Luo Ye had just started to consider his next move when Anna’s voice, as clear as wind-borne silver bells, drifted to his ears from the living room.
“That… His Excellency Luo Ye, do you need me to help you arrange a meeting with Lady Hisina?”
The next morning, at the Imperial Royal Garden Cafe in the Imperial Capital.
As the most secluded cafe in the Royal District—one that exclusively served the upper class—the interior was decorated in a style that was both antique and luxurious. Any young child of a grand noble who came here would never feel it lacked in taste.
It was precisely for this reason that Luo Ye had chosen this place to meet with the Duke Laurent’s daughter, Miss Hisinei Laurent, who used to be Alicia’s closest friend.
Meeting with Hisinei was necessary. After all, she was undoubtedly one of the people closest to Alicia, and she might possess secrets about Alicia that even Anna didn’t know.
In terms of time spent together, Anna may have accompanied Alicia for a longer period, but Hisinei and Alicia had grown up together since childhood.
The only one who had known Alicia longer was Lilith, the girl with pale green hair who was known as the “Princess Half-body.”
Instinctively, Luo Ye was not eager to approach Lilith so soon.
After all, she was very skilled at acting. Even matching wits with those old masters of the stage had already pushed him to his limits, let alone having to constantly judge in daily interactions whether she was speaking sincerely or just putting on an act.
Or perhaps, with her sharp powers of observation, she might notice something “off” about him and gain information that someone of his identity shouldn’t have…
From any angle, it was wise to first win over Anna, the golden-haired gravity girl with a shrimp’s head.
Next in line was the Princess’s confidante—Hisinei.
Not Lilith, that fake friend.
The woman who nearly cheered “like a cat” at Alicia’s funeral.
Luo Ye straightened his attire, preparing to head out.
Today, he was once again dressed in a black suit. After all, in real time, it had not even been three days since Alicia’s funeral ended. As a widower, he was supposed to appear weighed down by grief.
But no matter how heavy his heart, he had to dress properly before leaving—after all, it concerned the face of himself, Alicia, and the Royal Family.
However, Luo Ye had clearly underestimated the impact his careful grooming would have on girls of this age.
Anna, who had also risen early, stared at Luo Ye’s meticulous expression and, as if reminded of something, walked toward him in a daze, her cheeks flushed.
“Your High… His Excellency Luo Ye, you look very handsome today. It’s almost like you’re going on a date with Miss Hisinei.”
“Date?”
Luo Ye glanced at the mirror. With how he was dressed now, even if he was heading to a funeral, it would still be reasonable for him to captivate thousands of young ladies. No wonder Anna teased him like this.
But why did it seem that, in the reflection of the mirror, Anna’s expression showed not teasing or jest, but rather a morbid sense of possessiveness?
It must be his imagination. Probably the girl was just anxious, afraid he’d run off with Hisinei and abandon her.
“If you want to call it a date, then so be it.”
Luo Ye explained to Anna, “At its core, to complete a date, you need to achieve a set goal. If I can use this face to win over Miss Hisinei and have her join our side, then I suppose that counts as a successful date.”
“Even if it’s some other girl, His Excellency Luo Ye could definitely do it. It doesn’t have to be Miss Hisinei.”
Anna smiled faintly, as if her words held a double meaning.
“If it were any other girl, wouldn’t it be much easier?”
Luo Ye sighed.
“I really wish Hisinei were as easy to win over as ‘other girls.’ Then I wouldn’t have to rack my brains thinking of strategies, even running simulations in my mind on how to win her over.”
“???”
Although she seemed to understand that His Excellency Luo Ye’s “win over” was not the same as what she had in mind, Anna still felt a pang of jealousy.
…
“This should be the place.”
Following the avenue as he remembered it, Luo Ye realized that the sage’s illegitimate son really was a shut-in—or at least a school recluse. He didn’t have much of an impression of the Imperial Capital, and for a moment, Luo Ye almost needed to buy a map just to find his way.
Of course, he would need to buy a map eventually, just not right now.
Luo Ye looked up at the street sign—Delta Avenue #33, Imperial Royal Garden Cafe—confirming this was the meeting place with Hisinei, and walked deeper into the avenue.
The Imperial Royal Garden Cafe was nestled at the quietest corner of Delta Avenue. The entire building featured domed architecture from the Imperial Old Dynasty, with an exterior of cream-colored limestone that had endured a century of wind and rain yet still glowed with an ivory luster.
The carved brass door handle had been polished to a dark golden patina, and when pushed, a string of crystal wind chimes would sound with a clear note.
Inside, the space was paneled in deep walnut wood. On the walls hung miniature reproductions of masterpieces by court painters from generations past, with the matte gold leaf of the frames reflecting the candlelight from the sconces.
Three tiers of crystal chandeliers hung from the dome, each prism hand-polished by old craftsmen, scattering the morning light into tiny rainbows across the Persian handmade carpet.
Window booths were covered in velvet cushions, and silver tea sets were arranged in symmetrical geometric patterns on the black marble tables.
In the corner stood a gilded chiming clock, its hourly birdcall a relic of ancient mechanical craft long since lost.
Most striking of all was the central circular bar, its rosewood counter inlaid with mother-of-pearl forming the Empire’s crest. Crystal bottles in the wine cabinet shimmered with an amber glow in the morning sun.
The servers wore crisp tailcoats, their bow ties made of silk from the Royal Workshop, and even the edges of their trays were engraved with barely noticeable family crests.
Every detail here adhered to the ancient code of “nobility without ostentation,” and even the scent of coffee in the air was tinged with the fragrance of cedarwood bookshelves.
“This is it… Huh?”
After finding the door marked 33, Luo Ye paused slightly.
Beneath the number plate was a long bench.
And in the shadowy corner where the lights didn’t reach, someone was already sitting there.
He couldn’t make out the face, as a black lace-trimmed hat covered most of the figure, but looking down, Luo Ye could see a pair of black-stockinged long legs, pressed together and extending gracefully from a fitted dress.
“Hmm? Hisinei?”
…
Luo Ye tilted his head, slowly crouched down, and peered beneath the brim of the hat at the person sitting there.
Waterfall-like silver hair was swept up at the nape, and her delicate features seemed sculpted by an artist, flawless and harmonious in a way that defied description.
Following her swan-like neck down, one could see the perfectly shaped assets hidden beneath her well-fitted dress.
Of course, what impressed Luo Ye most was not her flawless appearance.
It was the aura of the Widow of the Boudoir.
The Thousand Gold Widow, Hisinei.