Chapter 8 Rose Festival 02
"Miss, it's strange. Madam Lucia has always known that you don't want to go to Belran City to attend the Rose Festival. She usually only sends her right-hand man to the town of Arce to discuss the supply of raw materials with us. But this time, she actually sent a letter personally to invite you to Belran City, and even sent someone to deliver the festival invitation."
The carriage drove slowly along the flat stone road. With the curtains half-closed, one could see the gradually opening countryside outside.
After hearing Maggie's voice, Zhu Yu withdrew his gaze from admiring the scenery.
Maggie's doubts were soon answered.
Another maid sitting next to her said:
"According to the intelligence we have gathered, it seems that a distinguished guest has come to Belran this year, and the Rose Festival is more grand than in previous years. It is said that this distinguished guest is also very interested in rose wine, and even intends to purchase a large number of Rocosa roses from flower merchants for brewing and selling on the market."
"Perhaps it is because of this incident that Mrs. Lucia wants to meet with the young lady in person to discuss the follow-up cooperation matters."
Zhu Yu's eyes fell on the maid who was explaining in detail.
Her long chestnut hair was neatly braided into a braid, and her cheeks were dotted with a few light freckles.
Her name is Betty, and she is Elena's personal maid.
Elena has two personal maids. Maggie is mainly responsible for her daily life and affairs in the mansion, while Betty, who is more calm and meticulous, is responsible for external contacts, including the management of the tavern and negotiations with suppliers.
It was Betty who noticed the abnormality of Old Jack not long ago and decisively fired him, thus preventing the tavern from suffering greater losses.
Since this trip involved the supply of raw materials for the pub's rose wine, Zhu Yu simply took her and Maggie along, and left the affairs of the mansion to Mrs. Gwen.
Listening to the conversation between the two, Zhu Yu was thoughtful.
Rocosa rose is an extremely precious variety. Because of its unique rich aroma and the mellow and smooth rose wine brewed from it, it has always been one of the best-selling high-end wines in the Golden Cup Tavern.
However, due to the extremely harsh growing conditions of Rokosa Rose, only a few towns in the entire Kingdom of Lodvia can successfully grow it, and the plantation in Belran City is one of them.
If that distinguished guest really wants to purchase Rocosa Rose on a large scale, it will probably have a significant impact on the supply chain of the Golden Cup Tavern.
This also explains Mrs. Lucia's abnormal behavior - if the florists in Belran City reach a cooperation with the distinguished guests, it may even affect the future supply and price.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yu's eyes darkened slightly.
"The flower merchants in Belran City have always been cautious. Logically, they will not easily change their partners, let alone risk offending the Golden Cup Tavern to cater to an unfamiliar buyer." She said in a leisurely tone, "Unless the identity of this distinguished guest is enough to make them excited and even unable to refuse."
She turned her head slightly and looked at Betty:
"Have you found out the specific identity of this distinguished guest?"
Betty showed a trace of shame on her face and shook her head:
"I'm sorry, miss—"
"never mind."
Zhu Yu raised his hand to stop her from saying anything further.
Seeing her expression, she knew the answer.
"It's my fault. This trip was too hasty and I didn't give you enough time to prepare."
"And this is not a particularly urgent matter. Once we reach Beleriand, everything will be clear."
“…”
As the wheels rolled, the outline of the city of Beleriand in the distance gradually emerged on the horizon.
*
The carriage galloped on the road covered with the afterglow of the setting sun, and the group finally arrived at the city of Beleriand before the sun set.
The nobles' carriages stood out among the ordinary carriages, and the servants sent by Lady Lucia to greet them quickly recognized them in the crowd.
They walked quickly forward and guided the carriage slowly into the city.
However, just as the carriage reached a main road, the team suddenly stopped.
"What's going on?"
Maggie frowned, reached out to open the curtain and asked outside.
The servant inquired about it and soon came back to report:
"It's Miss Isabella from the Colin family. She is distributing her homemade scented tea for free on the street. There are so many people watching that they are blocking the road."
Betty, who was sitting in the car, heard this and whispered to Zhu Yu:
"The Colin family has been operating a rose garden for generations and plays an important role in the flower trade in Belran. The roses they grow are of high quality and are sold all over the kingdom. Therefore, Miss Isabella and her sister Cecilia Colin have always been the favorites in the 'Coronation of the Goddess of Flowers' campaign."
Hearing this, Zhu Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, raised his hand to open a corner of the curtain, and looked through the crowd -
In the small square in the center of the city, a girl in a light pink dress was standing on the edge of a platform, smiling as she handed cups of scented tea to the crowd.
Her movements were graceful, and her long light golden hair was as bright as a blooming rose, gleaming with a gentle luster in the twilight.
Passersby took the tea and whispered:
"Miss Isabella is so gentle and kind. Who can not like her? She is really suitable to be the goddess of flowers."
"Isn't it? This year, the goddess of flowers has been particularly kind to the Colin family. Not only has their rose garden had a bumper harvest, but even the flower tea prepared by Miss Isabella herself is sweeter and more delicious than in previous years."
"It's a pity that her sister withdrew from the election this year, otherwise the competition for the Flower Goddess would have been even more intense."
There were so many people around that Zhu Yu just glanced outside a few times and then sat back in the car.
She called up Lady Lucia's servant and asked:
"Why is Miss Isabella the only one handing out tea? Where is her sister?"
Hearing Zhu Yu's question, Madam Lucia's servant replied respectfully:
"Miss, Miss Cecilia has unfortunately contracted scarlet fever recently and her condition has recurred, so she had to withdraw from this year's election. She is currently recuperating in the Colin family's manor."
