Chapter 226: Fors's Daydreams and the Clever Use of a Persona
"This—should I not have come?"
Luo En, left alone at the door, felt a wave of awkwardness and uncertainty.
"Should I have sent a letter in advance to notify them?"
From behind the Door, there was a faint sound of hurried footsteps, hushed exclamations, and muffled thuds like furniture being bumped.
Honestly, Luo En strongly wanted to turn around and leave immediately, to pretend this awkward first meeting had never happened.
But thinking that such an unannounced departure would be even more impolite, he still steeled himself and remained where he was.
"She—could it be Fors Wall?" A thought surfaced in his mind.
Enthusiastic. Outgoing—this was too different. "I kind of understand now why so many online dating meet-ups ended tragically in the world before my transmigration."
"It seems I need to be more careful from now on."
After a long while, the sounds from behind the Door gradually subsided.
Luo En quickly composed his expression, making himself appear calm as usual.
The Door was opened again from the inside.
This time, what met his eyes was no longer the flustered brown-haired lady from before. Instead, it was a short, yellow-haired girl with a hint of baby fat on her face, dressed in a neat knight's uniform.
'It's her.'
Luo En recognized her at a glance. She was the one who had asked him for help with exorcism at the gathering, and later, the one he had saved from the Werewolf.
"So, they are so close, living together…" He understood, and many clues instantly connected.
"Ahem." Hugh first cleared her throat twice, then asked with a scrutinizing gaze, "Who are you?"
Luo En collected himself and bowed slightly. "Hello, Miss. My name is Luo En Di Sen Ke. I am here to see Miss Fors Wall. I am—her friend."
Hugh sized him up for a few moments, then stepped aside. "Then come in."
"Excuse my intrusion."
Luo En followed her into the house.
The living room was quite cozy, with a touch of artistic flair. Luo En also saw a refreshed Fors.
Unlike before, she had changed into a suitable off-white long dress, and her slightly wavy brown hair seemed to have been hastily brushed, barely regaining its smoothness. She appeared to have applied a light layer of makeup, and the large dark circles under her eyes were gone. She tried hard to project a quiet, ladylike demeanor.
The two exchanged glances, both feeling an indescribable awkwardness.
Seeing this, Hugh, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but inwardly rub her forehead. She took a deep breath and said, "She is Fors. I am her roommate, Hugh Dilcha."
Luo En bowed slightly to them again. "Today's sudden visit, without prior notice, was quite presumptuous of me."
"No—no worries." Fors waved her hand frantically.
"Well then, Mr. Di Sen Ke," Hugh interjected, her tone deliberately serious, "do you have any special reason for coming today?"
She had decided. To salvage Fors's already collapsed image, today, she would play the 'bad cop' to highlight Fors's quiet and ladylike qualities.
"Miss Wall sent me many letters before." Luo En's gaze gently turned to Fors.
"Uh—just call me Fors." Fors, sitting upright, whispered, forcing a ladylike smile on her face.
"Ah, Mr. Di Sen Ke is truly a busy man," Hugh said in a complaining tone from the side, "He couldn't even be bothered to reply to a single letter."
"Hugh! Don't say that!" Fors "advised" in a timely manner, "Luo En must have his reasons!"
"I've been out of town for a while. And I also got the mailing address wrong. That's why I couldn't reply in time," Luo En explained.
"That may be so," Hugh continued to "make things difficult," crossing her arms, "but do you know how worried Fors was about you? She even thought something had happened to you."
"—I know. That's why I came specifically to apologize today."
Luo En chuckled and took out the gift box he had been holding.
"This is a gift for Fors."
He opened the box, revealing an extremely luxurious-looking fountain pen, inlaid with a large sapphire, before their eyes.
"This—this is too valuable, isn't it?"
Looking at the fountain pen sparkling under the light, Fors gasped in surprise, somewhat hesitant to accept it.
"It's not expensive." Luo En didn't want to put too much pressure on her. "It's only about a dozen pounds."
"A dozen pounds is still very expensive…" Fors muttered softly to herself.
Hugh examined it carefully for a few moments, then suddenly asked, "Mr. Di Sen Ke, are you a noble?"
"Hugh! How can you ask such an impolite question!" Fors immediately whispered a reproach from the side, gently tugging Hugh's sleeve.
I'm asking this for you, you fool—Hugh looked disdainful.
