The Shadow of Great Britain

After bidding farewell to the chaos of the Twelfth District, Arthur and Louis quickly returned to the restaurant where they had dined earlier.

Just as they entered through the back door, they saw Thiers wiping his mouth with a napkin, his hand gently raised as if he intended to request another dessert from the waiter.

However, upon noticing the return of Arthur and Louis, Thiers slowly put down his raised arm, placed the napkin aside deliberately, and maintained a faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of his mouth: "It seems today's meal can only end here."

Arthur took the bill from the waiter's hand, glanced at it briefly, and nonchalantly pulled a Napoleon gold coin from his jacket pocket, tossing it into the waiter's hand.

"You have a good appetite, Mr. Thiers. Would you like another steak?"

"Thank you for the hospitality. But I think I've eaten enough." Thiers rubbed his stomach, slid his chair back, and stood up, smoothing the pleated edge of his white cravat: "How is your progress on that side?"

Arthur walked to the table, poured himself a glass of wine, and leaned against the windowsill to take a sip: "They probably won't bother you any further. If anyone causes you trouble after this, just handle it as official business."

Thiers smiled, raised his glass, and drank all the remaining wine in one go: "I like that answer. Have a pleasant evening. Enjoy yourself; Paris's true night has just begun."

With those words, Thiers donned his coat, put on his hat, and without looking back, boarded the open carriage that had been waiting outside the restaurant for a long time.

Thiers leaned close to the coachman's ear and whispered something, and the coachman cracked his whip sharply on the horse's rump.

With splashes from the ground and the dim yellow streetlights of the evening, Thiers and his servant quickly disappeared at the end of the street.

There was no need to say or think more; undoubtedly, this currently sought-after Home Secretary in Parisian social circles was bound to have an appointment with some beautiful lady tonight.

However, Arthur and Louis weren't as fortunate as Thiers. Although they also had an appointment that evening, it wasn't with ladies but rather with a group of rough Italians.

Louis peeked out the window and asked Arthur, "Where do we go next?"

"We've arranged to meet at a theater in the Saint-Germain district. But there's no rush for that now..."

Arthur pointed out the window at a group of shivering surveillants in the cold rain and wind, and said, "Let's treat these gentlemen to a meal first. If they don't eat, I'm afraid they might not last much longer."

...

What method can one use to make contact with dangerous individuals amid heavy surveillance?

Going to the opera to watch a performance is quite a reasonable excuse.

And tonight, there is a splendid performance at the opera house, featuring Mr. Levasseur, a famed Parisian actor making his return from a long illness, portraying Demon Bertrand in Meyerbeer's work "Robert the Devil."

Although Arthur hadn't seen "Robert the Devil," he was well aware of it due to his friend Mr. Heine having once written a literary critique of the piece and 'extorting' Mr. Meyerbeer for a thousand Francs in the process.

The plot of the play isn't particularly complex, mainly detailing the story of the protagonist Robert, a child born to Devil Bertrand and a mortal woman, who, driven by his devil father, committed many misdeeds.

After being banished to Sicily, Robert falls in love with Princess Isabella. Despite this, he remains under the control of his devil father Bertrand.

Though Robert's friend attempts to warn him about Bertrand, Robert doesn't listen.

After enduring many hardships, Robert finally awakens. Ultimately, during a gathering of demons hosted by the devil, he is instructed by his father to pluck a magical cedar branch.

With the cedar branch in hand, Robert enters Isabella's room, and under her persuasion, he breaks the cedar branch, undoing the magic, making Devil Bertrand disappear, allowing Robert and Isabella to become a couple.

To Arthur, accustomed to such romance novels, this plot wasn't novel.

However, perhaps due to a lack of entertainment or the fact that he once engaged in similar pursuits, Agares, this ancient devil of several millennia, found it utterly engaging.

Yet, in front of the passionate Parisian audience, Agares behaved like a regular person, while Arthur, who was indifferent, seemed to be the odd one.

In Paris, it's always like this; works by the masters invariably attract elites from upper society to watch and applaud, and "Robert the Devil" was undoubtedly one such beloved piece.

Even though Arthur wasn't fond of "Robert the Devil"'s plot, the sheer scale of the performance, the lavishly extravagant sets, the grand and ostentatious setup, the use of a full orchestral accompaniment even for recitatives, and the countless magnificent ballets and choruses, were more than worth the ticket price.

Thanks to his connections in Paris's literary circles, Arthur could easily secure a seat in a decent box at any theater he desired.

Today, the private box he secured was one that the theater manager had long reserved for that plump Great Dumas to curry favor.

And this box wasn't far from the exclusive domain of several eminent nobles and cabinet members.

The box could be occupied at any time, but once the curtain rose and the performance officially began, guests weren't allowed to wander in the aisles. If they wished to visit friends in adjacent boxes, they would have to wait for the intermission.