Mary had been staring at the bag of now-cold cookies all morning.
The girl's eyes were unfathomable. She lay across the table, muttering to herself as she popped a cookie into her mouth.
The cookies were still crisp, though they had lost a bit of the warmth they had right out of the oven.
I really was stupid.
Mary thought to herself.
All I knew was that he and Charlotte had gone to Buckingham Palace, so they wouldn't be on Baker Street all day. I didn't know he wouldn't come on Monday either.
But when she thought about it carefully, it was actually quite normal.
Buckingham Palace would never simply pack up the pair who had stayed up all night to catch a thief and send them back to Baker Street.
Still, sitting in her usual spot with the cookies, waiting all morning without seeing the familiar figure, she couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Actually… maybe it wasn't a bad thing that he wasn't here today.
Mary comforted herself with that thought.
This time the cookies hadn't turned out perfectly. Some were overbaked, and the water-to-flour ratio hadn't been quite right.
As a reward, it felt a little too formal—or even damaging to her dignity.
Next time, when Father isn't home, I'll secretly bake them in the oven again.
It will definitely turn out better than this time.
Mary tied the string on the cookie bag, stood up, and left the lecture hall.
The girl walked to a familiar, empty classroom where no one would disturb her.
The moment she opened the door, for some reason, a strange illusion—or perhaps expectation—rose in her heart.
It would be wonderful if Russell were there.
That thought occupied Mary's mind for a while before she quickly dismissed it.
"What on earth am I thinking about all day?"
She couldn't help complaining about herself.
"If I keep doing this, won't it seem like I care about him a lot?"
The girl grumbled as she opened the back door of the empty classroom.
The next instant, she froze on the spot.
It was as if Santa Claus had truly granted her wish.
The person she had been talking about all morning was now sitting in the last row by the window, bathed in the afternoon sunlight, gazing outside.
The sunlight dyed his short black hair a warm golden color. He didn't turn around, showing only his back.
Mary could hardly tell whether this was reality or an illusion born from uncontrollable longing. She blinked and rubbed her eyes.
The figure remained there, not disappearing, and slowly turned its head.
"Here you are."
Russell smiled at her. "I was waiting for you."
Mary opened her mouth. A thousand words swirled in her throat, but in the end, they all condensed into the simplest question.
"What are you doing here…?"
"I'll come back after work is done."
Russell laughed.
"Mycroft gave me half a day off."
"Really…" Mary replied, then walked over and sat beside him, unable to stop herself from smiling.
"Have you had lunch yet?"
"Mm."
Russell nodded. "The kitchens at Buckingham Palace are every bit as splendid as their reputation."
"Would you like some afternoon tea?"
Mary spoke quietly. After a slight hesitation, she finally placed the cookie bag on the table. Even though she knew her creation wasn't perfect, she still hoped for a response.
"But it's nothing compared to Buckingham Palace."
Hearing this, Russell looked curiously at the cookie bag on the table, then at Mary. "Did you bake these?"
"Remember? Father wouldn't let me into the kitchen."
Mary blinked and lied.
It was just a harmless little lie, yet for some reason her heart began pounding uncontrollably.
Especially when she saw him take out a cookie and put it in his mouth.
At that moment, Mary felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
"How is it?"
She asked cautiously. "My family's cook…"
"Hmm…" Russell murmured as he chewed the cookie.
The biscuit crumbled between his teeth, its crisp texture mixing with the rich aroma of nuts and spreading across his tongue.
"It's not bad, but a little too sweet and slightly overcooked. The nuts have a slightly bitter taste."
He said softly, then picked up another one and ate it.
"For a beginner, this is already quite a good result."
Hearing this, Mary was momentarily at a loss for words, then protested, "I already told you… I didn't make them…"
"So your family hired an apprentice chef just to bake these cookies?"
Russell's question left Mary speechless for a moment. She opened her mouth, but any explanation she could give seemed unconvincing and ineffective. An adorable blush instantly colored her fair cheeks, spreading from her face to the tips of her small ears.
"I… I… just…" She stammered like a child who had done something wrong, unable to meet Russell's gaze and turning her eyes away.
"What's wrong?"
Russell looked at her with a mischievous smile.
"I just happened to develop a little interest in baking sweets. Is that not allowed?"
The girl finally gathered her courage and looked up. Her beautiful blue eyes held a faint shyness at being exposed.
"Of course it is," Russell nodded, the smug smile still on his face.
"What a shame. I thought they were prepared for me."
"If only they were!"
Mary pouted, pulling the cookie bag toward herself, grabbing one and popping it into her mouth. Her cheeks must be as red as a ripe apple by now, she thought.
"Anyway," she cleared her throat, trying to hide her loss of composure and forcibly steering the conversation back on track.
"I checked today's quiz results."
"Hm?"
"You barely passed, exactly in 10th place."
Mary said, "You're very lucky."
"Luck is also part of strength," Russell avoided a direct answer.
The two chatted casually and enjoyed the afternoon together.
Sunlight streamed in through the windows, and the long shadows on the ground almost overlapped.
"By the way," Mary suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Russell.
"Did Moriarty appear last night?"
"He was supposed to appear."
Russell said.
"Why 'supposed to'?"
Mary tilted her head.
"Didn't you know whether you were there or not?"
"I was knocked unconscious by him, so I didn't see him at all."
Russell shrugged.
"By the time Charlotte found me, it was already all over."
He told Mary what had happened the previous night, exactly as Charlotte had described it.
When Mary asked for details, he dodged her questions by saying "I wasn't there."
Throughout the entire process, the girl listened attentively, responding appropriately.
Sometimes shocked, sometimes frowning, sometimes suddenly realizing something.
However, the smile in her eyes could not be hidden no matter what.
It was as if she was quietly saying something.
…
…
PS: Support me and read advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode