Survival Guide After Accidentally Kissing a Demon - Chapter 123

Chapter 123

While the two were talking, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed man had already consciously walked some distance away.

The intelligence broker weighed the bag in his hand, then spoke with great satisfaction.

“Speak, little girl. What do you want to know?”

“I want to know the truth about the disappearance of the Swan Family,” Beili said.

Hearing that name, the broker’s expression faltered slightly, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes.

After a moment, the broker said, “Little girl, information about that family isn’t easy to come by.”

“I can afford the price.”

Beili looked at him with her red eyes, devoid of emotion, and said calmly, “That is, assuming you actually have a channel to obtain the information.”

As she spoke, she seemed to lose her patience. She reached out, grabbed the bag of gold coins, and slowly pulled it back.

“I think I should head to the next Flea Nest.”

Seeing the gold coins about to fly away, the intelligence broker hurriedly tightened his grip on the bag.

He looked at the heavy gold coins, then at the cold, red-eyed girl, and finally nodded.

“Give me an address. I’ll have the information delivered within two days.”

After leaving the Flea Nest and returning to the carriage, an eerie silence filled the interior.

Beili sat upright in her seat.

Whenever she looked up and saw Doctor Cassius, those blushing, heart-pounding, and unsightly scenes from the Flea Nest would involuntarily surface in her mind.

Her red eyes remained quietly lowered, and her ears were slightly flushed.

She pretended as if nothing was wrong and tried her best to avoid eye contact with Doctor Cassius.

As if sensing her embarrassment, Doctor Cassius smiled slightly, breaking the silence.

“What are your plans now, Miss Bartholomew?”

The man opposite her smiled and said softly, “Because according to the plan you made before leaving, it seems we still have… two more Flea Nests to visit?”

…Uh.

Could she say she wasn’t going anymore?

Visiting three Flea Nests in one day was simply too terrifying.

Her eyes and ears were exhausted.

Beili preferred to go back and wait for the intelligence broker’s news.

And while she was at it, she needed to clear her mind, which had been overstimulated by those various images.

If that man didn’t send useful information, she would go ask someone else.

“Let’s go back to where we’re staying.”

Beili pursed her lips with a slightly embarrassed expression. After thinking for a moment, she said, “I’m a bit tired.”

Cassius nodded slightly and instructed the coachman, “Back to the Constance Family house.”

“Yes, sir.”

Receiving the order, the coachman cracked his whip. The carriage turned around and began to move slowly forward.

The wheels rolled over the cobblestone road, making a dull thudding sound.

Beili looked out through the latticed window of the carriage.

On both sides of the spacious, clean main road were still magnificently decorated shops and houses.

The reliefs on the neat outer walls were lifelike, and the bluestone pavement didn’t have a single crack.

Even the manhole covers on the ground were carved with intricate patterns.

Stained-glass windows reflected vibrant colors under the sunlight, falling onto the high-quality fabrics worn by the passing noble ladies and gentlemen.

On the main road, carriages marked with various family crests passed one another, displaying their respective statuses.

It formed an exceptionally sharp contrast with the filth and squalor of the dark alleys.

“Doctor Cassius.”

“I am here, Miss Bartholomew.”

“The ‘Rat Holes’ in the Imperial City… what are they?”

Recalling the term that appeared most frequently on the map of the Imperial City, she asked with some hesitation.

“The Rat Holes are Underground Casinos.”

So that was what Flea Nest and Rat Hole meant; they were the most common establishments in the Imperial City.

“Does Miss Bartholomew… want to visit a Rat Hole?”

A hint of difficulty appeared on his smiling face.

“I don’t have that intention for now, it’s just…”

The girl’s voice trailed off as she whispered to herself, “The Imperial City is a bit different from what I imagined.”

At least, it was different from the description in the Original Book.

In the Original Book, the Imperial City was mostly depicted as glamorous and beautiful, aside from the occasional Thorn Game that was opposed by the New Nobles.

The terms Flea Nest and Rat Hole had never appeared in the Original Book.

Hearing her words, Cassius gave a gentle smile and said, “The Imperial City is indeed composed of Flea Nests and Rat Holes. I hope this doesn’t cause you too much distress.”

As he spoke, his emerald gaze fell upon the girl’s small leather shoes, which were stained with mud.

Cassius’s shoulders shifted slightly, and then he took a clean handkerchief from his pocket.

He leaned forward slightly.

With his well-defined fingers holding the handkerchief, he began to wipe the surface of her leather shoes clean with natural and infinite patience.

