APTnovel Chapter 140 Vineyard
Chapter 140 Vineyard
Chapter 140 Vineyard
A group of people dressed in cheap armor passed by on a path in the distance.
There were about ten people, and their formation was very loose.
Kathy asked, "Who are those people?"
In less than a breath, a cold, hard female voice rang in my ears:
"Probably mercenaries."
Kathy knew what mercenaries were. If you had to put it in perspective, the Unswearing Knights were essentially a mercenary group, except that they did more than just help fight.
Moreover, Kashi heard from Jarl that they rarely participated directly in the fighting.
However, there were no mercenary groups on the plateau, so neither Pegasus, Count Reggie, nor Master Jord had told Kathy much about mercenaries, and he didn't know much about the profession.
Kathy continued, "Why are they here?"
"Villages, fishing ports, manors, and the like generally lack strong city defenses. To avoid being plundered by bandits, local owners usually hire a mercenary group to garrison their territory around the harvest season. Of course, mercenaries don't always seem to be doing guard work."
The woman's voice was devoid of any emotion, coldly recounting her story.
"Mercenary groups go wherever they are needed, so they change hands frequently. If they stay in one place, they may not be able to find work for a long time, resulting in them not having enough money to support themselves. Therefore, they must wander around often."
Kathy nodded slightly before turning to the person who had spoken.
This is a maid named Harriet, who seems to be only seventeen years old. She is the owner of this vineyard and was specially assigned to take care of Cathy's daily life.
Harriet's voice carried a cold tone, not because she had a problem with Cathy, but simply because that was her natural voice.
To be honest, Cathy doesn't think Harriet's voice is very pleasant.
While it's impolite to comment on a woman's appearance, Harriet's looks are certainly not particularly attractive.
Of course, it wouldn't be fair to say she's average-looking; she'd be considered slightly below average.
However, Harriet was very tall, the tallest woman Cathy had ever seen, only half a head shorter than Henry.
Therefore, whenever she looked at Harriet's face, Cassie had to slightly raise her head.
Harriet doesn't seem to like her current job; Kathy has never seen Harriet smile even once.
Just like now, Harriet stood solemnly beside Cathy.
That expression made Cathy feel a little uncomfortable. He even wondered if he had done something wrong to upset the maid.
He tried to find the answer in Harriet's eyes, but Harriet noticed immediately and frowned.
Kathy quickly turned her head back to face the window.
The house he is currently staying in is the manor's owner's residence.
This is the third floor, the top floor, with a good view, which is why Kathy can see the situation on the road in the distance.
The room that the owner provided for Cathy was originally a study, judging from its furnishings.
Henry and Cyril demanded that the best room be provided for Cathy.
The owners of the manor were unwilling to give up their bedroom on the second floor, so they added a large bed with a sturdy frame to the study, transforming it into a relatively nice temporary bedroom.
It's clear that this study was carefully decorated and furnished by the owner of the manor.
Carpets, tapestries, oil paintings, potted plants, sculptures, and other common decorative items can all be found in a study.
There were even exquisite porcelain pieces from the Far East.
It's clear that the owner of the manor must have spent a fortune on this bedroom.
The purpose is obvious: the manor owner must frequently receive important guests in his study, wanting to demonstrate his power through the room's luxurious decorations, thereby increasing the weight of his words in negotiations.
Of course, it couldn't compare to the room that Casey had in Goringburg.
Compared to the places Cathy had lived throughout her wanderings, this was definitely the most luxurious suite she had ever stayed in.
But what Cathy misses most is the Octopus Cave on the two gold coins.
Although it wasn't as spacious as here, and the bed wasn't as soft, Cathy liked it there.
Because sleeping there, she could share her past experiences with Henry every night, and more importantly, hear interesting stories about her mother.
Oh, Mother—that sister—
Cathy shook his head vigorously, trying to banish the thought from his mind. He didn't want to think about it right now. His gaze passed through the glass window and saw the mercenary group on the road. They were almost inside the sparse woods ahead of the path, and from then on, they would disappear from Cathy's sight.
At this moment, he looked at the mercenary at the front of the group, suddenly stopped, and then stood facing Cassie.
It seems to be looking this way.
Although they were very far apart at the moment, in Cathy's vision, the person was smaller than her fingernail.
However, Kathy felt as if she were being watched by a sharp, hawk-like gaze.
In an instant, Cathy felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively took a quick step back, retreating from the window.
