The military affairs minister's attitude suddenly changed a hundred and eighty degrees, which could not help but surprise the other two old men. They could not imagine what kind of information made this stubborn guy completely change his position. The military affairs chief is not someone who gives up something easily.
Even Elder Mondi was surprised to be able to sit in the position of the patriarch for so long. This elder was not as brave and reckless as he seemed. Under the protection of his impulsive and stubborn appearance, he could easily approach anyone. Under his deliberate creation, all the people in the whole of Thursburg regarded him as a respected and trusted elder, their most loyal advisor and guide. Because of this, he was able to learn many secrets from those believers who trusted him, and after these secrets were carefully sorted out, they were passed on to the cathedral in Franz, the capital, through the church's special carriage, and then passed on to the Holy See.
No one knew Mr. Hyde's true identity better than him. Mr. Hyde had a very close relationship with the Pope, and in fact, he often acted as an envoy of the Holy See, doing things that were inconvenient for the Holy See to do. It could even be said that he organized a huge thieves' union in the south of Franz, which was also in line with the interests of the Holy See. This time, almost all the details of the plan were quite clear to himself, and every other month, he would secretly contact Hyde and exchange trump cards that could threaten the military chief. Originally, the plan was to bypass the military chief and let the old lady Medin come forward to suppress all the unstable forces in Thursburg.
Could it be that Hyde was hiding something from him? However, this is impossible, there is no need for this at all. Could it be that all the changes happened in this month, and Hyde didn't have time to tell himself? However, other than planning the trial, Hyde had never planned anything. The elder was puzzled.
Of all the people present, only a few of the nobles who had attended the banquet of the Baron of Longna could really guess all this. However, of course, they would not make it public, which was not good for them.
To be honest, Miss Fanny's heart was indeed quite lost. She had never imagined that Ivan was hiding such an amazing identity that he was the heir to the Lord of Cherlsborough. Why did he hide all this before? What was the purpose of his attendance at the ball? What was the reason for accepting the invitation to the dinner at his villa later? It couldn't be just a coincidence. Could it be that, as his father had said, Ivan could definitely be called a good statesman and diplomat in his opinion. Those politicians are good at using everything they can to their own ends. Was he really just being used? The baron's daughter thought about it all with great sadness.
In fact, Baron Ronna was quite angry. He didn't care about clinging to the powerful, and at most he felt helpless about being used. However, playing with his daughter's sincere feelings like this was absolutely unforgivable.
In addition to Baron Ronna's anger, Viscount Terbo, who was sitting next to him, was also filled with righteous indignation. Although Lord Viscount did not have a good impression of the love rival of the year, Ivan's actions were undoubtedly too despicable and ruthless. He hurt the most beautiful thing in the world that should be protected, which is the first love of a girl. A girl's first love can be romantic and full of sweet feelings, but it can also be bitter and heartbreaking. However, using this pure heart to achieve his own goals is ten thousand times more hateful than using words to deceive a girl's pure love and holy body, because the behavior of the playboy can also give the hurt girl a sweet but painful romantic memory. However, the ruthless use brought only humiliation and pain.
This little statesman was more hateful than his playboy father. Viscount Telbo was there secretly gnashing his teeth. What made him hate even more was that he had to admit that Ivan was indeed a charming Prince Charming in the eyes of those girls. The maturity and sophistication that did not match his age, the extensive knowledge, the elegant conversation, the unique opinions, the strong self-confidence, and the identity of the magic apprentice all deeply attracted those girls who were not familiar with the world. What's more, with Telbo's incomparably rich experience, of course, he knew very well that all this was absolutely fatal to girls full of fantasies. Even if they knew how cold and ruthless this kid was, just using their feelings, these little girls would still fall deeply in love with this swingeing boy who had no true feelings at all like moths to a flame. Moreover, the colder this kid appeared, the more girls he fell deeply in love with, and the deeper the feelings would be.
