Chapter 1240: Chapter 1240: Osenfort Estate
“Is there such a thing? You don’t need to worry, I just want to return the ring.”
He recounted how yesterday afternoon, while searching for the “Water Monkey,” he ended up finding a pile of junk. Since Miss Lathis didn’t see Shard last night, she wasn’t aware of this:
“So, is Mr. Ston Osenfort just an ordinary person?”
Before leaving, he confirmed again, and Miss Lathis nodded:
“Yes, at least that’s what I believe.”
The core area near Wilder Opera House doesn’t allow riding without a license, so Shard led the horse out of this district and crossed the city to reach the northern outskirts.
Getting used to horse riding in the snow, riding alone in the snow was quite interesting. During the journey, Shard had a sudden whim, wondering if using his [Puppetry] to control the horse would make it run faster. So, inspired by a spirit of experimentation, Shard placed his hand on the horse’s head while it galloped through the snow.
The Spirit turned into strings to manipulate the Puppet, and [Puppetry] succeeded almost immediately. Subsequently, the horse, unable to control its limbs, abruptly stopped, and Shard fell into the snow along with it.
Fortunately, the snow was thick, and the horse’s legs weren’t injured. This experiment taught Shard it’s best not to use the Arcane Technique casually.
Although Shard knew from the map that Osenfort Estate was remote, actually going there himself, he found the place was excessively secluded.
After leaving the city, he first passed through a small village clinging to the city’s existence, then crossed a large area of beekeepers’ lands on snow-covered country roads. He then went through a winter-bare apple orchard and passed a wasteland. After stopping his horse to let two rabbits darting from nowhere pass, he crossed a short wooden bridge into a forest path. Upon leaving the woods, he finally saw the manor standing afar, but it took another ten minutes to actually reach it.
According to Miss Lathis, this sprawling manor is the old house of the Osenfort family. After the family fell a hundred years ago, it was repeatedly transferred as offsetting accounts. Thus, when Shard approached, he indeed found the place, though repaired, still bore old characteristics.
Outside the manor is a forest, and the manor itself is enclosed by a square white low wall. Climbing outside the low walls were withered vines, and atop the wall, there were barbed wires and fragments of glass reflecting Light under the Sunshine.
Shard wasn’t surprised by this; after all, the place was quite remote, and such measures were necessary for safety.
Osenfort Estate adjoins the Elon River, and not far from the manor is a dock. As it was still the icy season, there were no workers at the dock, only some stacked crates. The entire manor appeared very quiet. As Shard dismounted at the Black Iron gates, he could see the courtyard was tidied rather well, and there was even a small flowerbed surrounded by white stones, but there was not a soul in sight inside.
He pulled the bell at the entrance and waited patiently, hesitated a bit, then reached his hand inside the fence:
“No Crazy Earth issues.”
He waited for quite a while before finally, a black-coated old man emerged from the distant mansion, whose appearance screamed ‘butler’.
Once the old man reached the gate, Shard introduced himself, claiming he wanted to chat more with Mr. Osenfort about the Roder Cards. He didn’t mention the ring, assuming its fall into the river surely had a backstory, which disclosing might cause family disputes.
Indeed, Mr. Osenfort had already mentioned Shard’s matter at home, and the old butler knew the name “John Watson,” so he opened the gate and even helped Shard with his horse, allowing him inside.
However, Mr. Ston Osenfort wasn’t in the manor at the moment but in town discussing business. He assured that he would return by three in the afternoon, so Shard could wait since it was already close to two.
Just as Shard thought, even though Osenfort Estate had been refurbished in recent years, it looked quite disconcerting. Different from any other Noble Manor he’d visited, this one looked like it was in use yet very shabby, something he’d never seen elsewhere.
Not only was the courtyard dilapidated, but inside the mansion, even though the floors were clean, the walls newly painted, and the decorations with oil paintings and ancient armor befitting a wealthy merchant, Shard still felt the place was too old.
The mansion was very desolate. During the walk to the second-floor parlor with the old butler, Shard didn’t encounter a third person or even hear any other servant activities, making him suspect that they were the only two in the mansion.
But soon, this assumption was overthrown as Mrs. Osenfort, the ring’s owner Haila Osenfort, entered the parlor with her Maid to entertain guests temporarily for her husband.
