Chapter 322
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Blanche and Alec sat at a quaint little teashop in a part of the city that wasn't too populated.
It was calmer than the bustle of the downtown areas of the city, where people frequented, but it wasn't so out of place that no one came by either. Instead, there was a steady flow of regulars that visited the place.
But they weren't here on vacation, no.
They were here to see whether or not the information in Diane Ross' little black booklet panned out.
She'd written down the various meeting times that the operatives usually went on, as well as their little quirks.
The two that they were 'meeting' today was a male and female operative that posed as a couple to exchange and pick up information.
Surprisingly, over the past couple of days, there had been no information leaks about the Ross Clan from anywhere, other than faint complaints that Rosier City had tightened up on security, causing them to wonder what was happening.
It made Alec wonder just what was going on inside the clan before he quashed his curiosity. He'd already washed his hands clean of them. By leaving behind information to make clear about the kind of person Diane Ross was, he had more than paid his dues and absolved himself from any further guilt.
Anyway, this was better for them. Since Talisha and Travis were implicated in the corruption of Diane Ross, they would be kept in the loop. After Alec and Blanche took a look at these two operators and how they moved, they could meet up again with either Talisha or Travis to extract some information from them.
According to Diane, there should be a meeting here every week as long as there were no external factors that affected their meeting time.
Alec and Blanche were hopeful that the meeting would continue since Diane's work was mainly handled by other people and her subordinates didn't receive much management from her.
Nothing should have tipped them off besides the brief lack of communication that could be chalked up to the increased security in the Ross Clan.
Since there was no news from the Ross Clan leaking out, Diane's position should still be as per usual. As such, they were waiting here to see whether or not their gamble would pay off.
They'd come here for the past couple of days so as to integrate into the café's atmosphere.
Blanche and Alec were seated by the window, and they chatted and sipped tea, generally acting like gossiping nobles.
Their server had given them a few looks, but eventually came to the conclusion that they were nobles looking for a bit of fun away from the glitz and glamour, which was how they wanted it.
The rays of sunlight shone gently through the window, providing ample reading light and made her feel a little like a fat cat basking in the sun.
She felt drowsy, especially with the combination of tea and snacks that she nibbled on.
Blanche blinked, trying to maintain her sharp focus of mind, but to no avail. Blanche sipped her tea.
She'd been coming here with Alec for the past week, and they did nothing but sit around and chat, as well as reading books.
They came across as perfectly harmless, though the server had hinted more than once, asking if they were on a date.
Blanche would have given him a black eye if they weren't needed here. Did they have to ask so many questions?! Couldn't he just keep it to himself?!
Did he think that she was blind to the covetous looks that he gave her when she wasn't looking? She felt like plucking out his eyes just for that alone, but she held herself back in order not to make a mess.
If it ever turned out that this man was also part of the slave trade, she would gladly pluck out his eyes for him. How dare he look at her with such lewd eyes?
While she may enjoy spending time with Alec, it was not in a place like this where she felt forced to keep her manners and be still.
Granted, it was a lot looser than when she had to go to tea parties with gossiping ladies, but she felt like she was dying of boredom.
Blanche had never been one for reading books quietly like a sophisticated person. Instead, she much preferred hands-on work and honing her skills.
Of course, that didn't mean that she was unread, but that she preferred it in small doses rather than hours on end.
Like right now.
Alec, however, seemed perfectly content dwelling in his reading, and she didn't want to ruin that for him.
Blanche pouted, but still started up an innocent conversation with him.
Alec's ability to multi-task was better than anyone else she'd ever seen. She'd even seen him drawing runes down perfectly while referencing a book and holding a conversation at the same time.
Alec's lips twitched a little. Blanche was pouting, and it was so out of character that it was actually pretty funny. Most of the time, Blanche came off as cool and sophisticated, but he supposed that she didn't like just sitting around.
"How do you think that son of mine and his new little girlfriend are doing?" Blanche picked up a sugar cube and dropped it into her tea, stirring it. She was bored beyond belief.
She'd purposely said those words because the damn server was hovering near them. Sure enough, when the words 'son' had come out of her mouth, he'd moved away soon after.
She brought her teacup to her lips, hiding her smirk.
Alec flipped a page but didn't outwardly react. "I don't think they're dating though?"
"Yet, you mean?" Blanche raised a brow. "I'd be blind if I didn't see the designs that girl had on my son."
That startled out a little laugh from Alec, and he looked at her with a smile. "Noticed that too? Well, knowing how oblivious your son is, I doubt he'd notice it any time soon."
Blanche sighed heavily. "Sure enough. I wonder when I will get some grandkids. Not just him, but that other son of mine too! Both of them have never had a girlfriend in their entire lives. Their father was perfectly charming. It makes me wonder where we went wrong with them."
