Chapter 384 - 284: The Empire’s Police Flower, Annabelle

Chapter 384: Chapter 284: The Empire’s Police Flower, Annabelle

This enraged Fleming, but he could only force himself to endure it, lowering his head as he walked into the police station.

People were coming and going in the main hall; it was a bustling scene.

But when Fleming walked in, all eyes fell on him, and the room instantly fell silent.

Fleming sensed something was off and, his anger flaring, looked up.

WHOOSH!

The hall was filled with noise again. Those discussing cases went back to discussing cases, and those slacking off and chatting went back to slacking off and chatting, as if the momentary silence had never happened.

Fleming froze for a moment, then, his expression dark, returned to his office and slammed the door shut.

The moment he shut the door, the noise in the main hall outside quieted down.

Then, the officers in the station put their heads together and began to whisper.

"I heard our boss got slapped and sent flying over ten meters, nearly beaten to death!" one said, his face flush with excitement.

"Who told you that? It wasn’t just over ten meters. It was at least thirty or forty," someone next to him replied with a grin, clearly delighted rather than angered by the news of their boss’s beating.

"Tsk, tsk. A top student from the Royal Police Academy. I’d like to see how he’ll save face now," someone remarked with a click of their tongue.

"So what if he’s a top student? I heard the guy was from overseas. He should save that Royal Police Academy title to scare someone else," someone sneered, their tone dripping with acid.

This was all Fleming’s own fault. He was always putting on airs, pulling the ’I’m a top graduate from the Police Academy, and who are you?’ routine when dealing with the rank-and-file officers.

Who could tolerate such blatant contempt over the long run?

That was why Fleming was so unpopular at the station.

Even though he frequently cracked major cases, no one considered him one of their own.

Just then, the sharp sound of high heels echoed from the corridor, crushing the whispers.

Immediately after, a tall, elegantly dressed woman appeared before them.

The woman was a blonde with blue eyes, and her skin was so fair you could faintly see the blue veins beneath.

But this didn’t make her look fragile. Her sharp, sword-like eyebrows slanted up toward her temples, giving her a heroic air, and the cold eyes beneath them were ones you didn’t dare meet.

It was Annabelle!

The Flower of the Royal Police Academy—stunningly beautiful, yet covered in poisonous thorns.

If Fleming was a top student who graduated from the Royal Police Academy, then Annabelle was a true, heaven-sent prodigy, someone the Royal Police Academy itself was proud of.

And even more talked about than her glittering resume was her noble birth.

Annabelle came from a family even older than the Empire itself. Her ancestors had repeatedly served in the cabinet as prime ministers, so as the direct heiress, she was granted the title of Count at birth.

This wasn’t one of those common titles that could be bought with money; she was a true Count with real power and her own fief.

Although the main hall was filled with low-ranking officers from the station, Annabelle’s reputation was so great—and she was part of the same police system—that everyone recognized her.

As they watched her glide past in her exquisite high heels and finally disappear into Fleming’s office, a collective gasp swept through the hall.

"Now things are getting interesting. The Belle of the Imperial Police herself has shown up," someone said in amazement.

"It’s always the people from the Royal Police Academy who have connections looking out for them. He just gets into trouble, and a big shot like her shows up to handle it," another said, his face a mask of envy.

Many others stared, infatuated, in the direction Annabelle had gone, even sniffing greedily at the faint, lingering fragrance in the air.

After all, Annabelle was the dream girl of countless police officers.

But at this moment, Fleming, sharing a room with the Belle of the Imperial Police, felt anything but relaxed. Instead, he stood respectfully before the desk, his head bowed, not daring to breathe too loudly, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

Annabelle sat in Fleming’s chair, elegantly crossing her astonishingly long legs, and spoke in a voice tinged with amusement.

"I hear you put on quite the acrobatic performance for everyone at the docks?"

Her words made Fleming’s head sink even lower.

"Senior..."

"Don’t call me Senior," Annabelle said coldly. "I have no junior who would bring shame to the Royal Police Academy like you."

"Yes!" Fleming didn’t dare argue, only managing a quiet reply.

Perhaps moved by Fleming’s obedient attitude, or perhaps noticing his pale face, Annabelle lowered her gaze and changed the subject.

"What were his exact words?"

"He said he was giving me one day. After that, the offer expires, and I’ll have to bear the consequences." Though he desperately wanted to embellish the story, faced with his senior’s overpowering presence, he chose to be honest.

"’The offer expires, and you’ll have to bear the consequences’..." Annabelle murmured, tapping her fingers lightly on the desk, her expression unreadable.

"Did he give a name?"

"N-no, he didn’t." Fleming realized his mistake and couldn’t help but wipe away his cold sweat.

A scornful look appeared on Annabelle’s face as she looked at the tall man before her as if he were garbage.

"So... as a graduate of the Royal Police Academy, you still have no idea who attacked you?"

Fleming was speechless.

After saying this, Annabelle seemed to lose all interest. She stood up and walked straight toward the door.

She didn’t even spare Fleming a single glance.

And it was this attitude that sent a chill through Fleming’s entire body.

As officers who had graduated from the same academy and worked in the same system, he knew the style of the Belle of the Imperial Police all too well.

She was an elitist, through and through.

In her eyes, you could make a mistake, but you could not be a fool.

’And clearly, I just made an extremely foolish mistake.’

’And to be detested by this deeply connected Belle of the Imperial Police...’

Fleming could already picture his miserable future: stuck doing menial office work, registering households, and handling trivial, everyday matters.

But regardless of his thoughts, Annabelle had already walked out of the office and was heading for the exit.

Fleming, his face as white as a sheet, suddenly realized something. He gritted his teeth and hurried after her.

’This is my last chance. If I can’t earn back my dignity, my future is over.’

And so, he followed Annabelle out of the police station, only to see a squad of well-equipped mounted police already waiting outside in formation.

Upon seeing Annabelle, the mounted police all bowed their heads in a gesture of respect.

"Move out!"

Annabelle gave the curt command, then leaped onto a tall steed. With a crack of her whip, she galloped off in the direction of the docks.