Liam stared at the newspaper Julien had bought.
Julien placed a hand on Liam's shoulder and said,
"See what kind of newspaper I bought? Are you enjoying it or not?"
"No..."
"Why not? It's really good!!"
"This is the third day in a row you've bought a newspaper, and even this one doesn't have a map of the city..."
"Most of the vendors sell this one. It's not my fault!"
"You shouldn't have bought it from them."
"If you don't like it, give it back."
"No."
"Then it's a good newspaper."
"Absolutely not!"
"You..."
"If you're going to insult me, go to your room so I don't have to hear you."
Julien fell silent for a moment, then headed toward the kitchen, grumbling under his breath.
Liam suddenly called out,
"Oh, right... And stop grumbling."
Julien turned toward Liam.
"Yes... Detective!"
"Were you mocking me?"
"Me? No... I wouldn't dare!"
"Good..."
Julien entered the kitchen and called out a little louder than usual,
"Want something to drink!?"
Still absorbed in the newspaper, Liam replied,
"Tea, please..."
Silence settled over the house.
Then a faint whistle came from the kitchen.
Liam suddenly called out,
"Hey, do you know anything about the Master of Mechanic!?"
There was no answer.
Liam shouted louder,
"Hey, idiot... You didn't fall asleep, did you!?"
Julien's voice came back, slightly frightened.
"What? What is it!? What happened?"
Liam repeated his question.
Julien thought for a moment before answering,
"I don't know much either. I just remember reading a newspaper a few months before I met you. It said Les Loups de Nuit, La Compagnie d'Argent, and Le Cabinet du Roi were looking for a man known as the Master of Mechanic..."
"I haven't forgotten the conversation I had with the Earl... Please speak English!"
"There's no better language than Lothièrois. How did you get tired of it already? Anyway, like I said, the Nightwolves, The Silver Company, and The King's Cabinet are looking for the same man..."
Liam exhaled.
"I see. By the way, why have all the newspapers you brought these past three days been in English? I didn't think Lothier even printed English newspapers..."
"Some newspapers print certain articles in different languages..."
"For foreign travelers or merchants!?"
"Pretty much!"
"Be careful. Don't let the water boil too much..."
"I'm watching it!!!"
Liam fell silent for a moment, then reached toward his bandaged side and said,
"Do you think this Master of Mechanic could be connected to our case? I mean the portrait..."
Julien murmured, "Hmm..." before continuing.
"I don't know... But I don't think someone with the word 'Mechanic' in their title could curse a portrait!"
Liam placed the newspaper on the table and closed his eyes.
"That makes sense..."
A few minutes passed.
Julien placed two cups of tea on the table, stood beside Liam, and lightly punched him on the head.
"Wake up. If you're not going to eat dinner, at least drink your tea!"
Liam slowly opened his eyes, raised his head, and rubbed them with his hands.
He yawned, glanced at Julien, and said,
"Who said I'm not eating dinner!?"
"Is a baguette with tea really dinner?"
"The lighter it is, the more comfortable you are."
"Who said that?"
"Me."
"Are you a doctor or a detective?"
"Depends on the situation. I can even become your mother and give you a good smack on the head."
"I like my real mother more."
"No more talking!"
Liam slowly picked up his cup of tea and brought it toward his mouth.
A little tea spilled onto his tongue.
Liam suddenly dropped the cup onto the table.
Julien stared at him in surprise.
"Hey, what happened?"
"Why is this so hot!?"
Julien downed his entire cup and looked at Liam with a mocking smile.
"Oh no... Did you see what happened? Mine was cold!!"
"I'm going to kill you."
"Then I'd better run."
Liam grabbed Julien firmly by the collar and pulled him closer.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
Liam glanced at the door, then at Julien.
"Who is it?"
"A woman whose husband went missing. I gave her the address of the world's greatest detective."
"This time I'm sure you're mocking me!"
"Detective, please. Is there anyone in the world more brilliant than you?"
"After this woman leaves, I'm pouring the whole teapot over you..."
Julien chuckled under his breath and closed his eyes.
Liam walked toward the door and slowly opened it.
A young woman stood outside.
The moment she saw Liam, she quickly greeted him and grabbed his hand.
"Please, find my husband."
Liam stared at the woman for a moment, then said,
"Please, come inside."
After the woman entered, Liam walked over to Julien, grabbed him by the ear, and dragged him toward the kitchen.
"We'll be with you in a moment, ma'am..."
As soon as they reached the kitchen, Liam released Julien's ear.
Julien snapped angrily,
"What's wrong with you? Did I commit a crime!?"
Liam sat down on a chair in the kitchen.
"What's going on? I know perfectly well that I'm not famous enough for a new case to land on our doorstep after only three days!"
Julien leaned against the wall and stole a glance at the woman, who was staring in confusion at the tea spilled across the table.
"Ah."
He turned back toward Liam.
"Her husband disappeared about eleven days ago. She reported him missing to the police. She tried again with the help of the factory where her husband worked, but..."
Liam lowered his head.
"The police did nothing, right?"
Julien forcefully exhaled.
"Yeah... Class discrimination."
Liam pushed his hair back and pressed his fingers against his eyes.
"I can't focus on two cases at the same time..."
Julien immediately said,
"Actually, the reason I told this woman to come here tonight was because... I thought her husband might be connected to the portrait's curse!!"
Liam raised his head.
"How?"
Julien put both hands into his pockets.
"The painting you drew and showed me, the one you wanted me to use to find that kind of street and scenery..."
"Well?"
"The factory that man guarded... It's on that very same street. East Goldfield Street."
Liam immediately stood from his chair and looked at Julien.
"Seriously? Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
Liam glanced at the kettle and teapot.
"If I accept her request without asking for anything in return, she might think I'm not actually going to investigate her husband's disappearance!!"
Julien gave a quick wink and snapped his fingers.
"I told her the detective is very interested in newspapers that contain maps, and she agreed to bring a newspaper with a map of the city along with her!!"
Liam gave a smirk that almost resembled a smile.
"I have to admit... You handled that well, Julien. Nice work!"
He placed a hand on Julien's shoulder, then left the kitchen and began talking to the woman.
Julien slowly pushed himself away from the wall, picked up another cup, and poured himself some tea.
He leaned against the kitchen sideboard and watched Liam talking to the woman.
He gave a faint smile and took a sip of his tea.
He immediately pulled the cup away from his mouth and muttered,
"It really is hot..."