Chapter 277
Chapter 277
“Tell me about the manor first,” Zinnia said. She actually knew nothing about the place–she’d only planned to take a look. But the moment she arrived the talkative butler started calling her “Lady Zinnia.”
‘Did Master already tell them who I am?‘ she wondered. Since everyone here had been arranged by Master, she trusted them implicitly.
“Sorry for my excitement. I’m the butler of the manor. My name is Laurie.” Laurie began, his voice growing heavy with emotion. “I came here five years ago and have been waiting for you all this time, Mistress.
“You never once visited, and everyone in the manor grew so uneasy–afraid you might cast us aside.”
He was genuinely fond of his current employer. His previous boss had let him go due to his age, but it was his present employer who gave him a second
chance.
For years, he devoted himself to managing and guarding the manor, always hoping the owner would come back for a visit. He never expected that this wait would last five long years.
Zinnia listened as Laurie rambled on, his storytelling vivid and animated. She wasn’t annoyed–actually, she found the old fellow rather amusing
As she pieced together the key points from his rambling, she realized the main takeaway: the Moore manor had been entrusted to Laurie’s care five years ago. In other words, Master had bought it back then.
Laurie and staff had never actually met their employer of the Moore manor. For years, only a representative would occasionally visit to check on the estate, always telling them to wait for the real master.
No one knew who the manor truly belonged to–countless people had tried to approach Laurie in hopes of purchasing the estate, but all had failed.
Zinnia was the first to arrive after all these years with the key–the proof of ownership–so Laurie and the other staff immediately recognized her as the
rightful mistress of the manor.
After nearly half an hour winding up the mountain, the car finally arrived. Before her stretched a vast manor, so expansive she couldn’t see where it ended, enveloped by lush woodlands.
At its heart stood a majestic main building, flanked by numerous smaller buildings. Flowering vines twined around the arched entrance, and intricately carved pillars lined the corridors. The entire estate radiated a breathtaking blend of grandeur and romantic solemnity, exuding luxury from every angle.
‘Only royalty could live in a place like this,‘ Zinnia thought. She had expected to find the manor desolate and neglected, but to her surprise, everything was impeccably maintained.
the
‘Of course,‘ she mused, ‘Master has always been so thorough.‘ As the car wound up the mountain and pulled into the manor’s parking area, everything looked perfectly in order.
“Lady Zinnia, let’s get out of the car and switch to the golf cart. I’ll give you a proper tour of the manor,” said Laurie as he stepped out and opened the car
door for Zinnia.
Outside the parking area, two neat rows of uniformed servants stood at attention, waiting to welcome her.
Zinnia stepped out of the car. A chorus of voices greeted her in perfect unison, “Welcome home.”
Zinnia’s eyes wide opened.
“Laurie, dismiss them,” Zinnia said, glancing at the beaming Laurie beside her, who was clearly quite pleased with his own arrangements. ‘This is embarrassing,‘ she thought.
“Don’t you like it?” Laurie looked puzzled, ‘m all those romance novels tread, the young ladies always love grand welcomes–it shows off their status. But Lady Zinnia isn’t even smiling at my arrangement.
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Chapter 277
Zinnia stared at him in silence, her unspoken displeasure loud and clear. Seeing her reaction, Laurie regretfully waved his hand, signaling for the Para to disperse.
“She dislikes this kind of welcome,‘ Laurie mused, inwardly resolved. ‘I’ll dedicate myself to figuring out what she truly prefers and make sure i perfect next time.
“Lady Zinnia, are you perhaps hungry? The chef has just prepared these freshly baked pastries and afternoon tea snacks. Please have a tastey Laurie said as he and Zinnia boarded the golf cart and began their tour of the estate.
As they drove, he eagerly pointed out the sights. “This is the rose garden. Over there is the hot spring pavilion; that’s the party hall, here is the library building, the art studio building, the equestrian grounds, and over there is the golf course.”
AD