Alec coughed a little to hide his laughter. It wasn't that there was something wrong with them, but rather, they were Main Characters, so naturally, they wouldn't just pick up the first girl they saw. "Aren't you still too young for grandchildren?"
Blanche huffed. "Well, it's better to have them young, isn't it? Then I can still help out when *I'm* young. Just wait until I'm old and wrinkly. I'll have no energy to keep up with youth!"
Alec almost snorted, but the smile that hung on his lips were entirely genuine. "I sincerely doubt that, big sister. That you'll ever lose energy. Or become 'old and wrinkly'. After all, that server was hitting on you."
Blanche's eyes immediately found the server's one in the distance, sharp as a laser, and she glared at him.
The server shrunk back, sweat beading his brow, looking away.
The conversation between the two naturally died down a little, in no way suspicious.
Blanche looked out the window and felt herself perk up when she realized that someone was coming.
She studied them with a casual eye, as if she was nothing more than an observer.
Blanche and Alec were sitting far away from any of the other inhabitants of the café, and by right, they shouldn't have been able to hear anything if Diane's subordinates turned up.
But that was only for normal people.
Blanche was a Meister, and for some unconceivable reason, Alec's hearing was even better than hers was.
The chime of the bell on top of the door signalled the entrance of a man, and he sat down at a table that contained a woman, greeting her naturally.
Blanche almost wanted to perk up as their targets came into light but didn't do anything to give them away.
Alec flipped a page, but Blanche knew that he was listening carefully.
Blanche picked up the teacup from the saucer, sipping her tea yet again. She placed it down and picked up a cookie.
Far away from the two, the man and woman started having a conversation.
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Blanche and Alec sat at a quaint little teashop in a part of the city that wasn't too populated.
It was calmer than the bustle of the downtown areas of the city, where people frequented, but it wasn't so out of place that no one came by either. Instead, there was a steady flow of regulars that visited the place.
But they weren't here on vacation, no.
They were here to see whether or not the information in Diane Ross' little black booklet panned out.
She'd written down the various meeting times that the operatives usually went on, as well as their little quirks.
The two that they were 'meeting' today was a male and female operative that posed as a couple to exchange and pick up information.
Surprisingly, over the past couple of days, there had been no information leaks about the Ross Clan from anywhere, other than faint complaints that Rosier City had tightened up on security, causing them to wonder what was happening.
It made Alec wonder just what was going on inside the clan before he quashed his curiosity. He'd already washed his hands clean of them. By leaving behind information to make clear about the kind of person Diane Ross was, he had more than paid his dues and absolved himself from any further guilt.
Anyway, this was better for them. Since Talisha and Travis were implicated in the corruption of Diane Ross, they would be kept in the loop. After Alec and Blanche took a look at these two operators and how they moved, they could meet up again with either Talisha or Travis to extract some information from them.
According to Diane, there should be a meeting here every week as long as there were no external factors that affected their meeting time.
Alec and Blanche were hopeful that the meeting would continue since Diane's work was mainly handled by other people and her subordinates didn't receive much management from her.
Nothing should have tipped them off besides the brief lack of communication that could be chalked up to the increased security in the Ross Clan.
Since there was no news from the Ross Clan leaking out, Diane's position should still be as per usual. As such, they were waiting here to see whether or not their gamble would pay off.
They'd come here for the past couple of days so as to integrate into the café's atmosphere.
Blanche and Alec were seated by the window, and they chatted and sipped tea, generally acting like gossiping nobles.
Their server had given them a few looks, but eventually came to the conclusion that they were nobles looking for a bit of fun away from the glitz and glamour, which was how they wanted it.
The rays of sunlight shone gently through the window, providing ample reading light and made her feel a little like a fat cat basking in the sun.
She felt drowsy, especially with the combination of tea and snacks that she nibbled on.
Blanche blinked, trying to maintain her sharp focus of mind, but to no avail. Blanche sipped her tea.
She'd been coming here with Alec for the past week, and they did nothing but sit around and chat, as well as reading books.
They came across as perfectly harmless, though the server had hinted more than once, asking if they were on a date.
Blanche would have given him a black eye if they weren't needed here. Did they have to ask so many questions?! Couldn't he just keep it to himself?!
Did he think that she was blind to the covetous looks that he gave her when she wasn't looking? She felt like plucking out his eyes just for that alone, but she held herself back in order not to make a mess.
If it ever turned out that this man was also part of the slave trade, she would gladly pluck out his eyes for him. How dare he look at her with such lewd eyes?
While she may enjoy spending time with Alec, it was not in a place like this where she felt forced to keep her manners and be still.
Granted, it was a lot looser than when she had to go to tea parties with gossiping ladies, but she felt like she was dying of boredom.
