章節 1072: Chapter 1072: Keep an eye on your future son-in-law (Part 2)
The Duke of Argyle's invitation once again disrupted Xia Yu's plans.
But fortunately, there was still plenty of time, so it didn't matter if he delayed for a few days.
In order to go with Duke Carter Howard, Xia Yu went to Norfolk County a day early and stayed at Howards Castle for one night.
Early the next morning, the group set off for Inveraray in Argyllshire, Scotland, a town named after Inveraray Castle, the castle of the Campbells.
On the way, Duke Carter Howard gave Xia Yu an advance introduction to the title of Duke of Argyll and the history and current situation of the Campbells.
Although Xia Yu knew a lot about the Campbells, and even approached the Campbells' intelligence organisation when he made his fortune in Hong Kong, he still listened patiently to Duke Carter Howard's account.
The Campbell family's fiefdom is in Argyllshire, and since the title is Duke of Argyll, the current patriarch, Ian Campbell, is the 12th Duke of Argyll.
It is worth mentioning that the Duke of Argyll has other titles, such as 'Hereditary Steward of the Royal Household of Scotland'. The main responsibility of this position is to be in charge of the royal family's internal affairs in Scotland. Therefore, whenever the Queen of England stays at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, the Duke of Argyll will always appear in various ceremonies.
The Campbells are also much wealthier than the Howards. Although most of the family assets are fixed assets such as land, forests, and minerals, they are worth at least more than 10 billion pounds.
Although the Howard family has a longer history than the Campbell family, there is nothing they can do about it. The Campbells have seized several historical opportunities!
At about 10:40 a.m., Xia Yu and the others arrived at Inveraray Castle, a Gothic Revival manor house on the shores of Scotland's largest sea loch, Loch Finlay.
Construction began more than 230 years ago, and the design and improvement of the castle by several generations of architects took 43 years to complete. This huge castle is one of the symbols of the Campbell family's glory, and is in no way inferior to the Howard Castle of the Howard family. It is one of the top castles in Scotland.
Castles are a product of medieval Europe. Apart from being used by the aristocracy, they also served a military and political function. Inverness Castle is a roughly square shape, except that the four corners are cylindrical arrow towers, crowned with conical spires. There are also towers in the middle of the three-storey castle, with a flag flying at the top.
Through the straight red gravel path, Xia Yu and the others arrived at the gates of Inverary Castle. Greeting them was none other than Duke Ian Campbell, whom they had met just a few days ago.
The earl and the marquis did not need to be greeted by Duke Ian Campbell, but Duke Carter Howard was not only his equal in status, but they had also been friends since childhood, so when he was notified by a servant, he came out to greet them himself.
'Sir Carter, Sir Xia, and the beautiful Elena and handsome Henry, welcome!'
'Good morning, Sir Ian!'
'Sir Ian, I greet you!'
...
The four people greeted in different ways. Duke Carter Howard was obviously more casual, Xia Yu was neither humble nor arrogant, and Elena and Henry, as juniors, greeted Duke Ian Campbell with the propriety expected among nobles.
'Please come inside!'
'Elena, Henry, Mia, Heidi, Tokuhiro and Welber are upstairs. I'll have someone show you to them. They'll be very happy to see you,'
said Duke Ian Campbell, beaming with joy.
'Thank you! I haven't seen Mia and Heidi for a long time, too. I miss them!' Elena said hopefully.
While chatting and laughing, Duke Ian Campbell accompanied the four of them into the castle.
The large castle hall had been temporarily transformed and decorated, and there were already quite a few well-dressed men and women inside. Xia Yu glanced around and felt that only a few of them looked familiar, and he didn't know most of the nobles.
But it didn't matter, because before they came, Duke Carter Howard had already said that he would introduce him throughout the whole process.
Afterwards, Elena led her younger brother Henry to the stairs, and Xia Yu began to mingle.
The guests who were qualified to be invited to the coming-of-age ceremony of the first heir of the Can Campbell family were all powerful nobles, and ordinary barons and viscounts were basically not present.
These nobles all brought their outstanding children to the family, hoping to use this platform to allow their children to make connections and even see if they could find someone they liked, so that it would be convenient for the marriage between their families.
