Chapter 48: Jade Rabbit Returns to the Theater + Bath

Now it was Adrian's turn to be helpless.

The family has learned to ignore Alice and Adrian's unseemly behavior.

Mary pretended not to hear anything and took the newspaper to tell Alice that the news attacking her personal morality in the newspapers had disappeared almost overnight. Except for a few critics who seemed to use this to show off their own morality, the newspapers were replaced with praise.

"Elisa, ever since you became Duke of London, the parish clergy who opened Tzu Chi pharmacies have become much more polite," added Catherine, who still regularly visits the parishes of Greater London. "Those who buy medicine at Tzu Chi are still as grateful as ever for your one-penny medicine."

"Isn't that wonderful?" After living for a long time, it seems inevitable that one will pick up some of the human emotions. Alice thought of Jane's tears of joy when she heard that the land at Longbourn was no longer subject to inheritance restrictions, and her heart softened even more.

Mrs. Bennett, Jane, and Elizabeth returned to Longbourn to tell Mr. Bennet the good news. She urged the servants and tenants to reacquaint themselves with Jane, the heiress to Longbourn. More importantly, she urged Mr. Bennett to write to Mr. Collins, "His shameful plot is now completely thwarted!"

Their family was exchanging gossip, and Alice, the new Duke, had become the talk of the town in London lately.

The Duke's affairs were a cause for concern. People reported seeing Alice and Adrian walking in St. James's Park and attending a play at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden.

Some people with ulterior motives would come to these places, mostly young men dressed in fancy and fashionable clothes, who thought they could also compete for the position of Duke's lover and came to look for opportunities.

Alice cast a spell, causing the people outside the box to wander back and forth in circles in the corridor, unable to find the correct door. Then she took Adrian's hand and said, "Why don't you try to seduce me? Those people outside the door want to replace you."

This was the same box we had last time we watched the play, booked permanently by Alice. The red velvet curtains had long since been repaired and hung neatly on either side.

The man looked a little embarrassed, yet also a little moved. He half-closed his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking about, and his face had already turned red before he did anything.

"Really?" Alice deliberately urged him, forcing him to make a quick decision.

"Miss Alice, would you like... some almond fudge?" The gentleman who asked did not take the initiative to go to the square table next to her where desserts and drinks were placed to get them as he did last time. He just looked at her with a red face.

The invited lady answered with her actions. Alice leaned over the small round table and bit into the rose-colored candy passed to her, savoring its sweetness.

The gummy candy doesn't melt completely in your mouth, but a sticky syrup precipitates out, filling your mouth with juice and holding on to your favorite treat.

Half of the curtain had already fallen with the enchanting aura of Alice's fingertips, covering the man's face, which was almost as red as the velvet.

It was a rare occasion for him to take the initiative, and he even said something that she probably never thought she would say, so of course Alice had to take full advantage of it.

Letting go of the somewhat stiffened candy, she stood up and poured two glasses of wine at the square table, then called the still dazed gentleman over.

As soon as he took the cup, she linked her arms with his, wanting to taste the wine.

She wanted to try it last time at the theater, but her husband at the time wouldn't even let her have a bite of the candy, so she was so greedy that she went to his house in the middle of the night to beg for it.

The two people's eyes met through the wine in the glass, which made it even more intoxicating.

The man obviously didn't understand the meaning of the wedding wine, and thought it meant drinking the wine in the other person's glass. He put the cup in his hand to her mouth, and opened his mouth slightly waiting for him.

Alice chuckled, hooked her arm deeper into his, twisted her forearm, stared at him, took a sip of the wine in the glass, and motioned him to do the same.

Despite being so close, the man was still flustered by the invasive gaze, and his movements became clumsy. He hooked the glass back to his lips, but failed to properly pour the wine into his mouth. A small amount of the wine-red liquid fell from his lips, flowed down his pale chin, and hung on the edge. Alice hooked it over and pressed it against the table to suck it all out.

The hawthorns in the fruit bowl fell off the table. The round red fruits rolled on the carpet for a long time and finally stopped by the wall, huddled together.

The title and fiefdom also benefited Alice by accelerating the recovery of her pharmacy's business, even pushing it to another peak. After all, whenever people mentioned her, they would remember that this duke had earned his title through his pharmaceutical skills. And who else in ancient England had such an experience? Her medicines were naturally trustworthy, and naturally became even more famous.