When he looked up again, he met the girl’s slightly surprised red eyes.

“Professional habit, please excuse my rudeness.”

Cassius smiled and slowly folded the handkerchief, saying softly, “I have accepted your mother’s Commission Order, Miss Bartholomew.”
“But on your very first day, I’ve let you see the Flea Nest of the Imperial City.”

He maintained his smile, then sighed.

“It truly was… an impressive experience.”

Beili gave a forced laugh and whispered, “Impressive indeed.”

What did it feel like to wander through a Flea Nest with the second male lead?

It was strange.

It was like huddling on a sofa with your godmother, reading the same smutty manga together…

There was a devastating, eerie, and subtle sense of shame.

Only, our Doctor Cassius didn’t seem to mind at all.

Doctor Cassius wasn’t the least bit curious about what questions she had asked the information broker, nor was he curious about what she planned to do after gathering her information.

Perhaps, in his eyes, Bartholomew’s actions were just a child’s adventure and play.

This was exactly what Beili needed.

If Doctor Cassius liked to pry as much as Madam Constance did, she would have had to come up with a suitable excuse.

“Don’t worry about that, Doctor Cassius.”

Finally clearing those images from her mind, she said, “I was the one who wanted to go to the Flea Nest. I’ll explain that clearly to my mother.”

“Besides, even if Mother knows I went to the Flea Nest, she won’t blame me in the slightest.”

Beili spoke with confidence.

After the words left her mouth, she felt surprised by this unearned surge of certainty.

She wasn’t the type to trust others easily.

Even with Lisa-who had planned and prepared to rescue her from the Confinement Room.

After surviving the life-and-death stakes of the closing Hunt Banquet and making up for any potential debt she owed, Beili still hadn’t fully trusted her.

…

She had to admit it.

Though they hadn’t known each other long, she already trusted Madam Constance completely.

She believed that no matter what happened, Madam Constance would show her infinite indulgence.

Unless she found out-that Bartholomew’s soul had been replaced.

But Beili was confident she wouldn’t let anyone know.

Because now, she was Bartholomew.

Therefore.

The Third Floor of the library, where the truth could be obtained, would never be opened through her Dream Domain a third time.

…

The carriage traveled slowly along the main road.

The young girl made up her mind.

Her expression didn’t change, save for a strange glimmer that flashed through her jewel-like, deep red eyes.

On the other side.

Unaware of her inner monologue, Doctor Cassius nodded slightly and said with a smile:

“That is indeed the case. Your mother cannot bear to say a harsh word to you.”

Beili looked up, asking curiously:

“From the way you describe her, Doctor Cassius, you seem to know Mother very well. Are you two quite close?”

Doctor Cassius shook his head gently and said, “I wouldn’t say we’re close. I merely treated the Duchess’s eyes once.”

“Her eyes?”

Beili was somewhat puzzled.

She carefully recalled Madam Constance’s eyes.

Aside from the thick, heavy eyeliner and the somewhat flamboyant eye makeup, Madam Constance’s eyes showed no signs of injury.

“Yes, Miss Bartholomew.”

Cassius nodded slightly, a hint of pity appearing in his emerald eyes:

“I still remember your mother’s description of her condition-”

“She said the world she saw had turned gray and white. Even when the red roses in the garden bloomed, they appeared as a dull gray in her eyes.”

“But there was nothing wrong with the Duchess’s eyes. She was simply…” Cassius paused before continuing, “in a poor mental state.”

Doctor Cassius’s words were very tactful.

Madam Constance had once suffered a mental breakdown; she had been mad for a time.

That was likely what he meant, Beili guessed silently.

Her red eyes narrowed slightly. After a few seconds of silence, she said:

“She seems fine now, Doctor Cassius. You must have put a lot of effort into it back then.”

“My treatment had a negligible effect.”

Doctor Cassius gave a faint smile and continued:

“Constance Castle was too lonely. At the time, I suggested the Duke bring back a girl of a similar age to you. This would help alleviate the Duchess’s condition.”

Hearing Doctor Cassius’s words, Beili’s shoulders stiffened for a moment. Following his lead, she asked, “So that’s how it was. Doctor Cassius, was Susanna brought back to Constance Castle by the Duke because of your suggestion?”

“Yes.”

Doctor Cassius looked at her, his voice gentle and slow:

“Though Miss Susanna’s appearance didn’t make the Duchess move on from her grief, it did allow color to gradually return to her world.”

