Chapter 176

Glancing at the lips of the Red-haired Bureau Director once more, Princess Veronica confirmed that the color of her lipstick matched the half-smudge of lipstick on Leon’s collar. Her eyes flickered before she spoke:

“Director, though I am not one of your Clearing Bureau employees, I did some thinking last night and believe there might be three people with issues. Would you happen to have the convenience to hear my thoughts?”

Your thoughts? A subtle hostility was sensed from the beautiful woman across, causing the Red-haired Bureau Director to instinctively narrow her eyes. She then discreetly controlled a strand of hair, pressing Leon’s handprint onto the forehead of the Black Goat, signaling him to check the soul state of the princess. With a beaming smile, she nodded and said, “Certainly convenient, or rather, highly welcomed. After all, having an investigable target is far better than blindly searching for a needle in the sea.”

“In that case, I shall disturb you.”

Controlling herself from pondering about that lip print and lipstick, Princess Veronica took a deep breath and frowned as she recounted:

“Firstly, there’s a pair of grandfather-granddaughter duo. Since it was a private visit yesterday, I was very cautious and had almost no close contact with anyone except Mr. Leon. The only exception was the servant’s kitchen on the west side of the Lane Family estate.

At the time, Mr. Leon, after being ambushed while chasing rebels, seemed to want to replenish something in the kitchen. I was outside the kitchen entertaining a little girl named Phoebe. During this time, she patted me on the chest a few times. By the time Mr. Leon came out, he no longer recognized who I was.

When Mr. Leon left me due to his memory loss, I tried to ask him why, but I was stopped by the little girl’s grandmother and couldn’t stop him in time. I suspect her grandmother intentionally held me back.

Also, despite their significant age difference, the old lady called Lucy claims to be Phoebe’s younger sister, and the little girl Phoebe seems to genuinely view her as such. I think these two are highly suspicious.”

A strange pair of sisters pretending to be grandparents?

After exchanging a glance with Leon, who was stroking the head of the goat, receiving a confirming nod that the princess wasn’t lying, the Red-haired Bureau Director thought for a moment and nodded again, continuing her inquiry:

“Very valuable information. Do you remember the appearances of this pair?”

“I do.”

Princess Veronica responded with great confidence:

“The old lady called Lucy has a raspy voice, a slightly hunched back, and appears to be around sixty to seventy years old. The little girl named Phoebe has a round face and small stature, roughly six or seven years old. Her eyes are extremely… um… how should I say it?”

Frowning as she recalled, Princess Veronica hesitated somewhat:

“Like… a very pure feeling, but not the kind of purity found in children. Children’s eyes also contain emotions and thoughts. But this child’s eyes give off… um…”

After recalling together, Leon tentatively added from beside her: “Crystal-clear foolishness?”

“Yes! That’s exactly what I mean!”

Glancing at Leon sideways, Princess Veronica nodded:

“That child is like a clean sheet of paper, seeming intellectually lower than children of the same age, yet not truly stupid. It’s because of her lack of experience, leading to a peculiar blankness where she knows nothing.”

“Understood. Indeed, very valuable information.”

Looking at Jerry, who was also pondering, giving him a look to investigate immediately, the Red-haired Bureau Director gently pursued:

“And the third person?”

The third person…

Upon hearing this, Princess Veronica hesitated for a moment, seemingly uncertain, but eventually opened her mouth:

“The third suspicious person is my younger brother Joshua. Though he hasn’t shown any abnormalities, I can’t explain why, but I have this intuition that he might be somehow involved…”

“I see.”

Looking at the princess who proposed the third suspicious person but quickly negated it herself, the Red-haired Bureau Director nodded imperceptibly and smiled, extending her hand toward the door with a polite gesture.

“Princess Veronica, if you don’t have any other information to provide, the next step will be our Clearing Bureau’s work. Please wait in Leon’s office for a bit! Please don’t misunderstand; we’re not trying to hide anything from you. However, since you’ve been forgotten, we’re unsure whether the royal manual that can silently calm souls still works on you. Listening to our discussions might bring unnecessary danger. We hope you understand.”

“Alright.”

Hearing this, Princess Veronica nodded, stood up, and walked out directly. Once her footsteps disappeared in the corridor, the Red-haired Bureau Director immediately began assigning tasks:

“Jerry, have your friends go to the kitchen at the Lane Family estate and record all the presences from yesterday noon. Compare them one by one to quickly find that pair of sisters posing as grandparents.

Then notify Emma to temporarily set aside other tasks these two days, keeping vigilance within the bureau. If there’s any trace of rebels, take immediate action and bring them back!

Lastly, Leon, after sending the hair home, take my note to the royal palace and thoroughly investigate Prince Joshua. See if he’s really involved in this matter!”

“Got it.”

After hearing the Red-haired Bureau Director’s assigned tasks, Jerry immediately pushed the door open and left. Leon hesitated for a moment and suggested:

“Director, if possible, could someone switch tasks with me?”

“Unfortunately, that’s impossible.”

The Red-haired Bureau Director shook her head: “Among those in the bureau who can discern lies, you’re the only one available right now. You’re the best choice to investigate Prince Joshua.”

“…”

It’s not that I think the task assignment is inappropriate; mainly, I just gave that guy a big fight yesterday and spat on his face. I feel like he probably won’t cooperate with me willingly…

“Leon, trust me, that woman is not ordinary. Her intuition absolutely deserves attention.”

Looking at Leon, whose expression still showed reluctance, the Red-haired Bureau Director earnestly explained: “If she is truly the princess, then she is the direct bloodline of the twelve royal families. And the twelve royal families… well, let me put it this way. Tracing back through history, they can barely also be considered part of the Clearing Bureau.”

“Huh?”

“It’s true.”

Looking at Leon’s astonished face, the Red-haired Bureau Director hesitated slightly but ultimately explained:

“Including the already fallen Eastern Karlevin Kingdom, the ancestors of all kingdom royals were once stationed at the Watchtower Palace. Some may even include the creators of the Watchtower Palace. Due to the achievements of their ancestors, the Clearing Bureau was willing to sign agreements with the twelve kingdoms and even make concessions in certain aspects.

Most royal families have inherited some abnormalities from their ancestral lineage of the palace sitters and have intermarried extensively. This results in some outstanding direct descendants possessing special abilities even without anomalous items.

Leon, listen to me. If I’m not mistaken, this Princess Veronica’s special ability likely manifests in her intuition. So, since the princess feels Prince Joshua has problems, he probably does. It’s worth your effort to thoroughly investigate him!”

(End of Chapter)