Chapter 62 – The Reader Behind the Name

  Far from Marilon, beyond the sea routes and trade corridors that connected the Free Cities and City-States on Calvessan continent, across the vast Aurelia continent, the evening sun was settling over the Imperial Palace of Aurelia Prime.

  The palace gardens were quiet at that hour.

  Long rows of white stone paths curved through trimmed hedges and flowering trees, fountains murmuring softly in the background. Golden light filtered through tall glass arches that bordered the garden terraces, casting long shadows across polished marble.

  Seated on a stone bench near one of the fountains was a young woman dressed simply, though the quiet authority in her posture made it clear she was anything but ordinary.

  Seraphina Celestine Aurelia, Crown Princess of the Aurelian Empire.

  Her wristlink had just chimed and she was slightly surprised looking at it.

  “…He actually sent it.”

  The message still hovered in front of her, projected softly in the air.

  A full manuscript file of the new book ‘The Sign of the Four’.

  Along with a brief message from Lucien.

  “For early access as promised.”

  Seraphina blinked once, saying. “That’s… unexpected.”

  Standing just behind her as always was Kara Deyne, the princess’s personal aide and shadow in almost every sense of the word. Kara leaned forward slightly to see the projection hovering in front of Seraphina.

  She read the message as well.

  Her brows lifted. “He sent the entire book?”

  Seraphina nodded slowly.

  “I was only teasing him,” she said.

  She leaned back slightly on the bench, still looking at the file.

  “I just wanted to embarrass him a little. Saying he took the tip but forgot his promise.”

  Her lips curved faintly in amusement.

  “I didn’t expect him to actually send the entire book.”

  Kara folded her arms thoughtfully and added “And this is even before the official release.”

  Seraphina tilted her head slightly. “That’s what surprises me.”

  She glanced down at the message again. “He doesn’t know who I am.”

  Her fingers tapped lightly against the bench.

  “As far as he knows, Celestine is just some random person on the platform.”

  Kara nodded. “Correct.”

  Seraphina continued calmly.

  “He doesn’t know my identity. He doesn’t know anything about me. Just a username and two tips.”

  She looked at Kara. “Isn’t he worried I might leak it?”

  Kara paused. She had clearly been thinking about the same question.

  Seraphina continued, thoughtful now.

  “This book isn’t released yet. If I shared it everywhere, it would spread before he even announced the launch.”

  She tilted her head slightly.

  “And again… he doesn’t know who’s behind the name Celestine.”

  Kara thought for a moment before answering.

  “Well, Your Highness,” she said carefully, “he has only released one book so far.”

  Seraphina listened.

  Kara continued. “Even if someone leaked the manuscript now, I doubt people would fight over it.”

  She gestured slightly toward the projection.

  “He is still a new author. His reputation is growing, but he hasn’t reached the point where leaked copies would spread uncontrollably.”

  Seraphina nodded slightly. “That’s true.”

  Kara added, “Also, the fan page already announced that the book will release within the week.”

  She shrugged lightly.

  “So perhaps he thought that even if it were leaked, it would not matter much. The official version is coming very soon anyway.”

  Seraphina considered that explanation for a moment.

  Then she nodded slowly. “That makes sense.”

  She glanced again at the manuscript file floating above her wristlink.

  “In any case, I didn’t expect him to send it.”

  Her tone softened slightly.

  “The promise he made was just about giving early updates. Not the entire book.”

  She shook her head faintly. “He didn’t have to take it that seriously.”

  There was a small pause.

  Seraphina added quietly, “But he did.”

  Kara nodded once. “Yes, Your Highness.”

  She hesitated for a moment, then added with a faint smile.

  “And… Your Highness.”

  Seraphina looked at her asking her to continue.

  Kara’s smile turned slightly wry. “You tipped him fifty crowns.”

  Seraphina raised an eyebrow.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “Twice.”

  Seraphina waved her hand casually.

  “That’s not a large amount.”

  Kara laughed softly.

  “Perhaps not on the other big platforms across Caelora.”

  She gestured toward the floating Inkspire interface.

  “But Inkspire is a small, local platform in Marilon. Most of its users read free content.”

  She leaned slightly closer.

  “For that platform, you are a very big spender.”

  Seraphina blinked. “Really?”

  Kara nodded. “Very much so.”

  She added gently,

  “So of course he would take your request seriously.”

  Seraphina considered that for a moment.

  Then a faint smile appeared on her face.

