Just like other violent incidents that happened in the dark corners of Vienna, no one believed that Edward, who had been missing for two days, could come back alive.
No one could have imagined that he would appear in front of everyone in such a way and appearance. But no matter what, people are still alive.
After all, he was the French ambassador. No matter how many questions he had, Werther did not dare to raise them now. He could only ask the patrolman to pass the news back and take him back to the embassy first.
Apart from Edward looking a bit out of sorts, there were no obvious wounds found on his body. After asking the servant to clean it up and down, and then put on a set of clean clothes, he returned to the long-lost study.
Looking at the rather grand embassy in front of him and the quiet and peaceful streets outside the window, Edward's eyes were filled with tears: "I'm still alive..."
"Your favorite delicacies have been prepared in the kitchen, and Chief Witte from the police station is still waiting in the living room." The servant stood at the door and asked,
"Would you like to have something to eat first, or see him first?" Edward didn't want to think of this painful memory, but he knew that as an ambassador to Vienna and the personal representative of the three emperors, if he didn't speak clearly now, it would be very difficult for him. The relationship between the two countries is an irreparable damage.
What's more, even if he puts aside his official duties, he is still a serious marquis, and his noble status does not allow him to escape: "I was really a little hungry, so I took the police chief to the restaurant and we chatted while eating." Werther always wanted to take credit. Delio is actually very open-minded.
The case involves private life and some unsavory past events. As Edward, it is normal for him to be rejected.
So he asked the patrolman to go back and report to the director in advance, and he kept an eye on it while he let his superiors figure out a solution.
The worst-case scenario is just to be kicked out of the embassy, no big deal. Facts have proved that the situation is not only not bad, but also developing in a good direction.
Seeing Edward slowly walking into the restaurant, Werther quickly stood up and greeted him: "Your Excellency, Ambassador, I didn't expect that you would encounter such a thing in Vienna, and you were shocked." A French Marquis had an accident in Vienna, no matter the reason Are you going out for prostitution?
"Kidnapping" is an objective fact. Werther is the sergeant of the Vienna Police Department. Even if his eloquence is poor, he still has to say something.
Of course, showing weakness is just a necessary politeness. After expressing his expression, he still needs to come up with some necessary words to avoid lightning in the police station: "Every city has its dark side, and it is not easy to be lucky enough to come back." Edward also knows that when encountering something, If something like that happens, you can only admit that you are unlucky, and it will not be good for you if you publicize it.
He had just escaped from danger and was indeed in shock, but he did a good job on the surface and could even squeeze out a smile on his face: "Sheriff has been working hard these days. He hasn't eaten yet." Werther shook his head.
"Then let's eat something together. The chefs in the embassy are not as good as those at the Roche Chouart restaurant. They are also serious French chefs." After being imprisoned for two full days, Edward was really hungry and he was already sitting on the bed while talking. chair, looked back at the servant and asked him to serve the food, then turned around and continued to talk to Werther: "If you have any questions, the Sheriff, just ask, let's chat while eating." Compared to the banquet food on the night of the accident, today's food is shabby. A lot, more in line with the usual embassy food.
However, that also compares to Alphonse’s craftsmanship and pomp. Compared with what Werther usually eats, this can be considered a real feast.
However, the delicious food served did not make Eduardo touch his knife and fork. He started with a small bottle of wine, a bowl of spinach with French sweet peas, and some pan-fried asparagus.
But now Edward's attention is not on eating and drinking. The most important thing is to explain to Werther what happened in the past two days.
"As Chief Witte said just now, I did go to Hoints Street. I forgot the specific house number. I only know that the boss is a very charming woman." Witte nodded after hearing this, thinking about how to continue. Asking questions, there was no hint of fatigue in my hands.
It was rare for him to eat such good food. He moved his knife and fork very fast and put the juicy mutton chops into his mouth one by one. While chewing, he asked: "Did the carriage go north after leaving that shop?"
"Yes." Compared to Werther, Edward's dinner plate was much clearer. After eating the spinach and peas, only a few crooked asparagus sticks and a half-bitten piece of lettuce were left: "Originally, you could reach a small hotel north along the Danube River, and then..." said Here, Edward took a long breath: "Then something unexpected happened halfway."
