Chapter 89 [Cold Face]
The day after the funeral, the true owner of the mansion arrived.
When the convoy arrived, Mela was standing in the corridor and could see through the window as the large group of people escorted Fernando in the center of the house into the house.
As if noticing someone watching him, Fernando looked up and met Mela's gaze. He smiled first and nodded slightly to Mela.
Mela naturally returned his smile.
However, as the host, Fernando had no time to entertain Mela. Apart from a brief encounter with Mela when he first arrived, she didn't see him at all for the next two days.
Not only Fernando, but Mela also didn't see Cherk.
It seems Lex is really busy, and his subordinates are also running around like crazy.
So when the housekeeper suddenly asked Mela if she was free the next afternoon, as the master wanted to invite her to afternoon tea, Mela was a little taken aback.
Seeing that Mela was stunned, the housekeeper was still a little puzzled and worried that Mela really had other plans.
Just as she was pondering how to go back and tell Fernando about this, she heard Mela say, "No problem, of course I'm free."
Rather, it's more accurate to say that Mela has been doing almost nothing these past few days.
She would spend her days in a rocking chair reading the latest stories from the capital, occasionally teasing Silas, and taking a walk in the garden at sunset.
In other words, there was probably no one more leisurely than her in the entire mansion.
However, Mela didn't quite understand why Fernando wanted to see her.
Mela looked at the housekeeper, wanting to ask, but then thought she didn't seem like the housekeeper would know the reason, so she swallowed her words back. Anyway, she would know when she saw Fernando tomorrow.
For Fernando to take time out of his busy schedule to invite her to afternoon tea, it must have been for something important, right?
*
Whether it was Cherk’s suggestion or not, Fernandinho did not choose the living room or study, but instead specially invited Mela to the garden for afternoon tea.
The afternoon sun shone on the soft green leaves, casting a continuous shadow along the vines and over the well-maintained flower buds.
The small fountain in the garden continuously spouts clear water, occasionally splashing out a few transparent droplets that shimmer with tiny sparkles in the sunlight.
Meanwhile, Fernando sat on a stone chair in the garden, leisurely picking up the teacup in front of him and taking a sip of the freshly brewed tea.
That's when Mela arrived.
She sat down opposite Fernando, picked up her teacup, and took a small sip; it was too hot.
So Mela casually put down her teacup and began to eat her dessert.
Since it was Fernando who wanted to talk to her, he should speak first, and she could just listen.
"Miss Mela, it's been a long time. I never expected that we would meet in the royal city."
As expected, Fernando took the initiative to greet Mela first.
Then he sighed, “I’m so sorry, I should have met you a long time ago. As a host, it would be very impolite to ignore a guest. But Antonio and his men left behind such a mess that His Highness has been so busy dealing with these troubles that the candles in the palace have been burning all night.”
"Hmm, so busy?" Now Mela finally understood why she hadn't heard the sound of the door opening next door until late at night these past few days.
However, since they were already so busy, Lex might as well leave Cherk to rest at the palace, saving him the trouble of making another trip.
“He is very busy, so I hope Miss Mela won’t be angry with His Highness,” Fernando said.
“Angry? Why would I be angry?” Mela looked bewildered. What could she possibly be angry about with Lex?
Fernanki, however, looked as if he had just realized something. “It seems I misunderstood. I thought Miss Mela hadn’t asked to see His Highness these past few days because she was angry with him.”
"It sounds like you've misunderstood my relationship with Lex?" Mela finally realized that Fernando's words were a veiled way of saying that she felt Lex was neglecting her and was angry.
But Mera racked her brains for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what she had done to make Fernando think that way.
"Perhaps His Highness's attitude towards Miss Mela has caused me to misunderstand," Fernando said with a kind smile.
As for Lex's true feelings toward Mela, he remained silent.
"By the way, how long does Miss Mela plan to stay in the royal city?" Fernangi asked, as if he had suddenly remembered something.
"Your Highness said you came to the capital specifically to resolve a certain matter. I wonder if it has been resolved yet? If you encounter any trouble, perhaps I can lend a hand."
"No need, I've almost finished taking care of my business, and I'll probably be leaving the capital in a few days," Mela replied.
"So soon? I thought Miss Mela would stay until His Highness's coronation ceremony."
Fernanki was somewhat surprised and even tried to persuade Lex to stay.
"Why don't you stay a few more days, Miss Mela? I'm sure His Highness would love for you to witness such an important moment in person."
"Forget it. If I were to go, what would my status be when I stand before everyone else and watch Lex get crowned?" Mela smiled slightly, pointing out the most troublesome problem.
Fernando lowered his eyes, looking at the half of his face reflected in the tea, and said only, "Your Highness will have a way."
