The call ended.
A busy tone came from the Far-Talker.
Madam Red Thread heaved a sigh of relief as she removed the earpiece and gracefully placed it back onto the cradle along with the microphone.
She raised her hand and lightly pressed a silk handkerchief to her temple.
There was no sweat there, but she felt there should have been.
“Miss Viluoya.”
She looked at the blonde girl across from her, who still seemed completely out of the loop, and put a warm smile back on her face.
“Miss Charlotte has agreed. She’s very satisfied with you.”
Viluoya nodded thoughtfully.
‘A crush on me from three years ago?’
She tried her best to recall what she had been doing three years ago.
Back then, she had just transmigrated and wasn’t familiar with anything yet.
Because of her mission, she spent every day studying techniques through detective novels and sketchbooks, occasionally elbowing some unlucky guy who tried to steal from her.
Nothing else.
She didn’t remember meeting anyone particularly special.
But that didn’t matter.
What mattered was that the other party seemed pleased with her and apparently didn’t mind her little hobby either.
She wouldn’t interfere with my mission completion.
Viluoya was satisfied.
“Madam, when will she arrive?”
“She’s already on her way.”
Madam Red Thread glanced at a small hourglass timer on the table.
“About ten more minutes.”
Viluoya nodded and fell silent, waiting quietly.
Madam Red Thread looked at the girl sitting still like a doll and once again marveled at the art of language and her own exceptional professionalism.
If it weren’t for her, this match would have fallen apart at the first question.
Margaret: ( ˶’ᵕ’˶ ) ‘I’m really amazing!’
The atmosphere on the terrace settled into a delicate silence.
Ten minutes later, the brass lattice door of the lift slid open silently.
A figure in a black suit stepped out.
Viluoya looked up.
The person was just like her photo—even more beautiful than the picture.
She wore a well-tailored black ladies’ suit, outlining clean and elegant lines.
Unlike other young ladies in the city, she didn’t wear cumbersome jewelry, only a modest silver brooch pinned to her collar.
A black high ponytail.
Her dark eyes lit up the moment they saw Viluoya.
Charlotte’s steps stopped at the table.
Close now, that heart—wild from anticipation and nervousness—strangely calmed down.
She was really here.
She looked at Viluoya, at those clear turquoise eyes and slightly probing gaze.
The hollow that had been vacant deep in her soul for so long was gently filled in by something at this moment.
She told herself: calm down, Charlotte.
Wasn’t the lesson from three years ago enough?
You can’t just rush in like a reckless kid and get sent into the fountain with an elbow.
This time, use elegance.
Use an adult’s approach.
“Hello, Miss Crinwell.”
Charlotte’s voice was pleasant.
“I’m Charlotte van Dorn.”
“Hello.”
Viluoya nodded and also stood up.
“Viluoya Crinwell.”
The two looked at each other—one gaze burning with the ecstasy of reunion and a possessiveness that demanded satisfaction, the other calm, carrying pure curiosity and scrutiny.
Madam Red Thread, sitting on the side, felt like an unnecessary background prop.
She stood up, a smile of a job well done on her face.
“Since you two have met, I won’t disturb you any longer.”
“You can discuss the details yourselves. If you reach an agreement, feel free to contact me anytime to process the follow-up paperwork.”
With that, she picked up her briefcase, gave them a slight nod, and turned into the lift.
In the last second before the lattice door closed, she glanced at the two figures on the terrace—completely different in temperament yet strangely harmonious—and let out a long sigh.
At least she hadn’t ruined her reputation.
Only Viluoya and Charlotte remained on the terrace.
Viluoya looked up to observe the woman before her.
She seemed quite steady, not the talkative type.
Viluoya silently added a point to her in her mind.
“Please, have a seat.”
Viluoya gestured to the chair across from her.
Charlotte sat down gracefully, leaning her cane against the table.
Charlotte pulled out the chair and sat down opposite Viluoya, her movements elegant.
