Chapter 1367: Swiss Trio
Sorel hid in the bookshelf for a long time, finally discerning from the commotion outside that Tax Bureau officials seemed to be investigating something and were being obstructed by the friars.
She immediately breathed a sigh of relief, packed the stack of pamphlets into her cloth bag, and emerged from her hiding place.
Such a chaotic situation was simple for her to navigate. Light-footed as a cat, she slipped out the window, preparing to escape the rear hall.
Just then, she suddenly saw someone in a distant corridor reporting to an officer in a Tax Bureau uniform:
"Captain, couldn't find it..."
Several priests beside them looked at the Tax Bureau officials with disdain.
She hesitated, then quietly approached the Tax Bureau employee standing furthest away and whispered:
"Check the upper side of the cabinet's bottom. There might be a hidden compartment there."
The support team member turned around in surprise, only to see the back of a servant receding into the distance.
By the time she returned to Versailles Palace via steam railcar, the setting sun still hung on the horizon. A wave of weeping from the marble courtyard caught her attention.
Curious, she approached and saw a man in his thirties or forties weeping with his head in his hands. Two slightly older men spoke in accented French to those around them, explaining something.
Sorel couldn't bear to see anyone suffer, so she quietly asked a noble spectator:
"Could you tell me what's happening here?"
The noble recognized her and quickly replied, "Miss Fraise, those three gentlemen are from Switzerland. They encountered a fellow impersonating Viscount Nobert in Baden, who claimed he could arrange for Bern canton to join France."
"Yes, it's truly laughable. Who would want such a poor and dilapidated place?"
"But they actually believed him and gave the swindler a large sum of money."
"Apparently, a few days ago, they even went to Viscount Nobert's house to cause trouble and were chased out."
In fact, ever since Count Erlach and his companions realized they had been swindled, they had made extensive efforts to remedy the situation, such as reporting it to the police and filing a lawsuit with the court.
However, they had almost no clues about the swindler, so they had made no progress.
It wasn't until yesterday afternoon that they received a letter from the Speaker, stating that Bern had passed a decree and was ready to secede from the Swiss Confederation at any time, just awaiting good news from their side.
Desperate, Count Erlach and the others, having nowhere else to turn, wanted to ask Bailly for help again, but he refused to see them.
As the trio emerged from Versailles Palace, they grew increasingly disheartened. Count Russiwa couldn't hold back and burst into tears, attracting a crowd of onlookers.
Sorel's sympathy was stirred. She stepped forward to comfort Count Russiwa, asking, "Pardon my intrusion, but how much money did you lose? Perhaps I can help you."
He looked at her through tear-filled eyes and choked out, "Four... forty..."
Sorel reached for her purse: 'Forty francs?'
"... hundred thousand francs, boo hoo."
Sorel froze on the spot.
Count Erlach, seeing the growing crowd, also felt somewhat embarrassed and quickly pulled his two colleagues away, heads bowed.
The trio reached the edge of the square, about to board their carriage, when a tall noblewoman approached them and curtsied:
"If you don't mind, perhaps I can help you find that swindler."
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