The Shadow of Great Britain

“The things that happened before, it was my fault,”

Agares shuddered upon hearing this, his goosebumps fell to the ground as he felt as if he had plunged into the very center of the Arctic Circle. He rubbed his body vigorously, trying to get a little warmer.

As he rubbed, he cursed, “Damn it! Arthur, you little bastard! If you spent half the talent you have for disgusting me on figuring out how to become a qualified Devil Contractor, maybe Baal would be kneeling at my feet licking my boots by now.”

Arthur smiled, said nothing, and simply opened the door and walked out.

No sooner had he stepped out the door and not gone far, he saw a lady in a brand new red dress ahead, her face adorned with the simple smile of a country girl, amusing her son.

The little boy was dressed in a newly tailored suit, with an expression of embarrassment and unease, appearing to be unaccustomed to wearing such fine clothes. In this strange and magnificent theater, he felt not excitement and joy, but anxiety and unease brought on by the unfamiliar environment.

Anyone who knew Great Dumas could instantly identify the little boy, for he had the same fluffy hair as his father, clearly a chip off the old block.

Arthur walked up, the crisp sound of his boots startling both the lady and the boy.

Turning back and seeing Arthur, the lady couldn’t help but show a grateful smile, “Mr. Hasting, you’re here. That means Alexander is here too…”

Arthur nodded slightly, smiling as he replied, “Miss Labay, I’m glad to see you again. If you want to see Alexander, he is right behind me, in room 203. Here’s the key to the box. You can go see him now if you want. But, don’t be too surprised when you enter, he might be dead asleep after exhausting himself in creating last night.”

“You might sneak in and give him a passionate French kiss, forgiving his infidelity. Or you can punch and kick him as much as you want to vent your resentment for this faithless man. What to do next is all up to you. I have done my best to arrange a perfect meeting for you. My only request is that you don’t untie the ropes around him.”

“Ropes?” Miss Caterina Labay asked in confusion, “You tied him up?”

Arthur casually fibbed, “Yes, but it’s for his illness. Lately, due to working on ‘Anthony’, Alexander has been experiencing some mental health issues, a bit unstable emotionally. But don’t worry, it’s not an incurable disease, the doctor says that with active treatment, he shall recover soon. If you find him waking up in a violent mood, you may call for the four officers I’ve arranged on the second floor to come in. They know how to calm Alexander down.”

As Arthur spoke, he suddenly noticed the little boy holding his mother’s hand was staring at him with his large, shiny black eyes, unblinkingly.

Arthur bent down, rubbed the boy’s little face, and said with a smile, “I promised you that I’d bring your father to meet you, and now I have kept my promise. You must be happy, right?”

The little Dumas hid behind his mother’s red dress, looked at Arthur for quite a long time, and only when he noticed his mother’s reproachful gaze did he timidly say, “Thank… thank you, sir.”

Arthur wasn’t upset; he just asked, “Tell me, when you see your father, what do you plan to do to him?”

Little Dumas peaked out from behind the red dress, shy yet brave, “I… I want to teach him a lesson.”

“My dear little Alexander!” Miss Labay couldn’t help but ask, “How can you say such a thing! How have I taught you at home?”

Little Dumas was scolded by his mother and couldn’t help but shudder all over, but the next instant he insisted, “I… I still want to teach him a lesson, for… for he once threw me out of the study like a piece of waste paper. And… and he also got into a fight with my mother…”

Upon hearing this, Arthur couldn’t help but laugh. He raised his hand to block Miss Labay’s slap, “Madam, don’t take it too seriously. Children will say anything without thinking.”

Miss Labay, feeling helpless and self-reproachful, said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Hastings, I haven’t had much education, which is why I ended up raising the child this way. As you know, I’m not bad at needlework, but when it comes to reading and teaching children, I… sigh…”

Arthur shook his head, smiling as he replied, “Madam, don’t be too hard on yourself. In my opinion, you’ve done quite a good job raising this child. He sure knows how to hold a grudge, just like his father.”

“Is… is that so…” Miss Labay looked somewhat unsure of herself, and responded timidly, “Well, I’ll take that as a blessing then. Thank God, if he can grow up to be an outstanding playwright like his father, even if he only has a fraction of his talent, I’d be completely satisfied.”

“He will be.”

Arthur spoke with certainty, and then he leaned down to pat Little Dumas on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, “If you want to teach your father a lesson, you should go now, because I’m afraid he’s going to wake up soon.”

Little Dumas’s eyes lit up at these words, a spirited expression on his face. He excitedly clenched his fist and nodded at Arthur, “I will! Thank you, Mr. Hastings.”

This time, Arthur fully felt the boy’s gratitude; the youngster was truly sincere.

After Little Dumas said this, he shot forward like a little rocket.

Seeing this, Miss Labay was so frightened that she quickly followed after him, “Alexander! You can’t treat your father that way!”

As Arthur watched the mother and son leave, he took out his pipe again and put it in his mouth, but before he could light it, he heard a commotion of hurried footsteps.

Several officers from Scotland Yard rushed up the stairs, seemingly in such a hurry that they nearly crashed into Arthur.

“Chief! The… the intelligence is real, the agitators who escaped from Bristol have indeed been spotted in London. We have received reports from officers; they’ve seen a few of the guys just now in Greenwich, mingling with the protesting groups. Chief Rowan suspects that they might intend to replicate the hundred-thousand-strong riot in Bristol, organizing people to storm the police stations, prisons, and the City Hall.”

Arthur glanced at them, then at the pipe in his hand.

Ultimately, he suppressed the urge to smoke and casually tossed the pipe away.

The pipe hit the ground, scattering the tobacco.

“Notify Plunkett, tell him to bring the Ghost Squad to the Greater London Police Department at once.”