Turning the Tables

Lily Evans watched as the spy hurried off, disappearing around several corners in the building. She didn’t rush to chase after him.

She had previously instructed Bella Bell to have someone monitor the spy. With the skills of the Evans Manor’s secret guards, there was no need for Lily herself to give chase—countless eyes were already watching that spy.

Sure enough, Bella Bell appeared at once. Seeing Lily Evans, she reported quietly, "Master, that person just now is the spy who snuck into the building. I’ve had people watching him for a long time. He seems particularly interested in our kitchen—he’s tried several times to sneak in as a helper, but I was worried he’d try to poison something, so I never let him in. Whenever he found a chance, he’d spy on our chefs cooking, as if trying to steal their techniques. A few days ago, I caught him trying to steal from the storeroom, but since we keep valuable exotic spices there, I’ve always had someone guarding it, so he didn’t succeed. Today, I purposely had the guards step away for a while and left him an opportunity. He took the bait! Our people are following him now—once we catch him, we’ll have both the criminal and the evidence. Then, with a good interrogation, we’ll be able to uncover the mastermind behind him."

Lily Evans considered for a moment, then said, "Don’t catch him just yet. Give him a chance to escape the building—no torture. He’ll naturally lead us to the mastermind. He stole exotic spice, so it looks like he’s figured out our delicious food is all thanks to the spices, and that’s what he’s after. Hmph, since someone’s after our spices, it’s time to turn the tables on them!"

"Turn the tables?" Bella Bell looked at Lily Evans, full of doubt, unsure what clever plan Lily had in mind.

Still, Bella Bell trusted that Lily Evans must have thought of something brilliant—not only to make the mastermind suffer, but to use them to her advantage.

"Keep a close eye on that spy. As soon as you find the mastermind, report to me immediately," Lily Evans said.

"Yes, Master!" Bella Bell replied enthusiastically.

Lily Evans returned to the Prince of Qin’s Manor, while Bella Bell, following Lily’s instructions, didn’t alarm or capture the spy, but instead acted as if nothing was wrong and continued monitoring him.

The spy did indeed take the bait. After stealing some exotic spice and seeing that no one in the building had noticed, he felt secretly pleased. Once night fell, he quietly slipped out of the dormitory and went off to meet his master.

Bella Bell led several Hayes Family Shadow Guards, silently tailing the spy. The spy was quite alert, ducking into other rooms and changing clothes several times to shake off pursuers, but such tricks were child’s play to the Shadow Guards.

After all his maneuvering, the spy thought he was finally safe and hurried off to the mastermind’s residence.

Bella Bell and the others followed quietly and watched as the spy ran to a grand private estate, slipping in through the side gate.

"Tsk, the Kingdom of Chu envoy’s post house." Bella Bell rubbed her chin in surprise. She hadn’t expected the spy to be sent by the Kingdom of Chu.

But was it Princess Mira or Prince Charles Chu behind this?

Bella Bell was still puzzling over which of the royal siblings was responsible, when she saw Princess Mira rush out, visibly anxious. She could hardly wait to question the spy in the courtyard: "Well? Did you discover the secret behind Eight Treasures Bistro’s delicious dishes?"

The spy knelt and spoke in a low voice, pulling out a cloth bundle from his coat and presenting it with both hands. "Your Highness, I’ve been undercover at Eight Treasures Bistro for about a month, secretly observing the chefs. I finally discovered that the reason their food tastes so unique and delicious—unlike anything anywhere else—is because of special seasonings only found at Eight Treasures Bistro! These spices can’t be found anywhere else, and every chef uses them, which is why the dishes are so distinctive and impossible to imitate. I risked my life to steal a sample of each seasoning and present them to you, Princess!"