After walking out of the Tribunal, Rei sincerely expressed his gratitude to Donatello. "Captain Donatello, thank you. If not for you today, I'm afraid it wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
Donatello waved his hand and laughed heartily. "No need to be polite. I admire your spirit of persisting in justice."
Hearing the words "persisting in justice," Rei found it somewhat amusing in his heart.
He just wanted to move up in the world, but he was missing some important opportunities.
He quickly controlled his feelings and looked serious. "For the sake of justice, even if I am badly hurt, I will never give up!"
Donatello patted Rei's shoulder forcefully. "Young man, you have backbone. Not bad!"
He admired Rei more and more in his heart, and on a sudden whim, he asked, "By the way, do you have a girlfriend?"
Hearing this, Rei immediately guessed Donatello's thoughts and hurriedly waved his hand.
"Right now, all my energy is focused on pursuing justice. I have no thoughts of finding a girlfriend."
Hearing this, a trace of regret flashed across Donatello's face, but he didn't say anything more.
Subsequently, the two bid each other farewell and walked in different directions.
It was already noon. Rei walked into a small restaurant and ate a simple lunch.
This time, the owner did not gift him food as usual, and even the serving time was much slower than usual.
Rei didn't pay it much mind and quietly finished his meal.
After the meal, he strolled leisurely along the clean and tidy streets of the Court of Fontaine, admiring the beautiful cityscape.
Unknowingly, he ended up walking in front of a somewhat familiar house.
After a brief hesitation, he stepped forward and gently knocked on the door.
Moments later, the door opened, and the dignified and elegant Emilie came into view.
"Vice Captain Rei, welcome. Please come in," she said softly, moving aside so he could enter.
Rei nodded slightly, then stepped into the house.
As soon as he stepped inside, a light, fresh scent filled the air, making him relax without even thinking about it.
Emilie looked concerned and asked, "Vice Captain Rei, is there any new progress on Flora's case?"
Rei shook his head. "Not yet. We are still missing key physical evidence."
Hearing this, Emilie sighed softly. "My father is also helping with the investigation. He said that with how things are going, this case will probably go unsolved, just like the Serial Disappearances of Young Women from before."
Hearing this, a trace of curiosity surged in Rei's heart. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, your father is an agent of the Marechaussee Phantom?"
Emilie replied, "Yes. During our last family gathering, we discussed this case together."
After saying that, she hurriedly added a sentence. "I didn't tell him about the button."
"That was a wise choice." Rei's tone held a hint of praise. "For this kind of thing, indeed, the fewer people who know, the better."
"Mhm," Emilie responded softly.
Then, the room became quiet and a little uncomfortable.
Emilie was not good with words and rarely spent time alone with young members of the opposite sex.
Rei, for a moment, also didn't know what to say.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly awkward, Rei took the initiative to steer the topic toward perfume. "Miss Emilie, could you tell me about the perfume blending process?"
At the mention of perfume, Emilie seemed to turn into a different person, sharing her insights and experiences with perfume in high spirits.
She even enthusiastically invited Rei to try blending a perfume together.
The whole process of making the perfume felt easy and smooth.tacit understanding that required no words flowed between the two, as if they were confidants whose hearts had long been connected.
However, Rei did not possess much talent in perfume blending.
Nevertheless, Emilie took a liking to this specific perfume, gently dabbing it on her wrist.
The cool, light scent mixed with her simple and graceful style, making her seem almost magical, like a fairy from the forest. I gifted this perfume to her.
"Vice Captain Rei... are you really giving this perfume to me?" Emilie blushed a little.
In Fontaine, a young man gifting perfume to a woman often carried a certain special meaning.
Rei nodded affirmatively. "Miss Emilie, only you are most suitable for this perfume."
"Thank you!" Emilie hesitated for a moment, then accepted the perfume.
Time flew by quickly, and before they knew it, it was already evening.
Rei stood up and took his leave.
After he left, Emilie sat quietly in front of her perfume workbench.
She lowered her eyes and looked at the perfume bottle for a long time. A small, hard-to-see smile appeared on her lips as she got lost in her own thoughts.
---
Just as Rei was about to reach his own doorstep, his gaze was suddenly drawn to the scene in front of his door.
A young noble in fancy clothes was standing there with several servants, looking very important.
Rei walked up with a composed expression. "Mr Olev, visiting so late... may I ask what business you have?"
Olev looked Rei up and down, speaking with an arrogant tone. "You have some skill, I'll give you that. It's just a pity you provoked people you shouldn't have provoked."
"For the sake of Fontaine's justice, even if it were a god, I would fear nothing!" Rei replied solemnly.
"Justice? Haha!" Olev sneered, his face full of mockery. "Then I'll tell you today the outcome of pursuing so-called justice: You will soon be dismissed and reduced to a lowly commoner that anyone can bully. As for your beloved Chiori, she will also..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt something cold and hard stuffed into his mouth. He focused his eyes and saw that it was actually a gun barrel.
Rei gripped the firearm tightly, staring expressionlessly at Olev. "Olev, I am not a soft wimp like Ophir. If you say one more word, I will execute you right now."
Olev was scared pale; he shook his head desperately, signalling that he wouldn't say another word.
Seeing this, Rei slowly holstered the firearm. "Olev, if you came here to threaten me, then scramble! Don't waste my time here!"
Olev dry-heaved a few times. A trace of resentment flashed through his eyes, and he said through gritted teeth, "Rei, just you wait! Tomorrow, you will see a good show!"
After speaking, he turned and left with his servants, looking like he had run into bad luck.
He had planned to scare Rei into begging for mercy, to show he was better than Ophir, whom his father liked more. Instead, he ended up embarrassed and defeated.
Rei stood in place, not moving his feet for a long time, his brain spinning rapidly.
Olev's words just now allowed him to capture a key piece of information: Tomorrow, Flora's case would see a major turning point.
Suddenly, he thought of a possibility.
Without a moment's delay, he turned and walked briskly toward the Palais Mermonia.
----
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