He kept bumping into something until he fell to the ground.
"Squeak~"
A sharp, piercing sound came, but Kathy didn't pay any extra attention to it.
"That man noticed me," Cathy thought in alarm. "He's trying to make eye contact with me!"
But perhaps this is just Cathy's illusion.
After all, they are so far apart, could that person really find Cathy hiding in the room?
Perhaps that person was just looking at the building.
Thinking of this, Kathy got up from the ground and mustered her courage to walk to the window.
He cautiously peeked out and found that the road was deserted.
Kathy then straightened up and stood by the window, searching carefully, but the mercenary group was nowhere to be found.
It seems it really was just an illusion... Kathy let out a long sigh.
He turned around and realized that what he had just bumped into was a standing porcelain vase.
However, the porcelain vase had now turned into a pile of porcelain shards scattered on the floor.
Kathy suddenly remembered the sound she had heard; it was the sound of the porcelain vase breaking.
What concerned Cathy even more was Harriet's reaction to this.
Harriet was squatting on the ground, picking up a large piece of porcelain with one hand. Her eyes were wide with terror as she looked at it, her pupils trembling. Cassie was puzzled. She was the one who had done something wrong, so why was Harriet reacting like this?
Just as he was about to ponder this, Harriet suddenly turned her head, her eyebrows furrowed, and glared at Cathy.
Cathy unconsciously took a step back, her back pressed against the window.
He instinctively said, "No..."
But before Kathy could finish speaking, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside by two people, interrupting his thoughts.
Kay hoped that the visitors were the manor's owner, Lord Dietrich, and his old butler.
Dietrich strode straight in and demanded:
"What happened?"
Kathy immediately guessed that Dietrich must have been attracted by the sound from earlier.
But before Kathy could explain, Dietrich had already found the crime scene.
When Kathy saw Dietrich's small eyes, they instantly bulged into big bells the moment they saw the porcelain wreckage.
Dietrich stepped forward, picked up a piece of porcelain from the ground, and questioned it excitedly:
"W-what's going on?!"
Harriet hurriedly put down the porcelain shards in her hand, stood up, and shook her head as she explained:
"It wasn't me, it was—"
However, before she could finish explaining, Dietrich had already caught up with her and slapped Harriet across the face.
Harriet covered her face and stood there stunned.
After a long while, he came to his senses and pointed at Cathy with his other hand:
"It was that young master who broke it, not me. I was just checking if there was any way to repair it."
Seeing Dietrich's eyebrows arch upwards, Kathy suddenly roared in anger:
"Still trying to argue? You're actually wrongly accusing a customer!"
After saying that, Dietrich knocked Harriet to the ground, then followed up and kicked Harriet in the stomach repeatedly.
Seeing this, Kathy quickly ran forward, spreading her arms to block Dietrich's path.
"It wasn't her! I broke it. Don't hit her, hit me instead!"
Seemingly afraid of hitting Kesh, Dietrich stopped kicking, frowned, and shook his head, saying:
"Oh! Young master, you are so kind, but it's wrong to protect servants. Servants are more despicable than thieves; they will take advantage of your kindness to make a quick buck. Look, she just tried to frame you. Don't pity her; she did something wrong."
She must be taught a lesson.
"No!" Casey cried out, "It really wasn't her, Mr. Dietrich, I beg you, please let her go!"
Dietrich's forehead creased with wrinkles, and he sighed.
"Sigh—alright, I'll let her off the hook since you're pleading for her."
"Thank you, Dee—"
""-but,"
Just as Kathy began to speak, Dietrich immediately changed the subject.
"Punishment is necessary! Harriet, you must pay for the broken bottle, and I will deduct your salary for the next ten weeks. You should be grateful I haven't kicked you out yet. Now clean up the broken pieces!"
Without giving Cathy any room to react, Dietrich led the butler out of the room.
A moment later, Cathy came to her senses, while Harriet was still lying on the ground panting.
Cathy reached out her hand, trying to help her up.
Harriet stared at Cathy's hand for a few seconds, but didn't reach for it. Instead, she pushed herself up from the floor.
Then I took a broom and shovel and swept up the debris.
Watching Harriet's retreating figure, Cassie felt extremely guilty. She mustered her courage and said:
"sorry."
Harriet stopped instantly and glanced back at Cathy.
Kathy was also frightened away by that look.
Kathy sensed it; it was filled with hatred.