Blanche had never been one for reading books quietly like a sophisticated person. Instead, she much preferred hands-on work and honing her skills.
Of course, that didn't mean that she was unread, but that she preferred it in small doses rather than hours on end.
Like right now.
Alec, however, seemed perfectly content dwelling in his reading, and she didn't want to ruin that for him.
Blanche pouted, but still started up an innocent conversation with him.
Alec's ability to multi-task was better than anyone else she'd ever seen. She'd even seen him drawing runes down perfectly while referencing a book and holding a conversation at the same time.
Alec's lips twitched a little. Blanche was pouting, and it was so out of character that it was actually pretty funny. Most of the time, Blanche came off as cool and sophisticated, but he supposed that she didn't like just sitting around.
"How do you think that son of mine and his new little girlfriend are doing?" Blanche picked up a sugar cube and dropped it into her tea, stirring it. She was bored beyond belief.
She'd purposely said those words because the damn server was hovering near them. Sure enough, when the words 'son' had come out of her mouth, he'd moved away soon after.
She brought her teacup to her lips, hiding her smirk.
Alec flipped a page but didn't outwardly react. "I don't think they're dating though?"
"Yet, you mean?" Blanche raised a brow. "I'd be blind if I didn't see the designs that girl had on my son."
That startled out a little laugh from Alec, and he looked at her with a smile. "Noticed that too? Well, knowing how oblivious your son is, I doubt he'd notice it any time soon."
Blanche sighed heavily. "Sure enough. I wonder when I will get some grandkids. Not just him, but that other son of mine too! Both of them have never had a girlfriend in their entire lives. Their father was perfectly charming. It makes me wonder where we went wrong with them."
Alec coughed a little to hide his laughter. It wasn't that there was something wrong with them, but rather, they were Main Characters, so naturally, they wouldn't just pick up the first girl they saw. "Aren't you still too young for grandchildren?"
Blanche huffed. "Well, it's better to have them young, isn't it? Then I can still help out when *I'm* young. Just wait until I'm old and wrinkly. I'll have no energy to keep up with youth!"
Alec almost snorted, but the smile that hung on his lips were entirely genuine. "I sincerely doubt that, big sister. That you'll ever lose energy. Or become 'old and wrinkly'. After all, that server was hitting on you."
Blanche's eyes immediately found the server's one in the distance, sharp as a laser, and she glared at him.
The server shrunk back, sweat beading his brow, looking away.
The conversation between the two naturally died down a little, in no way suspicious.
Blanche looked out the window and felt herself perk up when she realized that someone was coming.
She studied them with a casual eye, as if she was nothing more than an observer.
Blanche and Alec were sitting far away from any of the other inhabitants of the café, and by right, they shouldn't have been able to hear anything if Diane's subordinates turned up.
But that was only for normal people.
Blanche was a Meister, and for some unconceivable reason, Alec's hearing was even better than hers was.
The chime of the bell on top of the door signalled the entrance of a man, and he sat down at a table that contained a woman, greeting her naturally.
Blanche almost wanted to perk up as their targets came into light but didn't do anything to give them away.
Alec flipped a page, but Blanche knew that he was listening carefully.
Blanche picked up the teacup from the saucer, sipping her tea yet again. She placed it down and picked up a cookie.
Far away from the two, the man and woman started having a conversation.
Blanche and Alec sat at a quaint little teashop in a part of the city that wasn't too populated.It was calmer than the bustle of the downtown areas of the city, where people frequented, but it wasn't so out of place that no one came by either. Instead, there was a steady flow of regulars that visited the place.But they weren't here on vacation, no.They were here to see whether or not the information in Diane Ross' little black booklet panned out.She'd written down the various meeting times that the operatives usually went on, as well as their little quirks.The two that they were 'meeting' today was a male and female operative that posed as a couple to exchange and pick up information.Surprisingly, over the past couple of days, there had been no information leaks about the Ross Clan from anywhere, other than faint complaints that Rosier City had tightened up on security, causing them to wonder what was happening.It made Alec wonder just what was going on inside the clan before he quashed his curiosity. He'd already washed his hands clean of them. By leaving behind information to make clear about the kind of person Diane Ross was, he had more than paid his dues and absolved himself from any further guilt.Anyway, this was better for them. Since Talisha and Travis were implicated in the corruption of Diane Ross, they would be kept in the loop. After Alec and Blanche took a look at these two operators and how they moved, they could meet up again with either Talisha or Travis to extract some information from them.According to Diane, there should be a meeting here every week as long as there were no external factors that affected their meeting time.Alec and Blanche were hopeful that the meeting would continue since Diane's work was mainly handled by other people and her subordinates didn't receive much management from her.Nothing should have tipped them off besides the brief lack of communication that could be chalked