Chapter 211 Case File 3: The Mysterious Dinner Party at Rose Villa (15)
Valentine's words were very convincing, and the butler had provided him with an alibi. Winston could not find any reason to refute them for the time being, so he temporarily recorded everything he said for later verification.
Aside from Valentine, who was happily talking and eating, the other guests were all a bit traumatized by the almond cookies that were suspected to have caused Baron Chandler's death. They all pushed the cookies in front of them a little further away. Seeing this, the butler had the servants bring the next dish.
The halved egg, filled with a bulging yolk, appeared to be just an ordinary hard-boiled egg drizzled with red sauce. The guests reacted indifferently to this unremarkable dish until they took a bite and realized the secrets within. They all exclaimed, "Huh!"
The carefully prepared egg yolk is no longer the bland and choking taste of boiled eggs. It has a slight spicy taste amidst the sweet and sour flavor, and is wrapped in the subtle aroma of egg and milk. It will not make people feel uncomfortable at all, but only refreshing, appetizing and full of stimulation.
Those with a light palate and aversion to spicy food will get a sweet and sour mayonnaise version topped with ketchup.
No matter which one you choose, the cold deviled eggs give people a sense of inconsistency, novelty and playfulness when they eat them, just like when people originally thought there was an unremarkable goblin hiding in the grass, but upon closer inspection, they found that it was actually a beautiful elf curled up.
The delicious side dishes unexpectedly whetted the guests' appetites. Even though they were still unhappy about the death of Baron Chandler, they had to admit that without them realizing it, their bodies had been rumbling with hunger and crying out for food.
The initially proud and reserved tasting turned into wolfing down, and the subsequent bouquet of bloody eyeball roses only made the guests take a deep breath, and then they smelled the charming aroma of the rose sweet vinegar sauce poured on the salad.
"This eyeball is a bit scary..." Mrs. Samantha fearfully poked the 'eyeball' in the center of the flower with a fork, but was surprised to discover a clue: "Hey, this is... lychee and black olive?"
"Interesting." Pete chuckled. "Fruit and bacon can form a lifelike eyeball... This chef is really creative."
The salad wasn't just creative and visually appealing; it also tasted quite good. The pitted, ripe, sweet lychees were stuffed with pitted black olives, then coated in rosewood-smoked meat. The sweet and sour juices burst in your mouth with every bite.
The unique sourness of the pickled black olives perfectly cuts through the greasiness of the meat, creating a wonderful embellishment. The refreshing vegetables are paired with a light, floral sauce, and occasionally, you'll find crispy, oily fried sashimi serving as flower stems. Every bite brings a deep sense of surprise.
The dishes looked quirky and tasted novel and delicious. After the initial shock wore off, endless curiosity was aroused. After eating the salad, the guests not only did not feel full, but were even more looking forward to the next dish.
Baroness Chandler's salad was simply minus the bacon, but the vegetarian salad was still tasty enough. Next came a puff pastry soup, and except for Mrs. Chandler, who was a pescatarian, who had a fish skull and butter puff pastry, everyone else had a chicken skull and butter puff pastry.
A small puff pastry bowl was filled with a thick creamy soup, and the lid on top was also made of puff pastry, but it was shaped like a skull. The round and smooth shape made it look not scary, but rather a bit cute and funny. The guests carefully dipped the skull puff pastry into the creamy soup, then put it in their mouths, and immediately, they all showed happy expressions.
Nothing can soothe a fearful and anxious heart better than a creamy soup. This steaming, hot, fragrant soup always brings warmth in the cold winter and a beacon of light in the darkness. Even those who have suffered great adversity will temporarily forget their pain and feel a warmth overflowing from their hearts when they hold a bowl of this soup.
Comforted by the delicious food, Mrs. Chandler finally put down her handkerchief and stopped crying. Her emotions gradually calmed down, and she was able to communicate and converse normally with others.
Baron Chandler's seat was vacant, and Baroness Chandler was one of the key people Winston wanted to question next. Apart from the suspect who bought Baron Chandler's family notes, this lady might be the only living person who knew the contents of the notes.
"Baroness Chandler, could you please tell me where you were and what you were doing this afternoon?" asked Winston.
It was at this moment that Andrei walked into the hall carrying the next soup bowl. He stood in the corner of the hall with the servants, carefully observing the Baroness's expression.
Baroness Chandler shuddered, as if she didn't want to recall her husband's death. Encouraged by Winston, she took another sip of her soup, savoring it carefully. Her expression softened again, and she spoke slowly, "After lunch, Camus came back to his room, looking excited. He said someone had dropped a paper ball for him, and asked him to meet him in the small study on the second floor at three o'clock in the afternoon."
"Kamo thought they wanted to buy his father's notebook and the method of interpretation, and they pulled me aside for a while to discuss it." Baroness Chandler blushed, clutching her slightly worn dress. "To be honest, our business has been struggling over the years, and we've borrowed a lot of foreign debt to barely keep going. The principal plus interest, old debt plus new debt, is like a snowball, growing bigger and bigger, and it's about to swallow us up completely."
She subconsciously raised her hand and touched her empty neck. "We've sold a lot of real estate, land, jewelry, and clothes... but we still have about 500,000 gold coins to pay back... Kamo wants to sell this notebook at a high price to fill the huge hole in our finances... With just 500,000 gold coins, we can pay off all our foreign debts, regroup, and avoid bankruptcy!"
"Five hundred thousand gold coins..." Winston frowned. "What on earth is written in that notebook that's so valuable?"
"I'm not entirely clear on the specifics," Baroness Chand said. "The note was written in code, and only Camus could understand it. He only mentioned to me that his father was a member of King Rudolf Delman's personal guard. When Queen Isabella gave birth to her daughter, it was he who drove the carriage, accompanied by a team of guards, and brought the nurse and baby girl to Rose Hill.
"After that, he escorted Queen Isabella to visit her every year, and that notebook recorded everything he saw and heard over those decades. We always thought it was just anecdotes from the past, but it was only when Madame Butterfly invited us here that we realized the value of that notebook."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
