Bab 164: Chapter 164: The Countess's Secret
At Countess Mignole's mansion.
"I'm too old to drink alcohol. I'm afraid you'll have to settle for some bitter tea, young man."
Lann and Countess Mignole sat in the garden, chatting as if they were old acquaintances. The butler poured them two cups of bitter tea and bowed as he left.
Lann said with a smile: "It is natural for guests to follow the customs of the host."
He took a sip of the teacup, and immediately began to manage his expression. After swallowing the tea as naturally as possible, Lann put down the teacup without changing his expression.
Seeing the young man's reaction, Countess Mignole brought her hand to her mouth and let out a soft laugh.
"This meeting was rather hasty and ill-timed. I have heard about what happened in Cintra, and under the circumstances, asking you to come is rude."
"Please don't say that." Lann showed a sincere expression. "My butler told me what happened at the auction house. You helped me, so it was my duty to come and thank you. If I can help you in any way, that would be ideal."
Countess Mignole stared into Lann's lion eyes and then her eyes stopped at the griffin medallion on his chest.
"Your eyes... are truly as the rumors describe, magnificent lion eyes. However, they are different from what I expected from a witcher. Forgive my curiosity: Are you really a witcher, Earl Lannister?"
"Absolutely." Lann made no attempt to hide it. "I've heard that you like to collect witcher equipment, antiques, and related documents. I'm sure you'll recognize this medallion: it's from the Griffin School."
Lann added: "And as the last member of the Lannister family, it would make no sense for me to pretend to be a witcher."
Upon receiving Lann's confirmation, she showed an unexpected expression of youthful joy on her aging face.
"I've heard that story in the theater too. The Lion of Cintra, they say you became this to protect your princess. Are witchers always this romantic?"
Lann didn't really know how his story had been adapted into a theater. He avoided answering directly.
Changing the subject, Lann asked: "Countess Mignole, you bought Maximilian Borsodi's house. How can I get it?"
Addressing the main topic, Countess Mignole quickly regained her composure. "I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you. No matter the outcome, I'll give you what you want. I just want the chance to speak face to face with a witcher. Have you heard the name Vesemir? Or do you know any other witchers from the Wolf School?"
There it was, just as Lann expected. Lann rejoiced in his mind.
"With your knowledge of witchers, you surely know Geralt of Rivia, also known as the White Wolf. He fought alongside me in Cintra. Now my princess is with him, and so is Vesemir."
Countess Mignole's eyes lit up immediately. "Princess Cirilla, have you asked Vesemir to protect her? No wonder no one in the North knows where the princess is. With Vesemir's protection, there is no safer place in the world..."
Lann corrected. "Not as a protector, but in a closer relationship. You could say he's her fencing teacher and her biology tutor, even her mentor."
The Countess quickly realized that her last words were rude and straightened up: "So, Earl Lannister, if you want Maximilian Borsodi's house, you must tell me where Vesemir is now."
Lann shook his head and said: "I can't easily let go of the princess' whereabouts unless you tell me why you are looking for Vesemir. I have to confirm that it is safe before I can tell you."
"You're right, I didn't think of that. After all, it is about your princess." Countess Mignole took a deep breath, as if trying to calm herself down.
Suddenly, she exuded a vitality that did not befit her advanced age. After taking a moment to organize her words, she spoke slowly: "I met Vesemir in the winter of 1234. There was a monster lurking in Novigrad, I think it was an Ekimma. People put a reward on the notice board, and soon someone accepted the assignment: that was Vesemir."
"He passed by my estate while he was tracking the monster. We both saw each other from afar... Then I sent him messages through my governess, and he began to visit me frequently. Our relationship became... very intimate."
When she said this, an indescribable look appeared on Mrs. Mignole's face.
Whether it is a cruel joke of fate, or not, few love stories have a happy ending. Especially in this day and age, and even more so in the noble families of these times.
"The joy lasted for a while, but then my father discovered us... Vesemir had to flee quickly, even forgetting his gambeson." Countess Mignole said with sadness evident in her voice. "My father issued a warrant for his arrest and soon married me off to another man."
Lann asked with interest: "I heard you like collecting witcher-related items, I guess that was your first piece."
Countess Mignole nodded discreetly. "My husband passed away very soon, leaving me a great fortune. I became a lonely but rich woman, living only in my memories. These collections give me moments of warmth."
Hearing Vesemir's romantic story firsthand put Lann in a good mood.
"So, Madame Mignole." Lann said with sincerity in his eyes. "Allow me to take you to see Vesemir."
Lann's invitation aroused a surprising amount of excitement in Countess Mignole. Especially when Lann showed her some letters that Ciri had written to him, letters that described the warm relationship between Vesemir and Ciri, without revealing any secrets about Cintra or Lann himself.
It is unknown what she was thinking, but Countess Mignole's gaze towards Lann became softer. However, before she left, she needed a few days to prepare and settle some matters, as her noble status and numerous properties did not allow her to simply leave.
Lann expressed his understanding and provided some help in the process.
As for how Mrs. Mignole went to Kaer Morhen? Of course, it was through Triss's portal. Triss even went there to tell Vesemir the news.
Lann asked curiously: "What was Vesemir's reaction?"
Triss smiled but said nothing.
Lann asked again: "And what about the reaction of the others at the Wolf School? How did Geralt react?"
Triss laughed so hard she almost fell to the ground.
...
Maximilian Borsodi's house came under Lann's possession. In the Heart of Stone questline, only the Dead Man's Party to summon Olgierd's dead brother and the main battle in Scenes From a Marriage remained to be completed.
Both quests involved a distant location. Dead Man's Party required visiting the Von Everec family crypt, where Olgierd's brother Vlodimir was buried. Scenes From a Marriage required finding the Von Everec ancestral mansion, where Olgierd's wife was confined.
The problem was that the place was in the Oxenfurt area. Although it was on the outskirts of the city, it would take more than a day's ride to get there and back. Furthermore, Lann only knew the approximate location of this place.
Lann decided to send his soldiers to gather information and also requested to see Chappelle, hoping that the Eternal Fire's intelligence would help him find the Von Everec mansion to save time.
"The number of gang disturbances has become more frequent recently, and Mr. Chappelle has personally gone out with his team. However, he has already confirmed his visit and will come to see you tomorrow to discuss the matters related to the giant toad." Chappelle's assistant reported. His attitude toward Lann had improved considerably. "Thank you for helping us eliminate that creature, it killed many of our brothers."
Unable to see the person he wanted, Lann returned to his quarters. Meanwhile, House, who had gone out to find information, brought unexpected news.
"Did Olgierd burn down the place where he lived before?"
At Lann's question, House nodded. "It was a huge fire. There was almost nothing left in the manor, and it was said that the fire started not long after we left."
Lann couldn't help but think of what Master Mirror said when he came to find him before: Rience found Olgierd.
"So we have lost the trace of Olgierd now?"
House nodded with shame on his face.
This is not the end. After bringing the bad news about Olgierd, House continued: "My Lord, our guard soldiers have reported that people dressed in cloaks often appear hanging around our accommodation these days."
"Does it mean someone is monitoring us?" Lann frowned. "Who are they?"
House responded with a grim expression: "We... didn't catch them. They are very agile, and even experienced scouts can't keep up with them."
It looks like a professional surveillance personnel, at least with strong reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance capabilities.
Lann asked again: "So how many people are there in total? Can you tell me?"
House nodded and said: "Based on the differences in their constitutions, we can deduce that a total of four different people have appeared."
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