The English people also gave Alice a common name: Medicine Duke.

In just one month, thanks to this trend, the number of pharmacies with exclusive sales rights of Oriental Alice Pharmacy has more than doubled.

In London, people always come to visit, and I often meet people who want to socialize. It's interesting once or twice, but after a while, I feel that these people all have a vague similarity and are no longer interesting.

This social craze should cool down, so Alice simply took Adrian to visit stores outside London to see if the cooperating pharmacies were selling medicines in the agreed manner.

The first stop is Bath.

This time they were traveling around under the pretext of visiting stores. They were not in a hurry along the way and stopped as they went.

A carriage stopped by the roadside beside a beautiful lake. Alice, who had transformed into her original form and run around in the mountains and forests, returned to Adrian. Seeing that he was still sitting in almost the same posture as before, painting the lake view in front of him, she jumped onto his chest and found a comfortable position to watch him paint.

The man naturally put down his brush and combed her tangled white fur. Alice purred comfortably.

"Is this another painting you plan to sell?" Alice asked casually, squinting her eyes and enjoying the meticulous service.

"Yeah. I just happened to come across a scene I wanted to paint." The man plucked a petal of some wild flower from her back and continued to comb her back with his hands.

In the past few days, not only did she have to deal with more people, but Adrian also had to face a lot.

Since resigning from his teaching position, he has often painted at home or while traveling, and sold them to collectors or wealthy people who like to hang paintings at home.

Originally, a university classmate who worked in a related field acted as the intermediary. He essentially just painted, occasionally meeting with buyers to discuss the works. However, after Alice was made a duke, this information somehow leaked to some members of the aristocratic community. They met with him under the guise of buying paintings, subtly mocking Adrian for relying on his status as the duke's lover to secure his livelihood, while also trying to inquire about Alice's preferences.

He didn't care about such ridicule, and didn't tell Alice about it. He just tried his best to sell his paintings to people who really liked them, rather than those with ulterior motives. If Alice hadn't seen it once and kept it a secret, she would have punished the person with a spell, and then this kind of situation would have become less common.

"Even if you don't draw these, I can still support you." Alice yawned. "This combing skill is enough to support you."

"Combing my hair is something I'm supposed to do, and something I enjoy doing. How could I ask you for anything extra for it?" Adrian smiled faintly. It was clear that Alice wasn't the only one who enjoyed this grooming activity. "Besides, didn't you say that the Eastern Heavenly Court is all about offerings to the gods by humans? How could I, in turn, enjoy Miss Alice's offerings?"

"Stubborn," Alice murmured, and let him go.

They traveled without servants, Adrian driving the carriage. Sometimes Alice would use magic to guide the horse along the road, and let Adrian get in the carriage to accompany her.

This time, they arrived in Bath during the day. They settled into the villa they had once rented, the Royal Crescent. The familiar butler and servants greeted their new owners and placed their luggage in the room Alice had previously occupied.

Before leaving for Bath, she had already asked an agent to buy a villa for her. The price of 3,000 pounds was easily affordable for Alice now. She also hired the original butler and servants.

After a brief rest, the two of them went to inspect the shops. The Bath Pharmacy she was working with was the same herbal medicine shop where she had bought herbs before. The owner had long since sensed the irreplaceable value of the medicines from Oriental Alice Pharmacy and simply closed the unprofitable herbal medicine shop to focus solely on selling Alice's finished medicines.

The two observed for a while, and found that the pharmacy had not violated the contract by quoting excessive prices. After they stayed for a while, the owner recognized Alice and started a warm conversation again.

After leaving the pharmacy, Alice asked someone who was obviously more familiar with the area to suggest the next activity, teasingly saying, "You don't need me to lead you before you're willing to give you any suggestions, do you?"

Knowing that this was referring to his once awkward self, Adrian had no choice but to accept the criticism he deserved. After a moment's thought, he continued, "Besides the hot springs, you might also want to experience Bath's local food and riverside scenery."

"I don't like going into the water, but I don't mind admiring the picture of a handsome man emerging from the bath once more." Alice loved to see a certain gentleman in an awkward position.

Finally, they went to the town of Bath to eat freshly baked buns and take a walk along the River Avon that runs through the city.

It was time for the fireworks display that the villa manager had mentioned.

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Author's words: Rabbit (shaggy version): I'm back from fooling around...