Xia Yu only glanced at them and saw many young and beautiful girls dressed in gowns like Elena, wearing white sandy gloves on their arms, white veils on their heads, and some jewellery on their bodies, showing off their best sides.
But these noble ladies were beautiful, but just for looking at, Xia Yu had no intention of flirting with them. It would be better to spend this time communicating with their fathers and getting down to business.
Time slowly passed, and more and more VIPs arrived, and the atmosphere became more and more lively.
When it was half past eleven, Xia Yu, who had just finished talking to a count, heard someone softly calling his name.
It was Elena's voice.
He looked in the direction of the sound, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Elena was accompanied by five innocent and beautiful girls coming down the stairs, each wearing a noble dress. Most importantly, two of them looked exactly the same.
Xia Yu walked over with a composed expression, bowed slightly to the beauties and said hello, 'Hello, beautiful ladies, I am Xia Yu!'
'This is my friend, and of course my current boss, Xia Yu.'
Elena walked out from among them and introduced Xia Yu to them.
Xia Yu obviously noticed that several of them had smiles in their eyes, and their gazes towards Xia Yu and Elena were somewhat ambiguous.
'Xia Yu, let me introduce you, they are all my good friends.'
'This is Ruth Connor, the daughter of the Marquis of Connor.'
'Hello, handsome Mr. Xia, I'm Ruth, it's an honour to meet you!'
'Hello, beautiful Miss Ruth.'
'This is Mia, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Campbell, and her twin sister Heidi.'
The girl named Mia gave a gentle and quiet smile and greeted Xia Yu, while her identical twin sister Heidi blinked her eyes and looked a little lively and playful.
...
After some introductions, Xia Yu, with his formidable memory, remembered the names and appearances of Elena's five friends.
However, he also noticed that the six golden flowers gathered together, attracting the attention of many people in the hall. Some young men were even getting restless, obviously wanting to come over and talk to a certain girl.
Under these circumstances, continuing to monopolise the time of the six girls would undoubtedly attract hatred. He just needed to keep his Elena.
Just as he apologised to the beauties and made excuses to leave, the coming-of-age ceremony of Tokuhiro Ian Campbell, the eldest son of Duke Ian Campbell, was about to begin. Some young men with ideas had to regretfully suspend their actions.
'Xia Yu, Mia and Heidi are very beautiful, aren't they? They are all still single,'
Elena whispered in Xia Yu's ear as they stood by, preparing to watch the coming-of-age ceremony.
Xia Yu was about to say that they were beautiful, but then he suddenly realised what she had said and looked at Elena, who was smiling, and said with a smile, 'Elena, they are nowhere near as pretty as you.'
'I don't believe you, you were looking at them the whole time,' Elena whispered, with a slight smile on the corner of her mouth.
Xia Yu calmly explained, 'You just introduced me to them, but now I'm just trying to figure out which one is the older sister and which one is the younger sister.'
'How do you tell them apart?'
Elena couldn't help but laugh, and whispered, covering her mouth: 'They are indeed very difficult to tell apart, but there are still some subtle physical differences, especially as the younger sister Heidi has a mark... You can also look at their pendants. The silver-white one is the older sister Mia, and the lavender one is the younger sister Heidi.'
'Oh, there really is a difference.'
XIA YU really noticed that the pendants on the two women's chests were different colours.
...
'Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending my child Tokuhir Ian Campbell's coming-of-age ceremony...'
Duke and Duchess Ian Campbell presided over their son's coming-of-age ceremony themselves. Xia Yu looked at the young man next to him, whose golden hair was full of expectation.
It has to be said, Tokuhir Ian Campbell is good-looking, and if he were a bit more of a womaniser, he would probably break the hearts of countless girls.
Xia Yu remembers that according to the historical trajectory of his previous life, Tokuhir Ian Campbell will inherit the family title and become the 13th Duke of Argyle. He cannot be described as a pioneer, but at the very least, he will be more than capable of maintaining the status quo and preserve the glory of the Campbell family.
There was nothing special about the coming-of-age ceremony. Xia Yu went with the flow, applauding when he should have. After the protagonist had left the stage, the melodious and gentle music sounded, and the time for free socialising came again. Those who wanted to drink drank, those who wanted to eat ate, and those who wanted to dance danced.
In the expectant gaze of Elena, Xia Yu took her hand and walked into the centre of the dance floor.
While Xia Yu and Elena were dancing, Duke Ian Campbell, who was drinking, asked Duke Carter Howard jokingly next to him, 'Sir Carter, it seems that your precious daughter is in love with Sir Xia.'
Duke Carter Howard looked at Duke Ian Campbell and said expressionlessly, 'I don't know the situation. You know my character. I respect the privacy and freedom of children.'
Afterwards, Duke Carter Howard took a sip of red wine and retorted, 'Unlike you, a protective maniac, I don't have so many families ready to marry your children. Who are you going to choose?'
Duke Ian Campbell looked composed and argued, 'That is my love and care for my children. The world is too complicated, and my daughters are so innocent. As a father, of course I have to protect them.'
'I don't want my daughter to suffer in the future. Anyone who wants to marry my daughter will have to pass my test.'
Duke Carter Howard shrugged and said, 'Your eldest daughter may listen to you, but your younger daughter, with her lively personality, is not easy to control.'
Duke Ian Campbell calmly laughed, "My daughter is very obedient...'
Before he could finish his sentence, Carter Howard's teasing words rang out, "Really? Look over there!'
Duke Ian Campbell immediately looked in the direction indicated by Duke Carter Howard. He saw Xia Yu and Elena already off the dance floor, and his young daughter Heidi was issuing an invitation to dance to Xia Yu.
Although aristocratic etiquette does not stipulate that a lady cannot take the initiative to invite a man to dance, now that his daughter has taken the initiative to invite Xia Yu, it undoubtedly shows that his young daughter is more outgoing in character, which is inconsistent with what he just said.
His face looked a little bad, and he said to Duke Carter Howard in a bad mood, 'Keep an eye on your future son-in-law!'
Duke Carter Howard deliberately laughed and said mockingly, 'I can't help it.'
His laughter made Duke Ian Campbell feel depressed, and he gulped down the red wine in his glass.
...
Let's talk about the dance floor.
Xia Yu placed his hand gently on Heidi Campbell's waist, keeping a respectable distance from her. Heidi Campbell placed her left hand on Xia Yu's shoulder, and her right hand joined with Xia Yu's left hand. The two of them took slow, graceful steps as they danced across the dance floor.
Heidi Campbell blinked and looked at Xia Yu, 'Mr Xia, were you just secretly looking at my sister and I?'
Xia Yu didn't expect her to say that, but Xia Yu was thick-skinned and said naturally, 'Miss Heidi, that wasn't peeping, but looking openly. I was just trying to tell which of you two was the sister and which was the younger sister.'
Heidi Campbell was intrigued and said curiously, "So can you tell the difference now?'
Xia Yu whispered with a smile, "I can tell the difference.'
Heidi Campbell hurriedly asked, 'Huh? How did you tell the difference?'
Xia Yu looked down at the lavender pendant in the middle of Heidi Campbell's towering chest and said, 'Your sister Mia's pendant is silver-white, and yours is lavender.'
Heidi Campbell suddenly understood.
Just then, Xia Yu suddenly asked a question that made her pretty face flush with a hint of red.
'Miss Heidi, Elena said that you have a mark that clearly distinguishes you from your sister. Where is it?'
Heidi Campbell subconsciously looked at her chest and blushed, saying, 'I can't tell you.'
It seemed that because of the nervousness, even her dance steps were a bit messy, and she almost stepped on Xia Yu.
Xia Yu followed by lowering his head and looking, instantly responded, could it be there?
Embarrassed,
He quickly looked up, trying to find a topic to talk about, but Heidi Campbell, who was a little shy, changed the subject first, with a hint of a comeback.
'Mr. Xia, are you dating Elena?'
'Er...yes!'
Xia Yu was taken aback, but then he said frankly.
Heidi Campbell sounded a little envious: 'She told my sister and I before that she wasn't going to get into a relationship before the age of 25.'
'But it can be seen that fate has brought you together.'
'Can you tell me how you met? How long have you been dating?'
Xia Yu's mind flashed back to the image of his first encounter with Elena, and a knowing smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, making Heidi Campbell, who had been watching Xia Yu the whole time, feel envious.
She couldn't help but long for love.
Since she was closely guarded by her father since she was young, she rarely had contact with the opposite sex, and because of her family education, her standards had unconsciously become very high, and she still hadn't had a boyfriend until now.
She was curious whether the love of her best friend, Elena, was like that in fairy tales.
Unfortunately, the dance music ended at this time, and the men and women on the dance floor began to move outwards, while those on the sidelines began to move in.
Heidi Campbell and Xia Yu glanced at each other and could only follow Xia Yu out of the dance floor and back to where Elena was sitting.
It so happened that Xia Yu had just seen Elena smiling and rejecting a young man's invitation to dance.
As soon as she sat down, Heidi Campbell took Elena's hand and asked curiously, 'Elena, Xia Yu already told me earlier that you two are in a relationship, right?'
'How did you two meet? How long have you been dating?'
Heidi Campbell's sudden questions made Elena feel a little shy. She subconsciously glanced at Xia Yu, and her gaze naturally carried an expression of adoration.
'I'm a little hungry, I'm going to get some food.'
Xia Yu, who had just sat down, got up at the right time, left a sentence and walked away, leaving the space for Elena and Heidi Campbell.
Heidi Campbell became more and more energetic, took Elena's hand and said rather expectantly, 'Elena, Mr. Xia has left, don't be shy.'
'You once said that you weren't going to fall in love until you were under 25 years old. What made you break that promise? Tell me...'
Unable to resist Heidi Campbell's request, Elena's mind flashed back to the scenes of their past encounters, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her face. In Heidi Campbell's envious and curious eyes, she whispered, '...'
...
Xia Yu had not gone far. Not far away, he was holding a glass of red wine and eating some snacks, occasionally looking at Elena and Heidi Campbell, who were whispering to each other.
He waited until they seemed to have finished chatting, and Elena began looking around for him, before he walked over with a tray, carrying a stack of canapés and two glasses of red wine like a waiter.
'Two beautiful ladies, after chatting for so long, are you thirsty? Would you like some red wine?'
'Thank you!'
Heidi Campbell politely said thank you, then gracefully lifted up a glass of red wine.
Elena also smiled and lifted up her glass of red wine.
'I wish you the best!'
As Heidi Campbell looked at her and Elena with her glass raised, Xia Yu and Elena exchanged a glance and raised their glasses to her in a light touch.
'Thank you!'
...
The three of them then chatted idly, and before they knew it, the conversation had turned to the Campbell family's Inverary Castle and life at the castle.
Heidi Campbell calmly commented on her family's castle: 'I think it's okay. My family's castle is not as big as Elena's, and I grew up in the castle. Apart from some family members my age, I only had very few friends, and Elena was one of the few.'
'You can ask Elena about this. I still had my sister to keep me company, but Elena was even lonelier as a child!'
Xia Yu could imagine the scene, and his eyes filled with concern as he looked at Elena.
Elena smiled and said, 'That was true when I was young. Just like the princesses in fairy tales, we were all curious about life outside the castle after leaving home. I did have very few friends, and I spent most of my time writing letters to friends I knew.'
'When my father took me to visit other uncles' homes, I would meet people my age. We played together in the garden, and that is one of my most profound and happy childhood memories.'
'Of course, looking back, life at the castle was actually very good. There was no hustle and bustle of the big city, and the quiet and peaceful atmosphere allowed me to relax and appreciate the beauty of nature.'
'Yes, that is a very obvious feature of life at the castle,' Heidi Campbell agreed.
Afterwards, she suddenly said playfully to Xia Yu, 'Mr Xia, do you have a castle?'
Xia Yu shook his head and said frankly, 'I don't!'
Heidi Campbell looked at Elena and blinked her beautiful eyes and said, 'Elena likes the comfortable life in the castle. When she marries you in the future, she will rarely return to Howards Castle. What should we do?'
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