Capítulo 178: Chapter 178: Hellish Sketches in the Garden
Chapter 178: Hellish Sketches in the Garden
Under the crimson moonlight, the already blooming garden was draped in a veil of pale red, making it appear even more delicate and dripping with beauty.
In the small pavilion of the garden, Hubert and Hastur sat on one side, while Audrey, holding the arm of Countess Hall , sat on the other.
Without the presence of Earl Hall , both Hubert and Audrey seemed much more relaxed and at ease, and Hastur also found the atmosphere quite pleasant.
Hubert glanced at Audrey and pondered before asking, "Hastur, how did you first meet my sister?"
"At a gathering organized by Glaint, Miss Audrey was also among the invitees. I had the fortune to converse with her briefly, and after a few more encounters at Glaint's place, we truly became acquainted."
Hastur answered honestly, as there was no need for him to lie about this matter.
"My sister must have caused you quite some trouble, hasn't she?"
The question sounded a bit odd.
After a moment's thought, Hastur replied earnestly, "Miss Audrey is intelligent and graceful. In many ways, I am the one who has been causing her extra concern."
"Really?"
Before Hastur could respond, Audrey playfully complained, "My dear brother, it seems you don't quite trust your adorable sister, do you?"
"It's precisely because I understand and trust you that I have such doubts," Hubert replied.
Audrey gently shook Countess Hall 's arm, coquettishly saying, "My dearest and most fair Countess Hall , you would give your daughter a fair trial, wouldn't you?"
Countess Hall chuckled and patted Audrey's hand, "Of course, my Audrey has always been my pride and joy, excellent and perfect in every way."
"Countess Hall , your judgment is as wise as ever."
Audrey looked triumphantly at Hubert, but when she caught a glimpse of Hastur's fleeting look of surprise, her cheeks flushed slightly.
She had forgotten that Mr. Hastur was still nearby. The Audrey who had just been coquettish and cute must have shattered the elegant and dignified image she had in Mr. Hastur's mind.
Hastur remained silent.
He was indeed surprised, not by Audrey's playful side, but by the warm family atmosphere of the Holle household.
Perhaps it was only in such a happy and free family environment that a pure and kind noble girl like Audrey could be nurtured.
The reason Audrey was the brightest jewel of Beckland was precisely because she had been sculpted just right from birth.
As she grew, the dazzling brilliance of the jewel naturally began to shine throughout Beckland.
After chatting for a while, Hubert excused himself and left, leaving Hastur with Countess Hall and Audrey.
Without Hubert, Audrey was much more relaxed, always wearing a light smile, sometimes conversing with Hastur, and sometimes telling Countess Hall about the amusing incidents that happened at gatherings with Hastur, Glaint, and others.
For instance, Glaint's little golden retriever could do backflips, was very smart, and could understand human speech.
In the distance, Susie, hidden quietly under the flowers, turned away disdainfully.
A simple trick like a backflip, she had learned it when she was very young. Was that really a skill worth praising?
As for being smart and understanding human speech, could it compare to her?
She could even turn pages and read books on her own.
The book said: Humility is a virtue.
Thinking of this, Susie had no desire to compete with the little golden retriever, feeling content and proudly wagging her tail.
At the pavilion, Countess Hall glanced at the smiling Audrey and then at the composed Hastur, and yawned slightly:
"I'm a bit tired, I need to rest for a while."
Audrey stood up, ready to help Countess Hall back to her room to rest.
Countess Hall shook her head, "Leaving a guest alone here is not the hospitality of the Holle family."
"My dear Countess Hall , you are right."
Audrey smiled and gestured for a maid to escort Countess Hall back to her room to rest.
Soon, only Hastur and Audrey were left alone in the pavilion.
"Mr. Hastur, were you satisfied with tonight's dessert?"
"The standard was excellent, I'm even thinking of poaching one of your chefs to take back with me."
"That might be difficult, each chef is a precious treasure to our family."
"It seems I won't have that good fortune then."
Hastur understood that a chef in a noble family is often first and foremost loyal.
