The Herb King

183 The Night Before the Auction

When nighttime arrived, Julie Irish came to visit the mansion together with her younger sister, Grace.

“Sir Aethelwolf, Miss Julie, and Miss Grace are waiting for you downstairs.”

“Alright. Tell them that I’ll be there shortly.” Aethelwolf answered.

“Papa, that elder sister is here again. She always comes here to eat our food.” Olivia giggled as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Aethelwolf chuckled when he heard her words. He then combed Olivia’s hair as he looked at their reflection. “I think she likes to come here just to see you. After all, my Olivia is very cute and adorable.” He said.

“Tee-hee!” Olivia giggled happily.

After combing her hair, Aethelwolf brought Olivia with him to meet their visitors.

“Greetings, Sir Aethelwolf!” Grace stood up from her seat and greeted him as soon as she saw Aethelwolf.

Julie didn’t even bother to greet him and just nodded her head at him.

.....

“Papa, that elder sister is not acting like a proper lady...” Olivia whispered. Her voice was not loud, but Julie Irish heard her clearly.

Julie Irish glared at the little girl, but her expression melted when she saw her silly smile. She then moved her gaze to Aethelwolf and said. “I heard that you won against Sir Karman Leone in an Alchemy duel. They even said that you won in an overwhelming manner.”

She was stunned when she first heard this news, but she was able to quickly recover since she already knew that Aethelwolf was an extraordinary individual.

Aethelwolf smiled upon hearing this. “It’s just a friendly duel. I wasn’t even serious during the refinement process.” He shrugged.

“What did you say?” Julie Irish felt that there was something wrong with her ears. Did he just say that he won against Karman Leone when he was still not serious?

Aethelwolf chuckled as he said. “Aya! I mean, Sir Karman Leone was probably holding himself back.”

Julie Irish stared at him and stopped asking about the matter. It seems like he wasn’t even taking the Alchemy Tower seriously. “The Golden Dragon Auction House will be open tomorrow. Have you prepared your money?” She shifted the topic.

Aethelwolf nodded his head. “I have already sent a subordinate to prepare our money. There are a lot of interesting items so I might bid for some of them.”

Hearing this, Julie Irish furrowed her eyebrows. “Interesting items? Do you have some information about the items that they will auction tomorrow?”

Aethelwolf was confused by this question, but he still answered. “Yes. There are some items listed in the invitation letter they sent me.”

Julie Irish was surprised by this. She also got an invitation letter, but there was no information about the items.

The Golden Dragon Auction House never told their guests about the items that they would auction so what does this mean? This means that the owner of the auction house, Brian Linaza, was favoring Aethelwolf!

Julie Irish snorted as she thought about this. ‘That sly fox wants to gain Aethelwolf’s favor...’

Suddenly, Albert entered the guest hall and said. “Sir Aethewolf, Miss Jade Kristine, and Sir Johann have arrived.”

Jade Kristine and Johann soon entered the room. They just came back from the Alchemy Tower and they were mentally exhausted from the journey.

“Sir Aethelwolf!” The two greeted him respectfully.

“How was your Level 4 Alchemy exam, Miss Jade?” Aethelwolf asked right away.

A beautiful smile blossomed on Jade Kristine’s face as she replied. “I passed the exam, Sir Aethelwolf. I’m now a licensed Level 4 Alchemist.”

“That’s great! Congratulations!” Aethelwolf smiled at her.

“Congratulations, elder sister.” Olivia clapped her hands while smiling widely.

Grace and Julie Irish were surprised by this news, but they also congratulated her.

“Our Leone Empire now has three Level 4 Alchemists. I believe that His Majesty would be happy once he hears this news.” Julie Irish muttered.

“Take your seats first. You two must be tired from the journey.” Aethelwolf said to them.

“Thank you, Sir Aethelwolf.” Johann and Jade Kristine said.

“Miss Julie, I wonder why you are here?” Jade Kristine asked as she curiously looked at Julie.

“I just came here to visit our business partner. You might not know this, but Sir Aethelwolf owns 30% of our wine shops and restaurants. We are also collaborating in the clothing industry.” Julie Irish answered calmly. She noticed that Jade Kristine was strangely hostile toward her. ‘Does she like him?’

“Is that so?”

The two women were staring daggers at each other.

Aethelwolf didn’t know what was happening to them so he just remained silent.

***

Meanwhile, inside the imperial palace.

Emperor Ragnar was seated on his throne. He curiously looked at the old man in front of him.

“Uncle, what happened in the Alchemy Tower earlier? I heard that Sir Aethelwolf challenged you to an Alchemy duel.” The emperor asked.

Karman Leone sighed and shook his head. “The young man wants me to step down from my position because of Jade Kristine. Apparently, that girl is his student. She has already become a Level 4 Alchemist so I had no choice but to give her the Supreme Director position after I lost the duel against Aethelwolf. I have let down our ancestors. The Alchemy Tower has always been helmed by our Leone Imperial Family, but it seems like we can no longer take control of it.”

Emperor Ragnar revealed a look of interest when he heard this. It didn’t matter to him if they lost the Alchemy Tower. He believed that Aethelwolf was someone he could trust.

The news about Jade Kristine becoming a Level 4 Alchemist also made him ecstatic. The number of 4th-Grade Pills in the market would soon increase if she starts refining pills.

“No wonder I’ve received some reports about their unusual relationship. Who would have thought that Miss Jade Kristine is actually Sir Aethelwolf’s student? In any case, this isn’t a bad thing. We might have lost the Alchemy Tower, but our Leone Empire is steadily getting stronger!” Emperor Ragnar said with a smile.

“Your Majesty, there is something that has been bothering me. I think Aethelwolf isn’t just a Level 4 Alchemist.” Karman Leone’s face suddenly turned serious.