Chapter 21: Her Majesty's Invitation

After finishing their conversation with Scott, Lu and Natsume Soseki went to the headquarters of The Daily Telegraph.

However, they couldn't find anyone from Sachi's team. As soon as the editors heard Lu's name, they immediately paid him for his work and promised to start his column within a week. Afterwards, they arranged for a carriage to take the two of them back to Blythe Road.

Natsume Soseki couldn't help but marvel, "I didn't expect Mr. Sachi to value you so much."

Lu didn't respond.

It was true that Sachi valued him, as evidenced by his generous payment of several hundred pounds. However, this value wasn't directed at Lu's writing. Instead, it was Scott who truly appreciated Lu's work, diligently reviewing his manuscripts and treating him as a top contributor to The Manchester Guardian.

As they rode in the carriage, Lu opened the window curtains and listened to the bustling street outside. The most common words he heard were "Sherlock Holmes," "price increase," and "flour."

Lu looked out at the busy street scene, indifferent. "I've already submitted the manuscript. Whether they use it well or not is up to them."

Soon, the carriage turned onto Blythe Road. The carriage driver's voice sounded, "Gentlemen, it's going to be difficult ahead."

They saw a crowd of people at the end of the alley, all standing on tiptoe and craning their necks, as if they were watching a spectacle, but also somewhat timid, as if they were afraid of getting into trouble.

The carriage driver, sitting high and with a high line of sight, squinted and said, "Hmm... looks like the Queen's Guard. Their red uniforms are quite recognizable."

The Queen's Guard?

This was truly a Western scene!

Lu and Natsume Soseki curiously jumped out of the carriage and joined the crowd.

Unexpectedly, they ended up becoming part of the spectacle themselves.

The position guarded by the soldier was right in front of the house where they were staying.

Lu looked at Natsume Soseki and joked, "Are you a spy?"

Natsume Soseki was taken aback. "Me, a spy?"

He was completely stunned, repeating Lu's words before realizing something was wrong. He shook his head frantically and said, "No, no! How could I be a spy? But wait, aren't you... wait a minute, you weren't even assigned a school by the Qing government. How could you be a spy?"

This hit right where it hurt.

Lu gave Natsume Soseki a sharp look, then separated from the crowd and approached the soldier.

As they got closer, Lu could see the brass buttons on the soldier's uniform and the emblem on the buttons, a faint cross in the center. This was the badge of the Coldstream Guards.

Lu whispered, "It's authentic."

Natsume Soseki became even more nervous, beads of sweat dripping down.

At that moment, a low voice sounded, "Of course it's authentic."

Looking towards the voice, they saw a somewhat corpulent officer standing there.

Because his stomach was too big, his clothes were stretched tight, and the buttons looked like they might burst open at any moment. He looked like a ripe dragon fruit about to burst.

The officer walked over slowly. "Which one of you is Lu, the author of 'And Then There Were None'?"

Lu didn't move, while Natsume Soseki took a step back.

The officer's gaze fell on Lu, and he couldn't help but show a approving smile. Although this young man was from East Asia, he had no problem with his appearance and demeanor, except for his short hair.

If the other small guy was Lu, then that would be troublesome.

The officer lowered his voice. "Her Majesty requests your presence."

Lu was shocked, his jaw almost dropping to the ground. He instinctively confirmed, "Her Majesty?"

The officer didn't repeat himself, just nodded solemnly. "Please."

With that, he gestured towards a carriage not far away.

With no choice but to go along, Lu followed the officer onto the carriage.

The soldier of the Coldstream Guards took the place of the carriage driver.

The horse hooves lifted, splashing mud, and the carriage headed towards the other end of the alley.

For a moment, Blythe Road was eerily quiet, but soon it was drowned out by discussion.

People couldn't help but speculate on the true identity of the East Asian student.

As for Lu himself at this moment, he was sitting in the carriage, watching the officer unbutton his uniform.

Finally.

"Phew~"

The officer heaved a sigh of relief, unfastening the top button.

Seeing the officer's hurried breathing, one might think he had just been suffocated.

He murmured to himself, "The collar of this uniform is too tight..."

Then, he fanned himself with his right hand and reached for the carriage curtain with his left.

At that moment, his gaze met Lu's.

...

...

...

The atmosphere in the carriage was awkward.

After exchanging glances for a while, both of them looked away.

The officer said, "Hello, I am Sir Frederick von Stephenson. You can call me Sir Stephenson."

His self-introduction was very friendly.

Lu's tense heart relaxed.

He had been wondering what extraordinary deeds he had done to attract the attention of the Queen. He even considered bribing Stephenson with the few hundred pounds he had just earned. However, seeing Stephenson's satisfied appearance, he dismissed the idea.

Stephenson unfastened a few more buttons and said, "Rest assured, Her Majesty just wants to see you."

Lu nodded.

With no risk to his life, he relaxed a bit. Looking around, he wondered how to get closer to Stephenson.

After a while, he said, "Sir, are you the commander of the Coldstream Guards?"

Stephenson was slightly surprised. "You, a foreigner, recognize the emblem of the Coldstream Guards. That's not easy."

In fact, Lu wasn't familiar with the Coldstream Guards, but he could always chat about the famous Oliver Cromwell.

"It's a pretty orthodox view," Stephenson said with appreciation.

They continued to exchange words as time passed, and the carriage drove through the streets.

Lu told him about Oliver Cromwell, and Stephenson was impressed. "You know that history?"

Lu wasn't familiar with the Coldstream Guards, but he could always chat about the famous Oliver Cromwell.

"Oliver Cromwell officially turned the kingdom into a republic, but in reality, he was a military dictator," Lu explained. "He disbanded Parliament, appointed himself 'Lord Protector,' and established the Protectorate. These actions led to deteriorating economic conditions, and under such circumstances, Cromwell couldn't stabilize the situation. The restoration of Charles II was inevitable."

Stephenson's eyes showed appreciation. "A very orthodox view."

Afterwards, the two continued to chat.

Time passed, and the carriage passed through street after street.

As pedestrians saw the iconic red uniforms of the Queen's Guard, they made way for the carriage.

Before long, the carriage stopped in front of Buckingham Palace.

The Coldstream Guardsman, who had been acting as the carriage driver, jumped off and opened the door for the two men, surprised to find the commander talking and laughing with the East Asian student, his face full of joy.

It took him a while to react.

He cleared his throat. "Sir, we have arrived."