"Then I'll have to ask you to pass on my message to Lex. I don't want to put him in a difficult position." Mela waved her hand dismissively, picked up her teacup, took a sip of tea, and suppressed the sweetness in her throat.
She ate too many snacks earlier and is feeling a bit nauseous right now.
*
Fernando is a very busy man.
Mela hadn't been talking to him for long when a male servant hurried up to Fernangi and asked him to go to the palace immediately. Without a doubt, Lex needed to speak with him again.
Mela thoughtfully told Fernando not to worry about her and that she could enjoy the desserts on the table at her own pace.
Although this was probably prepared specifically for her by Fernando, since he didn't touch anything other than tea during the entire conversation.
Fernando nodded apologetically to Mela, then left with his valet without looking back.
Mela leisurely finished all the desserts and drank a pot of tea before strolling back to her room with a full stomach.
Having eaten too much in the afternoon, Mela had no appetite for the dinner served by the maid, which Silas devoured.
Silas enjoyed his meal, holding up a greasy chicken leg and commenting, "The skin on this chicken leg is a bit burnt. Next time, I'll have to remind the cook to pay more attention to the heat."
Even so, the crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside skin still gave the chicken leg an enticing aroma that wafted straight into Mela's nose.
Mela wasn't hungry at first, but when evening came, she suddenly woke up from her sleep with her mind filled with thoughts of the roasted chicken leg she hadn't eaten yet.
She glanced silently at Silas, whose belly was bulging as he slept, and, unable to resist the urge, rolled over, trying to forget about the chicken leg.
Half a day later, Mela reluctantly got out of bed, opened the door, and stood in the hallway, intending to let the night breeze dispel the craving in her mouth.
She never expected that so late at night, a carriage would slowly drive into the mansion, and two people, Fernando and Cherge, would get off.
Mela doesn't understand lip reading, so she can only judge from the expressions on their faces that Cherk probably isn't in a good mood, while Fernando seems quite indifferent to the somewhat agitated Cherk.
What were they talking about? Mela couldn't help but wonder.
This was the first time she had ever seen Cherk show such a cold expression.
"Why did you tell Mela about this beforehand? She could have easily attended His Highness's coronation ceremony once His Highness had arranged everything."
God knows how Cherk felt when he heard Fernandez tell Lex that Mela wasn't going to attend his coronation; Cherk's heart sank into an abyss, and he didn't dare look at how grim Lex's face looked.
In his opinion, Fernandez was making a complete fuss. As long as Mela didn't know how much effort Lex had put in to get her to attend his coronation, she would happily agree to attend, and Lex would feel genuinely happy.
Therefore, when it was time to leave the palace, Cherge did not ride a horse, but squeezed onto Fernando's carriage, questioning him with displeasure why he had done so.
Fernanki gave Chergo a cold look. "I didn't stop her from attending His Highness's coronation. She chose to refuse herself. In that case, Your Highness doesn't need to waste your time."
"On the contrary, you, just because you couldn't bear to see His Highness's disappointed expression, allowed him to do such an absurd thing. Do you really want to help His Highness marry a witch as his queen?"
Fernandez clearly had reservations about Cherk's actions, but unlike Cherk, he didn't voice them openly.
“If this is what His Highness wants, why not? He is about to become the king of this kingdom. Can’t he even marry a woman he likes as his queen?” Cherge retorted in the same cold tone.
So what if Mela is a witch? As long as Lex likes her, Cherk will support any decision Lex makes.
He will always be Lex's most loyal knight.
"Of course not. To become a queen, one may not have a beautiful face or a sufficiently noble lineage, but she must possess good manners, elegant speech, and a broad vision; otherwise, how can she bear the weight of that dazzling yet heavy queenly crown?"
The title of Queen brings not only glory, but also responsibilities that are equal to those of the King.
Fernanki never expected that with Lilyles as a shining example of a mother, Lex would actually want Mela to become queen—if Mela became queen, then in Fernanki's eyes she would be no different from Elia.
Both sides were women unfit for the position of queen.
“It’s your business if you like this kind of good woman, it has nothing to do with His Highness.” Cherge sneered, thinking of Fernando’s wife, the Marquis who had spent many years living in seclusion with her son.
She had no complaints about her husband and did her best to take care of the children, but she clearly had no love for Fernando whatsoever.
Similarly, Fernando did not love her; he only made her a noble lady because she was a suitable match and possessed universally praised noble character.
Chernobog never agreed with Fernandez's ideas.
The Queen was the King's wife, the woman he cherished, nothing more.
"Ha, but it seems Your Highness has no way to get Miss Mela to stay willingly."
Fernando stepped down from the carriage, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"That's His Highness's business. As long as you don't interfere recklessly, whatever the outcome, it will be better than it is now."
Chern said coldly.
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