The next day, Langdon woke up with a groggy head, and within seconds, Sophie's scream echoed through the room.
Half an hour later, Langdon and a blushing Sophie, fully dressed, emerged from the room.
Sophie found the butler and inquired about William, only to learn that he was fast asleep in a guest room in the manor. This news brought a sigh of relief to both Sophie and Langdon, as they were glad that William hadn't seen them in their current state, or else he would definitely have teased them.
Little did they know, the reason they felt such an attraction to each other the previous night was because of William's sneaky act of spiking their drinks with something unusual.
By the time William claimed he was too drunk and wanted to sleep, Langdon and Sophie were already practically clinging to each other. Once William left, they went to a room, and everything unfolded exactly as William had planned.
Feeling quite satisfied, William slept until noon. It wasn't until Langdon came to wake him for lunch that he finally got up. He dressed in the handmade clothes brought by the manor's maids and, under the guidance of the impeccably gentlemanly old butler, William and Langdon awkwardly made their way to the dining room.
Langdon managed slightly better since, after all, he had grown up in the USA, where not encountering noble lifestyles was more understandable. However, for William, an heir to an earl, not knowing basic noble etiquette was inexcusable.
Looks like I really need to find a butler for the castle. A professional British butler not only manages everything for the employer but also teaches all the noble etiquettes.
A good butler is knowledgeable about all aspects of etiquette, from dining to dressing and behavior.
After an awkward lunch, Sophie led William and Langdon to the garden for some coffee and conversation. Sophie complained, holding Langdon's hand, "That was the most uncomfortable meal I've ever had. It was the first time I've eaten with ten people surrounding me. William, is your home like my grandmother's?"
"Of course not. I'm from a commoner background and really don't know much about noble etiquette. I can't even find a decent butler. How about giving me your butler?"
Sophie rolled her eyes. "Don't even think about it. Old Claude has been serving my family since my grandmother's time. He's not leaving us."
"Alright, finding a suitable butler is indeed difficult. But," William paused, raising his eyebrows and grinning as he looked at Sophie and Langdon holding hands, "so, you two are together now?"
William's peculiar expression made Sophie a little embarrassed, but Langdon laughed and said, "Yes, and we owe it to you. If you hadn't kept us celebrating, who knows when we'd have confirmed our relationship. Thanks, William."
"No need to thank me. Actually, I should thank you," William said, laughing.
Sophie asked curiously, "Thank us for what?"
William shook his head, unwilling to reveal the reason. "Nothing. Congratulations to you both. When you get married, I'll give you a big gift."
Seeing William's reluctance to explain, they didn't press further. "Thanks for your blessings, William. Since you're a wealthy man, I'm really looking forward to your gift," they joked.
The three chatted and laughed, but Sophie couldn't contain her curiosity. "William, are you really not looking for the Holy Grail anymore?"
Having already found the Holy Grail, there was no need to search further. William feigned indifference and nodded. "I'd like to, but all the clues have dried up. Where would I even start looking? You two should stop worrying about the Grail and focus on getting married and having kids. Just so you know, I want to be the godfather of your first child."
Hearing this, Langdon and Sophie exchanged puzzled looks, making William feel a bit awkward. "What? Is there a problem with me being your child's godfather?"
"God, of course, there's a problem," Sophie said, exasperated. "William, do you even believe in God?"
"Uh," William was momentarily at a loss. The Devonshire family seemingly didn't believe in God, which was quite rare in the Western world. Despite having been reincarnated for so long, William had never attended church.
He mentally scoffed, 'The Devonshire family believing in God? That's a joke. They dared to place the wife of the one above as a guardian angel in front of their castle. Believing in God would be walking straight into the lion's den after death.'
"Okay, maybe I could try joining a denomination. Who knows, maybe I'll find the guidance of the Light God and start believing in him."
"Oh, William, you're such a non-believer. Saying something so disrespectful. You know Langdon and I are both believers," Sophie scolded.
"I'd believe Langdon is a believer, but not you, Sophie. Who do you believe in, your ancestors? But come to think of it, Sophie, if you believed in the Light God, wouldn't that mean your faith aligns with the Chinese? Most of them worship their ancestors. The only difference is your ancestors are quite famous."
Both Sophie and Langdon found William's point amusing but rude. They exchanged glances and glared at William together.
This made William laugh even more.
Langdon, seeing Sophie getting slightly annoyed, quickly calmed her down and changed the subject, addressing William. "Remember Teabing's phrase about the Holy Grail beneath the rose?"
William, knowing the previous joke had gone too far for Western sensibilities, nodded. "Of course, wasn't it because of that phrase that you knew I would go to Rosslyn Chapel?"
Langdon nodded and continued, "Although the Grail isn't at Rosslyn Chapel, what if it was moved to another meridian location? All the meridian line buildings on the map are marked with roses. Sophie, do you know when Jacques Saunière started working at the Louvre?"
Sophie, puzzled, replied, "Saunière started at the Louvre in '84. What does that have to do with the Grail?"
"It's highly relevant. First, the pyramid in front of the Louvre is built on the meridian. Think about when that pyramid was built."
Sophie, having grown up in France, quickly responded, "The pyramid was started in '84 and completed in '89. But that's just a coincidence."
"Yes, that alone doesn't prove anything. But did you know I'm a professor at Harvard and know many other professors? Guess what I found out?"
Langdon's eyes gleamed with excitement. "If the names of the four elders of the Hidden Council appeared on the preparation and construction committees of the glass pyramid, wouldn't that be strange? And if all the Louvre directors from '84 to now were from these four people, wouldn't that be suspicious?"
William and Sophie nodded, acknowledging that it was indeed peculiar but not definitive.
Langdon's eyes sparkled even more. "One more thing, William. Remember the day we met?"
"Of course."
"Remember when I mentioned that very special inverted pyramid in the basement?"
William nodded.
Langdon asked with a smile, "Sophie, growing up in France, you must have seen that inverted pyramid. Now, you two think about the large glass pyramid and the small marble pyramid together. What do they resemble?"
William's mind raced back to that inverted pyramid, and he exclaimed, "No way, see God!"
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