Breathing in Cassandra’s damp and chilly air again was striking. The cold of winter could be felt in the air.

It also brought clarity to Lyle’s head once more.

Lyle and Ralph had stayed in Liveser for five days, and the symptoms of intoxication from drinking had completely dissipated. Knowing that his nephew was unharmed, Cassandra’s most dedicated sheriff called out and left on his own, using the newly connected City of Wandering portal to return to Cassandra.

Lyle, with Nia quietly following behind, saw this as the moment to test Echel’s results.

Nia’s lost memories had still not returned, which left her feeling somewhat irritable. After the joint comfort of Lyle and Medusa, she finally stopped gnawing at her bony fingernails and focused solely on eating.

Lyle had no intention of meeting with Ralph, as he harbored an uneasy feeling deep inside him.

The tall man first returned to the security office, and as he silently passed through the gate, silence fell wherever he went. Gentlemen who had been arguing and making noise immediately made way on their own initiative.

Lyle had thought that this was a certain quality of his uncle, but now, he feared it was the psychological suggestion given by the Dreamwalker that shaped Ralph into an unapproachable person.

Although in reality, he was indeed unapproachable.

Nia’s transformed fluid stretched along the beams in the security office, peeking inside through cracks invisible to the naked eye.

Ralph, like a chilling cyclone, whistled his way through until he finally stopped in front of Mr. Gareth.

Gareth looked up, and for a moment, Ralph’s image flickered in his monocle before he buried his head back into the paperwork.

"You’re a lot later than the ’vacation’ you requested..."

Ralph doffed his hat in salute, bowing deeply as he engaged in a secret conversation.

"There was a slight accident, but it’s all sorted out now."

"Accident, coming from you, that’s rare," Gareth said, setting aside the stamped letters, "No need for a cleaner?"

Ralph put his hat back on, a smile appearing on his face, "I’m a stickler for cleanliness." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Ralph had expected his former boss to mock him with a few sarcastic comments, as was usual.

Instead, Mr. Gareth laughed heartily and without reserve in his office. He stood up, leaning over with a broad hand patting Ralph’s shoulder.

"Well done this time! You scoundrel!"

Gareth’s unusual behavior left Ralph puzzled.

"What?"

"Haha, I understand." Gareth handed a document to Ralph, smiling broadly, "Here, your accomplishment."

"Congratulations, my friend, Inspector Ralph."

Inspector?

Ralph squinted, not questioning Gareth’s words, and tucked the document into his coat, leaving in silence.

Ralph was puzzled, but he said nothing, because there was a seal on the envelope.

A three-petaled rose seal.

That seal represented a name Ralph remembered well.

Naranya.

This was an order from Naranya, and Verlet was indeed Naranya’s inspector.

Ralph’s calm exterior hid his tumultuous interior. His steps quickened as he headed straight home.

Ralph’s mindset must have shifted, otherwise, he would have surely noticed the silence around his dwelling.

And Lyle, stealthily crouched outside the window.

To outsiders, there was just a sneaky kid outside Ralph’s window.

But in reality, there were seven invisible people.

Lyle whispered with a pained expression on his face.

"You actually deployed the Night Owl Squad, Echel." Using the Liveser Kingdom’s most elite assassination squad to... interfere with their relationship was something Lyle had not anticipated.

Dove’s voice was as buoyant as ever, and from its source, he seemed to be standing right above Lyle, on the eaves overhead.

"Using the Night Owl Squad as matchmakers, the old king truly lives up to his reputation."

Echel grunted, "Being unscrupulous is a principle of the Night Owl, missions have no distinction of high or low, and moreover, the target is none other than Mr. Ralph, Protector of the Nation. If you can’t do this, you might as well disband on the spot."

Feeling that matters had gone beyond his expectations, Lyle continued with apprehension, "So, Echel, what exactly did you have the Night Owl Squad do?"