So that’s how it was…

Wait, why was Doctor Cassius suddenly telling her this?

Was he saying this because he hoped she and Susanna would get along peacefully?

If it were anyone else, Beili would have impatiently and coldly snapped, ‘What’s it to you?’ or ‘Mind your own business.’
But the person she was currently conversing with was Doctor Cassius.

This was the Bodhisattva who was willing to take time out of his busy schedule to help her find books.

“I know what you mean, Doctor Cassius.”

So Beili smiled and said, “I have no objection to Susanna appearing at the Constance Family home. Although we are a bit cold compared to sisters in other families… this is the most comfortable way for her and me to get along.”

…

“…You misunderstand.”

Doctor Cassius shook his head with a smile, explaining in a slightly helpless tone, “I didn’t mean to condemn you, Miss Bartholomew.”

“Then why bring this up all of a sudden?” Beili asked.

“I just suddenly recalled some things from the past and felt a bit sentimental…”

When his lake-green pupils looked up at her, they were quiet and soft.

“Miss Bartholomew, do you ever think about the past?” he asked.

The past?

Did he mean things that happened before she transmigrated into Bartholomew’s body?

That was impossible to explain.

The Original Book hadn’t described it, and Beili hadn’t received any of Bartholomew’s past memories after transmigrating.

Tracing back from the memory of seeing Ashera being pinned to the ground and beaten into a pulp by a group of Nobles in the last cell of Thorn Prison, there was nothing but a blank void.

As they spoke.

The carriage continued forward on the main road, the houses on both sides of the street outside the lattice windows constantly receding.

“I’ve forgotten, Doctor Cassius.”

Beili said with a faint smile, “Perhaps the past memories were too unpleasant, so my brain chose to forget them.”

His quiet, soft green pupils flickered slightly.

Doctor Cassius’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something more.

After turning a corner, the carriage they were sitting in suddenly came to a halt without warning.

…

They would be back at their residence in less than a hundred meters from this intersection.

“Why did we stop?” Beili asked.

“Eldest daughter, our carriage has been blocked,” the driver said from outside in an uncertain tone.

Then, as was customary, he identified the household and inquired, “Sitting inside is the daughter of Duke Constance of Butterfly Valley. Who are you?”

There was total silence from the other side; no answer came.

“Eldest daughter, that seems to be an empty carriage,” the driver’s voice rang out again, his tone still hesitant.

Traffic jams like this were very common in the capital.

Especially with certain people who liked to decorate their carriages in an exaggerated manner; when such people went out and stopped by the roadside, their carriages became like walls, blocking the roads until they were impassable.

“Have the driver of that carriage move it,” Cassius commanded.

“There is no driver on that carriage.”

While they were speaking, Beili had already opened the carriage door to look out. She saw a pitch-black carriage stopped in the middle of the road.

That carriage was pulled by four black-furred horses. With no driver to guide them, it stood motionless across the center of the road, exuding an indescribable eeriness.

…

Beili guessed at a glance that it was Ashera’s carriage.

Or more precisely, it was the carriage of the Second Prince of the Royal Family.

Clearly, Ashera had come to pick her up.

…

The young girl’s toes moved as she was about to step out of the carriage, but she was stopped.

Doctor Cassius reached out, blocking Bartholomew.

Seeing that carriage, which was dark in both color and aura, his brow furrowed slightly, and the smile on his face vanished.

“Turn around. Take another route,” he said in a low voice.

“Understood.”

Hearing Doctor Cassius’s words, the driver pulled the reins to turn the carriage around.

“Wait, there’s no need to turn around or change routes.”

Inside the carriage, the girl looked a bit flustered. She explained, “That is the carriage of the Second Prince of the Royal Family. The Second Prince is my friend. I’ll go over and say a few words.”

A few seconds passed after she spoke.

Cassius’s arm remained in front of Bartholomew, with no intention of letting her get off the carriage.

His green eyes were unblinking, shimmering with a faint, eerie light.

“Doctor Cassius?”

The girl’s red eyes went wide as she looked at him, clearly confused by his behavior.

…

Cassius remained silent for a few seconds before slowly lowering his arm. He said in a gentle, soft voice, “So it is the Second Prince of the Royal Family.”

“…Yes.”

Beili repeated, “The Second Prince is my friend. I want to go talk to him.”

“Since Miss Bartholomew is friends with the Second Prince, it is only right to go and say hello.”

A smile returned to Doctor Cassius’s face.