Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 28 Emily's Thoughts

Green picked up a piece of bread and noticed Emily's unusual behavior.

She sat ramrod straight, her gaze darting around, glancing at him repeatedly before quickly looking away. Her fingers, gripping the fork, were slightly white, as if she were nervous about something.

"Good morning, Emily," Green greeted her.

Emily jolted, nearly dropping her fork onto the plate.

"Good morning, Green." Her voice was very soft, and she lowered her head even further.

Green frowned.

This reaction is strange; he's usually so arrogant...

"Did you sleep well last night?" Green asked tentatively.

"It's...it's okay," Emily said quickly. "It's just...I had a dream that was a little scary, but I can't remember it."

Just then, Aunt Sylvia came out of the kitchen carrying a frying pan. Seeing that Green was still leisurely eating his breakfast, she immediately urged him:

"Green, eat up! You're going to be late!"

"Oh, okay," Green replied, no longer paying attention to Emily's unusual behavior.

It's better if she doesn't bother me. Green quickly finished the rest of the food on his plate and drank the last drop of milk.

Aunt Sylvia was clearing the table when she turned around and took out a neatly folded dark blue work uniform from the storage room. The fabric had faded a bit from washing, but it looked very clean.

Here you go, Green.

She handed him the work clothes, saying, "These are your uncle's clothes from when he first started working. He's always been reluctant to throw them away. Wear them over your clothes to keep out the dust. The warehouse is dirty; don't ruin these nice clothes."

Green took the work clothes. The fabric was thick, the stitching fine, and although old, it was well-maintained. He could imagine his young Uncle Victor wearing these clothes, working hard in the port or factory.

"Thank you, Auntie."

"Take it and exchange it at the port authority. Don't dawdle." Aunt Sylvia waved her hand and turned to go to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Green picked up his coat and went to the door.

"I'm leaving, Auntie."

"Be careful on the road!" Aunt Sylvia poked her head out from the kitchen. "Come back early tonight, I'll make you some stewed beef."

"it is good."

Green pushed open the door and quickly merged into the crowd, his figure soon disappearing into the street.

The only sounds in the restaurant were the soft clinking of cutlery and the silence of snow falling outside the window.

Emily mechanically chewed her bread, watching Green's figure disappear around the street corner outside the window, her heart pounding.

"Emily".

Sylvia's voice snapped her back to reality.

"Huh? Mom?"

"Don't you have a painting class this morning?" Sylvia asked as she wiped the table. "I remember it was Mrs. Valentino's class this morning."

Emily paused for a moment, her mind racing.

Painting class...yes, every Friday morning at 10 a.m. But she has absolutely no interest in going to class now.

"Oh, the teacher said she had something to do today and had to cancel at the last minute," she stammered.

Sylvia glanced at her, seemingly noticing her daughter's unusual behavior, and thought that Emily might have really been frightened by a nightmare last night.

She put down the rag in her hand, stepped forward, and gently hugged her daughter from behind.

Emily's body stiffened slightly.

"Forget that nightmare, my dear," Sylvia said gently. "The goddess of the night is watching over you."

Emily closed her eyes, placed her hands over her mother's arms that were wrapped around her, and gently pressed her cheek against hers. "Mom..."

Sylvia placed a light kiss on the top of her head: "Come with me to the tailor shop later. We'll pick up the dress I had made for you last time; I promise you'll love it."

She gently stroked her daughter's hair: "Next Wednesday we need to attend the Oberhafen Port Development and Charity Night, where all the important people in Oberhafen will be there. Your father will be attending as one of the Port Authority's representatives, so you should dress up nicely."

Sylvia knew her daughter's personality; she was always most enthusiastic about these kinds of occasions. But this time, Emily didn't listen at all.

Her mind was completely occupied by something else.

She barely slept last night, her mind filled with that deep blue crystal bottle.

It's like a gem forgotten in the deep sea, the liquid inside seemingly alive. So...beautiful.

Deep blue, profound...

What exactly was it? Judging from Green's nervous expression, it wasn't just a 'strange potion,' but also those containers she had never seen before...

"Mom!" Emily suddenly looked up, interrupting Sylvia's description of the dress style.

"Hmm? What's wrong, darling?"

"I..." Emily took a deep breath, "I want to go to the city library."

Sylvia was clearly taken aback. This request was so unlike Emily's usual self. Her daughter had always been more interested in clothes, balls, and social gossip, and had never shown the slightest interest in the dusty, thick books in the library.

"The library?" Sylvia repeated in confusion, her brows furrowing slightly. "Why do you suddenly want to go there? Didn't you keep asking me when that dress would be finished? We need to hurry up and go to the tailor shop for one last fitting."

"It's not too late to go after you've tried on the dress."

Sylvia's tone softened, "But promise me you won't go to those shady places, like those dark alleys in the dock area, or those bad clubs in the south of the city, and you have to be home before sunset."

Emily, unable to dissuade her mother, had no choice but to agree.

Sylvia glanced at the clock on the wall, then told Emily to go and change her clothes while she tidied up the kitchen.

Emily nodded and turned to go upstairs. Her room was larger than both Sura's and Green's, and it was exquisitely decorated.

Lace curtains, a four-poster bed covered with a soft bedspread, a dressing table filled with trinkets, and a wardrobe that takes up an entire wall and is crammed with all kinds of dresses.

She opened the wardrobe, her gaze sweeping over the carefully selected dresses in various colors.

Normally, she could spend half an hour agonizing over her wardrobe to match her mood and the occasion. But today, all the silks, velvets, and laces seemed to have lost their luster. She felt a burning desire within her, making her restless and unable to muster any interest in anything.

She casually pulled out a dark green wool dress, a simple style that she wouldn't normally choose—a "plain" look.

After quickly changing, she sat down at the dressing table and began doing her makeup absentmindedly. The blonde girl in the mirror looked somewhat pale, with faint dark circles under her eyes.

Emily picked up the powder puff, then put it down, and finally just applied some lip balm to make her complexion look less bad.

But her eyes kept involuntarily glancing at the small, locked drawer at the very bottom of the dressing table.

About an hour later, she picked up a soft rabbit fur cloak, draped it over her shoulders, and hurried downstairs.

Sylvia had finished getting ready and was sitting on the sofa in the living room waiting for her, holding a fashion magazine in her hand.

"Ready? Let's go, it's getting late."

The mother and daughter went out and got into the pre-booked horse-drawn carriage.

The carriage was filled with the scent of leather and a light fragrance. Sylvia talked enthusiastically about the details of tomorrow's dinner party, guessing which celebrities would be attending, and reminding Emily of the etiquette to observe.

Emily responded with "uh-huh," but her gaze was fixed on the street scene rushing past the window.

The tailor shop was located on one of the busiest boulevards lined with golden plane trees in the city center. Victor Hayes had specially chosen an expensive private wardrobe for Emily for this dinner party.

The carriage stopped in front of a white building decorated with exquisite reliefs. The shop window displayed only one dazzling evening gown, understated yet showcasing exceptional taste.