Chapter 186 Only Three Left
This time it wasn't just Aiwass and Lily.
The Great Guardian, her wife, and even David changed their clothes and went to the Temple of Silver and Tin.
According to the letter, Prince Andrew died suddenly while eating at noon yesterday. Emergency treatment and an autopsy confirmed that the cause of the death was a heart rupture caused by the curse.
Now that half a day has passed, it is obvious that the follow-up matters have been handled and investigated.
A message will be sent to the Great Guardian, inviting them to bid farewell to the body.
For some reason, the royal family of Avalon never held funerals for ordinary royal heirs. They were either given a state funeral, buried directly in the Chapel of Saint Guinevere, or simply handled the matter quietly by themselves.
There won't be any ordinary people dying... like the kind of funeral ceremony Sherlock enjoyed when he faked his death.
For this reason, they had dressed entirely in black for their visit. As a sign of respect, they arrived on foot rather than on griffins. After all, most of the people who would receive invitations lived in the White Queen District, with a few in the Red Queen District. The island within the island, nestled between the White and Red Queen Districts, wasn't far to walk.
This was Aiwass's first time entering the Hall of Silver and Tin through the main entrance. When Isabel invited him to dinner, he had gone directly to the side hall. Entering through the side hall door, he turned two corners and arrived at the dining room. He didn't see anything else.
Crossing the Griffin Bridge and entering the main gate amidst the silent griffins, one can see a vast square. Arranged in the order of a clock face are gigantic statues of twelve knights, each four or five meters tall, resembling giants.
In the center of the statue is a three-tiered fountain, and in the center of the fountain is a white griffin statue with its head held high and wings spread.
Across a long corridor, a silver-white archway appeared. Inscribed upon it was a knight's declaration, written by Lancelot I during the founding of Avalon. The handwriting was flowing and elegant, in a cursive script that was easily recognizable.
Passing through the archway, you will find the garden, and then through the garden you will enter the Temple of Silver and Tin.
The Temple of Silver and Tin is not a traditional palace. Its interior resembles a university campus, a serious academic museum, or a stately church—its decoration primarily uses gold, gray, and white as its base. The carpets and tablecloths are a blend of green and gold.
Inside the palace, the most common thing is various portraits.
In addition to monarchs of all dynasties, there are also outstanding royal family members and celebrities and great men of every era. Their names and life stories are hung below the portraits.
But soon, Aiwass found a painting that was a little unfamiliar, but he had to pay attention to it.
She was a young woman who looked to be in her twenties or thirties.
She had long, dark-gold hair that flowed like a single piece of metal, the ends neatly cut as if by a knife. Her ears were slightly pointed, suggesting she was part elven. Her pupils were also a dark-gold hue, giving her a cold and ruthless look. Her rimless glasses accentuated her aura, giving her a cool, intellectual air.
Below her portrait, her name is written:
Freya Moreu Moriarty
1868-Present
In the achievements column, there are only a few lines of text.
"Recreating the lost panacea formula from the days of the Round Table."
"Invented an unstable resurrection potion."
"Completed Avalon's first liver transplant."
Ai Hua was stunned for a moment.
...Moriarty?
But...who is she?
Noticing Aiwass's gaze, the Great Guardian casually said, "Your sister..."
"...I have a sister?"
"Don't you remember? She should have left because you came first."
Hearing George's words, Aiwass was shocked.
He confirmed that there was no such sister named "Freya" in his memory.
He has a good memory and it's not easy for him to forget something like this.
And it wasn't just Edwards who didn't know about this. Edward also said that Moriarty Sr. had no other adopted children, and Julia had no recollection of them. By now, the Moriarty family should only have the three siblings left.
But this "Freya" was born in 1868, which means she is now 30 years old, and will be 31 after the New Year. She is definitely much younger than Edward, which means she should be Edward's sister.
Did St. George remember it wrongly?
But besides the Great Guardian, Master Yanis also seemed to know of her existence——
[—After all, he's also a "Moriarty." Everyone knows that James Sr. was notoriously shrewd in his selection of adopted children. Just like his brothers and sisters, Aiwass was born to be noticed and loved.]
When he first met Janice, the words she said suddenly echoed in Aiwas's heart.
...What's going on? Is there something wrong with my memory?
