Chapter 55: We’re Accomplices! |
Allen’s body froze.
For some reason, he felt like he’d been caught red-handed in an affair.
He’d just gone to the cemetery to visit a... well, a dead woman.
But when Wen Lei’s eyes locked onto him, his heart inexplicably pounded with guilt.
“Uh, Wen Lei, it’s so late. Aren’t you going to sleep?”
Wen Lei didn’t answer. She just kept staring at him.
“You still haven’t answered me. Where were you this late?”
“Uh...”
Allen was stumped.
But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to speak in that first second.
After that second of guilt, the next second became even harder.
Then the third, the fourth... The longer he hesitated, the more suspicious he looked.
“It’s nothing,” he said with a dry laugh. “Couldn’t sleep, so I went out for a stroll.”
Wen Lei stared at him with sharp eyes.
Then she circled around him.
Her gaze swept from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, and then back up again.
Mud. There were traces of mud on his pants cuffs, his sleeves, even between his fingers.
There was a bulge on his back, like he was hiding something.
Wen Lei reached out and pulled an iron shovel from under the black robe draped over his back.
Allen’s expression froze.
“Is this something you need for a stroll?”
“Uh...”
Wen Lei looked at him.
“You went to that cemetery. To Milana’s place.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.
Allen opened his mouth, then finally let out a sigh.
“How did you figure that out?” His voice softened. “I just went to keep a promise and chat with her a little. I made a promise to her a month ago.”
Wen Lei curled her lips.
After waiting so long for him in the dead of night, and he was usually someone who loved to sleep early.
“Did you really have to hide that from me?”
Allen looked at his tightly furrowed brows, his impatient movements, and his unpleasant expression. Inwardly, he complained silently:
Looks like... it was actually pretty necessary not to tell you.
“Uh,” Allen asked cautiously, “Is there something going on? If not, maybe we should just get some sleep?”
Wen Lei grabbed his sleeve.
“There is something.”
Allen was taken aback.
“Have you forgotten?” Her voice dropped low. “I hired you to investigate all of this. Now that everything’s come to light, I still owe you five gold coins.”
Allen’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Oh, right!” He slapped his forehead and rubbed his hands together. “So, are you going to give them to me now?”
Wen Lei untied a money pouch from her waist and tossed it to him.
Allen caught it, opened it right there, and started counting them one by one with intense focus.
Wen Lei stood there, but she wasn’t looking at Allen.
She was looking down, her gaze fixed on the tips of her shoes, motionless.
After counting the gold coins, Allen stuffed them into his pocket and casually cracked a joke:
“But honestly, for such a dangerous and long-winded mission, isn’t five gold coins a bit too little?”
Wen Lei’s head snapped up.
On her face appeared an expression Allen had never seen before — nervous, flustered, hesitant, and even a trace of indescribable anticipation.
“You’re right.” Wen Lei’s voice trembled a little. “It’s not quite enough.”
Allen was stunned.
“Uh?” He blinked. “I was just joking. It’s enough, it’s enough.”
But Wen Lei didn’t reply.
She took a deep breath.
“Close your eyes.”
“Huh?”
“Just listen to me. Close your eyes.”
Allen looked at her, then closed his eyes.
The night wind was cool, brushing against his cheek. In the distance, faint chirps of insects could be heard, along with a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Then, he felt something soft gently peck at his cheek.
Very light.
As light as a petal falling on his face.
He opened his eyes.
And then he froze.
Beneath the moonlight, standing in the garden, was an elf.
Her silver hair cascaded down like flowing moonlight, spilling over her shoulders.
Her eyes, deeper and clearer than the sky itself, gleamed with a gentle light under the moon, like the purest gems.
Her ears were pointed, and at this moment, they trembled slightly, tinged with a faint pink.
Her skin was white as snow, delicate as if it emitted its own light. The moonlight fell on it, casting a soft halo.
She just stood there, quietly staring at the tips of her shoes.
Did she... just kiss me?
Allen’s mind went blank.
Though he’d had his suspicions, seeing her true appearance up close still left him utterly stunned.
And also...
Thump! Thump! Thump!
What’s that sound... it’s so noisy...
“You...” He spoke with difficulty, trying hard to act shocked. “You’re... you’re Wen Lei? How is that possible?”
Wen Lei... now she should be called Wen Laisa.
She lowered her head, looking at the tips of her shoes.
“I’m sorry, Allen,” she said softly. “I lied to you. I’m not a hunter, and I’m not a human either. Maybe you already knew, but I’m sure you didn’t know that I’m...”
Allen nodded solemnly.
“Indeed,” he said with a serious face. “I never would have imagined that you were actually a lady.”
Wen Laisa fell silent for a moment.
“I’m sorry,” she finally spoke again. “I... I didn’t mean to lie to you.”
Allen cut her off immediately.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about.”
His voice was calm and sincere.
“From the very first day we met, we both knew it all along, didn’t we?”
Wen Laisa looked up at him.
Under the moonlight, something flickered in those sky-blue eyes.
Allen met her gaze, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
“We’re both liars, scoundrels through and through, con artists sneaking into Stormwind,” he paused. “We’re accomplices... aren’t we?”
Wen Laisa stared at him in a daze.
The moonlight spilled over him, making him more radiant than any high elf she had ever seen...
She smiled.
That smile was gentle and radiant.
She reached out her hand.
“Then let’s start over,” her voice was light and cheerful. “My name is Wen Laisa Windrunner, from Quel’Thalas.”
Allen took her hand.
Soft, cool as jade.
Wen Laisa only touched it briefly before retracting her hand like a startled rabbit, hiding it behind her back.
Allen withdrew his hand, looked at her, and the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He paused.
“My name is... Allen.”
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Baron Edmund Whitback returned to his lavish mansion in high spirits.
The middle-aged, overweight noble wore an irrepressible smile on his face. Even the steps he took as he entered his home were lighter and faster than usual.
He brushed off the servants who rushed to greet him and strode straight into the brightly lit hall.
His wife looked up as he entered and asked:
“What’s made you so happy today? Did something good happen in the council chamber?”