Skylark, "I secretly infiltrated and investigated the relevant personnel, Mr. Sharan Bennett’s admirers, Mr. Andris Spink, and the families behind them—the wealthy merchant house of Bennett and Lady Verlet, along with the host of the wedding, Count Tyron of Naranya. Here are some documents related to these individuals."

Nightingale, "I incited a disturbance in the province neighboring Naranya, a conflict concerning a slave uprising. This forced the royal family to dispatch officials to oversee the aftermath."

Dove, "The mechanism that sabotaged the carriage on the road was my design, and those noble gentlemen ’coincidentally’ decided to spend the night in Naranya."

Swift, "And then, quite ’coincidentally’, evidence of the Spink family’s conspiracy to rebel was collected."

"Wait a minute! You fabricated a family’s evidence of rebellion? Slander?!"

"Relax, Lyle. All crows under the sun are black; there’s no noble in this era without ulterior thoughts. We’ve merely lifted the cloth covering them."

"And then embellished it a little bit."

Lyle had already foreseen the dire fate of this unfortunate family—the wedding might well turn into a funeral for the rebels discovered by the royal family.

Lyle felt sympathy for Ralph’s rival for three seconds, then continued to look forward to the Night Owl Squad’s work report.

Zhen, "I seduced Count Tyron, awakening his greedy thoughts towards the Bennett family’s wealth. As the family of a betrothed involved with rebels, faced with the lord’s threat, the Bennett family spent a hefty sum to eliminate the overseer’s interest in them."

"Wait a second!" Lyle’s jaw dropped open as he looked towards the fragrant area.

"You also swindled the Bennett family?!"

You swindled Ralph’s future father-in-law!

"In fact, the head of the Bennett family will also face a year-long house arrest, to clear their suspicions."

Wow, they lost their money and got confined.

Parrot, "Verlet herself will also be investigated; she must temporarily step down from her police superintendent job until the royal gaze shifts elsewhere."

This? Isn’t this harming our own side?!

"No, Lyle, this is necessary work."

"To match Mr. Ralph with Lady Verlet is not merely about removing obstacles but also the inherent class gap."

"Wealth, family status, power—all are barriers."

"The Protector of the Nation is a Duke of Liveser, but... this is a title not officially recognized by you others."

"Mr. Ralph, on the surface, is but an ordinary peace officer. What qualifications does he have to pursue the wealthy high-born Miss Verlet?"

"Don’t talk about mutual affection. To these fools, marriage is politics, an alliance of interests."

So, you’ve brought Verlet’s financial strength and social status down to Ralph’s level.

"I tampered with the local laws." Echel’s words carried excitement, "I covertly rewrote the original laws of Naranya. As for those judges who could recite the old laws by heart, every one of them was bedridden with digestive issues for several days in a row."

"The law stipulates that when a local peace officer or police superintendent is under investigation for any reason, his/her rights and duties will be temporarily assumed by their experienced mentor."

"Verlet’s only peace officer instructor happens to be Mr. Ralph."

The rival and his family executed by the royal family, the Bennett family’s assets diminished, the head of the family held under house arrest, and the shadow of future marital ties with nobility forever marred.

With Verlet’s position as superintendent temporarily assumed by Ralph, the two of them would become the closest of colleagues from here on.

These are the results of the Night Owl Squad’s work.

It has exceeded Lyle’s expectations, but no matter how you look at it, it’s all too tumultuous, isn’t it?

What to do! Uncle Ralph must have guessed that I meddled!

Lyle stood in place, fretting over his own safety.

No, there’s still hope! All this can be explained as "coincidence," as long as I am able to erase any trace of myself and the Night Owl Squad.

Lyle asked Echel with anticipation.

"Mr. Echel, you didn’t leave any traces at the scene, did you? Like signing your own name or claiming credit with Ralph."

Echel bellowed loudly.

"Of course not, we Liveser Rangers are noble outlaws who do good without leaving our names behind!"

Good, that’s a relief; there seems to be room for argument.

"We have credited all the achievements to your name, Lyle, and wrote a personal letter to Ralph in your name. The Protector of the Nation must be very pleased."

"???"