The "Cat and Four-Leaf Clover" café kept a "plump" half-grown, clever cat, resembling a leopard cat from Earth. Naturally endowed with thin spiritual power, its gentle nature made it a common pet in the Fast Empire for guarding homes.
Charlotte ordered two coffees, choosing a cup of "Seymour", a flavor similar to mocha, while Anne opted for a cup of "Milk Foam Coffee", akin to cappuccino.
The taste of the world's coffee was close to that of Earth's but with a slightly more sour note. Charlotte wasn't fond of this and had to add extra sugar to counter the acidity.
Though the two had met twice and almost shared life-and-death moments, they didn't know much about each other. With a bit of leisure time, they chatted over coffee, and their relationship quickly grew closer.
Charlotte, with his adept conversational skills honed as a math teacher and his knowledge from two worlds, effortlessly entertained Anne with jokes that made her laugh heartily.
Anne shared some stories from her school days, which piqued Charlotte's interest.
Since Charlotte had crossed over to this world, the first problem he faced was survival. As he gradually adapted to this world and his new identity, survival was no longer a major concern, and he even started living quite well.
The next step beyond survival was to enjoy life, and from any angle, relying on someone else was quite an appealing option.
Anne Brittany was undoubtedly a suitable candidate for marriage. However, he needed to resolve the issue of his unseen fiancée first.
The good news was that the fiancée was unhappy with the engagement. The bad news was that because of her dislike for him, Charlotte had no way of contacting her, making it difficult to resolve this troubling issue.
From both a moral and practical standpoint, he had to cancel the engagement before progressing in his relationship with Anne Brittany. If their relationship had already reached a certain point before canceling the engagement, it would undoubtedly tarnish his reputation.
Charlotte decided to write to his brother that evening, expressing his willingness to relinquish his inheritance rights and asking for help in contacting his fiancée.
For Anne Brittany, meeting Charlotte offered a new experience. With his combined knowledge of two worlds, he brought a freshness that even the gods of this world could not surpass. She felt fortunate for her boldness that night.
Had it not been for her quest to "avenge" her aunt, Anne would never have ventured to a young man's window at night, nor would she have met Charlotte. Their social circles were far too different for their paths to cross otherwise.
Anne Brittany couldn't help but think, "Could it be that my aunt's spirit guided me to meet Mr. Mecklenburg?"
At this thought, her face turned slightly pink.
Charlotte, unaware of the cause of Anne's sudden blush, wisely pretended not to notice.
At that moment, the Brittany family's carriage appeared outside the window. Charlotte was about to go out and greet them when Anne said softly, "No need to go out; my mechanical beetle will guide the driver."
Sure enough, a few minutes later, the driver parked the carriage and brought in a document and a set of keys.
He placed the document and keys on the table in front of them and respectfully stepped aside.
Charlotte opened the document.
It was a standard form from the Central Government Real Estate Bureau, a property transfer contract in triplicate: one for Charlotte, one for the original owner, and one for the bureau's archives.
All three copies already had the official seal of the Central Real Estate Bureau and the buyer's signature.
After quickly reviewing the document and confirming there were no issues, Charlotte signed his name. The driver took the other two copies and left promptly.
Charlotte put away his property deed and keys, feeling a bit sentimental. The life of the nobility was so leisurely, with all tasks handled by servants, leaving them with ample free time.
Such a life would be a dream come true on Earth, though it was rooted in a politically incorrect social system.
Looking at the time, Charlotte smiled slightly and said, "How about I treat Miss Brittany to dinner?"
Anne Brittany glanced at the time, showing a hint of panic, and said softly, "Sorry, I have to return home for dinner."
Charlotte understood; many noble families required everyone to gather for dinner, a solemn ritual.
It was not something he liked or was used to, but he had to accept it; after all, this was another world.
Charlotte declined Anne's offer to take him home, watched her board the carriage and leave in a hurry, then called over the café's staff to ask, "Could you help me find a few cleaning maids?"
The staff politely replied, "No problem. Sir, when do you need them?"
Charlotte smiled slightly and said, "Now."
He was eager to leave his past behind; if he could move today, he didn't want to wait until tomorrow.
The café staff quickly found five sturdy middle-aged maids for him. These women had an air of long years of labor about them, which made them quite endearing.
Charlotte quickly gave them a few instructions and led the maids back to No. 58.
The maids were very skilled workers who quickly divided the tasks and started cleaning.
Charlotte walked around the first floor once before heading upstairs, full of curiosity.
By now, the sky was growing dark, and the rooms were getting quite dim.
He strolled around the second floor for a while, getting a general idea of the layout.
The second floor had fifteen rooms; the largest one was over 70 square meters, and the smallest was still over 20 square meters, though not larger than his former residence at the Savings Club apartments, it felt more spacious.
After walking around the second floor, Charlotte went up to the third floor.
The maid responsible for cleaning this floor quickly bowed when she saw him, and Charlotte waved her off, indicating that it didn't matter.
There were fewer rooms on this floor, only five, but each was nearly 100 square meters—extremely luxurious suites. On either side were terraces, one facing Elysée Garden Avenue, offering an unobstructed view of the entire street since the shops in front were only one story high.
The other side brought Charlotte an even greater surprise than the view of Elysée Garden Avenue; it was only from this terrace that he realized the house backed onto the Lucavaro River. Across the river was the Lucavaro District, which was already part of the outer city.
The capital city of Strasbourg was divided into Upper Seven Districts and Outer Fifteen Districts.
The Upper Seven Districts were: Valdevaude District, Alexander District, Garonne District, Rosset District, Mavinsado District, Alcatraz District, and Picardy District.
As for the names of the Outer Fifteen Districts, Charlotte couldn't even begin to memorize them.