What happened to Isaac?

April.

Later, every time Sally opened the calendar and stepped into this humid, spring month, she would always think of the single house in Kensington in 1921, the sunrise and sunset in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, the dodging eyes of her adoptive father, and her utter hopelessness. wait.

At the end of March, her uncle Xavier promised to help inquire about her father's movements, but he didn't come back until the beginning of April, but he didn't bring back his father or his father's message.

Xavier was helped out of the car by Isaac.

He closed the door of his room as soon as he got home, stayed out all day the next day, opened the windows on the third, and waited early in the living room on the fourth until Gordon sat next to him on the armchair.

"...sounds a lot like arsenic poisoning."

"How to say?" Xavier is not good at toxicology. In this regard, Gordon, who majored in this major and runs a large chemical plant, is of course much more authoritative.

"Everyone likes to use arsenic to kill people. In addition to its easy availability, the more important thing is that its symptoms are very similar to ordinary stomach problems-especially for people like you who already have stomach problems. If there is no motive If there are enough suspects, the forensic doctor will not think of arsenic poisoning at all,” Gordon said, “The most interesting thing is that everyone’s poisoning reaction and lethal dose are not the same. They may die from poisoning in three to five days, but they may also be poisoned. Slow recovery from ingesting arsenic. Poisoning also requires guesswork and luck, which is far more exciting than murder itself."

Xavier frowned.Even counting the one death as a human being, he has only died twice in total, and he can't treat life and death as a joke.Gordon may have sensed his discomfort, and comforted him, "Don't worry, Langdon, the big deal is changing bodies."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Xavier shook his head. "Toxicology testing is very expensive. Not to mention that quantitative methods to measure arsenic content have just been put into use in Scotland Yard. I dare not offer myself to do live body testing. If the dose far exceeds the lethal dose, how can I explain that I am still alive? But if it is not sure that it is arsenic poisoning, the column of 'cause of death' in the body application form cannot be filled in."

Gordon gasped: "This is a problem."

"Is it possible for you to cure me?" Xavier asked.

Gordon shook his head: "Since you can regain your life by changing your body, who would bother to learn healing magic? Besides, I don't have to write a report."

Xavier glanced at him.If looks could kill, Gordon would be dead.

Gordon smiled awkwardly, and asked Xavier if he knew who poisoned him. Xavier shook his head and told him that there were many chances of poisoning, so he couldn't be sure who it was.

"Hey, Langdon, why are you bothering? It's a rare annual vacation. You can go to any planet to have fun. It's not like now..." Gordon said, "It was originally a vacation next week, but I decided to let you Rest for an extra week. Of course it's best if your life is not in danger, but don't worry if you die. I will find a way to help you get a new body. It just takes a while. Anyway, forget about the damn monastery, and then Don't meddle in anything, it's serious to work for heaven."

Xavier hesitated for a moment, nodded, and was about to answer, but was interrupted by the sound of a car outside the window.His car was parked outside the yard. From the window, Isaac could be seen getting out of the driver's seat, opening the rear door, and carrying little Sally out of the car.

Sally doesn't look right.Originally, Isaac was her favorite besides Daisy, but this time she walked straight ahead, regardless of Isaac chasing after her and hurriedly saying something.

Passing the garden, Sally turned her head suddenly, and Xavier met her syrupy eyes—Sally looked at him like a stranger, with something suspicious and wary.Xavier was stung by this look, and turned his head guiltily.

"It seems that you still can't let go."

Gordon sighed knowingly, and Xavier just smiled wryly.

"Hey! I'm not in a position to stop you," Gordon said, "but at least take advantage of the vacation I gave you. It's only a week, don't think about it, go to bed early, sleep with your succubus or something , if you die, I will have a headache."

The doorbell rang, and Daisy could be heard hurrying down the stairs to open the door.Gordon stood up and was about to say goodbye. He took the hat and coat from the coat rack and put them on. As if he suddenly remembered something, he took out a neatly folded paper bag from his pocket and handed it to Xavier: "This is my home. The handicraft of the new maid, I just made it before I came here, it is still very fresh, I will bring you two to taste. It is not sweet at all, you should like it."

Xavier took the snack and sighed with a smile. Isaac and Sally, who are addicted to sweets, probably wouldn't like this. It seems that no one will eat it except him.He sent Gordon to the door, thinking that although this man was irresponsible as a boss, he was still very considerate as a friend.Xavier knew so many people, but few knew his taste.

After meeting with Isaac and the others, Gordon drove away.

