Chapter 377: Chapter 142: Once a Home
A few days later, Miss Bao Qin sent a personal letter from Master Rang, which was for visiting the Olson manor. It’s somewhat of a private affair with Count Olson, and having Master Rang introduce them would make things a lot easier.
However, Su Ziceng was a bit troubled. Considering the past few days’ schedule, it was indeed a wise decision made by her father to bring Pello along. She did not know whether Pello could accompany her to visit Count Olson. Facing her enemy, whether Pello could maintain his usual composure was a question.
She should rely on her individual skills to approach Count Olson alone. Dealing with a man capable of ruthlessly killing his own nephew would undoubtedly be challenging.
As Su Ziceng was contemplating these things, she heard Pello’s unique knocking on the door from outside. Pello had a distinctive way of knocking with only his middle finger, making each knock sound consistent. Just hearing this knocking could significantly reassure Su Ziceng.
Pello outside the door was already dressed up, ready to go, which surprised Su Ziceng. Had he decided to accompany her to visit Count Olson?
Pello had already sensed Su Ziceng’s confusion: "In my opinion, it is he who should be afraid to meet me." Indeed, there was no need for him to hide. Pello, who inherited some Eastern blood from Ye Tina, doesn’t show much resemblance to the Munsen family from his appearance. Although he bears some resemblance to Orleans, he looked completely different from Mr. Orleans once he put on glasses, as most Europeans share similar features such as a high nose bridge and deep eye sockets.
Before they set off, they had roughly explained their identities to each other. Originally, Su Ziceng wanted Pello to visit Count Olson under the guise of her secretary, but Pello suggested they pose as a couple, which he thought would be better for concealment. Consequently, Pello changed his alias to "Lan".
In the end, Su Ziceng opted to compromise, so as the two entered the Olson family’s suburban villa, they appeared to be a passionately in-love young couple from the outside.
Count Olson’s villa would be more fittingly described as a manor, covering several hectares of land. When they first entered, the main building wasn’t visible; instead, a courtyard teeming with lush grass caught their eyes, followed by a swimming pool in the front yard beyond a two-meter-high wall all around. Then, walking along a low rose hedge, they reached a raised hill, atop which lay three or four interconnected villas at a distance.
The grayish-green stone structures seemed unlike typical villa styles.
"These were remodeled from several castles," Pello whispered. It dawned on Su Ziceng that this place was once his home. More precisely, Pello had lived here until he was twelve.
The swimming pool behind them, the row upon row of rose hedges, probably all held his childhood memories.
The person leading the way was still walking ahead, while they trailed a few steps behind. "Do you still remember things from here?" Su Ziceng asked softly.
"I do, but Olson has remodeled the courtyard, and the overall layout has somewhat changed," they drew closer and closer, and when they reached the largest of the castle-villas, the firmly shut doors slowly opened. An imposing figure of an old housekeeper came out from inside. The sight of this housekeeper, who Pello recognized as Housekeeper Dennis, made Pello tense up. It was unexpected that he was still working for this old family.
Housekeeper Dennis had heard from the gatekeeper that there were visitors for Count Olson, but...
"Hello, respected lady and gentlemen," Dennis quickly approached them, but he paused slightly when he saw Pello. The young man resembled Mr. Orleans strongly. As the housekeeper of the Olson family, he would never admit that their esteemed young master was inferior to anyone else.
"Hello, we are here to visit Count Olson," Su Ziceng decided to let Pello reminisce about his old home a bit longer, and unless absolutely necessary, she would take charge of the visit today.
Housekeeper Dennis also noticed that the authority in the relationship lay with the woman, so he immediately turned around and bowed respectfully to Su Ziceng, "I’m sorry, but the Earl himself is not at home right now."
"But we came after receiving your reply," Su Ziceng said discontentedly.
"The Earl himself is not in, but the Viscount is, and he will represent the Earl in receiving you," said Housekeeper Dennis, slightly frowning when mentioning Orleans, as a competent British butler should not show any slight disapproval of his masters.
"That’s fine," Su Ziceng believed negotiating with the prodigal Orleans would be much easier than dealing with Count Olson, that old fox.
"Please enter," Dennis made way, and walked beside Pello, his steps slightly quicker than both of them, but not appearing to lead too far ahead; he wanted to ensure he could guide the guests properly without overstepping.
The villa, remodeled from a castle, showed its uniqueness deeper inside. The space and view were particularly expansive. Shortly after entering, they spotted a spiraling staircase ascending upwards, with tens of coils. Iranian wool carpets were laid out over the white marble steps.
At the staircase, there were several medieval armor suits that Olson was fond of, with gleaming spears and assembled silver armor plates shining like several human-shaped mirrors clearly reflecting the forms of past guests.
The living room was located on the second floor, Dennis intended to lead the two, but the young man seemed to know everything, and he went upstairs on his own. Dennis thought to himself how impolite these people were, but after a few steps, he realized that the young couple had stopped ahead.
Dennis realized he had fallen a few steps behind, knowing the couple was accommodating his pace; the previous discontent unwittingly faded away.
The reception room was like a parliamentary hall, divided into two sections by a royal carpet. One section led directly to the terrace, capable of accommodating more people. The other section could fit fewer people, suitable for four or five people to meet and have confidential talks.
After inviting the two to sit down, Dennis turned to make tea. While he was inquiring about tea preferences, the young man with the surname Lan’s response made Dennis pay him more attention.
The young man with the surname Lan responded, "Please add a spoonful of cherry brandy to my coffee."
Such a taste preference hadn’t been mentioned in many years. Housekeeper Dennis took another look at the now silent Pello, feeling that this young man was somewhat extraordinary.
After leaving the hall, Dennis as usual instructed the servants to prepare the tea, then he dialed the phone of the guest villa next to the main villa: "Mr. Orleans hasn’t gotten up yet? The guests have already arrived; please ask him to come over." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian () to cast recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)