Chapter 7 Rose Festival 01
"I've said it before, that old Jack is unreliable!" Samuel said with a hint of anger: "Look, now not only did we fail to complete the mission, but we almost got ourselves into trouble."
"Don't blame me for all your problems," Carlos retorted, pacing back and forth on the carpet.
"Elena is not an ordinary person. Her tavern and mansion are managed like an iron barrel. Not even a fly can fly in! I managed to bribe this old Jack with great difficulty. He has worked in the tavern for many years and is very familiar with the internal procedures there. I originally planned to let him tamper with the wine, but the tavern manager found out something was wrong in advance and fired him directly!"
"Okay, let's say this was an accident," Samuel sneered, "but tell me, why did you let him report it with such a ridiculous reason? Do you know that the family is trying to avoid the attention of the court in order to distance themselves from the Earl's Mansion? If they really investigate, who do you think will be implicated? Don't you have any idea? How dare you get involved in this matter?"
"Don't look at me." Carlos rubbed his temples, his tone a little irritated, "The content of the report was not my original plan. The old guy changed his mind temporarily. My original plan was just to start with the credibility and reputation of Elena's tavern and gradually shake her foundation. Who would have thought that he would suddenly do such a thing?"
"So is it old Jack who is mentally ill?" Samuel's face became even uglier. "He has worked at the Golden Cup Tavern for so many years. It would be much more reliable to make up a charge like tax evasion or adulteration of alcoholic beverages than 'hiding a wizard'. At least it would not involve the Inquisition. Why did he choose this reason? Once the matter of the wizard is exposed, it will be a big problem."
Carlos frowned:
"I don't understand why he changed the report temporarily... Maybe Old Jack really discovered something?"
The air suddenly became quiet, and the two secret envoys of the Draka family looked at each other, and saw the same speculation in each other's eyes.
"Could it be that Elena really is hiding a wizard?"
Samuel lowered his voice, a hint of uncertainty in his tone.
"Who knows?" Carlos sighed. "After all, her relationship with her aunt has always been unclear. She may not be completely unaware of the things going on in the Earl's Mansion. But no matter what, we can't let this matter involve the family."
Samuel: "That's right. Whether she is hiding a wizard or not, the matter has already been exposed. We can't delay it any longer. We must get rid of her as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the Inquisition digs deeper, the family will be in greater trouble."
Carlos: "You mean, send someone to assassinate her like before? But besides that knight friend from the mercenary group, there are also layers of guards in the mansion. The family can only send one more knight at most... If the operation fails, the consequences will be even more difficult."
"Then lead her out of the mansion."
Samuel said: "She is too alert now, there is no chance to attack. We have to find a way to make her leave the mansion on her own initiative. Without the protection of those guards, then..."
The candles in the corners flickered, illuminating their faces blurry and eerie.
*
Early in the morning, Zhu Yu stood in front of the window, his eyes falling on the servants busy in the courtyard.
"Miss, Mrs. Gwen has asked Lambert to continue to pay attention to the matter of Old Jack."
Maggie came in with tea.
"Okay, got it."
Zhu Yu retracted his gaze, turned around and took the teacup. The liquid in the cup was amber in color.
She took a sip, feeling the warm tea spreading in her mouth.
"This tea is good," she said casually.
“Miss, this is honey scented flower tea.” Maggie explained, “The weather has turned cooler recently, and you haven’t had a good rest recently, so Lord Niles specially prepared a tea that can soothe your mind.
Niles is a pseudonym that 996 came up with in this copy to make it easier for others to call him. The pronunciation is a bit similar to "Nine-Six".
After hearing Maggie's explanation, Zhu Yu picked up the teacup, leaned in and sniffed it. The sweet honey scent mixed with the light floral fragrance really made people feel relaxed.
By the way, what kind of weird things are included in the 996 system?
In addition to recipes, how come you also know the ins and outs of the health-preserving methods of scented tea?
Zhu Yu snorted lightly, without saying much, but the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
Her eyes fell back on Maggie, and seeing that she looked hesitant and seemed to want to say something, she asked, "What's wrong?"
Maggie: "Miss, you have recovered well recently, and many people outside are concerned about your recent situation. The Archon once asked someone to pass on a message, hoping that you can go to the City Council -"
She paused, then added: "Besides, there are many ladies and young ladies who would like to invite you to banquets and dances."
City Council - is the administrative body responsible for town management in this instance, usually composed of councilors, nobles, chamber of commerce representatives and some high-ranking clergy.
Although the nobles were not allowed to directly intervene in the affairs, some decisions would still be influenced by the power of the nobles. Therefore, before she was injured, Elena, the eldest noble lady, was considered a permanent member of the city council.
