I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

Aldrich somewhat forgot how he returned to his residence with Professor Berenger's letter.

After he finished washing absently and poured a glass of Scotch whiskey down his throat, his wandering and chaotic thoughts gradually returned under the stimulation of amber wine.

— Marianne and Paddington...

If the 30-year-old Paddington has a magical ability, Aldrich will only observe carefully and evaluate objectively, and will not be overly vigilant and confused.

Because the origin of this person is not innocent, he disappeared for several years after he was a teenager, and he did not appear in front of people again until recently.

No one knows what Brown Paddington has been through, and he himself is vague about his past life.Therefore, while Aldridge was amazed and admired Brown Paddington, he would not be shocked or incomprehensible. After all, the world is vast and there are people beyond people.

However, once it is realized that "Brown Paddington" is Marianne Dashwood's disguised identity, it all becomes weird and unpredictable.

Aldridge has confirmed the authenticity of Marianne Dashwood's identity, and, by recalling various details over and over again, he has reaffirmed that his sweetheart is indeed a seventeen or eighteen-year-old English lady, not ……in turn!

——So, where did Marianne's abilities come from?

—My Marianne, has she always been Marianne, the second daughter of the Dashwoods?

——Will there be a conspiracy here?

The black-haired colonel closed his eyes.

Reason told Aldrich that at this time, someone should be sent to re-investigate the identity of Brown Paddington, and then send an order back to London to have people closely monitor the whereabouts of Marianne Dashwood and keep an eye on Condit Street Any troubles near number 16, and finally, Mrs. Wilson should also be questioned and investigated in secret.

— But, do you really want to do business?Just because of my personal association guess?

——He and she... No matter how many secrets there are, they have not endangered other people.

——So far, there is no evidence that she/he will be detrimental to England, so this should only be my private matter, and the military should not be used.

Thinking of this, Aldrich couldn't help laughing at himself.

At this time, he has clearly realized that in dealing with the Marianne/Paddington incident, he will definitely violate some codes of conduct that he has adhered to for many years, and he will definitely swing between emotion and reason, and be hesitant to decide.

Pour another half glass of whiskey, the spirit scorches the throat, but makes the pair of black eyes sharper and firmer.

——Since you don’t want to investigate secretly, then go and prove all this yourself.

Two days later, when Aldrich Dwyer returned to London, he first met Brown Paddington.

Coincidentally, the place where the two met was the same cafe they visited last time.

Aldridge glanced expressionlessly at the short man sitting across from him, then silently withdrew his obscure and thoughtful gaze.

He lowered his head and took a sip of the bitter coffee, his heart fluctuating.

It was here, in this same position, that he had threatened and warned "Brown Paddington" that if he half-heartedly engaged the lover who was secretly engaged, he would sue, and then, he also expressed his intention...

——So, the person who heard those words was Marian herself?

Aldridge lowered his eyes and recalled the remarks and views of "Brown Paddington" at that time - those flirtatious and helpless from the standpoint of a man, he was deeply incomprehensible.

"Mr. Deville?" Pei Xiang saw that Aldrich had been silent, and reminded him in doubt, "You sent me a message in a hurry, did something urgent happen?"

"Here is a letter from Professor Berenger, who asked me to bring it to you."

Pei Xiang took the letter and hummed noncommittally, not thinking that a letter was worth such a serious matter.

She took a slow sip of her coffee, then opened the letter to read.

After just a few lines of words, Pei Xiang's heart skipped a beat.

—Concealer?camouflage?

Borrowing the soft light in the cafe, Pei Xiang took a thoughtful look at the preoccupied Aldridge, and happened to collide with the complicated eyes of the black-haired colonel.

--Huh?He found out?

Pei Xiang suddenly felt a sense of steadfastness in his heart.

——At last the day has come.Regardless of whether this person can accept it or not, there should always be a happy answer to some things.

She really didn't feel much tension and surprise, because since the two of them first communicated, she didn't try to hide some unusual things.According to Aldrich's astuteness, he will guess the truth sooner or later.

However, what Pei Xiang didn't expect was that the opportunity to discover the truth turned out to be the original genuine and fake paintings.

——At that time, I just wanted to find a rich and powerful client. Who would have expected that I would fall in love with the client's son later?

Pei Xiang refolded the letter after reading it and put it in his pocket.

"Colonel de Vere, I understand what Professor Berenger means. I will reply to him as soon as possible. Thank you for helping deliver the letter."

Aldridge hesitated for a moment, he tentatively asked:

"Now that you are willing to show your face during the day, why not pay a visit to Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters. They have been wanting to see you to thank you for your generosity in person, but are afraid that such a request for a visit will To embarrass you, I never mentioned it."

Pei Xiang sighed, and said sadly: "It's still gone, it's a bit inconvenient."

