"Just Wayne is fine, my title is knighthood, we’re both knights, there’s no need for formalities."
Wayne casually said, "Once the princess becomes queen, you’ll be a baroness anyway, and a close attendant at that. I’ll have to rely on your kind words then."
Juno’s face changed, and she said coldly, "Sir Wayne, you are no ordinary person, you are the heir of the Tulip Family, please refrain from speaking lightly of the throne."
"It’s fine, I’ve made similar remarks to the prince as well, just pleasantries. The princess won’t take them to heart."
Taking a deep breath to keep up with Wayne’s pace, Juno’s chilling demeanor softened as she expertly switched to her official diplomatic expression and said with a slight smile, "Wayne, I’ve already proven my identity. Let’s talk about the commission now."
"Okay, but let me be upfront, the person you represent is no ordinary individual, and I may not accept this commission." Wayne gave Mona a look, signaling her to learn and observe how Juni managed her expressions.
Without beating around the bush, Juno went straight to the point, "According to reliable information from the Magic Department, you’ve had two conflicts with the devil, once on Dragonheart Island and once in Lundan, your undercover work was highly successful, providing ample information to the Heavenly Father’s Court."
"That’s true, but I’m not close with the Heavenly Father’s Court, I’ve always been loyal to the Minister of the Magic Department, providing information was for the Holy See to deal with the devil, thereby weakening the Holy See’s living forces in Windsor." Wayne stated his position clearly.
Mona nodded along, that’s what you do when you’re undercover.
Juno smiled and continued, "On January 5th, the Dawn Detective Agency across from Wayne Detective Agency was attacked by the devil, Mister Lando reported the arrival of the Hell Devil to the Magic Department, afterwards, the devil attacked several of the Magic Department’s strongholds, resulting in heavy losses..."
"The devil’s last appearance was on January 14th, when it attacked and was defeated at Lando Manor."
"There’s still a devil lurking in Lundan, I’ve received accurate information, I have several suspects in mind, and I hope Wayne Detective Agency will take on the commission to investigate."
At this point, Juno opened her briefcase and took out a thick file, waiting for Wayne’s response.
"You are the princess’s knight, the princess is a member of the Royal Family, the Royal Family has found a lead but didn’t directly inform the Magic Department, and instead came looking for me, a member of the Magic Department, the heir of the Tulip Family..."
Wayne thought over the relationships and shook his head, "It’s a bit complicated, let me just ask one thing, does the queen know about this?"
"The queen might know, or she might not know."
Schrödinger’s queen, is she also playing footsie with Planck?
Wayne rolled his eyes, "Given my identity, I’m bound to be loyal only to the queen, and I must be loyal to the queen. I appreciate the princess’s consideration, but I ask her to find someone more capable, I cannot accept this commission."
"Mister Wayne, setting aside our complex identities, you are a detective, and I am but a meddlesome passerby, that’s all there is to it," Juno said.
Wayne shook his head, "What you think and what I think doesn’t matter, the queen is the sovereign of the country, only what she thinks matters. If there’s nothing else, I shall take my leave."
Having said that, he patted his backside and stood up, strolling leisurely to a tree.
This crooked tree has a unique growth, it’s worth studying.
Once Wayne patted his backside, Mona knew what position to take up next, sitting next to Juno and picking up the newspaper used for passing messages: "Wayne Detective Agency’s gold medal detective Mona, how may I be of service?"
Juno was slightly startled, then smilingly said, "I have a commission in hand, and I hope Wayne Detective Agency can help investigate it thoroughly. Time is of the essence, the sooner the better."
The two ladies chatted for a bit, and Mona activated the team’s voice communication to raise several questions Wayne wanted to know.
Five minutes later, Wayne returned from looking at the tree.
Mona stood up and, with a serious look, pushed up her glasses and said, "Boss, the commissioning party is in a tricky situation, I can’t handle the investigation alone, I hope to work on the case with you."
"You’re hopeless, I’ll assist you then..."
Wayne took the file, examined the information carefully, and then with an expressionless face, handed it back to Mona, "You investigate first, I’ll come to you tonight. Bring this Miss Juno with you, she must be present for the entire process, otherwise don’t begin."
Juno sat in the chair and shook her head with a wry smile, he’s too cautious, he must be Austin’s illegitimate child.
The two beauties immediately started their investigation, Wayne did not follow, instead heading to a luxurious hotel first, putting on white gloves, adeptly picking the lock to slide into Princess Elizabeth’s suite.
The room was empty, with a faint scent of perfume lingering in the air.
Wayne sniffed, remembering Princess Elizabeth’s scent, "There’s a similar perfume smell in the elevator too, the chair is still warm, and there are other scents, male and female, probably bodyguards..."
There were many possibilities, not being able to confirm with his own eyes, Wayne refrained from jumping to conclusions after some deduced reasoning.
"Based on the scents in the room, I’m quite certain the princess is very pure, she didn’t throw a silver party in the suite."
The scene shifts to Lando Manor, where Wayne analyzes his speculations with logic, leaving Austin unsmiling and gradually losing his amused look.
Is that all you found after being busy all day?
"I’d like to find something else, but there were no hairs left behind at the scene, and the bathroom was unused. Not a single piece of toilet paper, let alone a fingerprint was left," Wayne curiously said.
"Whether she really is the princess is not yet certain, but the information provided by Knight Juno is very interesting. One of the investigation targets is Prince Edward. Let’s be bold, the other targets are red herrings, the princess’s true target may only be the prince."