Despite this, Harriet continued to take care of him as always.
Henry and Cyril seem to be asking Dietrich to keep Kathy's existence a secret from outsiders.
Therefore, since arriving at the estate, Cathy hasn't even been allowed to stroll through the vineyards and has been confined to the interior of the mansion.
But many of the rooms are not places that outsider like Cathy can freely enter and exit.
Therefore, the only spaces available to Cathy were the hall, the study, and the staircase connecting the two.
Given the limited mobility, having a servant to act on one's behalf is a necessary arrangement, which is why Harriet stayed by Cathy's side all the time.
These days are boring, but it doesn't matter, Cathy isn't afraid of being bored.
Henry went to rescue his mother; Cathy was not afraid of anything as long as she could save her mother.
That older sister—
Kathy shook her head again, telling herself not to think about it.
A few nights later, Kathy had dinner with Dietrich and his family as usual.
Tonight's main course is blue lobster meat, steamed to a fiery orange-red color.
The meat is extremely tender and juicy; with one bite, you can pull out fibers as white as bone.
It tastes delicious enough even without any additional seasoning.
But Kathy likes to add a little black sea salt, which gives her taste buds more stimulation.
"Young Master," Dietrich suddenly called out to Casey.
Kathy put down the food and looked at the other person:
"Master Dietrich, is there anything I can help you with?"
"What exactly is your relationship with Cyril?"
Kathy replied, "It's not a big deal. We just spent some time together. By the way, he taught me archery, so you could say he was my teacher."
Dietrich frowned. "If it were only this relationship, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to entrust you to me. And the person who accompanied him—I've never seen Cyril show such respect to anyone. Who is that person? And you, young master, who exactly are you? Why are they deliberately concealing your name?"
Hearing this, how could Kathy not understand that Dietrich was testing Kathy's identity again?
But he had already dealt with many people, so it was impossible for Dietrich to get information out of him so easily.
Moreover, he also learned a few talking techniques from Henry:
"Lord Dietrich, I am very grateful for your kindness. To be honest, I really don't want to hide anything from you, but if I tell you, what should I say if Cyril and the others ask later whether you have inquired about my situation?"
Upon hearing this, Dietrich immediately gave a stiff laugh and said that he had not inquired about Casey's situation, and the topic ended there. Casey guessed correctly; Dietrich was afraid of Henry and Cyril.
At this moment, Harriet came with a wine jug to pour drinks for the people at the table.
This had been Harriet's job before Kathy arrived.
Cathy never missed a family dinner at the Dietrich family, so Dietrich did not delegate the task of caring for Cathy to anyone else just because Harriet needed to take care of her.
As she walked past Mrs. Dietrich and between Kathy and Dietrich, Dietrich gave Harriet a hard grab on the buttocks.
Harriet tensed up instantly, taking several steps to the side before finally standing still, still shaken.
Cathy saw Harriet glaring angrily at Dietrich, while Dietrich was secretly chuckling with pleasure.
Mrs. Dietrich suddenly lowered her head and stared intently at the food on her plate.
In the end, Harriet said nothing and did nothing.
She just bit her lip and continued to walk forward to refill Dietrich's glass.
Then quickly go around to the other side of Casey to pour her a drink.
Seeing this, Cathy felt a little sorry for Harriet.
But he was just a homeless, dependent man, and there was nothing he could do to help Harriet.
The next afternoon, Kathy pressed her face against the window.
He saw another group of mercenaries passing by on that path, and he wasn't sure if it was the same mercenary group from last time.
Turning her head, Cathy saw someone in the vineyard, pruning the grapevines on the trellis with shears.
Kathy muttered to herself, "What are they doing?"
"Pruning".
A crisp, cold reply reached Cathy's ears.
Kathy turned around and saw Harriet standing not far behind him, also looking at the vineyard.
He couldn't help but laugh. Ever since that day when he made Harriet take the blame for breaking the porcelain bottle, Harriet had been ignoring him.
But now, she actually took the initiative to answer Cathy's question.
Could it be that she has forgiven me? Cathy thought happily, no, she's probably just interested in the topic.
In that case: "Prune?"
Harriet turned her head toward Cathy unexpectedly, and after a moment, she sighed deeply and explained to Cathy:
"Grapevines go dormant in winter, and grape growers use this time to prune the vines to select and determine the mother branches and reserve branches for next year's fruit production. Of course, pruning also happens in summer, but for a different purpose."