She refused very simply, but did not explain why it was inconvenient.

Aldrich's eyes darkened.He thought of when he confessed his love at the beginning, the girl in his heart said that she had many secrets, but the relationship between the two was not deep enough for her to be completely honest.

At that time, she asked him if he still wanted to love her?

He nodded without hesitation.

Now, he discovered part of her secret.Shocked, he hasn't changed his mind about her, even as things get complicated.

——If I were just an idle nobleman, I would certainly not have to explore those unexplainable mysteries.

——However, I have my own position.

—If I ask her, will she tell me the whole truth?Will you feel alienated from me because of my exploration and speculation, or even choose to stay away from me in order to keep a secret?

"Paddington, do you... have any plans to start a family recently?"

"That depends on whether you meet the right girl."

"Girl?" Aldridge's expression was a little strange and stiff, "What do you think... a girl is a suitable candidate?"

"At the very least, she has to like me. Of course, she must be suitable for my eyes. Then, um, she can have a common topic with me, and can accept all kinds of weird behaviors I make."

"If that girl, uh, that person wants to find out what's behind your weird behavior, will you be offended? Will you avoid him because of it?"

Pei Xiang raised his eyebrows and explained:

"I don't deliberately avoid anyone, but I'm worried that the other party will feel uneasy and guarded if they can't find out the truth, and then the relationship will gradually fade, and the other party will avoid it. Or, the other party pays too much attention to those weird things Outward behavior, while ignoring some of my own characteristics, it is a bit annoying."

This answer silenced Aldrich, hesitation and entanglement rarely occurred in his life.

Seeing this, Pei Xiang smiled and said nothing more.

After drinking coffee, the two bid farewell to each other.

Only this time, Aldrich did not board the carriage and leave without looking back as usual, but silently watched the direction in which "Brown Paddington" left.He didn't look away until the carriage the other party was riding in disappeared at the turn of the intersection.

Early the next morning, the black-haired colonel, who had been quietly thinking all night, visited 16 Condit Street.

"Marian, have you ever seen this necklace?"

Aldrich opened a jewelry box, revealing the bright and gorgeous violet crystal necklace inside.

Pei Xiang blinked, his mind was racing, and he understood Aldrich's intention almost immediately.

——This person gave the right to choose back to my hands.

"Before I answer your question, can I ask the origin of this necklace?"

Aldrich nodded and gave a brief introduction.

It turned out that the necklace in the box was the one that Rebecca had used as chips before.It was the jewelry of Countess Deville. After it was passed to the previous heir William Deville, it was stolen by the murderers Flora and Rhodes. The Earl's House had been looking for it before.

"I've seen this necklace on Rebecca's neck." Pei Xiang replied clearly.

Aldrich took a breath, and the hand holding the jewelry box trembled slightly.

"Marian, are you sure about this answer?"

Pei Xiang nodded slightly, his eyes were clear:

"Of course it's beautiful, and I have a good memory so I won't miss it. I did see Rebecca wearing it."

"Do you know how I found this necklace?"

"Appreciate further details."

"After I captured Rebecca and others, I found this crystal necklace from the basement of the secret stronghold. According to Rebecca and Anna, this necklace originally belonged to Mrs. A 'gift' from Madam Betty's protection."

Pei Xiang took out the necklace from the jewelry box with gloves on, put it on his hand and admired it slowly.

Aldrich was also a little dazed, and then explained in a low tone:

"After Mrs. Betty got the necklace, she liked it very much, but she didn't dare to wear it in public, because she was afraid that someone would recognize that it belonged to the Countess de Vere. Later, Rebecca saw this necklace on Mrs. Betty's dressing table. She also liked the necklace very much, but she didn't know the origin of the necklace at the time, and thought it was Mrs. Betty's own treasure.

"So, when Rebecca made her first public appearance with Mrs. Betty, she wore it secretly-hidden under the scarf. By the time Mrs. Betty found out that something was wrong, the two had arrived at the theater. So, Betty Madame quickly told Rebecca the origin of the necklace, and asked her to only wear it in Baron Defoe's box."

Having said that, the black-haired man stopped his narration, and after being silent for a while, he concluded in a difficult tone:

"So, if you saw Rebecca wearing this necklace, it could only be in Baron Defoe's box that night. Marianne, you and I both know that the person who appeared in Baron Defoe's box that night, There are only four. They are Lord Defoe, Lady Betty, Rebecca and Brown Paddington."

Pei Xiang put the necklace back into the jewelry box, arranged the shape, and then carefully covered the box.

Then, she looked up at Aldridge and said softly:

"I know, Aldrich. From the very first question you asked me, I knew you were giving me a choice. I can deny that by saying I've never seen this necklace, I'm putting aside my relationship with Brown Parker. Dington's real relationship."

