.

But it was only a tiny bit, just a little, yes, just a little.

Eve was merely up for a midnight stroll, taking the opportunity to check how Xiluo’er was sleeping.

This excuse… this reason was perfectly normal, right?

She quietly approached Xiluo’er’s room. After staring at the doorknob for a moment, Eve slowly raised her hand…

However, the door remained shut. A soft click echoed in the quiet corridor.

Eve subtly frowned.

Xiluo’er had locked her door?

Did Xiluo’er have a habit of locking her door before bed, or…?

Or had Eve’s recent actions, including those from today, made Xiluo’er wary of her?

Eve stood at the door, lost in thought.

‘Hmm… perhaps I should try a more gentle approach?’

Eve withdrew her hand and quietly returned to her own room in the pitch-black corridor.

Unbeknownst to her, however, Xiluo’er, who had climbed out the window, had not yet returned.

****

The next morning.

Xiluo’er sat obediently in her chair, taking small bites of a sandwich filled with a fried egg. Meanwhile, she listened to Eve and Rona chatting beside her.

Xiluo’er had faint dark circles under her eyes, and her twin pigtails were a little messy. She seemed to have not slept well.

Even when faced with Rona, who had unexpectedly shown up today, Xiluo’er showed no signs of panic. She continued to peck at her breakfast like a little chick, her face half-awake and half-drowsy.

She had anticipated that Rona might come looking for her today, but she had already prepared for it. There shouldn’t be any problems.

“So, suspicious individuals have really infiltrated the city recently, huh?”

“Have you found out their identities?”

Eve nodded, chatting casually with Rona while eating her breakfast.

“Sigh…” Rona set down her cup. “Unfortunately, there were no useful discoveries last night, and I didn’t see the faces of those two people.”

“Oh, that reminds me.”

Suddenly remembering something, Rona reached into her pocket and pulled out an object. Spreading her hand, a small red bow tie lay in her palm.

“However, I found this at the search site last night—I don’t know if it was left behind by those two.”

Xiluo’er’s gaze subtly flickered towards the bow tie in Rona’s hand, then she continued eating her breakfast, unfazed.

‘As expected, Rona picked it up. My luck is really terrible.’

Eve looked at the bow tie and shook her head.

“If it’s just such an ordinary bow tie, it can’t be considered a useful clue, can it?”

“However, speaking of which, the style of this bow tie seems a little familiar…”

At this moment, Xiluo’er pretended to have just noticed it, leaning her small head over and interjecting at just the right moment. “Sister Eve, this bow tie looks just like mine.”

Grabbing a lock of her hair, Xiluo’er displayed the bow ties tied in her hair.

Both of Xiluo’er’s twin pigtails were neatly adorned with small, red bow ties.

“Indeed,” Eve said, casually stroking Xiluo’er’s hair. “Xiluo’er’s hair accessories were just something I bought at a general store in the city. Hair accessories of the same style are everywhere in the city, Rona. It would probably be difficult to use this as a clue.”

“Hmm… I know.”

Rona stared at the two perfectly intact bow ties in Xiluo’er’s hair for a moment.

“Xiluo’er, you seem to have heavy dark circles. Did you not sleep well last night?”

Xiluo’er nodded her small head, her face still wearing that half-awake, half-drowsy expression.

“Yes, I had a nightmare last night, Sister Rona.”

“I tossed and turned in bed all night and didn’t sleep well. My hair was also a mess when I woke up.”

Rona smiled and said, “You shouldn’t tie such complicated hairstyles when you sleep, really.”

The conversation ended there. Xiluo’er, having successfully bluffed her way through, continued eating her breakfast without batting an eye, no extra expression on her face.

‘Sure enough, as long as I act candid enough, a simple bow tie won’t be enough for Rona to suspect me too deeply.’

However, Xiluo’er’s hair wasn’t messy because she hadn’t slept well. It had taken her a considerable amount of time to braid her hair into Eve’s style after returning to her room last night.

After all, she couldn’t be as skillful as Eve. Although it took a lot of time, her hair was still a mess, so she could only use the excuse of “not sleeping well” to get by.

“Sigh, there are too many things to do in the city recently. I haven’t even been able to find proper time to visit you, Eve.”

Eve patted Rona’s back reassuringly.

“It’s alright. Just say the word if you need my help.”

“Forget it, I’ve already troubled you enough,” Rona stood up. “Oh, right, I almost forgot about the important matter while chatting for so long.”

“Lord Serol sent me to find you today. She said to come to the City Lord’s Manor when you have time to discuss a commission.”

“Well, I’ll be going now. Thank you for breakfast.”

Rona said no more, waving her hand as she headed towards the door.

Xiluo’er, meanwhile, quietly watched Rona’s retreating figure, pondering Rona’s words.

‘Hiss… could it be that Rona really wasn’t here today because she suspected me? Was she truly here to see Eve for something important?’

‘Regardless, today’s handling of the situation should prevent Rona from suspecting me further, right?’