Chapter 101 Playing the role of Julian in disguise
"Pfft! What did you say? You want to help me pursue love? Did I hear it wrong or did you say it wrong?" Julian spat out a mouthful of tea on the spot.
"Of course you heard it right, and we didn't say it wrong either. You have a crush on Mother Teresa, right?" Darien asked.
"Is it that obvious?" Julian touched his cheek. "Do I have it written on my face that I like Theresa?"
"It's that obvious," Darien nodded. "Although you don't show it on your face, your actions clearly prove that you love Mother Teresa. Otherwise, why would you go and give her roses every morning? Is it just to help the florist's business?"
"That's definitely not the case. I grow all the roses myself. I never run a flower business," said Julian.
"Is this the point?" At this moment, Darien really wanted to pry open his head and see what was inside.
"The point is the fact that you like Mother Teresa," Sewell added.
"Is it really that obvious? Wouldn't that mean everyone would know about it?" Julian muttered to himself.
"The kids in the orphanage might not know this," Darien said. "Anyway, we've decided to help you pursue Mother Teresa."
"Wait, why are you helping me pursue Mother Teresa? We've only known each other for a short time. This is our second meeting and we're not familiar with each other at all. You don't have any intentions towards me, do you?" Julian said warily.
Darien thought that this guy was really talkative and hard to fool. If it was Hawkins in front of him, he would probably believe it immediately and would happily discuss the plan.
"Well, actually I am a prophet, and I saw your fate." Darien decided to say it half-truthfully.
“I don’t believe it,” said Julian.
"You have to believe it even if you don't want to," Darien said expressionlessly. "Just stay here today and don't go anywhere. Someone will come look for you tomorrow. If you don't believe me, I can take you to see it tomorrow."
"You are not a slave trader, are you? I have unintentionally put myself in danger." Julian's thoughts were scattered.
"Dear master, can I knock him out?" Seville asked Darien.
They had received many guests, but few had as many problems as Julian.
Before Darien could reply, Julian leaped to his feet, ready to push past them and rush out. "I knew there was something strange about you! You're slave traders!"
Darien said, "No we are not. Sevier, sometimes I wish you would just shut up, even though you speak my mind."
All the doors and windows of the house were locked in advance. Julian looked around but couldn't find a crack to get out.
"Then what exactly do you want to do to me? I have no money and I'm not good-looking. What do you want from me?" Julian scratched his head in frustration.
"We want to save your life and help you find love," Darien summarized briefly. "There are two minor nobles in the neighboring town who are looking for a magician to fulfill their wishes for wealth. Since you have a magician nickname, they decided to come to you."
"Huh? So careless?" Julian's eyes widened. "What does this have to do with saving my life?"
"Yes, they have decided that if your wish is denied, they will tell the church that you are a devil and send you to the gallows," said Darien.
"Hiss." Julian gasped. "Are they just full of water in their heads? They'll destroy anything they can't have. I really can't do anything, I can only perform magic tricks. How did you know?"
"We eavesdropped. Don't worry, we won't do anything to you. Do you have any family or friends here?" Darien asked.
"No, I'm an orphan and I came from an orphanage. Theresa came here three years ago. I sometimes go back to the orphanage to visit, and that's when I met her." When Julian said this, his cheeks turned slightly red.
"That's it. Are you willing to change your face a little bit, to become a little more handsome, while your original facial features will not change too much?" said Darien.
"There is such a good thing." Julian nodded vigorously.
"Well...but you have to give us your clothes and your house keys, and we want to pretend to be you," said Darien.
"I understand, I understand. This is to cover up for me so that they won't find out that I'm suddenly missing and guess that I ran away temporarily." Julian guessed half right.
"That's right." Darien simply continued, "And we've received news that the orphanage is moving. You can ask Sister Teresa for her opinion in the next few days."
"Why is it so sudden?" Julian was surprised. "Did that lady decide not to support the orphanage anymore?"
"No, it's also related to the prophecy, but I can't tell you now," said Darien.
"Okay, although you seem very strange at the moment, there is nothing worth plotting against me, so I'll just trust you," said Julian.
Darien wanted to roll his eyes at him, but after thinking it over, he decided not to scare him away, so he simply changed the subject and asked him what he wanted to eat tonight.