A chef who is not loyal, once bribed by hostile forces, could easily poison the food.
"Mr. Hastur, you are always welcome to visit our home." Audrey offered Hastur a solution.
"It would be my honor."
Audrey sighed, "Ah, so all it takes is dessert to compromise Mr. Hastur."
"That's the price of wanting to taste good food."
"Mr. Hastur, do you cook for yourself?"
"When I'm alone, yes, because if I don't, I'll starve. Now, not so much, because I'm too lazy to bother."
"That's a bit too honest, isn't it?"
"How are your cooking classes going, Miss Audrey?"
"…"
Audrey fell silent for a moment, then blinked and smiled, "Mr. Hastur, let me show you around the garden, it's too boring just sitting here."
Hastur was surprised, could it be that Audrey wasn't skilled at cooking? But with her intelligence, she should be able to master cooking skills, right?
Hastur didn't continue to ask, as it would be impolite.
He accepted Audrey's invitation and began to stroll through the garden with her.
The Holle family's backyard was vast, with no end in sight. According to Audrey, their family had about a dozen gardeners just for horticulture.
Under the crimson moonlight, the garden path paved with white pebbles, flanked by blooming flowers, Hastur and Audrey walked side by side, talking.
Halfway through the walk, Hastur suddenly stopped, his smiling face taking on a strange expression.
This scene felt familiar.
Had he seen it somewhere before?
After thinking it over, Hastur finally remembered that he had seen a similar scene in the Hall of Stars, where he had glimpsed the future through divination.
The painting he saw then was quite similar to the current situation, even the surrounding scenery was nearly identical.
The only difference was that Earl Hall 's figure had not yet appeared in the painting.
Hastur breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the hellish sketch had not come true.
"Mr. Hastur, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Audrey noticed Hastur's odd complexion and instinctively moved closer to see what was wrong.
"I'm fine, I just suddenly remembered some unpleasant things."
"Woof!"
Just as Hastur finished explaining, Susie, who had been watching from a distance, barked.
Hastur and Audrey instinctively looked towards the source of the sound.
Earl Hall was standing at the end of the pebble path, looking in their direction from a distance.
Gulp!
Hastur's heart skipped a beat, and his expression almost froze, but his composure was good, and he didn't show any signs of panic.
He remained calm and collected.
The fearless have nothing to hide; his relationship with Audrey was merely that of friends. Even if they were caught in what could be called a hellish sketch, it was just a coincidence and meant nothing.
Audrey laughed, waved in the direction of Earl Hall , looking very innocent and cute.
"Mr. Hastur, let's go over there."
"Alright, let's go."
Hastur followed Audrey along the pebble path towards Earl Hall .
They walked side by side, maintaining a normal and safe distance of about half a meter between them.
After a few minutes, they reached Earl Hall , and Audrey happily took his arm.
Hubert, standing not far behind Earl Hall , twitched his mouth as if trying to suppress a laugh.
When Hastur looked at him, Hubert gave him a look that seemed to say, "Good luck."
This made Hastur a bit anxious.
Although he didn't think there was anything wrong with the scene just now, because he had divined this hellish sketch before, he couldn't help feeling embarrassed.
He had come to the banquet tonight to curry favor with Earl Hall .
But now, before he had even started to ingratiate himself with Earl Hall , the count had witnessed that scene, and Hastur didn't think Earl Hall would have no other thoughts.
With such a hellish start, Hastur felt it would be difficult to bribe Earl Hall .
Earl Hall spoke a few words with Audrey, and then she excused herself and left.
Now, only Hastur, Earl Hall , and Hubert, who stood a bit further away, were left.
The smile Earl Hall had shown to Audrey had now faded.
Without saying a word, he put a lot of pressure on Hastur.
This pressure came from his identity as Audrey's father, not from his status as a powerful count.
Hastur sighed inwardly, just by looking at his eyes, he knew that Earl Hall was not pleased with him.
If this were a TV drama, he could even predict Earl Hall 's next line: "Are you approaching my daughter to ingratiate yourself with me, so that I can help you advance your title?"
(End of Chapter)
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