"Accident?" No one could be found at the beginning and end of the journey. Edward must have been lost halfway, but this was also the point that Werther couldn't understand the most: "It's not that easy to stop a rental carriage. Could it be that there were seven or eight people on the other side? Edward shook his head: "Just one person."
"One? This is impossible! How can one person stop the carriage?"
"..." Edward plucked the asparagus on the plate with his fork and hesitated for a while before replying,
"Actually, it was me who stopped the carriage." Werther's head was full of questions. There were too many questions to ask, but this was not Hoints Street under his jurisdiction. He didn't have enough confidence to ask questions, so he could only use some reliable methods. There are optional hypothetical questions to induce the other party to finish the sentence: "Did the carriage driver offend you? Or is there something wrong with the route?"
"No, I was the one who asked to park the car." Edward looked back at the servants waiting at the table, and after they left, he said,
"Because there was no one around at the time, and we happened to be passing by the moonlit Danube River. It was such a quiet and beautiful place, so the secretary and I wanted to get out of the car first... you know." Werther didn't understand, but followed his lead It seemed like I understood something again.
When he found that no matter how he broke it down and considered it, the final answer was the same, he finally couldn't help but ask: "Field battle?" Edward buried his head in embarrassment and stuffed the asparagus he had just teased into his mouth, which was regarded as acquiescence. .
They cut off the carriage halfway and took away all the people and carriages. No matter how you looked at it, it was all a gang operation. But who would have thought that there was only one person on the other side, and who would have thought that it was Edward who wanted to have a field battle and stopped the carriage.
The direction of finding people is completely wrong.
"What's next?" Werther asked tentatively.
"After we were done, we all got into the carriage. After we closed the door and left there, we felt dizzy and then lost consciousness." Edward continued,
"When we woke up again, we were all tied up in a spacious little dark room."
"Fainted?" With Witte's limited medical knowledge, it's hard to imagine anything that could kill four people at once.
"I guess the carriage driver will have been killed while you were having fun."
"It should be so. We heard the sound of water entering, but it was too dark at the time and we were all in high spirits, so we didn't pay much attention." At this point, the door of the restaurant was gently knocked open, and the chef was waiting for the servant With the help of the ambassador, he pushed the dining cart in and said: "Your Excellency Ambassador, these are the baked potatoes you just asked for."
"Okay, give it to me quickly, I'm starving." This was actually a contradiction, because there were several pieces of lamb chops and garlic lobster claws on the table. He didn't even move, his eyes only stared at with the roasted potatoes that had just been delivered to the table.
And when it came time to start eating with a spoon, he stopped within two bites just like when eating lettuce.
"How are these potatoes made?" Seeing that all the hot plates of his main course were skipped, the chef standing aside felt uncomfortable.
Seeing him asking questions, he quickly stepped forward and explained: "I brushed the oil on the surface of the potatoes with the oil used when frying asparagus and grilling lamb chops, and then put it in the oven..." Before he could finish speaking, Edward said I couldn't help feeling nauseous, so I took two sips of wine to calm down.
He didn't mean to blame the chef, he just ate the asparagus silently and pushed aside the plate with potatoes and lettuce: "Did you put ham in the lettuce?"
"It's ham juice."
"Okay." Edward wiped his mouth and expressed his dissatisfaction with his appetite. The most intolerable thing for a chef is to not get approval for his dishes. Although the chef shouldn't overstep his bounds and ask questions, it was related to Edward's dietary health, so he still spoke: "Your Excellency Edward, the garlic langoustine claws were just served. Is there something wrong with mashed fava beans in Breton sauce and grilled lamb chops?”
"Problem..." Edward shook his head,
"It's probably my problem, it's too greasy for me." Greasy? impossible! The chef doesn't know this
The meaning of "greasy" here: "This is your favorite grilled lamb chop, made with onions, green onions, mushrooms, celery hearts and fresh cream in a Brittany sauce. It shouldn't be too much." It’s just greasy.”
