Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Your 100,000 Ceylon Bride, Lovely...
The journey from Lowson County to Kent took several days. Fortunately, the weather was fine, and the journey was clear. But one of the passengers, Miss Audrey, had no interest in taking in the unfamiliar scenery; she simply sat there in a daze.
In the shaking carriage, Audrey took out the velvet box given by Isabel and opened it.
Inside lay a rich sapphire necklace, just like my sister's eyes.
She held the necklace in her palm and looked at it for a long time. When she realized that her vision was beginning to blur, she quickly raised her head, sniffed, and looked out the window.
Herman had noticed the faint sobbing around him, but the young businessman didn't think a marriage worth 100,000 Ceylon rupees was a bad idea.
He just felt bored.
Seeing the girl's disappointed eyes lowered in the reflection of the car window again, he said coldly: "Ms. Isabel, if you regret marrying a businessman, you still have time to go home."
After the words fell, Audrey turned her back to him and answered with silence.
Hermann narrowed his eyes slightly.
Very good, it really fits his usual impression of hypocritical aristocrats.
Under the gentle and soft coat was an indifferent and ugly heart. He thought that Miss Isabel Norman could disguise herself for a little longer, but he didn't expect her true colors to be exposed so quickly.
Herman sneered, no longer caring whether his sharp words were too hurtful. "Your parents should have carefully considered the pros and cons before signing. As a daughter who was sold, it's ridiculous to miss false feelings. Of course, if you're just trying to use tears to disguise innocence, I advise you to give up. It will only make you look foolish."
When the last syllable fell, even Charles, who was sitting across the carriage, felt uncomfortable. Not to mention that any respectable lady would only feel more embarrassed or furious after hearing this.
And Audrey...remained silent.
Very good, very good.
She has great patience, but I underestimated her arrogance.
Hermann's ten fingers, which were supporting his cane, slowly clenched, his silk gloves covering his knuckles which had turned white from exertion, and the atmosphere seemed to have dropped to freezing point.
It was midsummer, and Charles trembled as he took out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his face.
He felt that if he didn't speak up to smooth things over, the employer across the street would throw his newly married bride out of the car!
Charles took a deep breath and stammered, "Ms. Norman... I believe you are just..."
Before he could finish his words, the carriage suddenly shook as it passed a bumpy section of road.
Just as Charles had steady himself, he saw Audrey's head tilt across from him and she fell into Herman's arms!
Charles: “!”
Hermann frowned, his body tensing under his shirt, and he was about to push away.
"No, sir! Hush!" Charles raised his index finger and suppressed a laugh. "Your 100,000 Ceylon rupee bride, the lovely Lady Norman, has fallen asleep."
Herman glanced to the side, and sure enough, what he saw was a peaceful sleeping face.
She cried secretly the entire way, perhaps because she was tired. The pearl crown on her head was pushed askew, and a few strands of golden curls fell, covering her red eyelids. Her mouth was still slightly open, and she was so sleepy that she didn't know what the world was. Fortunately, she didn't drool.
Maintaining this posture in silence for a moment, Herman snorted coldly.
Good job, to be so pretentious, either you've reached the pinnacle or you're just plain stupid! Either way, it annoys him even more!
He pushed the girl away without hesitation, despite Charles's disapproving look.
The next moment, the pearl crown caught a few strands of silver-gray hair—and as Audrey's head tilted to the other side, the hair was torn off with a "bang", and visible pain spread...
Charles: "Puff!"
Veins bulged on Hermann's forehead. He clenched his cane and took a deep breath.
Audrey woke up confused, her hair crown tilted funny on her head, and broken silver-gray hair fell on her cheeks.
It's a little itchy, scratch it.
She reached out and scratched it, looking at Herman, whose face was expressionless but looked as if a storm was about to come. "Are we there yet, Mr. White?"
She was answered by silence and a figure standing up suddenly: "Stop the car."
Herman changed to another carriage without looking back. Charles followed closely behind him. He turned back and winked at Audrey while suppressing a smile: "Lucky lady, God helped you punish him."
"What's going on?" Audrey muttered.
