The detective is dead, I did it.

Chapter 20 The Holmes Family

The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of a villa.

Ketura was nervous the whole way in the carriage, clutching her patched old dress in both hands. In her eyes, everything outside the window seemed like another world.

The streetlights were clean and tidy, the stone slabs were paved with patterns, the carriages moved on without making a sound, and even the pedestrians on this street were well-dressed.

It's clearly a wealthy neighborhood in London.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the carriage finally stopped, and carefully got off, holding onto the door.

Then she saw the luxurious villa in front of her.

The three-story white building has a Roman column on each side of the entrance, with intricate patterns carved on the capital.

The house has arched windows with stained glass, the stone steps at the entrance are spotless, and flowerbeds on both sides are planted with unknown flowers.

Ketura stood there, clearly not having reacted, while Li Ang looked up at the house.

Damn rich people.

He said it silently to himself.

"Let's go." Charlotte jumped down from the carriage without any intention of being helped. "Don't stand in the wind at the door."

She walked at the front, and the old gentleman she had seen earlier was already standing at the door. He bowed and then opened the door for her.

The interior of the villa was even more luxurious than the exterior, perfectly matching the image of the aristocratic mansions that Li Ang had seen in his previous life.

Whether it's the marble tiles on the floor that reflect your image or the huge crystal chandelier on the ceiling, everything reflects the homeowner's extravagance.

Li Ang was quite disappointed that the maids didn't line up in two rows as he had imagined.

At first glance, only one or two maids were working, which contrasted sharply with the mansion in front of them.

"Oh, I don't like having too many people taking care of me, so I dismissed most of the servants," Charlotte explained as she walked. "Now only the butler and four maids remain. They don't live here; they come during the day and go home at night."

Li Ang looked around and found it quite deserted. The house was so big, yet even the echo of footsteps seemed empty.

"Can such a small number of maids handle all the work?"

"Of course. After all, strictly speaking, I live here all by myself, and even the cook is a part-time job at the hotel that I found from outside."

"So there are plenty of rooms." Charlotte stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back at them. "My mother and I have a room on the third floor. You can choose any of the other rooms you like; they've all been prepared."

After saying that, she went upstairs first. Li Ang and Ketula went up to the second floor and casually pushed open a door.

The room was bigger than he had imagined; this one room alone was several times larger than his entire home in the slums.

The floor was covered with dark wood flooring, a four-poster bed stood against the wall, a desk was by the window with a brass lamp on it, and a large wardrobe was next to it.

"Brother," Ktura whispered, "Am I dreaming?"

"No." Li Ang patted her head. "Go and choose a room you like."

Ktura didn't move, but looked up at Leon anxiously. "Brother, can...can I live with you? Like in the slums."

In the slums, they only had one bed and one blanket, and the two of them would huddle together for warmth; there was no other way.

But it's different now.

Ktura is no longer a child. Although there is nothing between them other than blood ties, some boundaries still need to be drawn.

He wanted to refuse, but when he saw Ketula's anxious little face, he finally softened.

"Only for a little while," Li Ang said. "You'll still have to sleep alone from now on. I can't be with you forever."

Ktura nodded vigorously. "I understand."

They had very little luggage. Ketula was tidying up the room when Leon went downstairs first.

The old butler he had met once before stood at the top of the stairs, holding a cup of black tea, seemingly waiting for him.

"Lord Leon," the old butler bowed slightly and handed over the black tea, "I am the butler of this villa. You may call me Donald."

"Hello, Mr. Donald." Li Ang politely accepted the black tea and sat down on the sofa next to him, while Donald stood politely to the side.

"You flatter me," the old butler chuckled. "It's been a long time since I've seen the young lady so friendly to others. I'm sure Lord Li Ang has something special about you."

friendly?

Li Ang recalled the scene of Charlotte smiling as she blew someone's head off; he could only say she was indeed quite friendly.

"Cough cough, I was just lucky."

"Luck is also a part of strength," the old butler said earnestly. "By the way, how did Lord Li Ang and the young lady meet?"

"The last time I met you, she and I were both involved in the heretic murder case."

Li Ang briefly recounted how he met Charlotte, omitting the part about being threatened by heretics and accidentally killing Charlotte, and also omitting the part about his awakened abilities.

It only briefly recounts the story of how the two joined forces to defeat the cultists.

It sounds like a standard detective novel plot.

"I see," the old butler said knowingly. "It is indeed a wonderful coincidence."

"Mr. Donald," Leon put down his teacup, "could you tell me about Charlotte?"

He didn't actually know much about Charlotte yet. He only knew that she was a famous detective in London, a rich woman, and had a wicked but endearing personality.

"sure."

"The Holmes family was not originally a noble family."

"A hundred years ago, the Gates of Hell incident occurred. Demons poured out from the cracks, plunging London into chaos. The Church at the time was powerless to deal with it, and it was the first detectives to awaken their abilities who stepped forward."

"Mr. Holmes, who is also the young lady's grandfather, is one of them."

His tone carried a hint of respect, "He rendered great service in that battle, and Her Majesty the Queen personally bestowed upon him a noble title. From then on, the Holmes family became a noble family of detectives."

It turned out to be the case.

Although Charlotte's family had a relatively short history compared to other old noble families, this achievement alone was enough to allow them to establish themselves in London.

Not to mention that the other party later became a famous detective through his own efforts, making the name Sherlock Holmes known throughout London.

"Old Sherlock Holmes had only one son, the eldest daughter's father," Donald Holmes continued, "but he had no interest in detective work. He preferred painting and music and lived abroad for many years. He later died in an accident, leaving behind the eldest daughter and her mother."

"Therefore, the young lady was raised by Mr. Holmes, who imparted his reasoning skills to her without reservation."

"The young lady began assisting the old man in solving cases when she was six years old, solved a murder case on her own when she was eight, and her name appeared in the newspaper when she was ten."