Chapter 128
The nobleman clasped his hands around his cane, resting it before him, and smiled as he spoke, “You can just call me Heisiting, sir. Have you just arrived in Bole City? Recently, there’s been an event at Deyton Manor. I came at the invitation of a friend for a little gathering.”
“Oh… that explains it,”
Bulaige nodded slightly, reaching into his pocket to pull out an exquisite handmade business card, which he handed to the baron. “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Bulaige, a director at the Bliss Shipping Company. If you have any needs for maritime or river transport, feel free to reach out to me. I can offer you some discounts.”
“Ha ha, thank you, Mr. Bulaige. I won’t keep you any longer. When we meet at the manor later, don’t refuse to join me for a drink.”
“Absolutely.”
After receiving the card, Heisiting returned to the carriage, instructing the driver to continue up the mountain, while Bulaige continued his walk uphill.
“Father, who was that? What happened?”
The baron’s daughter curiously inquired from within the carriage.
“The carriage nearly collided with that gentleman, but fortunately, he was quite forgiving and didn’t take offense,” Heisiting chuckled. “I intended to introduce you to him, but it seems he prefers to walk.”
“Why do you always want to introduce me to strangers?”
Aimi Heisiting shifted her position away from her father, feigning annoyance.
“Ever since you graduated from the academy, you’ve been cooped up at home, not going out to make friends. I’m just trying to help you meet some new people,” the baron replied awkwardly.
“Ha! You just want to get rid of me and marry me off as soon as possible,” Aimi huffed, crossing her arms defiantly.
“Uh… ha ha ha…”
The baron attempted to ease the tension with laughter. “That gentleman was charming and humorous, a refined person… I have a good eye for people.”
Heisiting thought to himself that as a director of a shipping company, if he were unmarried, he would be the perfect candidate for a son-in-law—but he kept that thought to himself.
“As long as the person is charming, humorous, and refined, you’d agree to let me date them?” Aimi asked, looking at her father.
“Of course,” the baron nodded slightly.
“What about if it’s a woman?” Aimi pressed further.
Heisiting was taken aback: “?”
His daughter had previously shown no interest in Deyton Manor and had even advised him against going. Now, not only did she not stop him, but she also inquired whether the young lady from the Russell family would be attending.
The noble circle in Bole City was small, and Heisiting knew that Miss Russell almost always came; it was just that he had never had the chance to speak with her.
Now, his daughter was asking if a woman would do…
A bead of cold sweat trickled down the baron’s forehead.
“Dear daughter, may I ask you something?”
Heisiting looked at his daughter, his voice trembling slightly. “You’re not interested in that Miss Russell, are you?”
“Ha ha.”
Aimi turned her face away, gazing out the window, ignoring her father.
She didn’t even know Miss Russell; all she wanted was to see the girl who had come down from the Russell family carriage earlier, the one who had brought her the antidote.
What had happened to Xia’er…
She hadn’t even shown up for the graduation ceremony…
Ever since that tea party, Xia’er had seemed to vanish. Aimi had sent servants to look for her in Bell Tower Alley, but they found nothing, as if she had moved away.
The next time they met would be when Xia’er arrived in the Russell carriage to deliver holy water.
Xia’er…
She must have been kidnapped by that Miss Russell! Forced to stay due to the other’s power!
Aimi needed to find Xia’er and get to the bottom of it.
If that were the case, she could take Xia’er and run away to Ansu, without telling anyone…
Naive Aimi had no idea that Ansu was the stronghold of the Russell family.
…
Klick Mountain, Deyton Manor, Game Room.
“Hmm… hmm… hmm…”
Adele lay sprawled over the chip table, humming in boredom.
Card games were fun at first, but after several hours, even Adele was starting to feel weary.
Not to mention, she hadn’t eaten anything since morning—she was too afraid to touch any food at Deyton Manor, fearing it might be poisoned by cultists.
Turning her head to look at Xia’er, Adele’s face pressed against the table, contorted slightly. She gazed at Xia’er with a pitiful expression.
She knew very well that when it came to Aivina, she would be treated like air; only with Xia’er was there any hope.
Sensing Adele’s forlorn gaze, Xia’er turned to her, and the system screen in front of her flashed, showing the time as “12:58.”
“Are you hungry?”
Xia’er asked with a smile.
“Mm! Thank you! I’m sorry…”
Adele straightened up, nodding vigorously, then slumped back down.
She could only manage to say “mm,” “thank you,” and “I’m sorry,” and had exhausted her skills, entering cooldown.
“It’s okay, just a few more minutes, and we’ll be leaving,” Xia’er reassured Adele before returning her attention to the card table.
They were playing Klondike Solitaire, a game that required immense patience. Xia’er, now distracted, was clearly falling behind Aivina.
At that moment, Aivina was also distracted.
Aivina could clearly sense that Xia’er was stalling.
Xia’er was buying time, delaying the arrival of that bishop from the Holy Order she had mentioned earlier.
1:01 PM.
What was she trying to stall for?
Was there something her organization was planning?
Aivina continued to flip cards, playing along with Xia’er’s act.
Time ticked by, and Aivina methodically completed her solitaire.
Using the motion of adjusting her glasses, she discreetly checked the time.
1:0…
As she picked up another card, she felt her hand tense up, starting to sweat.
Even Nia had gotten up and moved to Aivina’s side, seemingly leaning over to look at the cards, but actually providing close protection.
Aivina slowly placed a card down, counting the seconds in her mind.
Just then, Xia’er, who had been acting completely normal, let a card slip from her hand, falling to the floor.
Aivina, who had been quietly observing Xia’er, felt her heart skip a beat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xia’er leaning on the table, slowly bending down to pick up the card that lay on the carpet.
The table obscured all of Xia’er’s movements.
In a place where no one could see, within the bustling game room, Xia’er slowly opened her mouth, uttering a string of words that could not be articulated by human vocal cords.
“******.”
Blood seeped from Xia’er’s fingertips, burrowing into the carpet, activating the dark red blood clots beneath.
…
With muddy shoes, Bulaige walked up to the manor’s entrance, where he spotted four attendants—two men and two women—standing at the door to greet him.
Are they siblings?
Bulaige approached slowly, and the four bowed their heads respectfully, their bodies trembling with excitement.
They restrained themselves, not daring to call out “Your Excellency, the Bishop.”
“Lead the way,”
Bulaige said with a smile, following the four as they made their way into the manor.
Upon entering the foyer and turning right, Bulaige passed through the crowd of people chatting over champagne and followed them into the reception room.
The people exchanging chips in the reception room had vanished, and the attendants brought him to the next room, slowly pushing open the door to the underground sanctuary.
Is it a bit… too smooth?
“Do you usually wait outside in groups of four?”
Bulaige inquired.
“Your Excellency, we were waiting for you…”
A maid wearing a red chip mask replied respectfully.
Waiting for me?
Priest Jidi?
She’s investigating my background? How did she find out?
“Where’s the priest? Where is she?”
Bulaige asked, frowning slightly.
“Priest Jidi is inside the sanctuary. The ‘feast’ is all prepared, just waiting for your arrival…”
A nearby attendant with a green chip responded.
“Lead the way.”
Bulaige felt a flicker of anger in his heart as he watched the four church attendants enter the hidden corridor.
Table of Contents