Confused, she touched the crown to straighten it. Suddenly, she grabbed a few strands of hair and looked at them closely, stunned.
Herman's hair?!
"What position would allow his hair to get tangled in my crown? Could it be..." Audrey's mind flashed with scenes from romance novels, and her face flushed. "He fell in love with my perfect sleeping face at first sight, couldn't help but get close, discovered my beautiful heart through my beautiful exterior, and then did this and that, and then this and that again, and finally lived happily together?!"
Audrey's eyes sparkled as she held a few strands of hair and imagined the future.
There was a sudden knock on the car window, "Knock, knock, knock."
Audrey's face turned serious. She coughed twice, regained her composure, and then turned around: "What's wrong, White... um? Mr. Charles?"
Charles smiled and nodded. "Miss Isabel, Mr. White asked me to invite your personal maid, Ms. Lucy, over. Let you and your servant sit together."
He really cares about me!
Audrey didn't show it on her face, she smiled reservedly and said, "Thank him for me."
Charles took off his hat and saluted, laughing inwardly.
Thank you? I just wanted to smuggle you two idiots into one.
Audrey didn't know what Charles was thinking. Lucy's arrival did make her feel relaxed for the rest of her journey.
The next time I saw Hermann was on the day we arrived in Kent.
Audrey was sound asleep when Lucy woke her up. When she opened her eyes, she was met with Herman's cold gaze and Charles's smiling face.
"Ms. Norman, Mr. White's mother will arrive shortly, and the wedding ceremony will be held then." Charles dutifully opened the car door. "Now, you can get out and enjoy your visit to your future home."
Herman certainly didn't have the patience to act as a tour guide. He instructed the people behind him, "Arrange a place for her to stay."
After saying that, he walked forward without looking back.
Before Audrey could react, a plump, green-eyed woman appeared and looked her over with a half-smile: "Are you Miss Norman... from the noble baronial family?"
Audrey instinctively sensed the contempt and hostility hidden in those green eyes. "You are?"
The girl did not answer, but stepped aside to make way. "Herman is not doing his duty, so let me show you Winston Manor, the most outstanding manor in the county."
Hermann?
An intimate way of addressing her without any respectful title, who is she?
Audrey lowered her eyes, not knowing whether she should ask. If it was an embarrassing identity, she couldn't do anything.
The little romantic bubble that just rose was immediately ruthlessly punctured by reality.
The green-eyed girl walked straight ahead, completely in control of herself.
She skillfully introduced the various sights, occasionally glancing at the figure ahead. Clearly, this wasn't just for Audrey's eyes.
Audrey followed the girl. Although the Baroque building in front of her was exquisite and magnificent, she had no interest in viewing it.
Herman, who hadn't walked far yet, finally spoke up: "Don't do anything unnecessary, Caroline."
Audrey nodded quietly in her heart.
There will be many opportunities to visit in the future. After several days of bumpy ride, she is very tired and now just wants to rest.
"Well, noble ladies are always in fragile health. I apologize for not knowing this in advance." Caroline smiled, without a trace of apology on her face.
The offense in the words made Lucy frown as she followed behind.
The dutiful red-haired maid wanted to remind the young lady, but saw Audrey honestly shaking her head: "It's okay."
Lucy opened her mouth, then closed it: "..."
Caroline: “?”
She frowned and re-examined the stupid blonde in front of her.
Seeing Caroline staring at her, Audrey said sincerely, "You'll understand me from now on. I'm a little fragile, and I'm a little hungry right now. Miss Caroline, can you give me something to eat?"
Caroline exhaled, her face looking a little grim.
As the senior housekeeper of Winston Manor and Hermann's business assistant, no one has ever asked her to be responsible for the stupid task of filling other people's stomachs!
And this new guy actually dared to order her around! And in such a pretentious way! He was truly a master!
Caroline put away her contempt and smiled: "Okay."
-
In the restaurant, Audrey changed into her dinner clothes before eating.
On the second floor, Caroline watched Lucy helping her arrange the napkins and set the tableware, which took her five or six minutes.
"A noble lady is so particular about dining." She sneered.