Julian was very impolite and asked for roast lamb chops and fried steak, and it would be even better if they could serve him a roast goose stuffed with apples.
Sewell quickly wrote it down, then went to the kitchen to tell Mrs. Fitch that Darien was going upstairs to mix the potion.
Julian drank the prepared potion. He originally had freckles on his face, his nose was too hooked like an eagle's hook, and his eyes were a little long and narrow. He was not ugly, but not very good-looking either.
The medicine faded the freckles, and the nose also changed slightly, becoming less tilted and less flat, and the eyes became larger. Although the changes in each place were not significant in total, the combination of them made the face look a little more handsome.
"What do you think?" Darien handed him the mirror.
"I'm so handsome. I haven't taken off the mask in front of Theresa yet. I really hope she will like me now," said Julian.
"I wish you success," said Darien.
That night, Julian slept in Seville's room. Darien and Seville went to Julian's house overnight and acted out what had happened before.
Darien originally wanted to play the role of the savior who handed the key to him, but Sewell said he wanted to do it himself.
"Dear master, I think it would be more appropriate for me to play this role. I am a crow. When the flames burn my body, I can turn back into a crow and fly away." said Sewell.
"Hmm... that makes sense. But I can't find the key. I already couldn't find it when I got here," said Darien.
"Key? Is this the key?" Sewell took out Julian's house key for some reason.
"How is it possible...really, how is it possible?" Darien's gaze dropped down and his eyes widened when he saw the shape of the key.
"Does Julian himself know the value of this key?" Sewell also looked at the key.
"Perhaps it's just an ordinary key, at least for now. I don't sense any magic on it," Darien said. "I wonder if the Tower chose me as its heir when you gave me that key."
"That's possible." Sewell didn't dwell on this issue.
They didn't discuss the issue any further and instead started tidying up Julian's house.
There was so much clutter in Julian's house that he bought so many props that they filled up all the flat tabletops, leaving no place to step.
After a simple tidying up, Seville drank the potion, then changed into Julian's clothes and imitated a few of Julian's accents.
Darien felt very awkward looking at Sewell like this. A black crow turned into a colorful parrot, and the kind of parrot that talked a lot, well... it was unacceptable.
Ralph and Reuben arrived earlier than they expected.
Darien turned into a tiny gerbil and slept in Seville's pocket. Seville heard a knock on the door and went to open it. The movement of him getting up woke Darien up.
He rummaged around in Sewell's pocket, then stuck his head out to eavesdrop on the conversation between Ralph and Sewell.
"Who are you and why are you here so late?" Seville asked in surprise.
"It doesn't matter who we are. What's important to us is who you are." Ralph laughed. "You're a magician, right? I've heard of your nickname."
"No, I'm not. I'm just a magician. You're so weird and rude. You come to someone's house in the middle of the night just to ask these stupid questions?" said Sewell.
"Of course not. You know the orphanage across the bridge, right? Do you go there often?" Ralph was not angry because of those words, and still had a smile on his face.
"No, I have never been there." Sewell denied it directly.
"Well, it seems we have come to the wrong place." Ralph did not continue to ask questions, but left with Reuben who was behind him without saying a word.
Sewell slammed the door to indicate they were not welcome.
Darien waited in his pocket for a while. Sevier didn't speak immediately, but reached in to scratch his head. He bit the rude hand hard.
Sewell gasped.
After a while, when the sound of a carriage finally gurgled past the door, Sewell carefully took the little gerbil from his pocket into his palm, raised his face close to it and said affectionately, "They don't believe it. I guess they'll investigate Julian tomorrow."
Darien turned his face away and pushed Sevier's face away with his little paws, telling him not to face Julian's face. He didn't like those who were not handsome enough.
No one should come to disturb him in the second half of the night. Sewell found a soft cushion for Darien to use as a bed, used a handkerchief as a quilt, and slept on the sofa himself, waiting to pretend to be Julian and experience his daily life trajectory early the next morning.
In the morning, Julian would usually appear randomly at the market or by the river. Seville, with Darien and a bunch of magic props in his pocket, went to a nearby market to start his performance.
As soon as he stood still and started tossing the ball, Ralph and Reuben appeared on the terrace on the second floor opposite.
Sure enough, he was staring at them.
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