Lionel's gaze swept over their faded collars and immaculately polished shoes, and he deliberately showed a puzzled expression: "The Saint Martha Society?"
"I don't think I have any dealings with you. Is there something you need?"
The older man's lips twitched upwards, revealing a typical fake smile: "It's about a novice named Alice-Clemence Roche.
Sister Marcella believes that a personal meeting with you would be more appropriate than correspondence. You might be able to offer some... valuable insights."
With the conversation reaching this point, Lionel had already guessed some of the truth.
His heart sank slightly, but he remained calm.
There must have been a problem with Sister Marcella's letter from Our Lady of Lourdes—he had sent the letter to the Saint Martha Society's headquarters in Paris before returning to Paris.
Theoretically, Sister Marcella should not have mentioned his relationship with Alice in the letter.
And the fact that the Saint Martha Society came knocking indicates that she did—whether in the letter she sent to him, or in another letter she wrote later.
Lionel quickly weighed his options. Refusing or avoiding them would clearly only put him in a passive position. It would be better to probe their intentions.
He nodded, his tone calm: "I see. Then please wait a moment, I'll change my clothes!"
With that, he closed the door and returned inside.
He first quickly organized his thoughts, then hid Alice's identity documents in a secret compartment in his drawer.
There was also a stack of manuscripts for the second part of "the decadent city" here, plus these documents—in the Middle Ages, they would have been enough to send Lionel to the stake twice over.
However, since the other party did not directly make trouble, nor did they bring the police, but rather "invited" him, it meant that things were not too bad yet.
Thinking this, Lionel put on his coat, took a deep breath, went to the door, and followed the two visitors downstairs and into a carriage.
The carriage took them through the streets of Paris and finally stopped in front of a seemingly unremarkable but quite extensive complex of buildings on the Left Bank of the Seine River.
It lacked the grandeur of Notre Dame, appearing instead understated and solemn, with high walls and deep courtyards, exuding a secluded tranquility and dignity.
Passing through several quiet corridors, Lionel was led into a simply furnished but very clean reception room.
The room had simple wooden tables and chairs, and a plain crucifix hung on the wall.
The wait was not long.
A nun, approximately sixty years old, walked in.
Her face was serious, and her steps were steady. Behind her followed a younger nun, who quietly stood by the door after entering.
After a brief greeting and sitting down, the older nun spoke: "Mr. Sorel, I am Sister Anna Maria, the Vice-Director of the Saint Martha Society.
Thank you for accepting our invitation."
Her voice was steady and indifferent, and her back was perfectly straight. She was an upgraded version of Sister Marcella.
Lionel pondered before speaking: "Sister Anna Maria. Do you have any news of Alice?"
He decided to proactively bring up Alice to force the other party to show their hand first.
Sister Anna Maria also did not beat around the bush: "Not long ago, we received a letter from Sister Marcella of Our Lady of Lourdes.
In her letter, she stated that after a long and fruitless search, she was inclined to believe that this poor girl might have met with misfortune.
And she suggested, out of mercy, that we cease our investigation and let her soul rest in peace."
Lionel remained noncommittal: "Oh... 'met with misfortune'... 'rest in peace'... Is this really an unfortunate piece of news? Ha..."
Seeing Lionel's reaction, Sister Anna Maria suddenly changed the subject: "Sister Marcella also specifically mentioned you—
She mentioned your great influence in your hometown, your exceptional concern for Alice, and that you obtained authorization from her parents...
Mr. Sorel, your kindness is indeed touching, but with all due respect—
Although Alice has not yet officially become a nun, your enthusiasm, as a young, unmarried man, even if you are childhood friends, seems excessive."
Her gaze was like a torch, as if trying to illuminate Lionel's innermost thoughts: "Mr. Sorel, I need to remind you that although you have achieved some success recently and seem to have some influence in Paris...
However, if some matters involve fundamental moral bottom lines, then even Mr. Hugo, even Le Figaro, would find it very difficult to preserve your reputation."
Lionel's back was slightly sweaty. He somewhat regretted going to Our Lady of Lourdes to get that letter.
He had underestimated Sister Marcella; she was clearly not as helpless as she appeared that day, and she had even suspected his intentions at the time.
And the information of the Saint Martha Society was clearly much better informed than he had expected.
Although Alice lived a secluded life, the people in the apartment—especially the manager—had seen her.
Although Lionel had repeatedly instructed Alice not to tell anyone her name.
But an "unnamed maid" coming and going from the apartment would always be noticed by someone with an agenda.
He also had no confidence in the manager's professional ethics.
For perhaps just one franc, he would spill every detail of his daily schedule, from when he left to when he returned home.
As for whether Sister Anna Maria, or the Saint Martha Society behind her, was convinced that the "maid" in his home was Alice, that was hard to say.
Lionel remained outwardly calm: "Paris is a huge city, and rumors are countless.
Any speculation about a missing girl would be very difficult to use as evidence."
He wasn't afraid—Alice wasn't at 64 Rue Laffitte. He just needed to write another letter to Médan Villa, and he could hide her for a while longer.
As long as he was honest with Mr. Zola about the reasons, he believed he would be very willing to show his compassion and generosity.
Currently, the Saint Martha Society was only here to "communicate" with him, not to interrogate or directly call the police, which indicated that finding Alice was not their primary goal.
As one of the largest nunnery organizations in France, a runaway country girl was nothing significant.
Sister Anna Maria indeed did not press further, but softened her tone: "I invited you here today not to accuse or interrogate, Mr. Sorel.
It's just that the Church has been in a tumultuous period recently, with constant public opinion disputes... Just as you and Sister Marcella said—
A novice disappearing and then appearing in a place she shouldn't be would be a major scandal that would shock France and even Europe.
It would shake the foundation of reputation, whether for our Saint Martha Society or for any individual, wouldn't it?"
This unmistakable hint allowed Lionel to vaguely grasp the other party's intention.
Having determined the other party's bottom line, Lionel relaxed instead, revealing a slight smile: "Oh? Sister Anna Maria, what exactly do you want to say?"
Sister Anna Maria didn't expect Lionel to actually smile, and for some reason, her heart began to panic.
Didn't he understand? Impossible, writers are the most sensitive to language... So what was the reason for his fearlessness?
Thinking of the new Archbishop's instructions to her, she still bit the bullet and continued: "We are considering Sister Marcella's request—
To completely cease the search for Alice-Clemence Roche."
Lionel nodded, his tone indifferent: "Oh... That's good news."
Seeing no reaction from Lionel, Sister Anna Maria gritted her teeth: "We can even... revoke her nun status, allowing her to truly regain her freedom...
And not just implicitly accept her disappearance. For a young life, this might be the most merciful outcome..."
Lionel said nothing, staring intently at the other party.
Sister Anna Maria's rosary under the table spun faster and faster: "Of course, the prerequisite for all of this is that we need to see... a certain degree of friendliness.
For example, if Mr. Sorel is willing to use your talent to occasionally support some... works that promote traditional virtues and soothe people's hearts..."
Lionel showed a sneering expression: "You want me to praise the Church?"
Sister Anna Maria quickly denied: "You don't need to publicly declare support for anyone or opposition to anyone.
You just need to show a hint of... understanding and even appreciation for the values of faith within your works or sphere of influence.
This is not a transaction; it's more like... an unspoken agreement."
The room fell silent, with only the regular ticking of the small clock on the fireplace. A few minutes of silence felt like an eternity.
Finally, Lionel looked up at Sister Anna Maria, and a genuinely sincere smile slowly spread across his lips:
"Good!"
"However, I need some support from the Church..."