Aiwass remained silent, pretending to be nonchalant before asking, "Does the Great Guardian know her as well?"
"There should be a lot of people who know Freya. She was quite famous back then... the most talented doctor in Avalon." said the Great Guardian.
"Where is Sister Freya now?" asked Aiwass.
"She went to the Theocracy for further studies. You might be able to meet her this time."
The Great Guardian spoke.
So Aiwass said nothing more and just made a note of the matter.
"Where are we going, Lord Guardian?"
"You can just call me Uncle George or Uncle Patton, Aiwass."
The Grand Guardian first corrected the overly polite Aiwass's distant words, then explained, "I must first pay a visit to Her Majesty the Queen. Will you join us?"
"...Can I?" Aiwass hesitated.
He wasn't sure if Her Majesty the Queen was going crazy with grief.
Meeting him for the first time at this time might not leave a good first impression. It is possible that when the Queen thinks of him later, the first thing she will recall is the sadness at this time - this is also possible.
It's like when someone listens to a song when they are happy or sad. When they hear the song again a few years later, they may have forgotten what happened and what they were thinking at that time, but the feelings at that time will still remain in their heart.
"Of course."
The Great Guardian replied simply, "Since you don't mind, let's go together."
To Aiwas's surprise, not many people accepted the invitation to the funeral. Even fewer people attended Sherlock's funeral. Meanwhile, not many people showed any sadness; they just kept their faces straight, serious, and silent.
Lily pushed Aiwass's wheelchair and walked along beside the Great Guardian's family. Some people saw Aiwass on the road, but at most they just nodded slightly. No one came up to say hello or stared at him.
Soon, they arrived at Her Majesty the Queen's chambers.
Aiwass had expected them to meet in a formal setting—the Throne Room, perhaps, or the Room of the Round Table, with Her Majesty sitting on her throne in her crown and robes, while they knelt and bowed.
——In theory, this is indeed the procedure for visiting the Queen. This is what Aiwass learned from the book.
But they simply knocked on the door and entered. They stood at the head of the bed and nodded slightly to the old woman lying on the bed: "The Silver Crown Dragon will watch over you, Your Majesty."
Aiwass followed suit, placing his right hand on his chest and saying, "The Silver Crown Dragon watches over you, Your Majesty."
What surprised Aiwas was that Her Majesty the Queen, whose grandson had just passed away and who was usually known for her eccentricity, was not only not sad or impatient at this moment, but looked unexpectedly gentle and kind.
This is normal.
The curses had been going on for over a decade. The first one occurred shortly after Sherlock's father was appointed Lord Chamberlain for his military exploits, and the most recent one happened yesterday.
If Her Majesty the Queen had not yet adapted, she would probably have died of grief long ago.
Now that Prince Andrew is dead, Queen Sofia has only three direct descendants left.
Her fifth child, Albert, and Albert's daughter, Isabel, and the posthumous son of another of Sophia's daughters, a two-year-old boy, John du Lac.
Perhaps due to her age, the once beautiful Queen no longer looked as pretty as before, and was even a little overweight, completely different from the portrait of her youth that Aiwass had seen before.
Her Majesty's chin, curled up in the quilt, was as round and prominent as a persimmon. Her hair was gray, and she wore a small hat to keep warm even in bed.
Queen Sofia wore a thick green sweater and held a sewing needle in her hand. Like an ordinary old lady, she was sewing something with it on her bed—Iwas could tell at a glance that it was a pair of gloves. She was using beige wool. Her workmanship wasn't particularly skilled, as if she'd just learned it, with many stitches that had been forced and misplaced.
"Ah, hello..."
Queen Sofia said gently, "Thank you for coming to see Andrew off."
Her Majesty the Queen looked a little tired and sleepy at the moment. Her voice was soft and a little unclear.
It was as if she had fallen asleep while knitting, and was woken by them while dozing off. It was difficult for her to open her eyes, but there was still no impatience or annoyance in her voice.
The first words she said to Aiwass made his heart stop:
"You are Aiwass, right? The Crown Master mentioned you to me not long ago."
——The Lord of the Crown is another name for the Silver Crown Dragon.
Chapter 2 will come a little later, but not too late!
In an hour!
(End of this chapter)
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