The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1447: Chapter 225: A Good News, Also a Bad News

Mikhail Orlov is an outstanding figure, tall and elegant, with a commanding presence and handsome features. His prominent skull, tightly knitted brows on a square forehead, a head full of graying hair, and sharp bright eyes immediately reveal someone who has spent much of his life in the military.

However, his appearance contradicts the aura of melancholy and decadence emanating from him.

In both Moscow and St. Petersburg, there are many people similar to Orlov.

This group of noble-born officers, having participated in the Decembrist uprising, faced the hardships of exile to the Caucasus or Siberia. Even though their prominent family backgrounds ensured they did not remain in exile for long, upon their pardoning and return to Moscow and St. Petersburg, they no longer appeared vibrant or spirited.

These individuals are like lions in cages, crashing against iron bars, unable to find a way out or purpose, constantly tortured by their desire for work and realization of life’s worth. Eager for political activity but with no outlet, they refuse to be confined to study rooms or settle into family life.

Though still holding the rank of general, they have lost the authority and charisma that once made them the center of attention.

This psychological gap easily leads to imbalance, gradually imprinting their dusk-like air on their aging faces and tempers.

Unable to bear solitude, loneliness fuels their depression, making them prone to rage and constantly quarreling with the few friends they have left, thinking everyone is conspiring to harm them.

Their growing paranoia also drives them to indulge in plots and schemes, trying to expose traps that in reality do not exist.

Thus, when Arthur expressed interest in Orlov, Miss Helena Duke and several other kind ladies advised him to stay away from the melancholy gentleman well-known in Moscow social circles.

No one knows what might suddenly come out of Orlov’s mouth, especially as everyone has heard lately about how he’s compiling a table of chemical names, delusionally attempting to become a scholar and theorist.

Of course, Orlov is by no means a fool; in his younger years, he was renowned in Moscow for his clear mind and extraordinary talent.

Yet, he always speaks incoherently, lacking restraint.

If not for the misfortune of December 14th, these behaviors would not have been considered flaws.

Being incoherent can be seen as his thinking speed exceeding his speaking speed, a sign of a quick mind.

Lack of restraint in speech shows boldness, enthusiasm, candor, and frankness, saying whatever comes to mind—a habit typical of honest people.

But human nature being what it is, once Orlov lost power, the praised virtues turned into flaws.

Everyone felt Orlov was reckless, unpolished in speech, frequently making mistakes. He still spoke frankly but would suddenly remember his status midway and alter his attitude. This tactical pivot was more challenging for Orlov, who had never seriously studied social graces, than any metaphysics or chemical names table.

Sometimes he fell into a trap, trying to escape only to fall into a second or third trap. As a result, this once celebrated Guard Cavalry general faced much criticism, regarded as shallow and careless in speech.

No more were there well-wishers at parties to remedy his verbal errors and urge everyone to recognize his outstanding conduct.

Nowadays, everyone fixated on a single verbal mistake he made, only listening to his words without observing his actions, seeing individual errors as more significant than his overall character.

To some extent, Arthur could truly understand Orlov’s predicament.

He had suffered from Fleet Street’s media violence in London, but unlike Orlov, Arthur received much comfort from friends, and his subordinates at Scotland Yard never forgot him. Although the Home Office strictly prohibited Scotland Yard from retaliating against the media, that did not stop the officers from executing strict law enforcement on Fleet Street on behalf of their old commander.

If not for such support, sharing empathic thoughts, Arthur felt his mental state might not fare any better than Orlov’s.

Arthur pondered that he must chat with Orlov a bit today. However, as the center of the party, every move he made was under scrutiny.

Thus, after several failed attempts to break free, he could only sit back down in his original seat, adhering to the curiosity of the ladies and gentlemen around him, and begin to talk about his life experiences.

From various bizarre and strange murder cases at Scotland Yard to following Faraday into the field of electromagnetism, and being inspired by Paganini to arrange music, and so on.

Most of it was fabricated; only a few parts were true.

However, perhaps because of writing the ”Hastings Case Files,” Arthur’s skill in storytelling had grown significantly.

A curious little story cobbled together in a few minutes could evoke amazement from the Moscow elites longing for an industrialized criminal society.

Stories like the serial killer who liked leaving playing cards as his trademark.