  “Well… whatever the reason, the result is the same.”

  She tapped the floating manuscript file.

  “I have the book now.”

  Kara nodded immediately.

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  Seraphina straightened slightly.

  “Then there is only one logical thing to do.”

  She opened the file. “To read it as quickly as possible.”

  Kara’s eyes brightened slightly.

  “Yes, Your Highness. We can finish it quickly. It’s a relatively short book.”

  Seraphina slowly turned her head toward her.

  “…We?”

  Kara froze. Then she gave the princess a pleading look.

  Seraphina stared at her for a moment.

  Kara clasped her hands slightly, trying to look as innocent as possible.

  The silence stretched for two seconds.

  Then Seraphina laughed softly. “You’re always like this.”

  Kara grinned sheepishly.

  Seraphina sighed, though there was warmth in her expression.

  “Come here.”

  She shifted slightly on the bench.

  “Sit next to me. We’ll read it together.”

  Kara immediately sat beside her with visible happiness, leaning slightly closer to the projection.

  This was far from the first time they had done this.

  Reading together had become something of a habit.

  Kara adjusted the viewing angle so both of them could see clearly.

  As the first page appeared, Kara murmured quietly under her breath.

  “You have to read fast, Your Highness.”

  Seraphina glanced sideways.

  “You’re too slow.”

  Seraphina narrowed her eyes slightly.

  “Don’t worry.”

  She flipped to the first chapter.

  “I’ll read fast.”

  She gave Kara an annoyed look.

  “And don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

  Kara smiled sheepishly.

  Seraphina shook her head, though she was still smiling.

  “Always impatient.”

  Kara leaned forward slightly.

  “Well… it’s Sherlock Holmes.”

  Seraphina could not argue with that.

  She settled back comfortably against the bench.

  The golden evening light of Aurelia Prime filtered softly through the garden trees.

  Two readers leaned close together over a glowing manuscript.

  For the first few minutes, neither of them spoke much.

  The opening chapters pulled them in quickly, and the quiet murmur of the garden fountain was the only sound accompanying the faint scrolling of text across the display.

  Then, inevitably, Kara spoke first.

  “Wait,” she said softly. “That line.”

  Seraphina paused the page and glanced sideways.

  “What about it?”

  Kara leaned slightly closer to the projection, pointing at the paragraph.

  “That deduction. It’s cleaner than the ones in the first book.”

  Seraphina reread the passage quickly.

  Sherlock’s explanation of a seemingly trivial observation that unraveled into a larger inference.

  Her lips curved faintly. “You’re right,” she admitted. “It’s sharper now.”

  Kara nodded with quiet satisfaction.

  “It feels like he further refined the character.”

  Seraphina scrolled forward again.

  “He did,” she said thoughtfully. “Holmes feels more… certain this time.”

  The story progressed.

  A few minutes later, Seraphina stopped again.

  “I like this character,” she said.

  Kara glanced at the name on the page.

  “You mean the new client?”

  “Yes.”

  Seraphina rested her chin lightly against her hand as she read.

  “She’s more direct than the previous characters.”

  Kara nodded.

  “And not helpless,” she added. “That’s refreshing to see.”

  Seraphina continued reading.

  “Also, the way Holmes explains things to Watson… it feels different.”

  Kara hummed softly. “It’s less theatrical.”

  “Yeah, it’s more thoughtful now” Seraphina agreed and they continued reading.

  Every so often one of them would pause to comment.

  Sometimes it was admiration, sometimes it was curiosity, and sometimes they tried to guess the direction of the mystery.

  At one point Kara leaned back slightly. “I think I know who did it.”

  Seraphina glanced at her. “You’re guessing too early.”

  Kara shrugged. “That’s half the fun.”

  Seraphina smiled faintly and kept reading.

  Meanwhile, Kara’s eyes were moving noticeably faster across the text.

  She had developed that habit over years.

  Part of her role involved scanning a wide range of content across Caelora. Large platforms, small platforms, independent writers, established authors. She read constantly, filtering through massive volumes of material to find the rare works worth recommending.

  Speed reading had now become second nature to her, and her eyes flew across the paragraphs almost instinctively.

  Seraphina, on the other hand, read quickly but not at the same relentless pace.

  She absorbed the story more deliberately, and Kara knew better than to rush her.

  So, whenever her own reading surged ahead, she quietly re-read earlier sections or studied the dialogue again while waiting for the princess to catch up.