"I am not a noble." Luo En gently shook his head. Then he joked, "What? Will it disappoint you two ladies if I'm not a noble?"
"Yes," Hugh teased, "Someone here originally thought she might have a chance to become a noble's wife."
"Hugh! What nonsense are you talking about again!" Fors had an urge to rush over and cover her friend's mouth immediately.
Luo En watched their natural and interesting interaction and couldn't help but laugh, and the previous awkward atmosphere eased considerably. The three chatted casually for a while longer.
"Oh, right," Luo En changed the topic and asked, "I remember the previous letters said that Fors, you have a new work recently. I wonder if I could have the honor of appreciating it in advance?"
"Ah, that." Fors's expression instantly stiffened, her eyes began to dart around, and she subconsciously scratched her hair.
She hadn't finished writing it yet. "Fors has already sent all the manuscripts to the editor." Hugh, seeing this, immediately interjected without changing her expression, "It's a pity, you came a step too late."
"That's truly a shame."
"Oh, right! Speaking of novels," Fors grabbed onto it like a lifeline, quickly diverting the topic, "Luo En, didn't you say in your previous letters that you also wanted to try writing, and even mentioned some very interesting ideas?"
"That—I—can I borrow that setting for my new book? I mean, I can credit you!" Fors was a little embarrassed, but she truly lacked inspiration recently.
"Are you referring to the 'Death Note' idea?" Luo En generously said, "Of course you can."
Anyway, I copied it too—
"That's great! I can just add a new villain to Cici's story!"
Following the topic of novels and writing, the atmosphere in the living room finally became harmonious. Fors gradually let go of her initial reserve and pretense, recovering some of her talkative nature, though still trying to maintain her composure.
"Actually, there's one more thing I wanted to ask."
Just as the three of them were chatting animatedly, Luo En suddenly looked serious, as if he had remembered something.
"What is it? As long as I know, I will tell you!" Fors responded with a smile, clearly still immersed in the friendly atmosphere.
Tell him everything?
Although she knew this was most likely her friend's polite remark made in the heat of the moment, Hugh, who was standing nearby, still couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"It's like this—"
Luo En then briefly recounted how Sherlock Moriarty had investigated him and illegally broken into his home.
"That detective said he was hired by you to—"
"That's not true!" Fors immediately denied it.
"The reason I went to a detective was because—"
"Mr. Di Sen Ke."
Hugh suddenly interrupted Fors.
"Fors did indeed seek a detective to help find your whereabouts because she was worried about you. However, the matter of illegal entry was entirely that detective's own doing. We were not aware of it beforehand."
"No, I never suspected Fors." Luo En politely explained, "I just wanted to confirm. It seems it's just as I thought before. That detective, in order to cover up his illegal actions, actually tried to push the responsibility onto you."
"How despicable."
"Exactly!" Fors echoed.
She hadn't expected that detective to do something that would tarnish her image so much. If Luo En had misunderstood something, she would be quite angry, and her dissatisfaction with that detective reached its peak:
"That detective is truly too much! We'll go to the guild and complain about him! He must be punished!"
After jointly denouncing the misconduct of the detective for a few moments, the three chatted happily for a while longer.
During this time, Luo En also returned the money that Fors had sent him through letters earlier.
Although Fors repeatedly indicated that he didn't need to rush to return the money, Luo En stated that he was not short of money at the moment, and he also greatly appreciated Fors's good intentions at the time.
"I knew it," Luo En praised with sincere tone, "A person who can write such interesting stories must have a very kind and generous heart."
Luo En's words immediately brought an undisguised look of joy to Fors's face, and she smiled shyly and awkwardly.
But Hugh, standing nearby, slightly narrowed her eyes, her gaze as if she was not looking at a friend, but scrutinizing a suspicious individual who might abduct her silly daughter, full of vigilance.
After chatting for a while longer, Luo En got up to leave.
Fors walked him to the Door, appearing somewhat reluctant to part. She said Luo En was welcome to visit her anytime in the future.
"Goodbye, ladies." Luo En turned and blended into the streetscape of Backlund.
"This Luo En Di Sen Ke really doesn't seem like a noble."
After Luo En left, Hugh, like a wicked mother-in-law scrutinizing her future son-in-law, commented:
"He doesn't have that sense of superiority and aloofness peculiar to nobles. And—" She paused, adding thoughtfully, "He also seems to have little experience in intimate interactions with women, appearing a bit too proper and polite."
