The fairy maid cheers for her deceased master today.

The candlelight from the crystal chandelier danced on the silver cutlery, casting blurry reflections of the three people.

Axe tapped the rim of the wine glass lightly with his fingertips, quietly waiting for the right moment.

At this moment, Angel had already buried herself in the third scones and was devouring them, with traces of cream still stuck to the corners of her mouth.

"so--"

Irene gently poked at the sliced ​​beef Wellington pastry with a silver knife.

"Does the jazz really believe that those 'automatic steam pianos' will become the mainstream in future concert halls?"

X leaned forward slightly, as if to share a top-secret anecdote:

"This is the future trend, and it won't be long before you see it for yourself in three years. Performers won't even need to look at sheet music—oh no, they won't even need performers."

Axe recalled that the catalogue for the Crystal Palace Expo appeared three years later.

"Of course, there are also machines that 'don't require turning the pages of sheet music,' as I mentioned earlier. They're called automatic page turners. They're nothing special."

"An automatic page turner?" Elena's eyes lit up, clearly intrigued. "I've heard Sister Catherine mention it! She said it's more reliable than the most clever musician."

Catherine was probably just saying that casually. That page turner is so rigid; if you try to interrupt it halfway through, it'll slap you.

Hearing the familiar topic, Angel looked up and proudly said, "My master took me to see a player piano!"

"Huh?" Irene asked curiously, "Didn't you say it wouldn't be until three years later?"

Angel immediately covered her mouth.

AX chuckled and patted her head: "Finish your beef first. Don't leave any."

He then decided to change the subject, turning to Elena and lowering his voice, "Speaking of Catherine... what has she been up to lately? I always see her clutching her laptop, acting all mysterious."

Because of X's mysterious nature, Elena was unconsciously infected as well.

She leaned closer to Ex, her voice carrying a hint of accompliceness, and whispered, "Actually... she's writing a new novel."

Angel immediately perked up her ears, forgetting even to chew her beef: "A novel? A detective novel?"

"Shh—" Elena put her index finger to her lips, her eyes curving into sly crescents, "It's about the 'Rain World'."

Irene's face was already exquisitely beautiful. Even among fairies, she belonged to the top tier.

At such close range, the allure of those subtle gestures was almost palpable. In his "fully revived" state, X truly felt an intense temptation.

That fairy truly lived up to her name.

He picked up his glass and took a sip as if to conceal his unease; the cool touch of the rim calmed him slightly. "How did she know..."

"This is a semi-public secret of the Holy Way Society. Ever since she learned that the Holy Way Society had mastered the method to enter the 'Rain World,' she has always wanted to use this to write a famous novel."

That startled me. I almost thought that Irina knew she was a "reflection of her inner self."

However, Irene did not entirely agree with Catherine's approach.

“Catherine always says—” Elena’s voice was as light as a feather, “‘Rain World’ can be used to solve cases, and whoever masters ‘Rain World’ will become the greatest detective.”

She paused, a hint of worry flashing deep in her emerald eyes. "I'm worried she's getting too close to danger."

Do you think the "rainy world" is dangerous?

"It's extremely dangerous. It's not a place for ordinary people. It holds countless secrets and has buried countless lives. But Catherine says that her ancestors were the ones who pioneered the 'Rain World,' and she simply wants to carry on their will."

Axe's knuckles tapped unconsciously against the rim of the glass again. This information was clearly useful. Catherine Wentworth… the name seemed to carry more weight than he had anticipated.

Unfortunately, it's useless to me. I'm not here to uncover Catherine's secrets.

Let's get back to the key topic.

"So..." he began slowly, his gaze fixed on Irene, "your true wish is for her to be far away from the 'Rain World'?"

"Oh, no."

"So what is your wish?"

"Ah, this topic..."

Irene was a little taken aback and subconsciously picked up her wine glass, the red wine inside swirling in a deep red vortex.

She didn't answer immediately, but stared at the churning liquid in the glass, as if examining her own heart.

"A wish..." she finally spoke softly, her voice sounding somewhat ethereal amidst the restaurant's noise, "I... have no wish. I just envy Sister Catherine."

Ex didn't move, listening quietly.

Angel stopped what she was doing, even forgetting to chew.

"Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"

Irene laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Species are born suddenly... Fairies are born suddenly... so am I."

Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed against the cold glass.

"My sister Catherine is different from me. She knows what she should do and why she lives. But when I came into this world... it was like a joke from God. For a very long time, I didn't know why I was born."

She didn't continue. But Alex sensed the confusion she had once felt.

But... fairies, are they also born suddenly?

X suddenly remembered Deacon Samuel and his viewpoint: fairies are two sides of the same coin, always harboring the blood of a different species, and sooner or later they will transform into a different species.

It seems that fairies and other species do indeed share some similarities.

"So... your wish is to find a reason for your existence?" Ex asked cautiously.

But Irene suddenly laughed.

"No, I'm already very satisfied with my life now."

What?

So your wish isn't here either.

Ex sighed inwardly. Nothing to show for it.

"And..." Elena glanced at X cautiously.

Then their eyes met. Irene quickly and nervously looked away.

Huh? What's on my face?

Just then, a waiter quietly approached with a silver tray, on which were three short-stemmed glasses filled with a deep amber liquid.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the waiter said with just the right amount of respect, "this is our complimentary dessert wine, a treasure from our cellar."

Irene immediately grabbed her glass as if it were a lifeline: "Ah, thank you."

She tilted her head back and took a big gulp.

Axe keenly sensed the urgency in her movements. Sure enough, a few seconds later, an unnatural blush rose on Elena's cheeks, and even her ears turned crimson.

Those emerald eyes lost focus, as if veiled by a hazy mist.

"Its strength is very high," the waiter added respectfully.

Thank you, you should have said so earlier next time.

But Irene was clearly already too drunk to hold her liquor.

She suddenly leaned forward, pulling the chair closer until Ax could smell the faint scent of herbs and wood in her hair, as well as the slightly sweet aroma of the wine.

"Sir, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

Angel immediately straightened her back like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her blue eyes sharply sweeping over X and Elena.

"Not now..." Irene shook her head, her long emerald hair cascading over her shoulders like a flowing stream. "Was it a long, long time ago... in a dream? Or... even earlier?"

"I've seen it in the real world before," X thought.

She frowned in confusion, her fingers unconsciously gripping Ax's sleeve: "Your eyes...so familiar...so warm..."

Ex noticed that Irena was gripping his cuffs tightly with great force; she was indeed a fairy.

Then Irena's body went limp and she collapsed onto X.

X felt that... he had chosen the perfect moment to be "completely revived." He could directly feel that warm softness.

Irene's weakness was alcohol.

"Elena?" he called tentatively.

"Hmm?" She looked up, her emerald eyes, misty with tears, staring straight into his.

Then, without warning, she laughed. Not the elegant or aloof laugh she'd given before, but a completely open, slightly silly, genuine laugh, her canine teeth showing without reservation:

"Ah, I remember now!"

What are you remembering?

Both X and Angel instinctively held their breath.

"Yes, at Sister Catherine's old detective agency!" Elena's voice rose, tinged with the surprise of discovering something new. "You're standing in the doorway! Sunlight streams in, and your shadow... falls on the floor!"

She slammed her hand on the table, the cups and plates clattering softly. "Yes! That's it! Like a... uh... like a cat sunbathing!"

X: "..."

Angel: "Pfft."