Viluoya also sat back down.
“Madam Red Thread should have already told you about my basic situation.”
Charlotte got straight to the point.
“Yes.”
Viluoya nodded, her gaze never leaving Charlotte’s face.
“A jewelry appraiser with unique taste, exceptional hands-on skills, admirers lining up from the Golden City all the way to France, and someone who once worked in a core government agency.”
Charlotte: “?”
She blinked in confusion.
Was that how Madam Red Thread had introduced her?
She didn’t know she was that accomplished.
But since Madam Red Thread had paved the way, she couldn’t let her kindness go to waste.
“Yes.”
Charlotte nodded.
“But those don’t matter. What matters is that I need a partner in name to deal with the Marriage Act.”
She leaned forward slightly, her turquoise eyes fixed seriously on Charlotte.
“I hope our marriage stays only on the legal level. After marriage, we can live separately and not interfere with each other’s lives or careers.”
“My goal is to become a great detective.”
She added, her tone firm.
Charlotte looked at her, listening to her earnestly propose these “heartless” conditions.
The smile at the corner of her lips deepened.
‘Miss Detective.’
‘How interesting.’
“I happen to need a quiet place to organize my collection.”
Charlotte said slowly, a hint of slyness flashing in her gray eyes.
But Viluoya didn’t notice.
She felt the other party’s requirements perfectly matched her own.
That was good.
“Then it sounds like we’ve reached an agreement,” Viluoya said.
“Of course.”
Charlotte leaned forward, elbows on the table, hands clasped together, mirroring Viluoya’s posture.
“However, I also have an additional condition.”
“Name it.”
“You’re a detective. When you’re hunting down Phantom Thieves in the future, you might encounter all sorts of dangers.”
Charlotte’s gaze swept meaningfully over Viluoya.
“I hope that when you’re on a mission, you’ll allow me to accompany you.”
“In the name of a husband or wife, to provide you with some trivial assistance.”
Of course, she wouldn’t say she just wanted to see with her own eyes how this future little darling used those soft-looking, harmless hands to beat up those unlucky colleagues one by one.
And incidentally, she wanted to reclaim a bit of the dignity she’d lost three years ago.
A Phantom Thief’s pride could not be trampled.
Viluoya thought it over.
According to her original plan, she would do the thinking and tell the other party to do the catching.
After all, her strength was too great.
Having someone else assist made it look more authentic and saved her a lot of trouble.
Besides, detective novels all said that every detective should have an assistant.
“Alright.”
Viluoya nodded in agreement.
The two were of one mind.
Viluoya took out a pre-prepared prenuptial agreement and a fountain pen from her small bag, pushing them over to Charlotte.
Charlotte glanced at it.
It clearly listed terms like property independence, no interference in each other’s private lives, respect for each other’s careers, and so on.
She picked up the fountain pen and signed her name at the end.
Charlotte van Dorn.
Viluoya also signed hers.
Two copies of the agreement.
Each kept one.
After signing, Charlotte looked up and met Viluoya’s gaze.
At that moment, looking at Viluoya’s serious little face, a sudden thought uncontrollably popped into Charlotte’s mind.
And then, she blurted it out.
“Since we’re already like this, how about we go to the city hall right now to register our marriage and get the certificate?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Charlotte froze herself.
‘What are you saying, Charlotte?’
She looked at Viluoya, at the flash of shock on her face, and wished she could bite off her own tongue.
‘Stay calm, Charlotte.’
‘Your persona is that of an elegant, mysterious adult woman—not a reckless fool trying to sell herself off!’
‘This doesn’t fit your Phantom Thief Nightingale persona!’
Viluoya looked up at Charlotte.
The other woman’s face still held a smile, but a hint of panic had begun to appear in her eyes.
This Miss Charlotte is very beautiful and speaks well.
But her brain doesn’t seem too bright?
She hadn’t picked a fool, had she?
Viluoya: •᷄ࡇ•᷅