"But..." Maggie said, "Miss, the family is targeting you everywhere now. If you go out, you might be in danger. Do you want to find an excuse to turn down these invitations? After all, it is safest to stay in the mansion now."
Zhu Yu stroked the rim of the cup and said thoughtfully:
"Some meaningless invitations can indeed be postponed..."
But before she finished her words, she looked out the window, a sharp look flashing in her eyes: "However, there is no need to stay in the mansion and avoid going out."
Maggie was startled: "Miss, what do you mean..."
Zhu Yu chuckled:
"I never like to be the passive one."
She gently turned the teacup, the smile on her lips revealing a hint of coldness:
"The people in my family are like rats. They keep playing tricks on me, thinking that I can only defend myself passively..."
Maggie's heart skipped a beat, vaguely guessing her intention.
"Since they like to do things in the dark, I will just lure them out."
Zhu Yu turned and walked towards the bookshelf, casually flipping through a parchment book:
"Go and bring all those invitations up to me. I will find an excuse to leave the mansion in the next few days so that they will think they have an opportunity to take advantage of me."
"But this is too dangerous!" Maggie advised hastily, "The other party's goal is to make you leave the mansion. If you fall into the trap, the consequences will be disastrous."
Zhu Yu: "Because of this, it is easier for them to reveal their flaws."
She comforted Maggie, "Don't worry, I will be prepared. Besides, I won't be acting alone when the time comes."
Seeing her firm attitude, Maggie knew that it was futile to persuade her any further, so she could only sigh and turn around to get the invitation.
Soon, Maggie placed a thick stack of invitations on the table, with gold-rimmed envelopes, embossed family emblems, and ribbon seals... Each one represented an invitation from a noble, chamber of commerce, or social group.
Zhu Yu flipped through the letters, looking at the names one by one. Finally, his fingertips stopped on two letters decorated with roses.
She took out the two letters, turned them over, and rubbed the wax seal on the envelopes with her fingertips, as if thinking about something.
She has a rose wine in her tavern, which has always been popular among ladies.
Especially for the noble ladies and young ladies in the towns surrounding Arce, this wine with a mild taste and rich floral aroma is always a must at every banquet.
However, the brewing of this wine is extremely demanding. In order to ensure the best taste, the roses used must be of top quality. Ordinary cheap roses simply cannot meet the requirements.
After various attempts, winemakers found that only by using the special variety of "Rocosa Rose" can they produce the most mellow and fragrant rose wine.
The entire area around Beleriand City is one of the main places where this rose is grown.
These two invitations happened to come from two people who are closely related to this rose wine.
One of the letters was an invitation from Mrs. Lucia, a rose dealer who had been working with Elena for a long time.
Mrs. Lucia is one of the main suppliers of the rose variety "Rocosa Rose".
She wrote to invite Elena to her rose estate to discuss the supply of raw materials for this year's rose wine.
The other one was sent by the Lord of Beleriand himself, inviting her to attend the upcoming Blooming Feast - Beleriand's annual Rose Festival.
When he saw this line of words, a new memory emerged in Zhu Yu's mind:
The Rose Festival is the most important and grandest celebration in Beleriand, symbolizing love, youth and prosperity.
At this time of year, roses of all varieties bloom in their most splendid glory, and the whole city is immersed in the rich fragrance of flowers.
During the festival, lovers can exchange roses to symbolize loyalty and commitment.
There will be a priest or priest witnessing the event, and noble families can also use this opportunity to formalize the engagement.
At the Blooming Ball at night, those invited to attend will wear rose badges that symbolize their identity and extend an invitation to the ball to their loved ones.
In addition, there is another tradition - the coronation of the goddess of flowers.
Every year, people choose a young woman from the city of Beleriand to serve as the "Rose Goddess". This woman will be blessed at the ball celebration and presented with a golden rose, symbolizing good luck in the coming year.
She tapped the letter, pondered for a moment, and then made a decision.
"Just go here."
Maggie was slightly stunned, her expression unable to hide her surprise. "Miss, since you came to the town of Arce, the Lord of Belran has sent you an invitation letter every year. It is said that he wants to use the opportunity of the Rose Festival to let his eldest son get in touch with you... When you received the invitation letter before, you had someone throw it directly into the fireplace."
"Really?" Zhu Yu smiled and said lazily, "This year... I suddenly think this invitation is quite interesting."
Maggie couldn't help but pursed her lips. Although she didn't understand the lady's sudden change, she still whispered: "Then... I'll go prepare my luggage now."
"Well, go ahead."
Zhu Yu tapped his fingertips on the paper and his eyes slowly fell on the address of Belran City.
This city happened to be not far from the destination on the note that Lady Janet had slipped to her earlier, and even the time matched perfectly...
So, this is the real reason why she chose Beleriand City.
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