Zhu Yu nodded slightly and said nothing more.
While the two were talking, the flower tea on the street had been distributed. Isabella smiled gracefully at the onlookers, then turned around and got into a gorgeous carriage. The servants on the side quickly cleaned up the scene and restored order.
The road was clear again and the convoy continued to move forward, driving out of the bustling neighborhood and heading towards the manor on the outskirts of the city.
A moment later, a manor surrounded by large roses appeared in everyone's sight.
We finally arrived at Mrs. Lucia's Rose Manor.
*
The housekeeper of the manor had been waiting at the door for a long time. When he saw the carriage stop, he immediately stepped forward to salute and began to arrange Zhu Yu's entourage. Zhu Yu glanced at the guards and servants outside the carriage.
Since her trip to Beleriand was not only a long journey, but she was also invited to attend the Rose Festival, the arrangement of guards naturally could not be sloppy.
Of course, she also knew that if she brought a large number of guards, the people of the Draka family might be afraid to act rashly, which would make her miss the opportunity to find out the mastermind behind the incident.
Therefore, Zhu Yu carefully selected only twelve guards from the mansion, which could ensure safety without appearing too conspicuous.
Now, she only left two guards and two personal maids, Maggie and Betty. The rest of the guards and servants followed the housekeeper's instructions and went to their respective residences to settle down and pack their luggage.
Zhu Yu got off the carriage with the help of Maggie and Betty.
Not far away, Mrs. Lucia, wearing a satin gown embroidered with rose patterns, stood at the bottom of the steps with a gentle smile on her face.
However, Zhu Yu noticed at first sight that although the other party was smiling, there was a hint of anxiety and uneasiness between his brows.
Zhu Yu originally thought that she was worried about the distinguished guest who suddenly appeared. After all, the other party's malicious competition might affect her flower supply chain and market price.
But the moment their eyes met, she realized that she had guessed wrong.
[Madam Lucia, one of the most influential florists in Belerland, has long cooperated with Elena's tavern, supplying Rocosa roses for brewing rose wine. In addition, she is also a white-robed wizard of the Secret Society of Belerland. Her witchcraft ability tends to be divination, and she is good at astrological interpretation and prophecy. In addition to the rose trade with Elena, she also privately provided her with divination and information exchange services. ]
After brushing through this new memory, Zhu Yu’s smile suddenly froze on his face.
She raised her eyes and looked at the lady in front of her again.
Wow, there are so many surprises this time in Beleriand City.
Her relationship with this Lady Lucia was more complicated than she had initially imagined.
When Lady Lucia saw Zhu Yu getting off the carriage, she immediately smiled, lifted her skirt gracefully, and walked towards him.
"Ms. Elena, it is such a pleasure to meet you during the Rose Festival."
Zhu Yu: "Madam, I haven't seen you for a long time. You are still as charming as ever."
Mrs. Lucia smiled softly, stretched out her hand, took Zhu Yu's arm, and led her to the main building of the manor affectionately, saying:
"You must be tired after traveling all the way here. I have prepared a sumptuous banquet, hoping to wash away your fatigue from the journey."
Zhu Yu walked side by side with her, his eyes sweeping across the rose garden around him.
Under the night sky, clusters of delicate flowers sway in the breeze, and the air is filled with rich floral fragrance.
The two walked through the corridor and entered the magnificently decorated banquet hall.
The long table was filled with various special dishes from the city of Beleriand, with rose petals dotted on the silver plates, looking exquisite and gorgeous.
However, the atmosphere of the dinner was not warm. Although Mrs. Lucia maintained her usual elegance and politeness, it was not difficult to see that she looked absent-minded.
Her attention was obviously not on the dining table, and Zhu Yu did not immerse herself in the banquet too much - on the one hand, the food was not quite to her taste, and on the other hand, she had noticed early on that Mrs. Lucia seemed to want to discuss something with her as soon as possible.
Thus, the banquet ended quickly.
Madam Lucia gently put down the silver fork and said to Zhu Yu:
"A few days ago, I got a bottle of high-quality aged rose wine from another florist. Although it is not as good as the flower wine brewed with Rocosa roses in your tavern, it is older and has a mellower taste."
"We haven't seen each other in years, why don't we have a drink together tonight?"
Zhu Yu naturally would not refuse this invitation and nodded in acceptance.
*
After returning to the room and taking a short rest, Zhu Yu changed into a lighter dress and went to Mrs. Lucia's room alone.
Mrs. Lucia's room has a very spacious terrace.
The night breeze blew gently. Gold-inlaid crystal wine glasses were already placed on the table, and rose-scented candles were burning next to them, with the candlelight swaying.
There were two freshly picked roses in the vase on the table, with dew still on the petals from when they were picked in the morning, exuding a rich fragrance.
Mrs. Lucia leaned against the terrace railing, gently shaking the wine glass, the red liquid shone brilliantly under the candlelight.
"You've come just in time." She smiled and motioned Zhu Yu to sit down, then gently poured the decanted wine into the crystal wine glass, "This bottle of wine is ready."
Zhu Yu picked up the wine glass and took a sip. The wine was indeed mellow and long-lasting.
However, before she could savor it, she heard Lady Lucia's voice ringing out in the night -
"The secrets of Beleriand will be discovered."
Zhu Yu almost spit out the wine in his mouth.
She tried hard to swallow the wine in her mouth, raised her head in astonishment, and met Mrs. Lucia's solemn gaze:
"I need your help."
"The Rose Festival in three days... I saw danger, death, chaos... and a deeper shadow."
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