"But you admitted it without any hesitation."

"Yes, Aldridge, I made a choice."

Aldridge took the box away from Pei Xiang's hand, and held her hand with some strength and nervousness.

After a while, the man asked hoarsely, "Are you Miss Marianne Dashwood?"

Pei Xiang smiled slightly: "Yes, this identity is real."

Aldrich pursed his lips, and then asked, "Are you Brown Paddington?"

"Yes, that was my disguise."

"Are those paintings your own work?"

"Of course, I didn't imprison any poor foreign painters."

"You once said that you hid many things from me, are these now part of it?"

"Yeah, I think that's a pretty big part of it."

"Then..." Aldrich looked at Pei Xiang seriously, "Can you tell me how you learned those incredible skills? Skills, painting skills and camouflage..."

Under Aldrich's gaze, Pei Xiang shook his head slowly:

"Maybe I can tell you that those are all innate abilities, and suddenly broke into my mind one day. But I know, you will definitely not believe such rhetoric. So, I'm sorry, Audrey Strange, I can't give a more reasonable and scientific explanation."

Aldrich's eyes seemed to be broken and scattered, but he still held Pei Xiang's hand firmly and forcefully.

"Marian, if I were just Aldrich Deville, I would patiently wait for the moment when the truth surfaced by itself, and even if there was no solution for the rest of my life, it would not affect my love for you."

"But you are not only Aldrich Deville, you are a colonel in the army, you are the future earl of this country, you are deeply trusted and have real power."

"Yes, Marianne, I have my place."

With a sigh in his heart, Pei Xiang carefully looked at the black-haired colonel's stern and handsome features, and stopped dragging his feet.

"Then, Aldridge, maybe... I am not suitable to stay by your side, or even become your close family member. I understand and respect your choice."

Such conversations that heralded the breakup made Aldrich's blood coagulate, and a biting cold crawled from the soles of his feet to his whole body.He closed his eyes abruptly, not letting the scarlet in his eyes emerge.

"No, Marianne, that's not what I meant..."

Pei Xiang bit her lip and tilted her head to stare at her lover.

"However, I can't give you a reasonable answer right now. Do you still remember the oriental witch? Oh, yes, I pretended to be that too. Aldrich, maybe I really disturbed the trajectory of fate, or touched someone. It is because of these mysterious fields that I have mastered many inconceivable abilities, just treat it as if you met a witch."

Aldridge never believed in these mysterious and fantastic things, but at this moment, he almost chose to accept Pei Xiang's explanation.

It's a pity that his reason kept him awake in the shakes.

"Marian, let's not talk about breaking up just yet?"

Pei Xiang didn't agree immediately, she asked again as if confirming:

"Aldridge, even if I can't give a clear and definite answer, don't you want to separate? It's dangerous, Aldrich, it's dangerous! My existence may ruin your reputation or even lose your life, it may endanger you Beloved England, the Dwyer family's reputation will be tarnished."

These questions from Pei Xiang did not make Aldrich nervous. On the contrary, he exhaled lightly, and the tense muscles all over his body slowly relaxed.

——Since Marianne is willing to say these "scaremongering" words to me, it shows that she is still seriously considering our future.

"Marian, it would be a lie to say that I am not worried at all. But, as you said last night, I should not pay too much attention to those external and unreasonable things, but should see clearly the essence of my lover. Mary Ann, it was the little girl in Nolan Manor that moved my heart the first time, she is smart and confident, has a pair of bright eyes, and is full of vitality. So, I don't believe that I will misjudged the person. "

Pei Xiang was stunned for a moment, and asked doubtfully:

"So, you are not willing to part with me. Emotionally, you want to be with me? But you also understand that if you ignore my abnormality and treat me as an undefended relative and lover, it is actually a kind of Dereliction of duty is against certain principles, isn't it?"

Aldrich nodded.

Pei Xiang was really confused this time, she looked at the black-haired man in front of her in puzzlement, and couldn't figure out how he would solve the problem.

——If Aldrich can't solve it, then replace me.I can't let some hidden dangers that don't exist at all affect my relationship, right?

Aldrich cleared his throat, raised his hand to touch Pei Xiang's forehead, and then gently wrapped him in his arms.

"Miss Marianne, you are special, even a specially trained elite should not have mastered so many outstanding skills at such a young age.

"If you are really born to know and be favored by the gods, then you are a treasure and a miracle in England. If anyone is teaching you and trying to use you to plot something, then I should not push you away. You are too good, I must try my best to instigate you into my camp.

"So, Marianne, I thought about it all night last night, and the final conclusion is that as long as you don't hate me or pretend to love me, then I must not let go of your hand."

Pei Xiang: "..."

——This is really a sophistry little genius.