Book 3: Chapter 18. Staying in someone else's home
The Falling Star Manor was very quiet at night, but this month was different from the deathly silence of the other nights. Other than the sounds of insects outside the Falling Star Manor that came with summer, there were also the sounds of pots clanging and the sounds of food being cooked in those pots.
Vivian, Liz, and Linda were focused on a cooking a meal that was two hours later than normal.
The reason why they were cooking so late was because today Xu Yi had come back from the Falling Rain Valley.
Although he had to go to the banquet the Lord City Lord was hosting, he had contacted Vivian and the others that he wouldn’t be eating much at the banquet, so he would come back to fill his stomach.
So Vivian and the others had postponed their dinner and calculated the time. When the City Lord Manor’s banquet was about to end, they finally began cooking dinner.
Although chairman Cruise had given Xu Yi this Falling Star Manor as a gift for his and Still’s engagement and Xu Yi and Still had treated it as their residence after getting married, Still and Xu Yi had spent most of this month at the Falling Rain Valley and hadn’t been living here.
Because Vivian was studying at the Baron Rickto Magic Academy, it wasn’t convenient for her to go sixty kilometers every day to be with Xu Yi, Xu Yi had her live here. He had Liz and Linda, the two slave girls from the Stantine Duchy stay here to be with her.
The three of them had lived in the Falling Star Manor for over a month and was used to living here. They were living quite the easy and comfortable life.
“Hey, Agnes, can you go out and see if master is back yet?” Vivian saw that the food was about done, she called out to Agnes by the door who she had forbidden from making any dishes.
Agnes looked out into the darkness outside before turning back to look at the kitchen that she couldn’t help in at all. After hesitating a bit, she agreed. When she wanted to turn back, her sharp ears suddenly piqued and she revealed a happy look, “The chairman is already back.” After a bit, she suddenly became doubtful, “Strange, it seems like he’s not alone.”
“Is that so? Master brought some guests back?” Vivian turned to look at the excessive feast in the kitchen and didn’t panic. She then asked, “Can you hear how many people?”
Agnes’ expression became even more doubtful, “It’s just a single guest and based on the footsteps, it seems to be a girl.”
“A girl?” Vivian was also a bit curious this time, “Big sister Still clearly went with Stasia’s group to Anvilmar City, what girl would master bring back?”
“I don’t know.” Agnes shook her head. After thinking for a bit, she guessed, “Perhaps the chairman has a new sweetheart? I’ve heard that this kind of thing is very normal for humans with high enough positions.”
“Perhaps…..” Vivian looked a bit hesitant, “But I feel that master is not that kind of person……”
After thinking for a bit, Vivian shook her head, “It doesn’t matter that much. Even if it is master’s sweetheart, they are still a guest. Liz, Linda, you can stay and finish the final dishes. Agnes, we’ll go out and greet master.”
Vivian and Agnes came to the entrance of the manor, seeing the two shadows walking out of the darkness and entering the Magic Light shining down at the entrance.
Vivian’s eyes fell onto Xu Yi before falling onto Princess Caroline beside him and her eyes popped out in shock, as she gave a gasp, “Wa, this girl is actually as beautiful as big sister Still. Could it be that she really is master’s sweetheart?”
Agnes looked over Princess Caroline, but she revealed a look of doubt, “Is that so? Why do I feel that she isn’t as pure as young miss Still. Based on the aesthetics of us dwarves, this girl isn’t beautiful at all. Could it be that the chairman’s eyes are this bad?”
Vivian looked at Agnes in surprise, not understanding why she had this kind of appraisal of the girl beside Xu Yi who was just as beautiful as Still. She immediately thought that the tastes of elves and humans were different and didn’t argue with her, as she went forward to greet them.
“Master, you’re back.” Vivian said to Xu Yi with a sweet smile.
“Un.” Xu Yi nodded. He looked at Agnes following her and asked in a strange voice, “Agnes, why are you here today? Weren’t you on the Black Rice Wasteland a few days ago?”
“The matter on the Black Rice Wasteland has already been taken care of, so I’m back to report.” Agnes replied with a smile before nodding at Princess Caroline, “Chairman, who is this human miss?”
Seeing the curious look on Vivian’s face, Xu Yi introduced her to the two of them, “This is the Drake Duchy’s Princess Caroline. She here this time to discuss the matter of cooperation between the Drake Duchy and our Frestech Chamber of Commerce.”
Agnes nodded, not giving any special reactions. After Vivian heard that this girl was actually a princess, she couldn’t help bending her knee and giving her a bow.
Xu Yi grabbed her and said with knit brows, “Vivian, did you forget all the times I’ve talked to you?”
Vivian was surprised before her face turned red. She lowered her head and said in a low voice, “Sorry, master, I forgot.”