up to the increased security in the Ross Clan.Since there was no news from the Ross Clan leaking out, Diane's position should still be as per usual. As such, they were waiting here to see whether or not their gamble would pay off.They'd come here for the past couple of days so as to integrate into the caf's atmosphere.Blanche and Alec were seated by the window, and they chatted and sipped tea, generally acting like gossiping nobles.Their server had given them a few looks, but eventually came to the conclusion that they were nobles looking for a bit of fun away from the glitz and glamour, which was how they wanted it.The rays of sunlight shone gently through the window, providing ample reading light and made her feel a little like a fat cat basking in the sun.She felt drowsy, especially with the combination of tea and snacks that she nibbled on.Blanche blinked, trying to maintain her sharp focus of mind, but to no avail. Blanche sipped her tea.She'd been coming here with Alec for the past week, and they did nothing but sit around and chat, as well as reading books.They came across as perfectly harmless, though the server had hinted more than once, asking if they were on a date.Blanche would have given him a black eye if they weren't needed here. Did they have to ask so many questions?! Couldn't he just keep it to himself?!Did he think that she was blind to the covetous looks that he gave her when she wasn't looking? She felt like plucking out his eyes just for that alone, but she held herself back in order not to make a mess.If it ever turned out that this man was also part of the slave trade, she would gladly pluck out his eyes for him. How dare he look at her with such lewd eyes?While she may enjoy spending time with Alec, it was not in a place like this where she felt forced to keep her manners and be still.Granted, it was a lot looser than when she had to go to tea parties with gossiping ladies, but she felt like she was dying of boredom.Blanche had never been one for reading books quietly like a sophisticated person. Instead, she much preferred hands-on work and honing her skills.Of course, that didn't mean that she was unread, but that she preferred it in small doses rather than hours on end.Like right now.Alec, however, seemed perfectly content dwelling in his reading, and she didn't want to ruin that for him.Blanche pouted, but still started up an innocent conversation with him.Alec's ability to multi-task was better than anyone else she'd ever seen. She'd even seen him drawing runes down perfectly while referencing a book and holding a conversation at the same time.Alec's lips twitched a little. Blanche was pouting, and it was so out of character that it was actually pretty funny. Most of the time, Blanche came off as cool and sophisticated, but he supposed that she didn't like just sitting around."How do you think that son of mine and his new little girlfriend are doing?" Blanche picked up a sugar cube and dropped it into her tea, stirring it. She was bored beyond belief.She'd purposely said those words because the damn server was hovering near them. Sure enough, when the words 'son' had come out of her mouth, he'd moved away soon after.She brought her teacup to her lips, hiding her smirk.Alec flipped a page but didn't outwardly react. "I don't think they're dating though?""Yet, you mean?" Blanche raised a brow. "I'd be blind if I didn't see the designs that girl had on my son."That startled out a little laugh from Alec, and he looked at her with a smile. "Noticed that too? Well, knowing how oblivious your son is, I doubt he'd notice it any time soon."Blanche sighed heavily. "Sure enough. I wonder when I will get some grandkids. Not just him, but that other son of mine too! Both of them have never had a girlfriend in their entire lives. Their father was perfectly charming. It makes me wonder where we went wrong with them."Alec coughed a little to hide his laughter. It wasn't that there was something wrong with them, but rather, they were Main Characters, so naturally, they wouldn't just pick up the first girl they saw. "Aren't you still too young for grandchildren?"Blanche huffed. "Well, it's better to have them young, isn't it? Then I can still help out when *I'm* young. Just wait until I'm old and wrinkly. I'll have no energy to keep up with youth!"Alec almost snorted, but the smile that hung on his lips were entirely genuine. "I sincerely doubt that, big sister. That you'll ever lose energy. Or become 'old and wrinkly'. After all, that server was hitting on you."Blanche's eyes immediately found the server's one in the distance, sharp as a laser, and she glared at him.The server shrunk back, sweat beading his brow, looking away.The conversation between the two naturally died down a little, in no way suspicious.Blanche looked out the window and felt herself perk up when she realized that someone was coming.She studied them with a casual eye, as if she was nothing more than an observer.Blanche and Alec were sitting far away from any of the other inhabitants of the caf, and by right, they shouldn't have been able to hear anything if Diane's subordinates turned up.But that was only for normal people.Blanche was a Meister, and for some unconceivable reason, Alec's hearing was even better than hers was.The chime of the bell on top of the door signalled the entrance of a man, and he sat down at a table that contained a woman, greeting her naturally.Blanche almost wanted to perk up as their targets came into light but didn't do anything to give them away.Alec flipped a page, but Blanche knew that he was listening carefully.Blanche picked up the teacup from the saucer, sipping her tea yet again. She placed it down and picked up a cookie.Far away from the two, the man and woman started having a conversation.
