The next morning, around 8 a.m., Alfred got out of bed wearing a white shirt and black trousers.
He turned the doorknob and walked toward the bathroom in his apartment.
Still groggy, he leaned to his left and turned on the faucet to wash his face.
Rub rub rub
Alfred rubbed his face with water-soaked hands, washing away the remnants of sleep.
Once finished, he lifted his head, ran his fingers through his hair, and exited the bathroom.
He went downstairs and had a simple breakfast: fried eggs, two slices of bread, and some smoked meat.
After eating, he returned to his apartment and waited for the clock to near nine. He put on his black coat and matching trousers to get ready for the funeral ceremony.
It had been decided yesterday that the ceremony would begin at eight.
Alfred sat down and picked up a novel he had bought a week earlier. He'd planned to start reading it after the case was over.
Who would've thought the criminal would delay his reading this long?
He read chapter after chapter, but not a single line moved him. His face stayed blank the whole time, as if the story had no emotions at all.
At exactly 9 a.m., there was a knock at the door.
Knock knock knock.
Alfred placed the book on the table and stood up to answer it.
He turned the handle and opened the door—facing Javier.
"I thought you were still asleep," Javier said, frowning.
His hair was messy. He'd clearly spent the whole night awake, still processing the loss of their colleague.
It wasn't like he had romantic feelings for Lilly, but they had worked together for two full years. They had built a strong bond.
"I'm not that lazy," Alfred joked with a faint smile.
"…Were you reading a novel?" Javier asked, glancing at the table behind Alfred.
Alfred glanced back indifferently. "Ah, that. Wasn't very enjoyable in the end… or maybe I've lost my taste."
Reading a novel… in the middle of all this. Javier could only sigh.
"Shall we go?" he asked.
"Of course. They're probably waiting for us," Alfred nodded.
The two descended the stairs step by synchronized step.
Thoomp. Thoomp. Thoomp.
Alfred opened the door, letting sunlight flood the hallway and strike Javier's face behind him.
Outside stood a woman in a black dress, holding a bouquet of deep crimson flowers. Her black hair framed striking emerald-green eyes, speckled like a starry sky. She smiled softly.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" said Diana.
"Miss Diana…" Alfred was stunned.
She already knows?
"I heard yesterday about the assistant's death. I came to pay my respects. I hope I'm not too late," she said, her voice smooth and deep.
Lady Diana? One of the bishops of the Crimson Feather Organization? Javier thought, shocked.
"We're just about to begin. You're right on time," Alfred explained with a slight nod.
"Good. Let's go, then." Diana turned gracefully and walked ahead of them.
At Hevel Street Cemetery, plot 22, Alfred stood beside Diana.
Behind them were Clouser, Zarquil, Divya, Daniel, and the rest of the police officers.
Lilly was an only child, and with her parents already dead—killed by a murderer—no one had come to her funeral besides the police.
Everyone stood in silence, staring into space or down at the grave.
The atmosphere was heavy, soaked in grief, anxiety, guilt, and fear.
No one moved. They stood like statues before the grave of the fallen officer, Lilly.
Suddenly, Alfred's blue eye shimmered—his warning signal.
He raised his bowed head and looked around.
The air around him seemed to freeze.
He noticed that the once-drifting leaves on the green trees had stopped mid-air.
It felt as if the world had stopped spinning. He was caught in a frozen loop.
A strange sensation.
To his left, he saw Diana meeting his gaze. Her emerald eyes, speckled like the cosmos, stared calmly at him.
They were the only ones not frozen.
Diana slowly turned her head to glance behind them, pausing for a second to glance at Alfred, then redirecting her eyes toward the gathered crowd.
Alfred followed her movement—and saw the officers and leaders.
Clouser. Zarquil. Divya. Daniel. Javier. And the others.
All of them wore tight yellow masks with narrow eyes and twisted grins, decorated with glowing black stars.
Alfred's expression tightened. His heart skipped a beat.
He didn't know if this was Koroliga's illusion—or Diana's.
"…No one," Alfred replied softly.
Diana smiled and nodded faintly. "Who knows? Maybe one of them is. This is an illusion, sure—but the truth might not be far off. He could be somewhere in this city."
"Miss Diana…"
"What is it?"
"Can I… withdraw my request?"
"How about we take a walk?" she said, already stepping away.
"…Huh? Uh, okay." Alfred nodded.
She always makes me take a 'walk' to rethink my stupid decisions, Alfred thought. He wasn't sure whether to curse her or thank her for always humoring a broken man like him.
The two walked slowly out of the cemetery.
Every time I see this frozen world, I wonder what decisions Diana is making…
They passed through the silent city.
A man held his hands to the sky as if trying to embrace the sun, while a little girl floated, frozen mid-air above him.
Two frozen statues argued at a café table—locked in a political debate.
A woman in the park had her hand behind her ear, frozen in the act of brushing her hair.
A newspaper vendor mid-shout, arm raised, with a bag full of papers about to spill.
"Miss Diana… why didn't you send one of your operatives directly?" Alfred asked, irritated.
Because of her decision, one of his officers had been wounded—and another killed.
"Didn't I tell you before? I have authority—but not the highest," she said with a faint smile. "Besides, Koroliga masked his presence. We thought it was a regular murder."
"He hid his existence? From you?" Alfred was shocked.
The Crimson Feather was known for its members wielding ancient relics—like Diana herself!
"What's the relic ranking system again?" she asked softly.
"D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS… right?"
She nodded. "That's the highest rank I told you about."
Alfred's face darkened. "There's more?"
"As far as I know, there's also P—above SSS. I don't know if there's anything higher…" she said, gazing at a falling meteor in the sky.
"P!? Could it be…?" Alfred's eyes widened.
Diana nodded. "That's the rank of relics from Carcosa."
"Like mine?" Alfred asked, hopeful.
But she shook her head. "You're an exception. You only have half a relic. The other half was with the criminal we caught two years ago. He disappeared after that… annoying, really."
"So… what rank is my half?"
"I don't know. Maybe a B? Perhaps because it's in the hands of someone very clever," she smirked.
"Hey!?"
"So? Do you still want to keep going?" she asked.
"You mean… you're giving up?"
"No. We'll catch him for sure. But are you joining us?"
"Yes."
"Then it's settled."
"Hermes will be back in a few days. Try to stay alive until then," she said as the two walked back through the frozen scene, like characters in an oil painting.
"I'll try to stay out of trouble till then. I've already told the local police to step back. Everything will be fine."
"Also tell them not to get involved in any suspicious murders. They might stumble into something bigger without realizing it."
"I'll pass along your message," Alfred nodded.
They returned to the cemetery. The ceremony resumed, and Diana quietly departed.
Alfred went back to the inn, changed clothes, and stepped out—heading toward the library.