"Is that so, Hugh?" Fors's eyes lit up, automatically filtering out other comments and only grasping the last point. "I didn't know you had a talent for being a relationship detective! No experience with women? That's a good thing!"
"It seems he's not like some superficial men who only care about first impressions." Hugh ignored her friend's infatuation and continued to objectively analyze Luo En's behavior before leaving. "He doesn't seem to have shown any dislike or looked down on you because of your—well, rather casual appearance at first."
"You see!" Fors immediately agreed. "I knew he wasn't that kind of superficial person! People who like the stories I write must have good taste and character!" Her remarks, which praised both Luo En and herself, made Hugh on the side unable to resist lowering her head and rubbing her forehead again, feeling deeply powerless.
"Also, this fountain pen—"
"Fors, how much do you think this fountain pen is worth?" Hugh asked.
"Roughly—50 pounds?"
Luo En had just said it was only worth a dozen pounds. But Fors felt that, given its exquisite craftsmanship, it should be more expensive.
"50 pounds? Fors, you are too naive." Hugh shook her head. "This fountain pen, just the quality and size of this sapphire alone, is worth at least 500 pounds!"
"What?! 500 pounds?!"
Fors's mouth dropped open in surprise.
You know, all the royalties from her last book combined were only about 400 pounds!
"Hugh, are you—are you sure?"
"Don't doubt my judgment."
As a former noble lady, Hugh still had an eye for luxury goods.
"This—this is too valuable!" Fors immediately felt the box in her hand become hot. "Should I return it? I can't accept this gift—"
"He didn't actively tell you the actual value of this gift, which means he genuinely wants you to accept it, and not use it to show off or exert pressure." Hugh rested her chin, calmly analyzing Luo En's motives. "Otherwise, he could have boasted about how precious this pen is, making you feel both embarrassed and unable to refuse. Many noble young masters pursuing women like to play such self-righteous tricks, using money and gifts to display superiority." She seemed to recall something and sighed with a hint of sarcasm.
"Then—then if he gave me something so precious, does that mean—he wants to be with me—"
Fors first rejoiced, her cheeks instantly flushed crimson as she fell into a daydream.
Although they were just pen pals, this was their first meeting after all. Giving such a valuable gift right away—it was hard for an imaginative Author not to make associations.
There was a similar plot in Rosell the Great's novels, where a talented Author and a loyal reader who appreciated her talent met through writing and eventually got together—although the genders seemed reversed, it was still a reference!
"Maybe this is a token of love!" She almost blurted out.
But she was excited for only a few seconds before her expression clouded over again.
"But—but my first impression of him was so bad, and I was smoking. Will he actually be very disappointed? Is he just being polite—"
After all, no one wants a Beyonder as their wife.
"Fors," Hugh chose to pull her friend out of her unrealistic dream of being "Mrs. Di Sen Ke," "Didn't you forget something very important?" "What is it?"
"Sigh." Hugh was a bit speechless. "It's about Miss Audrey!"
"How do you plan to report to her?"
On his way back, Luo En savored the visit, a hint of confusion in his heart.
Today's meeting, apart from the initial awkwardness, everything else went quite well.
Due to previous experiences, Luo En had long known that both Hugh and Fors were Beyonders.
This somewhat dashed his hope of making a "normal friend."
"However, although it was a bit different from what I imagined, Fors is still quite interesting. I feel like she has a lot of inner drama! It fits the identity of an Author very well."
"But—that one named Hugh seems to have quite a bit of hostility towards me."
"Noble—"
Hugh kept subtly asking me about nobles earlier.
Strange, I'm not a noble, nor do I have any entanglements with them.
Why did she keep hinting at these things?
Could there be another hidden reason behind their previous investigation of me?
Should I—go back and ask for clarification now? Luo En stopped walking.
No, they didn't explicitly state it earlier, which means they must still have concerns. Or rather, they don't trust me enough yet. The key point should still be with that Hugh.
After some thought, he had a new idea in his mind.
Perhaps—I can use the identity of "James Scott" to approach her again.
After all, James Scott is also considered her "savior." Moreover, the Scott identity also has the setting of "Luo En's friend."
If Hugh wants to know more about "Luo En," she probably won't let go of this "friend."
This is also a good opportunity for me to extract some information from her.
Thinking of this, Luo En couldn't help but sigh again:
"Having a persona is indeed very convenient."