What bothered Viscount Telbo the most was that his daughter, that stubborn and willful girl, was also one of the many moths.
Ivan himself did not know what was going on in the minds of Baron Ronna and Viscount Telbo. He only knew that he was now at the mercy of the wealthy nobles of Cherlsborough, and that the time before proving his identity as the rightful heir would be extremely difficult for him. In fact, the most difficult thing was that he was about to face the rumored stern old lady Medin. This old lady was the old count's sister, and she had the same bad temper as all spinsters. However, in addition to her bad temper, the old lady's fairness and rigor were also well known in the whole of Cherlsborough. When she was young, she used to be the chief prosecutor of Cherlsborough. The strict law enforcement made everyone in Cherlsborough not afraid of her, but the common people quite loved this old lady.
Since the death of the old Count Medin, the old lady had become the highest-ranking nobleman in Cherlsborough, and everything had to be done with her consent. Both the military chief and the treasurer were respectful in front of the old lady. Ivan did not know what kind of test awaited him when facing the old lady.
There was a lake covering an area of several hundred hectares five kilometers west of the city of Thursberg. Although it could only be regarded as a small lake, the scenery on the lake was beautiful. The rippling lake reflected two hills in the distance, which were covered with flowers and trees.
An avenue paved with bluestone extends from the entrance of the villa to the lake, where a pier is built. It is completely different from the pier in Nangang, and an elegant and chic pavilion is built next to the pier. The perimeter of the pavilion is composed of dozens of floor-to-ceiling windows and doors, and the door panels are cross-spliced with countless red pine strips as thick as the index finger, giving people a sense of transparency. The top of the pavilion is inlaid with thin marble slabs like fish scales, radiating dazzling colors in the sunlight.
There was a small boat moored on the dock. The boat was made of oak, and the outside was painted with a layer of white paint. Only the sides of the boat were crimson and waxed, which could be seen from the light. There were three oars on each side of the front of the boat, and the back half of the hull was covered with Bauhinia wood. It would be nice to hide in it and rest.
Between the lake and the hill is a flat meadow. This large meadow stretches for more than ten kilometers around the entire lake, which is definitely a good place for horse racing. Looking south from the hill, Butte Forest is not far away, and the lake divides into a stream that extends straight into the depths of the forest.
Ivan, led by Count Fersinan, came to this paradise. This was the villa built by the Medin family in the suburbs. This used to be the favorite place for the old Count Medin to stay.
The old lady was so stubborn that she refused to let the guards and valets live in this place. Her behavior was naturally explained by the quirks of the old maid. Since the death of the old Count Medin, this place has become unwelcoming to men, so even Count Fersnan, who is a big man as an acting lord, must wait obediently for the old lady to receive him here. Standing under the porch, the autumn wind blew in waves, causing the count to feel a trace of chill. He was now regretting that he should have worn an extra cloak before coming out, or that he should have stayed in the carriage like Lord Hyde. Is it not asking for hardship to stand in front of the door and endure the cold wind like this? I don't know when the old lady will meet him.
According to the usual experience, when the old lady is in a slightly better mood, she is willing to receive them, but this is completely uncertain. Once she is in a bad mood, it is normal to stand outside the door for two or three hours.
Count Fei Sinan prayed in his heart that the old lady would be in a better mood now. I don't know if it was because the Count's prayers were effective, or if the old lady was in a good mood, after more than a moment, the orphan lady opened the door and walked out. She glanced at Ivan carefully, turned her head and said to the Count, "Acting Lord, my aunt said, let me take this boy in and show her, please go back to the carriage and wait, it's very cold here."
With that said, the young lady gently pulled Ivan into the room, then closed the door. A long sigh came from outside the door.
Ivan carefully peeked at the orphan lady. According to the information, the lady was twenty-two years old this year and was still waiting for her. It seemed that the old lady had no intention of marrying her off, and the lady seemed to plan to live with the person who adopted her, and had never heard of her having a relationship.
