Chapter 37: Quidar’s Ill Intentions

The following day, within the council chambers of Purburg Mansion, the key figures began to arrive.

It was a routine meeting, yet today, a distinct air of formality permeated the room.

Primarily, this was due to one reason.

Quidar had arrived, marking the first time the Purburg Station personnel were fully assembled for a meeting.

Quidar was, in Yuli’s eyes, an outsider. In their presence, she felt too embarrassed to slack off as she usually did.

Furthermore, Yuli had recently prepared herself mentally. She intended to rectify her attitude and devote herself seriously to her work.

She could no longer shirk her duties.

Consequently, today’s routine meeting felt exceptionally solemn.

Yet, beyond this shared seriousness, everyone present harbored their own private thoughts.

Lyon sat silently, sipping his tea, his mind replaying his actions from the previous day.

He was unsure if Quidar had opened the files, though, truthfully, it made little difference to him either way.

Still, Lyon rather hoped this old acquaintance would stir up some trouble.

If Quidar had indeed opened the files, it would make him a convenient tool, helping Lyon investigate Fran’s background while keeping Lyon’s own hands clean, thereby preventing Yuli from getting angry with him.

After all, Lyon hadn’t authorized Quidar to view the files, and Quidar wouldn’t dare admit to Yuli that he had privately accessed them.

Or perhaps Quidar wasn’t as unscrupulous as he seemed, and had simply put the files away untouched?

In that scenario, Lyon would suffer no loss, though his investigation into Fran would have to be postponed.

However, he wasn’t particularly concerned with that now. More importantly, he needed to carefully manage Quidar’s standing within the station.

Hmm…

Seated on the sofa, Quidar closed his eyes in concentration, a faint trace of middle-aged weariness etched between his brows. He was still fretting over yesterday’s fruitless search; after the patrol concluded, he had continued to dispatch men to monitor the tavern’s situation.

The news brought by his subordinates was far from optimistic. The tavern had seen very few customers today, suggesting he had indeed alerted the snake in the grass.

In that case, how could he apprehend the suspect and uncover Fran’s true identity?

Hmm…

After a moment of thought, a sudden idea flashed into his mind.

‘Hmph,’ he scoffed inwardly.

He nodded in satisfaction, a rather smug grin spreading across his face. ‘I truly am a veteran agent,’ he thought. ‘Yuli, that little girl, would never conceive of such a plan, even if she racked her brains.’

Yuli turned to look at Quidar, and seeing his arrogant expression, she was momentarily bewildered.

‘What is this man thinking?’

Lyon also noticed Quidar’s expression and, with a hint of expectation, inquired:

“Captain Quidar, do you… do you have some good news? Haha, look at that smile.”

“Do I?” Quidar echoed, rubbing his cheek before letting out a chuckle. “Oh, it’s nothing much. Just made a new discovery during yesterday’s routine inspection. I was just about to report it to the Station Chief!”

“Oh? A new discovery?” Yuli asked, crossing her arms and leaning forward slightly. “What kind of discovery, Captain Quidar?”

Quidar’s lips curled into a smirk. Hadn’t the fish just taken the bait?

His sharp gaze suddenly fixed on Fran as he began to speak:

“Yesterday, when we went with our men to search a Francian tavern, we unexpectedly encountered an old acquaintance of Secretary Fran’s.”

At this, Fran’s heart clenched.

That chilling gaze made his skin crawl, and his palms began to sweat. Yuli could feel Fran’s breathing beside her grow uneven, so she gently squeezed his hand, offering a silent comfort.

‘This Quidar…’

Yuli grew a little annoyed. Why did everyone at Purburg Station seem intent on causing trouble for Fran?

Just because her little guy was Francian, they wanted to ostracize and bully him?

It was even making her a little nervous.

But Yuli merely frowned. She wasn’t familiar with Quidar, nor did she understand the intention behind his words, so she could only continue listening.

“Secretary Fran, do you remember that tavern? The owner claimed you used to work there, said you were the Station Chief’s secretary at Purburg Station, and even used that to try and curry favor with me. Tsk—”

Quidar’s teasing made Fran frown deeply. He had only been at the Mansion for a day or two; it was unlikely the tavern owner could have known so quickly about his position as secretary.

Even if he knew, the tavern owner would never use Fran to curry favor with Quidar. No, more accurately, the tavern owner would never associate with someone like Quidar at all.

It was highly unlikely the tavern owner’s attitude towards them would be favorable. Having worked there for so long, Fran knew the owner’s character fairly well.

The tavern owner was an ardent patriot, passionate about politics; it was absolutely impossible for him to cooperate with Teutons.

But…

What exactly did Quidar mean by saying that?

Fran knew that Quidar had indeed been to the tavern, but observing the way they left, that team hadn’t apprehended anyone. They should have come up empty-handed.

This…

Fran remained composed. Despite his inner tension, he forced a calm demeanor, diligently controlling his emotions before speaking in an even tone:

“Oh, is that so? Haha, that owner certainly knows how to joke. He never paid me properly back then, and even forced me to wear a maid outfit for work. And now he’s trying to curry favor with Captain Quidar. Haha, don’t mind him; I’m really not familiar with him.”

‘Erm…’

After hearing Fran’s words, Yuli lowered her head, feeling a little embarrassed.

‘So Fran doesn’t like wearing maid outfits? Does that mean… I’m also a big villain for forcing him to wear one?’

‘Ah, this… what should I do? Should I humor him? That doesn’t feel right, hmm…’

As the young woman’s troubled thoughts continued to churn, Quidar on the other side was already growing a little impatient.

Fran’s attitude was as he expected—no, rather, it only deepened his suspicion.

In reality, he didn’t care whether Fran was familiar with the owner or not. He simply wanted to confirm that Fran had indeed worked at that tavern.

Only then did this fierce jackal begin to reveal his true intentions.

He sneered, crossed his arms, and continued to question Fran in a challenging tone:

“Secretary Fran, I’ve heard rumors that tavern is quite peculiar. Apparently… it’s a gathering place for many figures in Francian politics.”

‘Hmm?’

Yuli’s attention was immediately snapped back. She watched Quidar warily, her brow furrowed in thought.

‘Strange, how could this Quidar know so much?’

How did he know about the issues with that tavern? And he also knew Fran had worked there before. All of today’s questions seemed to be directed solely at Fran.

Did he really get this information from the tavern owner?

This…

Ignoring Yuli’s suspicious gaze, Quidar continued to direct his malicious questions at Fran.

“Fran, you worked in that tavern for so long. Is it possible… you could reveal a list to me?”