**

When Sally returned home, she even omitted saying hello to Xavier, and went directly upstairs to close the door.Isaac chased after him and knocked on the door. After a while, he came down dejectedly.

Xavier asked what happened?

"She was angry," said Isaac, "because I didn't say anything."

This sounds very strange.However, Isaac also looked very depressed, he couldn't ask anything from his mouth, hesitated again and again, Xavier knocked on the door tentatively, and asked inside: "Who is it?"

Xavier reported his name, and a moment later he heard the sound of the lock being unlocked.

Sally had already changed into her nightgown, and sat quietly on the small sofa beside the bed. She turned her head, looked at Xavier, and said, "Uncle Isaac took me shopping today."

Xavier nodded, looking sincere.

Sally asked, "When is Daddy coming to pick me up?"

"Soon," Xavier lied without changing his face, "He also asked me to ask how you are doing."

"I miss Dad so much, how did he ask?"

Xavier never found out that Sally was too bright a kid.As she asked more and more detailed questions, Xavier's time to think about the answer became obviously longer and longer-suddenly, all questions stopped abruptly.

She looked at Xavier, no sweetness in her syrupy eyes.There was a bewildered sharpness in her eyes, and during the interval of her silence, Xavier was on pins and needles.

"Today, Uncle Isaac took me to go shopping, and I heard they called me Miss Xavier," Sally said softly after a while, "Why didn't I take my father's last name?"

**

For dinner this day, no one came down to eat.

Xavier had been very silent since coming out of Sally's room.He wanted to go to bed early, but he was in surprisingly good spirits, almost as if he was about to recover.He leaned against the head of the bed, picked out a book, and Isaac half-lyed beside him.When Xavier reads, he looks at Xavier.

The angel's eyes are half-closed, the eyelashes fluttering from time to time, behind the tight lips, the teeth are biting the tongue nervously.He was very worried about what Isaac would ask, but Isaac didn't ask anything, only letting him smell the succubus's estrous fragrance getting stronger and stronger.

Apparently Isaac found out himself.He crossed his legs several times, and suddenly he lifted the quilt and got out of bed: "I'm going to open the window..."

Xavier grabbed his wrist and pulled him back onto the bed, just in time to meet the surprised eyes of the succubus.

"It's hard work," Xavier said, "It's been a long time since I counted the time."

"It's okay," Isaac said.He almost never refused Huan Ai, such blunt resistance seemed quite novel.

"You have been away for so long today, and you haven't found another man?" Xavier groped the skin of Isaac's forearm with his fingertips. The succubus was feverish.

"What?" Isaac pulled his hand out of Xavier's hand, blushing and angry, "I'm taking Sally!"

Xavier was noncommittal.He clasped the back of Isaac's head, pressed his head down, then raised his head and kissed his lips, and Isaac fell silent instantly.

……

Afterwards, Isaac was sent off to take a bath and then steamed into bed.He fished Xavier out of the quilt and held him in his arms, and Xavier was at his mercy like a cotton doll.

"Want some painkillers?" Isaac asked.Xavier shook his head.After a while, he hesitated and asked:

"Do you think I'm cowardly?"

"No." Isaac said without thinking.

"Really?"

"real."

Xavier was noncommittal.He turned his head to look at the moon outside the window, his eyes were very melancholy.

Isaac thought for a while and said, "Actually, you don't need to care about my opinion. In the days before—a long time ago, I can't tell you, everyone thought I was just a watchdog, which is not wrong. I I'm not smart, I can't think too much, as long as I have a place to live, I'm very happy to stay with my master often, as for whether he kills and sets fire, or cuts his flesh to feed the eagles, what does it matter to me?"

Hearing this, Xavier laughed.

He leaned against Isaac's chest, and the slight tremors in his chest and the ups and downs of his breathing brought a numb itching as he spoke.The knowledge that I am relying on a mature and strong man is very reassuring.

"Tell me more, I like to hear you talk." Xavier murmured.

Isaac rubbed his blond hair, obviously his tail was so happy that he couldn't help dangling, but he muttered, "I don't know which angel would say 'shut up' when he bought me, 'I don't want to hear from you anymore'."

Xavier didn't answer.Isaac turned his head and saw that he had fallen asleep at some point.

His brows were furrowed, his lips were pale, and his temple hair was wet with cold sweat.Despite the nonchalant pretense, Xavier isn't a detective, or a wealthy businessman, or someone's foster father to an orphan, or the master of some succubus.He was sick and could die any moment, this moment, or the next breath.