Xu Yi shook his head before saying to the somewhat confused Princess Caroline on the side, “Your highness, this elf girl is called Agnes, she is a designer for our Frestech Chamber of Commerce and this girl is Vivian, she is also a designer for our company. Many of our household magic machines were designed by the two of them working together.”
Princess Caroline looked at Agnes and Vivian in surprise, “God, I always suspected that the beautiful designs of the magic machines were made by someone, but I never thought that it would be such a beautiful elf girl and a cute little human girl. It really is surprising!”
Agnes didn’t really react, but Vivian’s face turned red and she never said a word.
“Your highness, you aren’t surprised to see an elf? Could it be that elves are frequently seen in the Drake Duchy?” Xu Yi asked.
“No, it’s been several hundred years since elves have been seen in our duchy.” Princess Caroline shook her head, “But since I saw those new magic machines, I began paying attention to the Frestech Chamber of Commerce and chairman Xu, so I knew that your company has a close relationship with elves. You even hire quite a few elves, so I’m not surprised to see them. Of course, this is my first time seeing a real elf, so I’m actually very pleasantly surprised.”
“Is that so?” Xu Yi laughed. He didn’t care that much as he invited Princess Caroline in.
Liz and Linda had already prepared dinner at this time. Seeing the dishes on the table, before Xu Yi could invite her, Princess Caroline said that she didn’t eat much at the City Lord Manor’s banquet and hoped that she could have a taste of these sumptuous looking dishes.
Naturally Xu Yi couldn’t reject her, so he took a seat with Princess Caroline.
Because there was an outsider like Princess Caroline present, the mood was a bit down.
But Princess Caroline was very good with people, so she easily changed the atmosphere of the table by asking Vivian about how she designed the magic machines.
This late dinner finished with a happy atmosphere. Right after, Xu Yi brought Princess Caroline to find a guest room before having Liz prepare some clothes and a bath for her.
When Princess Caroline left, Vivian asked Xu Yi in a curious voice, “Master? Is this princess your sweetheart?”
Xu Yi spat out the mouthful of water he had and looked at Vivian in shock as he asked back, “What sweetheart? What nonsense are you saying?”
Vivian had a depressed look, “If she isn’t your sweetheart, why did she come back to the residence alone with you? Isn’t it too strange?”
“Not just you, I also feel it is strange.” Xu Yi snappily waved his hand.
After their discussion was over, Princess Vivian had said see you soon to Xu Yi. He didn’t understand what it meant, but after he finished his conversation with Count Stagg and was prepared to head back to the Falling Star Manor to rest, Princess Caroline had appeared again with Count Stagg. Then to Xu Yi’s surprise, she hoped that she could stay the night at Xu Yi’s manor.
The reason she gave at the time was to discuss the details of their cooperation, so Xu Yi agreed without saying anything.
But when Xu Yi found that she boarded his carriage alone and Anduin didn’t come, even if Xu Yi was a bit dense to matters between men and women, he knew that there was a problem like this.
But this was clearly his first time meeting Princess Caroline, so why did she do this?
Xu Yi didn’t think that he was that charming, he wasn’t at the point where he could make the princess follow him with just a single meeting.
“Then what will you do tonight?” Vivian was a bit surprised, “If she’s not your lover, I think that big sister Still will definitely be unhappy when she learns that you brought her home.”
Xu Yi was also stunned before he asked back, “You mean that if she was my lover, Still would be happy instead?”
“Yes, with the master’s identity, it’s strange that you don’t have a lover.” Vivian said in a natural manner, “Big sister Still said to me last time that if you found a lover, she definitely had to be happy, or she would find it embarrassing. This Princess Caroline is very beautiful, I think that big sister Still would be very satisfied.”
“What nonsense is this.” Xu yi waved his hand, “Still was just teasing you. If I really found a lover, do you believe that Still would chop me up?”
“Big sister Still wouldn’t be that fierce, right?” Vivian patted her chest that was slowly growing and said in a somewhat fearful voice, “I was thinking about telling big sister Still about tonight’s matter to make her happy as soon as she came back, so it wasn’t like this.”
Xu Yi couldn’t help rolling his eyes.
“Alright, you can just treat her as a normal guest. Anyway, I’m heading to the Falling Rain Valley tomorrow and she won’t stay here for more than a few days. I’ll have as little contact with her as possible in the future, otherwise Still will be angry.” Xu Yi thought for a bit before standing up to say, “I’m going to the study, don’t let anyone disturb me. Right, Agnes, come with me, I have some things to tell you.”
Agnes agreed as she followed Xu Yi to the study.
Vivian watched Xu Yi left before looking in the direction of the bathing Princess Caroline. Her eyes were filled with doubt.