The Maid wheeled in a trolley to prepare tea for the two. She seemed young, and Shard sneaked a glance at the Maid’s skirt. Being familiar with Tifa, Shard had a deep insight into the design, color, and the upper part’s opening style of maids’ skirts, and though this Maid’s skirt style was somewhat outdated, there were no major issues. However, the skirt and apron’s white parts looked slightly yellowed, and Shard was unsure whether they weren’t cleaned properly.
As for Mrs. Haila Osenfort, she appeared to be in her thirties, a very typical Noble Lady. She had beautiful curly black hair and blue eyes, a high nose, with defined features, wearing a black veil while receiving guests, and dressed in a red and black high-neck floral long dress at home. She was tall, shorter than most witches Shard knew… excluding Miss Troy he met at Snow Mountain, her skin surprisingly fair, and though her veiled face looked somewhat melancholic, she still maintained the dignity of a hostess while receiving Shard.
After the Maid served the black tea, she left the study, leaving Shard to converse with Mrs. Osenfort. To Shard, this procedure seemed entirely inappropriate; an unfamiliar guest like him visiting, and being alone with the hostess, was akin to a privilege only “Adulterer” could have.
Perhaps noticing Shard’s puzzlement, Mrs. Osenfort gently said:
“Some things happened recently. My husband let go of the former servants and hasn’t had the time to hire new ones, so there are fewer people at home. I apologize.”
“It’s alright.”
Shard sat on the small sofa beside the coffee table, opposite the window. As they spoke, he saw snow beginning to fall outside; the weather had been quite nice just when he entered:
“This visit to Mr. Osenfort isn’t just about the Roder Card.”
He took out a ring box from his pocket, prepared by himself, as the ladies around him had often mentioned that jewelry shouldn’t be kept directly in pockets:
“A few days ago, while fishing on the ice, I found this in a fish’s belly. This should belong to you, right?”
He opened the box and handed it to the tall woman in front of him, who looked slightly surprised at the ring, then glanced at Shard before taking it:
“Yes.”
[Her body temperature is somewhat low, but still within the normal range.]
The voice of “her” reached his ears, but Shard didn’t directly touch the woman in front of him, though he was close enough when handing it over.
“Though I don’t know how it ended up in a fish’s belly, this can be considered returning it to its owner… When Mr. Osenfort returns, can I mention this to him?”
Shard asked again, then picked up the teacup in front of him.
The pale-faced woman with black hair gently shook the box:
“No need to mention this… I can give you a reward, Mr. Watson.”
“No, no, there’s no need for a reward. I’m just idle. If my ‘appointment time’ with that youthful seventeen-year-old girl were in the afternoon rather than evening, I wouldn’t have returned it.”
Shard said with a smile, then gently sipped some red tea.
[No problem.]
Since entering the manor, he had remained vigilant, and the estate itself exuded peculiarity. But at least so far, he hadn’t sensed any traces of elements. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean everything is normal here, as Shard didn’t arrogantly assume his perception was flawless.
If his perception were all-powerful, the issues at No. 6, Saint Delan Square wouldn’t keep emerging every few months.
He was inclined to discuss her marriage issues with the woman in front of him, to clarify the reason the ring fell into the river, but it seemed Haila Osenfort was reluctant to speak, making it difficult for Shard to introduce the topic.
So Shard switched subjects:
“This estate is truly secluded. On my way, if not for directions from the people of Aufen Village, I might not have found it.”
“Yes, but this is the ancestral home, so it can’t be easily moved. Though it’s a bit empty and the gas and steam pipelines aren’t very convenient, it doesn’t greatly impact living.”
The woman spoke again softly, her voice always gentle.
Shard nodded, as the distance from the city meant the manor wasn’t even equipped with a gas pipeline. But there are steam pipelines, as large estates are equipped with steam engines and even underground steam boilers. The building feeling somewhat dim in the corridor was due to the walls being adorned with oil lamps rather than the new gas lamps:
“Does Mr. Osenfort enjoy Roder Cards much? I’m a foreigner, and not long ago, I heard about Mr. Osenfort’s story. He’s indeed a skilled local player.”
“Yes, he really likes Roder Cards. Before losing to you… he hadn’t lost in a long time.”
This topic finally prompted Haila Osenfort to voluntarily elaborate:
“It’s not just Roder Cards. In other aspects, my husband rarely loses too. Business, personal relationships, betting, he always manages to win thoroughly.”