Chapter 485
Belgrave Square, a newly constructed garden square from the year 740, features a private garden at its center, accessible only to residents. Surrounding it are uniform four-story townhouses, exuding a classic and grand atmosphere.
At number 36 on the east side of Belgrave Square, Aivina's carriage came to a stop in front of one of these townhouses.
Charles and Aivina stepped down from the carriage. Aivina walked to the door and rang the bell.
It was lunchtime, and most people would be dining at home, so if they went directly to find someone, the chances of not finding them were slim.
After waiting for about three or four seconds, the door slowly opened. A chestnut-haired maid looked at Aivina and Charles at the door, momentarily taken aback.
Just from their attire and demeanor, the maid could tell that the visitors were either wealthy or of high status, not to mention the luxurious carriage parked behind them.
“Hello, this is the residence of Lady Ravenwood. May I ask who you are...?” The maid slightly bowed, politely inquiring.
“I’m Aivina, a former student of Professor Raven,” Aivina nodded slightly and addressed the maid. “Is Professor Raven at home?”
“Aivina?”
Before the maid could respond, a voice from inside the house called out in surprise.
The maid fully opened the door, and at that moment, Charles saw an elderly woman with short, curly white hair and glasses walking toward the entrance. She bypassed the maid and looked at Aivina with astonishment.
“You’ve returned to Ansu City? When?” A smile of joy spread across Raven’s face as she quickly stepped aside, saying, “Come in, come in... Who is this child?”
“This is Charles.” Aivina entered the room, glancing back at Raven with a subtle smile. “He’s the most important person to me.”
“Oh... please, come in, dear.”
Raven seemed to have just finished lunch. She led Charles and Aivina to the living room, and while waiting for the maid to bring tea, she took Aivina’s hand and asked with a hint of reproach, “Why didn’t you let me know you were back... I haven’t prepared any gifts.”
“Sorry, Professor, I had a lot to take care of upon my return.” Aivina lowered her head slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Charles didn’t want to interrupt their reunion, but he couldn’t help but curiously observe Raven.
It seemed Aivina got along well with all her teachers... It was clear that she had been a well-liked student in the past.
This was quite contrary to the icy demeanor Aivina usually presented to others, especially considering she had “rebelled” to come out here... It piqued Charles’s curiosity about Aivina’s past.
Could it be that Aivina used to be a well-behaved little girl?
“I’ll take a guess. You’ve already finished reading the books I sent you, right? Did you come today to ask me about something you didn’t understand?” Raven adjusted her glasses, smiling at Aivina.
“Uh...” Aivina’s expression turned slightly awkward. She instinctively glanced at Charles, her eyes seemingly pleading for help.
Raven noticed Aivina’s discomfort and followed her gaze to the red-haired girl wearing a silver chip mask.
The Dutton Group...
Raven had no fondness for the Dutton Group; it was filled with a bunch of profit-driven gamblers who had driven countless people to ruin for the sake of money... There wasn’t a good person among them.
“(Ancient Ansu) I’m sorry to disappoint you, Professor Raven.” Charles stood up, slightly bowing to Raven as he spoke. “Aivina got those books for me. I’ve finished reading them, and I appreciate your recommendations.”
His fluent Ancient Ansu made Raven’s eyes light up.
In this day and age, nobles were scrambling to learn Falaris and Dvorian, and there were hardly any young people who could speak fluent Ancient Ansu.
The fact that this girl in a silver chip mask could speak it so well completely changed Raven’s first impression of her.
“(Ancient Ansu) My goodness...” Professor Raven released Aivina’s hand and looked at Charles. “Please, have a seat, child... How long have you been studying Ancient Ansu? Your fluency is remarkable.”
“(Ancient Ansu) I’ve been studying it for a while, but not as deeply as you have, Professor,” Charles replied with a smile, then added, “I came here to ask you about a few things... though it’s not related to Ancient Ansu.”
Charles hesitated to mention that he had only been studying for two weeks, as no one would believe that.
“(Ancient Ansu) Go ahead, child. I’ll answer any questions you have.” Raven nodded with a smile, feeling quite fond of the diligent and eager-to-learn child, especially one with such a high proficiency in Ancient Ansu.
“(Ancient Ansu) May I ask if you were at Vitalis Palace today?” Charles looked at Raven and directly inquired in Ancient Ansu.
As long as they spoke in the West District, there was a chance of being overheard by the Strong Sound, but Ancient Ansu was safe since the Strong Sound could only write simple symbols and had never studied the nuances of Ancient Ansu’s spoken language.
Aivina glanced at Charles and then at Raven, suddenly feeling like she couldn’t interject... Her own Ancient Ansu wasn’t fluent enough for a conversation.
Among those present, only Tara might understand some of it.
“(Ancient Ansu) Vitalis Palace?” Raven frowned slightly, her expression turning cautious as she looked at the red-haired girl before her. “Why do you ask?”
Working within the royal family, confidentiality was paramount; she didn’t want to be implicated for carelessly leaking royal secrets.
“(Ancient Ansu) You see, Aivina doesn’t have a good relationship with her father and family. Princess Windsor told me that there are important guests at Vitalis Palace today, and perhaps I could seek some help from them.” Charles looked at Raven, maintaining a calm demeanor. “But I’m not sure who the guest is, only that there’s someone named Strong Sound.”
Faced with others, Charles could lie without any psychological burden. Although he could have Aivina compel Raven to reveal the truth, that wouldn’t be fair to Aivina... after all, she was very fond of her teacher.
“(Ancient Ansu) Is that so...” Hearing it was about Aivina and mentioning Windsor’s name eased Raven’s wariness considerably.
After a moment of thought, she looked at Charles and said in Ancient Ansu, “Today is a routine private luncheon; it’s not a secret. Princess Windsor probably wants you to go directly to Duke Charles, as he will also be at the luncheon.”
A private luncheon... and Charles will be there...
If that’s the case, other dignitaries would likely be present as well, which wasn’t good news for Charles.
“Is the luncheon still ongoing at noon?” Charles pressed.
“It usually starts at 11:30 and ends by 1:00... You’ve arrived a bit late; it’s probably wrapping up now.”
So, it was during the luncheon... The anchor point for Strong Sound’s return was likely at the dining table.
And the specific location could only be known by Duke Charles...
Charles could continue to ask for the names of other dignitaries, hoping to find a soft target, but that wouldn’t be useful.
Because Duke Charles would definitely attend the luncheon, and if he was there, he would also be at the dining table during the return... No matter what, Charles would run into him.
Charles could manage to deal with Strong Sound alone... but if there was a Level 4 “Eye of Scrutiny” interfering, things would get complicated.
Why was it happening at Vitalis Palace...
Charles lowered his gaze, deep in thought.
It seemed he really needed to have a talk with this “father-in-law” and test the waters...
If he determined that Charles wouldn’t cooperate, then Charles would have to...
Charles shifted his gaze to Aivina.
After all, Charles was Aivina’s father. If he truly intended to “resolve” the situation with him, Aivina had to be informed.
“Thank you, Professor Raven.” Charles switched back to Ansu, standing up and bowing slightly to Raven. “I’ll have a word with the Duke.”
The Duke?
Now Aivina understood.
Dukes weren’t common in Ansu City; there were only eight who resided there regularly. Considering who frequently visited Vitalis Palace, it could only be her father, Duke Charles.
However, Aivina didn’t directly ask Charles about it here; instead, she buried her doubts deep within.
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