Victoria took the book from Villefort's hand, turned through a few pages, and finally stopped at the title page.
"Even if these photographic papers are indeed death notices from the assassins," she looked up at Villefort, "it seems that she is not sure that they are sent to you? There are no images on the photographic papers, and this book was given to you as a gift. The Viscount’s gift——”
"...No, it's for me." Villefort sank into the sofa. He kept biting his lip and closed his eyes in pain, "I understand..."
"What do you understand?"
"Sorry." Villefort took a deep breath and stood up, "I want... to be alone for a while."
…
In the afternoon, news of the death prediction had spread throughout the manor.
Villefort shut himself into the bedroom and saw no one except Alvira. Victoria and others discussed the next response, while Hesta stood alone as a non-combat mercury needle.
Sophie sat alone in the huge hall all day long. She wanted to do something, but didn't know what to do. The time passed by in hesitation and anxiety until Alvira came out of the bedroom in the evening.
She stood up immediately and said, "Auntie."
Alvira smiled, and the haggard look on her face was immediately noticed by Sophie.
Sophie was about to say something, but she fell silent again when she saw Alvira waving to the housekeeper not far away.
Alvira whispered something, the housekeeper nodded repeatedly, turned around and left quickly, and Sophie approached at this moment, "Are you okay?"
"It's not very good, but it's not bad either." Alvira raised her lips slightly, "Go upstairs and see your uncle. I think he needs your company very much now."
"...Would you like to take Joey over?"
"I just talked to the housekeeper." Alvira replied, "You go ahead."
"Then you——"
"I'm going out for a walk," Alvira said warmly. "I've been bored in the house all afternoon, so I'm going to get some fresh air."
Sophie stood there, she had a thousand words to say, but she could only watch Alvira leave.
Also watching this scene was Hesta standing on the second floor. When Alvira disappeared into the entrance hall, she also disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.
…
"What? Hold a funeral in advance?" Victoria thought she heard wrongly, "What are they doing... Why can't I understand again."
"Since we already know that the assassin will come in twelve days, and every previous assassination has been successful, we should prepare the funeral in advance and say goodbye to our relatives and friends while we are still alive," Si Lei explained, "I guess it should be this means."
Victoria laughed - Villefort had a good attitude.
"When is the funeral?"
"It seems that it is not a special event. It will just send condolence invitations to all friends. Those who are willing to come should come to Tan Yi within five days to see her for the last time." Si Lei recalled for a moment, "I think Alvira will also take care of the family's hair tonight." I received an urgent letter and asked a lawyer to come to the manor tomorrow. She and Villefort went through the will again in the afternoon and found that some details had not been handed over to the request - they must have been preparing with a certain death mentality. "
Si Lei looked at Victoria with a subtle expression, "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing..." Victoria raised her eyebrows, "I just suddenly felt a little...angry?"
"I think we'd better weigh this matter again," Si Lei said softly. "If we really want to hold this funeral, whether it is at Danglars' manor or back to the Duke's residence in Villefort, we will bring it in a short time. A large number of visitors, and this kind of thing will definitely attract public opinion——"
"Do it."
"ah?"
"Let him do it." Victoria repeated, "What if he really dies in the end?"
"..." Si Lei looked confused, "You said you were a little angry just now. I thought you were angry at Villefort for not believing in the ability of your mercury needles?"
"That's true, but what should I do? Rich and Schmidt are indeed not saved. There is no reason why people should blindly believe that mercury needles can save him from the assassins at this time..." Vic Doria held her head, "Maybe it really can't be saved?"
"Victoria!" Si Lei stood up angrily, "What on earth are you talking about? Listen to what you said? Is this what you should say as the person in charge?"
The sound of the dispute spread from the conference room on the first floor to the living room. Although the content was vague, Si Lei's fierce tone could still be felt. Endai and Zoe frowned at the same time.
The manor was quieter than ever tonight. The guests who originally came to the manor for Queen's Day were called in by the police for questioning because of yesterday's Roger case. After returning, they stayed in their respective residences and did not go out. The young man has decided to leave tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
In addition, Villefort and Danglars did not show up tonight, and the whole house suddenly felt a little cold.
Suddenly there were footsteps on the second floor. The two looked up and saw Hesta coming downstairs.
"The kettle in my house is broken, I came down to find some water to drink." Hesta said softly, "Are you on night watch tonight?"
"Yes." Zoe nodded, and she pushed the kettle on the coffee table towards Hesta, "Drink this."
"Thanks."
A few more heated arguments came from the distant conference room, and then quickly subsided.
"Is that the voice of Officer Si Lei just now?"
"Probably." Endai nodded, "She seemed to have been chatting with Alvira for a long time in the evening, and now she is conveying opinions to Victoria."
"Alvira came out of the room?" Hesta asked.
"Yes, she came out," Endai replied. "She seemed to have gone to the garden alone to cry for a long time, but she was discovered by Calvin. He didn't know what to do, so he asked Si Lei to go and have a look."
"Do you think Victoria is a little strange today?" Zoe suddenly looked at Endai.
"A little?"
"Only a little bit?" Zoe frowned, "How angry was Victoria when Avinash and the others were fighting passively? But look at her attitude when she assigned us the task in the afternoon, it was completely the same as Avinash's. Vinash a virtue—"
"Don't say that, maybe she is a little tired?" Endai raised her hands, as if to suppress the sudden flames on Zoe's body, "After all, we have always failed before -"
"What keeps failing? Rishi sought his own death, Schmidt was tricked by Avinash, and the last two people were kidnapped from the underground base because of an insider. Which step here is our 'failure'? ? As soon as we arrived, we discovered that the assassin could master our coordinates, and we designed a careful encirclement and suppression plan based on this. As long as the operation in the Golden Crow Palace had not encountered the solar wind, we would not have let the assassin escape just like that!"
"Zoe..."
“I just don’t understand why the higher-ups suddenly want to recruit me!” Zoe said angrily, “What if a person who relies on his abilities to act recklessly in a livable area becomes a mercury needle? Such a person is really Can you become our companion? Why can't you fight resolutely? What value does this kind of recruiting trick have besides disrupting our normal combat rhythm?"
After saying this, she looked at Hesta and said, "...I'm sorry, I wasn't targeting you."
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