  Fortunately, their constant discussion made the pacing feel natural.

  At one moment Kara said quietly, “That’s clever.”

  Seraphina glanced at her. “What?”

  “The way the clue was introduced earlier.”

  Seraphina scrolled back. “Oh.”

  She reread the earlier scene and then nodded slowly.

  “You’re right. I didn’t notice that the first time.”

  Kara grinned slightly. “That’s why Holmes noticed.”

  Seraphina chuckled softly.

  Later, when a revelation scene unfolded, Seraphina leaned back slightly.

  “I didn’t expect that.”

  Kara raised a brow. “Really?”

  “You guessed it?”

  Kara hesitated. “…Somewhat.”

  Seraphina gave her a skeptical look. “You’re lying.”

  Kara laughed quietly. “Alright, maybe I only guessed half of it.”

  They kept reading.

  The deeper they moved into the story, the quieter the conversation became.

  The pacing of the mystery tightened as the clues began connecting, as the suspicions shifted, and as the characters gained depth.

  Every now and then Seraphina would pause just long enough to say something like,

  “That’s interesting.” or “I like how that was explained.” or “Watson is much more observant here.”

  Kara nodded often. “Holmes trusts him more in this one.”

  Time slipped by unnoticed as the golden light of the garden slowly softened into dusk, lights along the pathways beginning to glow faintly.

  Neither of them noticed as they were too immersed in the story.

  Eventually they reached the final chapters.

  Kara leaned slightly closer, eyes bright.

  “Now it all comes together.”

  Seraphina read the resolution carefully.

  Holmes explaining the chain of reasoning, and the final pieces falling into place.

  When the last page finished, the projection dimmed slightly.

  For a moment, neither of them spoke.

  Then Seraphina exhaled slowly. “That was good.”

  Kara nodded immediately. “Very good.”

  Seraphina leaned back against the stone bench, looking up at the darkening sky above the garden.

  “I think I liked this one even more than the first.”

  Kara tilted her head thoughtfully. “I might agree.”

  She tapped the now-closed manuscript file. “The mystery structure was stronger.”

  Seraphina nodded. “And the characters felt more alive.”

  Kara smiled. “I liked Watson more in this one.”

  Seraphina chuckled softly. “You always like Watson.”

  “He’s relatable,” Kara replied.

  Seraphina laughed quietly.

  They continued discussing the story, talking about moments they liked, characters they found interesting, and scenes that surprised them.

  “I liked the pacing near the end,” Kara said thoughtfully. “Once the pieces started connecting, it didn’t slow down.”

  Seraphina nodded. “Yes. The explanation scene felt satisfying rather than long-winded.”

  Kara tilted her head slightly. “Holmes explaining everything always feels like watching a puzzle being assembled.”

  Seraphina smiled faintly. “That’s part of the appeal.”

  They continued for another minute, exchanging quick observations about certain scenes and characters.

  Kara stretched slightly, rolling her shoulders. “It’s been two hours.”

  Seraphina blinked. “Already?”

  Kara nodded. “Time flies when the mystery is good.”

  Seraphina smiled faintly.

  Then Kara suddenly stiffened. “…Your Highness.”

  Seraphina looked at her. “What?”

  Kara glanced toward the sky where the last of the daylight had faded and the palace lights had begun glowing softly along the garden paths.

  “It’s already evening.”

  Kara quickly checked the time again on her wristlink. “…Dinner time.”

  Seraphina immediately understood as the emperor and empress rarely began dinner without her.

  Kara was already standing.

  “Your Highness,” she said urgently, though still keeping her voice respectful, “His Imperial Majesty and Her Imperial Majesty are probably already waiting for you.”

  Seraphina sighed quietly, glancing one last time at the manuscript file before closing the projection.

  “You’re right.”

  Kara offered her a hand instinctively, though Seraphina did not really need it.

  “We should go now.”

  Seraphina rose from the bench and smoothed the folds of her dress lightly.

  The palace corridors were already illuminated with warm evening light, attendants moving quietly through the halls as the dinner hour approached.

  They continued toward the palace interior.

  Behind them, the garden returned to quiet.

  The manuscript lay quietly on her device.

  Unread by the public and unknown to the world.

  But already thoroughly enjoyed by two readers in the quiet gardens of the Aurelia Imperial Palace.

  And far away in Marilon, the author of the story had no idea that his newest book had already reached the table of an imperial princess.