"Will you stay with me a little longer?"
She had almost blurted it out without thinking, and only after the words slipped from her lips did she realize how overly direct she had been. Her cheeks instantly grew even hotter.
"I–I'm sorry… I just… I just said it without thinking."
"Hmm…"
Russell fell silent for a moment, as if he were seriously considering how to solve a philosophical problem that had plagued scholars for a hundred years.
"If that is Your Highness's wish, then I see no reason to refuse."
Louise was a little surprised to hear this, but her eyes quickly began to shine.
The next moment, she heard Russell's voice again.
"Your Highness, since you can't sleep… would you care to go for a walk?"
"Huh?"
Wrapped up in her blanket, the girl blinked as if she had never expected such a turn of events.
"Shall we go for a walk?"
"It's not very far. Still inside Buckingham Palace, right next to the places you usually go. What do you think?"
Russell laughed.
"Perfect timing. This is my first time here, you see."
"But…"
The proposal clearly stirred Louise's heart, but outwardly she still looked a little hesitant.
"What if we get caught…?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper, tinged with worry—but beneath that, far stronger, were anticipation and excitement.
Russell gave a faint chuckle. The sound was slightly muffled by his mask, yet curiously clear.
"Your Highness, if I can't even invite a lady out for a walk… how could I ever call myself the gentleman thief, Moriarty?"
He extended his hand to her in a graceful, inviting gesture.
"Will you accompany this reckless intruder and witness a storm you already know so well—yet perhaps have never seen at midnight?"
The girl's heart pounded furiously in her chest.
Reason told her she should refuse. Tonight's events should end here—that would be the most proper way to bring things to a close.
She had met the person she had longed to see, quietly, without any commotion. That alone should have been enough.
But… was it really enough?
The waves of emotion easily swept away that poor, fragile reason.
She stared at the black-gloved hand reaching out to her. After a brief hesitation, she gently placed her small hand in his. Even through the glove, she could feel how long and strong his fingers were, and there was an unmistakable, warm sense of control in his touch.
He did not choose to leave by the door.
Instead, Russell led her over to the large French windows.
He placed his other hand lightly against the window frame. The window swung open without a sound, the gap slowly widening.
Night air drifted in from the gardens, carrying the scent of roses. It surged into the room at once, making Louise's golden hair and the hem of her silk nightgown flutter.
"It might be a little cold."
As he spoke, Russell casually took a thick cashmere shawl from the nearby coat rack and gently draped it over her shoulders.
The very next moment, before Louise could even react, she suddenly felt her body lift at the waist, becoming weightless.
"Ah—"
A small gasp escaped her lips, and she instinctively threw her arms around his neck.
"My apologies, Your Highness."
Russell's voice was very close now, his tone carrying a faintly apologetic smile.
"Taking the stairs would take too long, and we'd be discovered right away. Let's use a faster route."
He held her in his arms, stepped lightly onto the window ledge, and jumped.
Louise squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the terror of a plunge.
But the fear she had expected never came.
Instead, she felt them trace a graceful arc through the air, light as feathers, before landing smoothly on the lawn below.
Louise only slowly opened her eyes once she felt her feet firmly on the soft grass.
She realized they were standing in her favorite rose garden.
The daytime bustle had vanished; under the moonlight, everything had turned into quiet, silver-gray silhouettes. The air was filled with a blend of cool earth and floral fragrance.
Everything here was impossibly familiar to her, and at the same time, strangely unreal.
"This is… the rose garden," Louise murmured, speaking on instinct.
"I'm not very familiar with this place," Russell replied, releasing her hand but remaining by her side, his tone gently inviting. "From here on, I'll be relying on Your Highness to guide me. If you would permit it."
"I–I can do it!"
The girl straightened up and nodded vigorously, as if to summon her courage with that very motion.
She took half a step forward and officially assumed the role of tour guide.
"I know a path that hardly anyone uses. It leads to the greenhouse."
She pointed toward a narrow path deep inside the rose garden, its surface paved with white pebbles. Under the moonlight, the path wound its way forward and disappeared into the deep shadows of the trees.
"Very well. Then I'll be in Your Highness's care."
Russell followed after Louise, deliberately keeping half a step behind, as if placing the initiative entirely in her hands.
At first, she walked ahead a bit shyly, back held straight and rigid.
But the strangeness of this entirely new experience soon made her forget her nervousness.
There was no maid accompanying them, no guards watching from the shadows, and none of the stifling rules and etiquette of court life.
It was the first time she had been able to roam about her own home so freely.
She could clearly hear her own light footsteps crunching over the pebbles, as well as Russell's calm, steady stride behind her, blending into the night.
"Roses in the daytime and roses at night are completely different," Louise murmured, stopping unconsciously in front of a cluster of roses in full bloom.
By day, their petals were a vivid pink; now, under the moonlight, they seemed drained of color, as if covered by a thin layer of frost, leaving only silver and gray outlines.
"Hm."
Russell's voice came from right beside her.
"Moonlight robs the world of color, but in return, it makes scents purer. Sometimes, when you close your eyes, things become much clearer."
Louise hesitated for a moment, then followed his example and shut her eyes.
Sure enough, once the sight of the roses vanished, their fragrance seemed to swell severalfold. It lingered around her nose, refreshing her heart.
It was a sensation she had never experienced before.
They walked along the path until they reached the enormous glass greenhouse.
By day, it was as warm as spring, displaying rare flowers and plants brought from all over the world.
Now, it crouched in the darkness like some great crystal beast. Its interior was pitch-black, and only the glass dome faintly reflected the distant starlight on the horizon.
"We can't go in," Louise said, sounding a little regretful. "The door is locked from the outside, and there's an alarm system on the inside."
"I hope Your Highness will remember that not everything is off limits to me."
Russell laughed softly.
Louise immediately guessed what he intended, and she hurriedly shook her head.
"Let's not trouble anyone else any further. Mr. Moriarty, let's go somewhere else."
"Of course," Russell agreed at once. "That is your decision."
…
PS: Bonus chapter at 100 PS