In the study behind him, Charles was checking the terms of the document with Hermann.
"Caroline, Miss Norman is our future hostess, maybe you should be more respectful." Charles pushed down his glasses and reminded her.
Caroline didn't care and just looked at Hermann who was buried in the documents.
"This delicate little lamb with a noble title is only qualified to enter Winston Manor thanks to her surname. Spending 100,000 Ceylon rupees on such a person is the highest respect." She chuckled. "You think so too, don't you, Herman?"
Charles found these words very harsh, comparable to what Hermann had said in the car.
Charles shook his head: "Don't look at people with tinted glasses. I think she is a good girl."
Caroline sneered and wanted to refute, but she met Herman's cold gaze.
"Caroline, you've crossed the line."
Caroline shuddered and subconsciously defended herself: "No, I just..."
"As a housekeeper and assistant, my contract clearly states that my private life is not under your jurisdiction." Hermann's dark grey pupils were cold, and he was like a statue, emotionless. Even when facing a long-time colleague, he was merciless. "If it happens again, please resign."
Caroline felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar and was speechless for a long time.
Charles gave a sympathetic look and sighed.
An overly close relationship will always make a sentimental girl mistakenly believe that there is a possibility of further development, thus giving rise to endless fantasies.
Only bystanders knew that their employer was as great as Mount Morpheus, and nothing could attract his attention except the Queen's portrait on Ceylon's currency.
-
On the other side, Audrey was unaware of the turmoil upstairs.
After eating and drinking, she sat down at the desk and began to write a letter.
Picking up the quill pen, he dipped it in ink, wrote the place name and date, and began to greet: My dearest Isabel...
"No, it's Miss Audrey." Lucy reminded, "Even if it's a letter, you have to pay attention to it."
"Oh! Thank you, Lucy! It was the right decision for me to send you to follow me!" Audrey was shocked. She immediately tore up the paper and slapped her forehead. "Isabelle! Isabel! Don't let it slip, please!"
She rewrote the greetings and then wrote down in detail everything she had seen and heard along the way.
The neat and beautiful cursive handwriting filled up three pages, and it still felt not enough.
Lucy smiled. "After a month, Miss Norman might send a carriage to receive the letter."
Audrey blushed and finally let go of the letter.
After carefully checking the contents and finding nothing suspicious, she sealed it and handed it to Lucy: "Please help me mail it."
Lucy put the letter in the mailbox, and a few days later, it appeared on Hermann's desk.
In the study, Charles clutched the envelope and coughed dryly. "May God forgive my despicable behavior, but to ensure the safety of Herman's business empire, we must confirm that the future mistress has no ulterior motives."
After finishing a full set of prayers, he opened the envelope and took out three thick pages of paper.
Sadly, the only content in this lengthy post is: what I ate and watched today; how are my family? How is the tree? How is the dog? And then there's my wedding fantasy, with a particular focus on how many diamonds the wedding dress will have and how big the jewel in the tiara will be (preferably a sapphire, to match her eyes)...
After reading the entire letter, Charles observed it repeatedly and finally confirmed that there was no secret code. He then commented with regret: "At least Miss Norman has her own opinions on aesthetics, which is worth congratulating."
Hermann scoffed.
Between the lines, there was a desire for money and the vulgarity and dullness of daily life. This woman really...lived up to his expectations.
"Send it." Hermann waved his hand. "If she writes a similar letter again, don't bring it to me."
Wasting your energy on such things is as stupid as those men and women who are keen on romance.
Of course, Audrey had no idea that her writing had been appraised and labeled as “idiot.”
She touched the sapphire necklace, eagerly anticipating her sister's letter. She deliberately avoided recording her lonely emotions, writing only about happy moments so her distant family wouldn't worry about her. Over time, she, too, would only remember happy moments.
Outside the window, the Kentish oaks grew lush and green.
Presumably, by the time the letter arrives, the marigolds at Norman's estate will be in full bloom, and the Duke of Spencer will be arriving soon.
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Audrey: Breathe.
Caroline: Very clever.
Herman: Very clever.
Charles: Brilliant?
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