The pair of thin and long eyes were full of tenderness, and the two curved eyebrows were matched with the exquisite and delicate nose, which was so harmonious, like a peaceful landscape painting, which made people feel extremely warm. With a touch of red lips, the corners of the mouth were slightly raised, revealing a sweet smile and a row of neat white teeth. A beautiful hair gently curled and fell on the shoulder.
The young lady wore a long crimson silk dress, her high collar revealed only a white and pink neck, and a silver necklace was the only ornament on her body, with angels hanging on the bottom of the necklace. Speaking of beauty, this young lady was one of the most beautiful women Ivan had ever seen. Compared to Miss Fanny, this young lady looked more mature and full of feminine charm. That tenderness was also something Miss Fanny did not have. Looking at her, Ivan seemed to feel that he was being carefully cared for by his sister. It was a feeling of incomparable warmth that had never been before. It felt very comfortable.
Following his sister, Ivan arrived on the second floor. The entire second floor was completely opened up, surrounded by a circle of sofas, black leather sofas, covered with thick camel wool. Leaning against the south window stood a row of knee-high low cabinets, carefully carved and spliced from fine sandalwood. The exquisite carvings and thick, dense, bright fuchsia paint layers made it seem that the low cabinets themselves are a rare art treasure. On the north and west sides stood a row of floor-to-ceiling cabinets of the same texture and workmanship, but the carvings on them were much sparser than those of the low cabinets, and the color of the paint proved that the high cabinets and the low cabinets were not from the same era. These high cabinets are obviously furniture that has been copied later. Although the imitation craftsman had good skills, he obviously had no talent.
Whether it was a high cupboard or a low cupboard, the things inside were all precious works of art. It seemed that like Mr. Hyde, the owner of this place was also a collector, but this collector did not have Mr. Hyde's artistic talent, so he could not decorate this place like the treasure house.
Sitting on the sofa in the middle was a lady who was thin but not too old. Like most old spinsters, this old lady always had a cold face. It was unknown whether it was because of her lack of desire that she did not see her old age, or because of her peaceful life and proper maintenance, the passage of time did not leave too many marks on this face. After all, she was related by blood to Miss Lisa Medin, so this old lady's face really looked like his "mother" on the portrait hanging in Ivan's room.
Like most spinsters, the venerable Mademoiselle Medin wore clothes that were reminiscent of the priestly dress, at least in the same color and style.
The old lady scanned Ivan up and down with her cold eyes, turned her head and said to the adopted daughter, "Betty, why did you finally bring him in? Can't you see that he is a counterfeit?"
Hearing this old lady say this, Ivan's soul was taken aback, and he couldn't imagine where his body was exposed. Fortunately, Herbert's training had worked at this time, and although his heart was filled with shock, his face was still very calm. Maybe this was just a temptation. Thinking of this, Ivan was about to explain himself.
Miss Betty obviously guessed what Ivan was thinking, she smiled gently, walked to the old lady and said, "Aunt, although I have already seen that he is fake, but that Lord Hyde has taken so much trouble to arrange, it seems that the real Young Master Ivan has..."
"It deserves to die, that kind of thing is better alive than dead clean." Old Miss Medin said angrily.
It seemed that both Miss Betty and Miss Medin had met the real Ivan Byrndit. This meeting must have been arranged in a very secret way, because the information provided by the housekeeper did not mention that this meeting was of great significance.
"Child, come here." The old lady said coldly, and she waved.
Ivan had to go to the old lady obediently. The old lady held Ivan's head and turned to the side, looked at it carefully, and after a long time, let go of Ivan. Ivan nodded and said, "They are also bothered enough."
"That Lord Hyde should be the mastermind behind the scenes. Is there a joint participation of the Chamber of Commerce in Southport?" The old lady asked.
Ivan didn't know how to answer for a while, but Mr. Hyde never told himself how to deal with such a thing?