"Take it away, I don't want to eat it." Edward deliberately avoided the lamb chops and turned a deaf ear to the tangy aroma. He didn't even want to see it.
The chef found it strange that although Edward used to be aloof, he behaved like a gentleman. Even if there were situations that did not suit his taste, he had never been so direct.
What's more, this grilled lamb chop is made exactly according to his original taste, so there can be no problem.
Edward was also in pain. The spinach, peas and asparagus used as side dishes couldn't satisfy his hungry stomach for two days: "By the way, is there a fruit salad?" The chef glanced at Werther who kept talking across the table. , explained: "Because the area around the embassy has been blocked in the past two days, we did not buy fresh fruit. If you can still eat it, you might as well wait a little longer. There will be a soup next."
"Soup? Hurry, hurry, hurry up and make it!"
"Okay, Your Excellency." Witte listened to the conversation between Edward and the chef. In fact, he was a little embarrassed because the lamb chops and lobster claws were all on his own plate. This was obviously inappropriate: "Ambassador Edward, Don’t you want to eat?”
"I have no appetite." Edward shook his head, stood up and moved the two plates towards him.
"You're welcome, Sheriff." The chef and the servants left one after another, and their conversation quickly shifted from food to the robbery: "The room looks very spacious, but it is surrounded by earthen walls and is very simple. These two We have been locked up there for days."
"No windows?"
"No."
"Can you hear any strange sounds?"
"I can only hear some small noises. It should be during the day. It will be better at night, but there are also some strange screams from time to time." Edward tried his best to describe the sounds he heard, but his ability was really limited. : "I am not a Kami Yin who is good at writing, and I don't have many words to describe the scene at that time. To me, it was a dark and damp room, full of mold and some strange odors. Even now I still have This smell remains, it's so disgusting." Werther took a brief note of the characteristics of the room, and then continued to ask: "Can you describe the appearance of the kidnapper?" Edward shook his head: "It should be in the middle of the night when we woke up, I don’t know the exact time, but the surroundings were very quiet, just like what I just said. There were only some noises coming from time to time, and they soon became quiet. But the person never appeared, and our calls for help were not received. In response, he didn't come in until the morning... He seemed to have thought of some painful meetings, and couldn't help but pour several sips of wine into his mouth. Then he calmed down and continued: "His head is on his head." Wearing a weird mask, you can't see your face at all. Wearing a black leather skirt, she looked dirty. "
"Are there any other characteristics?"
"I...I can't remember clearly." Seeing that he was a little embarrassed, Werther quickly changed the subject and asked, "Didn't you identify yourself?"
"Actually, I made an agreement with Plamont before. For the sake of the relationship between France and Austria, we must swap identities. He will be the ambassador and I will be the secretary." Edward finally talked about the dilemma at that time,
"According to logic, I should be released back to prepare the money. No matter what happens next, at least my life can be saved." Vittor nodded. This is indeed a good idea, but judging from the actual situation, it seems that it is not going well. .
"but.......?"
"But that guy doesn't play according to the routine at all." Edward was extremely excited when he thought of the other person's masked face.
"No, I can't actually blame him, because when I was about to speak, Plamon was the first to reveal my true identity. He betrayed me, the empire, and his own soul! !" At this time, the chef knocked on the restaurant door again, and a pot of fragrant hot soup was served on the dining cart.
Even when Werther, who was already full, smelled the aroma, he couldn't help but want to grab a bowl and have a taste.
However, Edward sitting next to him had a serious expression. The smell on the tip of his nose overlapped with the memories, which always gave him a bad premonition: "What kind of soup is this?"
"It should be called 'Queen's Soup'. The day I met the Ambassador, he liked it very much and drank two bowls in a row. I learned the cooking method from Mr. Alphonse." The chef picked up two meatballs with a spoon and said,
"Meatballs made by mixing partridge meat paste and pheasant chicken stuffing, and then..." Alphonse said the same words when he introduced it, but Edward's reaction was completely different: "Throw it away. Throw it away quickly, I don’t want to eat such disgusting things!!” [No surprise, there should be another update in the middle of the night]
