After strolling for a good half hour, Furen finally spotted the villa called Melanie. It was said to have taken its name from a socialite, Madame Melanie, who, twenty years earlier, had caused a stir in Trier this villa had once been her home. Unfortunately, fate had other plans:
Madame Melanie died in an accident, and her grief-stricken family sold the house and all its belongings. The villa was then bought by a wealthy merchant whose name no one knew.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans: Madame Mélanie died in an accident, and her grief-stricken family sold the house and all its belongings. The villa was then bought by a wealthy merchant whose name no one knew.
Over time, long after Madame Mélanie's death, and in the absence of any new significant event, the villa gradually fell into oblivion.
Clearly, the property now belonged to Reeve Crow, but in over ten years, no one had ever mentioned the fact that this successful businessman had acquired the former residence of such a legendary woman.
It was clear that the mysterious buyer who had paid an exorbitant sum in cash for Melanie's villa was not Lever himself. It was said that this merchant had ended up ruined; the villa changed hands several times, until the curious lost interest in it, judging it to be a harbinger of misfortune.
In reality, the property had always belonged to Reeve Crow, but no one not even the nobles and wealthy merchants closest to him knew the true situation. This proved how well this man, a formidable business warrior, knew how to hide his cards.
Furen, for his part, didn't really want to understand by what extraordinary means Reeve had managed to dupe everyone. Every time Martin mentioned this story, it was with a small, enigmatic smile; and when Furen questioned him, he simply smiled back without saying anything.
This was precisely why Furen had never dared to underestimate this Reeve Crow, this man of Abraham who, it was said, had devoted himself so much to commerce that he had abandoned the occult sciences.
As his thoughts swirled, Furen finally arrived at Villa Melanie. To his surprise, the building wasn't sumptuous; rather, it exuded an air of faded nobility, marked by time. This was a stark contrast to previous family gatherings, which had always been held in lavish mansions of dazzling luxury.
This time, Reeve chosen location seemed almost... ordinary a most unusual choice for a tycoon of his caliber.
The wind had dried the sweat on his forehead; his breathing calmed. With an impassive face, Furen walked to the door and knocked on the one of this house that seemed to have been asleep for a long time.
"Hello, who are you?"
A series of quick, light footsteps echoed inside. The door burst open, and before the young maid could even stand up straight, her soft voice spoke.
Furen gazed at the young girl with her graceful face, her discreet and refined charm; he felt a slight thrill in his heart. But he immediately suppressed any inappropriate thoughts, contenting himself with noting in his mind that rich families certainly knew how to choose their maids. He replied with a slight delay, almost awkwardly:
"Oh… hello! I'm the Traveler. I'm here to attend the reception hosted by the master of the house, "the Astrologer."
The young girl was not offended by his somewhat insistent look; she gave him an understanding smile:
"I see. Your name is indeed on my master's guest list. Please follow me.
Please follow me, I beg you."
Furen, the wandering spirit, tried to fill the conversation:
"Mademoiselle Maid, you are truly lovely. May I have your name? And… where exactly are we going?"
She answered him with a smile:
'Mr. Traveler, you flatter me. My name is Heideline Nolan, I am my master's official maid here in this estate. We are going to the cloakroom so you can change and put on a mask. I had heard that you were a regular at my master's receptions... Do you have such a bad memory? May I know your real name?"
Furen gave a slightly embarrassed laugh; he replied, in a mysterious tone:
"Allow this to remain a riddle, miss. Mystery brings souls together, don't you think? Mystery brings souls together, don't you think?"
Uncomfortable, he turned his head away. According to custom, a master of the house would rather hire a personal valet than a maid. Apparently, in Intis, they were more liberal about such details than in Ruen…
When Furen arrived in the dressing room, Heideline smiled and said goodbye, specifying that she would welcome the new guest. The rest of the chores would naturally be left to the other servants.
Furen, somewhat perplexed, asked:
"Why would a maid so close to her master take on such a mundane task?"
Heideline's sweet smile remained unwavering. She answered simply.
"Because I recently entered my master's service. He quickly promoted me to personal maid, which aroused some jealousy. So I try to help out everywhere, to appease the grudges of the other servants."
Furen couldn't help but say:
"You are a beautiful and generous woman at the same time. If only…"
But he stopped, suddenly embarrassed.
Heideline, kindly, did not insist; she gave him a last comforting smile, then walked away.
Furen watched her walk away, captivated despite himself, before pulling himself together and putting on his coat and mask. He found himself thinking about that young woman again:
"She wasn't stunningly beautiful, but there was something bewitching about her... Wait a minute! Why am I thinking this? It's not like me! There might be something fishy here... I should warn Lever."
Wait a minute! Why am I thinking this? This isn't my style, there might be something fishy going on here... I should warn Leif."
Once dressed, Furen left the dressing room. No sooner had he crossed the threshold than a valet came to meet him:
"Sir, please follow me, I will lead you to the room where the reception is being held."
Fortunately, this servant had none of Heideline's unsettling charm, so Furen regained his composure. Thinking back on his previous attitude, he cursed himself inwardly.
He regained his composure and looked with interest at the once-famous villa. The walls, a little decrepit, betrayed their age, but the frescoes and carved chandeliers recalled the former sumptuousness of the place.
Under the candlelight, the golden candelabras gave off a special glow; the burnt wax gave off a soothing scent.
In the silence, Furen walked to a large door encrusted with precious stones onyx, diamonds, pearls
shining with a mesmerizing brilliance.
(End of chapter)