The scent of freshly brewed tea filled the grand hall of the Edelweiss Estate, a mansion so luxurious it felt more like a work of art than a place where people actually lived. Sunlight filtered through towering stained-glass windows, casting soft hues of pink and gold across the polished marble floors. The walls, decorated with the finest of golden details, the invaluable furniture, and the carpet crafted from the rarest silk threads, it was all in perfect harmony, yes, this place was more than just a house, it was indeed a work of art.
The noble guests, dressed in the finest clothes money could buy, spoke in hushed and refined voices, calmly discussing their usual business, and as they did, the maids fluttered elegantly between them, like clockwork. Among them was Lily, A small, delicate figure in a perfectly pressed black-and-white uniform, his silver-white hair neatly styled beneath a lace headpiece. His large, violet eyes shone with warmth as he gracefully placed a tray of pastries on a glass table. One might think of this as an unusual job for a young man like him, yet, it was better than any he could ask for. He quietly moved through the dining room, attending to the needs and whims of the guests, a radiant smile on his face, the silver platter in his hands perfectly stable, the teapot flawlessly in balance, not a single drop of the tea spilled, just like he had practiced. The night seemed just perfect for everyone involved, until one of the many butlers announced the arrival of a new guest, "Attention, everyone! Please greet Sir Vittorio Donati." he exclaimed, as a strong-looking man emerged from behind him. The man wore an elegant fur coat, the rings in his hands glittered with the shine of gemstones most valuable, Lily's expression changed slightly, he recognized the man that very same instant, a monster known in the underworld simply as The Merchant of Death, a drug dealer, a murderer, a kidnapper, every crime that one could commit, he had already.
Lily trembled slightly, he shouldn't be here, this man didn't attend any gatherings unless there was something to gain from them. "He isn't on the guest list. No, no one that was invited is related to him either. Security let him in either way, threatened or bribed? Doesn't matter. Is he meeting someone? Have they arrived yet? There's not much time." he thought, his expression unchanged. He waited for Donati to sit down before approaching him, Lily spoke with a voice as sweet as honey "Konichiwa, Donati-San~ Welcome to our humble mansion, may I offer you anything?~", Donati smiled, "Yes, my lady. Could you bring me a drink? Wine is fine, thanks." he replied. Lily gave a respectful bow and left, heading towards the busy kitchen, but never quite reaching it, he grabbed one of the decorative wine bottles, discretely opening it, pouring it into the glass, then, in one swift motion, he slipped a tiny amount of powder into it. He walked back, elegant as ever, and delivered the drink, Donati smiled, but said nothing else, he quietly sipped his wine, unaware of the lethality of its contents.
A few moments later, the elegant ambiance was shattered by the sound of someone choking, Donati took his hand to his throat, clawing at his suit to remove his tie, he fell to the floor, and got on his knees. Lily rushed over to help him, "Donati-San! Are you okay?! Someone, please call an ambulance!" he screamed, enough distress in his voice to sound convincing. But in a few brief moments, Donati's body had stopped convulsing, his pulse coming to a sudden stop. Lily pretended to be mortified, like the other maids, and silently walked out of the room, as instructed by the head butler. "It... was so sudden. I... can't believe I watched a man die..." sobbed Rachel, a young blonde woman, Lily sat by her side, comforting the best he could, "I know. My heart almost stopped as well, but sadly, we're still on our shift, I promise we can talk about it as soon as we're dismissed." he said warmly, "For real?" asked Rachel, tears still running down her face, "Of course." Lily confirmed, smiling once again, this time however, it was more truthful than before.
A few minutes, full of shrieks and lots of whispers, had passed when suddenly, the thick wooden doors of the mansion slammed open, and two slightly chubby policemen waddled in, dressed in wrinkled uniforms that were a few sizes too small. "ATTENTION! We have arrived to find a solution to the current conundrums!" exclaimed the first, Inspector Hugo Dandridge, his large mustache clashed with the lack of hair on his shiny bald head, "CORRECT! THIS IS AN OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION!" completed his parter, Sergeant Emil Fortwright, a slightly taller man, already scribbling down on his notebook without even looking at the scene. Both of them walked up to the body, Hugo kneeled down to check the pulse of the corpse, as if the pale skin and blank expression weren't enough, "So, Sir Donati is dead?" he asked, a noblewoman spoke, her voice trembling "Indeed. He died", Emil quickly dashed into the conversation, "WHY is Sir Donati dead?" he asked, quickly scribbling the question down, "We don't know!" exclaimed another noble, "They don't know..." Emil continued, "So, did you see the murderer?" Hugo asked, pointing directly at Lily, who was pretending to cry, "No, I'm afraid. I was attending Miss Pauline over there." he said, pointing at a far away table, the woman nodded and said "Yes, indeed, this nice lady was serving me tea when we heard Sir Donati cough!", Hugo twirled his mustache, his expression serious for a brief instant, "I will find him, I will capture him, and no one will ever die AGAIN!" he said, triumphantly, everyone let out a collective gasp, and a few nobles even clapped for a brief moment, Lily couldn't help but let out a short giggle, "I was lucky it was THESE two that came over, I just have to sit back and enjoy the show!" he thought, relieved that his cover wasn't in actual danger. Hugo was about to speak again, but the sound of a panicked voice suddenly filled the room, "Oh, great heavens! What on earth is THIS?! Who are these two idiots?! Why is there a body on MY floor?!" exclaimed Nancie Fournier, the prestigious and wealthy owner of the Edelweiss Estate, Hugo rushed over to her, and held her hand gently "Madame, we are here to solve this case. As you can see, one of your guests has died, and..." Nancie cut him off, with a well-placed slap, no less, "Silence, peasant. We CANNOT allow ANYONE, not even the police, to find out someone died here! Imagine just how negative the news would be! Oh, no one would visit us ever again!" she said, Hugo had to take a moment to analyze what she was saying, "So... what should we do Madame?" Nancie let out a shocked gasp, as if her desires were obvious, "Leave immediately, or there will be severe consequences." she said with a firm tone, "And what will you do with the body?" asked Emil, hiding behind his partner, "Dear, I'm rich. I can just get it buried somewhere by paying the right people. No one is going to know.", and with that, the pair left, defeated. "I am so sorry we had to go through such a traumatizing experience. I am certain we should all head home now, as always, we were so grateful to have such amazing company tonight! I hope our next party has less... unfortunate incidents. Farewell, dear guests!" concluded Nancie, as she turned around to look at the maids, "I'm so sorry, darlings. Peasants are so hard to deal with, correct? Oh, before I forget, you are all dismissed, you deserve some rest." concluded the fine woman, as she headed toward the golden phone neatly placed on top of a table too small to house anything else, Lily sighed in relief, "Another successful mission. However, next time, I need to make sure that damn phone is unplugged." he concluded before heading upstairs.
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