The Secret Code of Monsters.

Chapter 406 Ch.405 Kingsley's Apology
When the train stopped at two stations and they were halfway through their journey, there was another knock on the door.

Rose was playing chess with old Collins on the coffee table in the box.

The two of them discussed the rules, guessing what the chess pieces were used for, and had a lot of fun being stupid.

Just then the door opened.

It was the young man whom Rose described as a 'stupid detective'.

Kingsley.

He had no cape on, only a grey waistcoat over his white shirt.

Carrying a bottle of red wine.

"Good afternoon, sir and madam."

He pulled the muscles on both sides, but his awkward smile couldn't smooth out the sharp lines on his face - he was born to be serious and not good at dealing with people.

"I brought a bottle of wine."

He raised it.

Old Collins seemed to know what he was going to do. He didn't ask any questions, just grunted and made way.

Four glasses of wine, with some not-so-high-quality minced meat and baked egg rolls, it was a barely adequate meal - for Kingsley, that is, but the other three ate it with great enthusiasm.

Their identities don't seem to fit in with this carriage.

Kingsley subconsciously began to speculate about the purpose, origin, and family background of these three people. When he saw the messy chessboard on the coffee table, he became more certain that they did not belong in this carriage.

He was curious.

"May I ask how you knew that woman was a thief?"

He could understand Roland's method, but this girl's "intuition" was really weird. How did she know that the woman was a thief?
"I?"

Rose put down her fork and tapped the corner of her mouth with the cloth: "Because I found out she lied."

"How did you find out?"

"I don't know, Mr. Kingsley. Maybe you will learn it naturally after interacting with people more often?" Rose has mastered this special skill, but she can't express it clearly in words. "How about you try it?"

Kingsley held the wine glass: "Try?"

"Let me ask a few questions. Of course, you can choose to lie, or not."

Rose sat up straight and folded her hands on her legs. "Can you play chess?"

"You mean this thing?" Kingsley glanced at the coffee table. "Of course."

Rose: "Oh, so you like drinking too?"

Kingsley: "Of course."

Rose: "You love solving cases. Is this job more of a hobby than a life?"

Kingsley nodded.

Rose asked again, "Where were you born?"

Kingsley's answer was followed by a slight pause: "...Liverpool."

Rose: "Do you remember how many street lights there were on the platform we went down on before?"

“…Five.”

"Do you like hunting, boxing, or horse racing?"

"…boxing match."

End of question.

"You told two lies, didn't you?" The girl smiled slyly, "You were probably not born in Liverpool, and you don't like boxing."

Kingsley was astonished.

The old-looking young man couldn't figure it out, his eyebrows almost joined together: "Did my actions or tone make you see the flaw?"

He tried to reconstruct the whole process.

"Oh, this is a method I figured out before. It's no big deal to teach it to you."

Rose said.

Very simple.

First, you need to ask the person you choose some questions that will "almost never lie" - note, it means "almost never", so the questions must be simple and there is no need for him to lie.

"You need to observe this person."

Rose leaned forward, Kingsley's pale face reflected in her jewel-colored eyes.

"Observe him, observe his little movements and tone when he's not lying, all his reactions."

she says.

after that.

Ask some more brain-intensive questions.

"What do you mean by a brain question?" Kingsley interrupted.

"For example, how many street lamps were there on the previous platform?" She tapped her temple with her fingertips: "You always have to recall and think, right?"

But once people start to recall and think, it is difficult to control their actions and tone. "You thought about it and gave the correct answer," Lillian said, "but when I asked you where you were born——"

Kingsley's reaction was completely different from before.

He has a new little move.

The tone has also changed a bit.

"Boxing matches, too."

Rose finished speaking, picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

"I don't know if anyone has discovered this method. I think it's very useful - many times, people can't deceive my eyes..."

Unless, that is someone who is very good at lying.

After listening to this, Kingsley shook the soft red cloth in the wine glass and remained silent for a long time.

There is nothing wrong with the logic.

But if Kingsley remembered correctly, the young lady identified the innocent and the thief at the first sight of the three people - and no one spoke at the time.

This is different from the 'method' she talked about.

So, everyone has secrets.

Roland did not say anything. He just smoked a cigar and lay on the comfortable sofa with his eyes closed.

About five minutes later?
Kingsley suddenly put down his glass, stood up and took a few steps back.

He bowed deeply to Roland and Lillian: this way of greeting could never be compared to a gentleman's chest-touching greeting or a lady's curtseying - in addition to showing respect, this kind of bow also added a touch of respect for others.

Theoretically speaking, no one would perform such a ceremony when the status difference is not too big or in informal occasions.

"gentlemen?"

Rose was in a panic, looking at Roland for help - she had not learned this lesson yet.

"No, you deserve this."

Kingsley bowed and then sat back down with a straight face as if nothing had happened.

"I must apologize to you, Miss Vansittart, and to Mr. Collins."

He said.

"My vulgar origin made me unable to see the truth, and the fine wine and sweet meat made me forget my sorrow and become arrogant and rude. I had an extremely stupid and mediocre judgment about your gender, your identity, and Mr. Collins' appearance."

That's what the papers say, Kingsley, Kingsley.

If you follow the newspapers, what is the difference between you and most fools?

Running away from home and pursuing the life you want is not to learn to look down on others.

"I don't think you have the common sense of a normal person," he stared at Lillian. Then he turned to Roland and said, "I think you are probably a weakling. You are not smart. You are just slick and weak. You live by flattery."

He said.

"I would rather believe that you and your friends are wiser than an octopus walking on the lawn."

Kingsley's face was expressionless, but his tone was very frank: "I used to think so, but you and your friends showed me what true wisdom and experience are - so, sir, ma'am, I want to apologize solemnly."

"For my ignorance and arrogance."

Rose blinked, a little bit fed up with the expressionless "seriousness" of this man, and tugged at Roland: "I don't hate him so much now."

Roland was helpless: "You can just say it openly, Rose, he is right in front of you."

The girl stepped on him in embarrassment.

"This is normal, Mr. Kingsley. I advise you not to take it to heart. Hurting people with words is the stupidest thing to do. Not only will you gain more enemies, but you won't hurt him at all." Roland smiled, pulled a leather box from the table and opened it.

"Want a smoke?"

He invited.

"…My father smokes a lot, but I'm not that experienced." Kingsley hesitated for a moment, then picked up a cigarette. "You just said that words are the stupidest thing to hurt people, but I'm afraid many people won't agree with you."

"Of course, this is just my personal opinion." Roland ignored him and let him cut it open and light it himself.

"So you are a 'silent person'?"

"I'm a man of action, Mr. Kingsley." Roland tilted his head towards Rose: "We all are."

Kingsley.

"This guy's business ability aside, he's not a bad person."
-
Be prejudiced, but have the courage to face your mistakes when you know they are wrong.

This was far beyond the many people he had met.

There were so many people that even if the whole city of London saw him putting his thing into a horse's butt, he would shout out: "Oh my God! My foot slipped!"

—even though everyone in London, and the horse, knew that he was not.

So, Mr. Kingsley is quite interesting.

The man with a stern face doesn’t seem to be very old, but he looks... a little mature?

"Where are you going?"

"Lancashire." Kingsley imitated Roland, took a sip, gargled several times, and spit out segments. "Lancashire, Innstown, do you know it?"

(End of this chapter)