Kathy nodded as if she understood, then asked:
"What kind of grapes are those?"
Harriet looked incredulous upon hearing this, making Cathy even wonder if she herself was unworthy of being a human being for asking the question.
But in the end, Harriet still spoke up for Cathy in a disdainful tone:
"That's the famous Golden Grape. If anything can represent the Blois Peninsula, it must be the Golden Grape from here."
"Golden grapes are bright as gold, sweet but not cloying, crisp and chewy, with tiny seeds that are almost invisible, and plump flesh. After eating them, a floral fragrance lingers in your mouth."
"If used for winemaking, it would be the renowned Blois Gold wine. Gold wine is as clear as a topaz, with a blend of fruit and wine aromas, a rich fruit flavor on the palate, a hint of sweet cheese, and a long finish."
Listening to Harriet proudly recount such a long string of words, Cathy couldn't help but be a little surprised; she didn't realize Harriet spoke so fluently.
Cathy couldn't help but ask, "Do you really like the golden grapes here?"
Harriet paused for a moment, seemingly realizing that she had said a bit too much.
But when faced with Cathy's question, Harriet remained silent for a long time before finally nodding:
"Um."
Why?
My father used to be a grape grower.
"once?"
Kathy noticed the details in Harriet's words.
However, Harriet suddenly took a deep breath, shook her head, and continued the cleaning work she hadn't finished:
"It's nothing."
Kai stared at Harriet's retreating figure, remembering what had happened last time and how Harriet hadn't officially forgiven him yet.
So he clenched his fists, mentally encouraging himself repeatedly, before finally speaking:
"Um, Harriet, I'm sorry about what happened last time."
Harriet paused for a moment, but quickly resumed her work.
During this time, Cathy heard her mutter very faintly:
Why pretend to be tough and act like a good person?
Kathy frowned. He wouldn't dare say he was a good person, but...
He took a step forward: "I'm not just pretending to be tough; I genuinely want to apologize to you."
Harriet turned around, her face turning pale:
"D-You heard that?"
“I heard you, but don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you,” Cathy said. “I just want to apologize to you. I don’t want you to be punished for me.”
"Do you think I'm an idiot?!"
Tall Harriet suddenly raised her voice.
Seeing this, Cathy stared at Harriet in confusion.
"At this point, is it still necessary to continue that charade?" Harriet asked.
"A play?" Cathy frowned in confusion.
"Don't think I can't see it!" Harriet roared in a low voice. "Master actually saw at a glance that you broke the bottle, but he can't punish you, and you certainly don't want to feel indebted to Master."
"Therefore, you two immediately and tacitly put on a show where the guest wants to protect the servant and chooses to take the blame, and then the master exposes him and punishes the servant."
"In this way, I will bear the loss, sir, and you will escape blame. Only I, who clearly did nothing wrong..."
He was beaten for nothing, and he also lost his wages for the next two and a half months!
Harriet's fierce and glaring aura startled Cassie, but he immediately noticed the tears in her eyes and realized that Harriet must be feeling very wronged.
But Cathy felt equally wronged; he genuinely hadn't considered acting in any particular role.
"But I really didn't!"
"Stop lying! Although you don't seem to be related to the master, judging from the clothes you're wearing, you're definitely not the son of an ordinary family. You must have been taught how to exploit others since you were a child, just like the master's offspring!"
After hearing Harriet's words, Cathy understood that no matter how she explained, Harriet wouldn't believe her.
In fact, it might make things worse by trying to explain it.
Kathy didn't know what to do, and could only lower her head deeply.
"I'm sorry, Harriet, I'm so sorry."
Harriet's voice became colder than ever before:
"Stop apologizing, my respected young master. I am not worthy of your bowing down, nor do I need your pity."
Cathy sat down in the chair, her brow furrowed, and quietly watched Harriet busy herself in the room.
For some reason, Cathy suddenly felt very tired.
But just then, he noticed a commotion coming from downstairs.
Kathy took a deep breath, pulled herself out of her emotions, and went back to the window.
Looking out the window, he saw a large group of people carrying farm tools approaching from a distance.
Those people are grape growers, but they are quite far away, and the commotion downstairs was definitely not caused by them.
Cathy turned around and found that Harriet had also stopped what she was doing, indicating that she had also noticed that something was wrong.
The two looked at each other but neither spoke.
Cathy pushed open the door and walked out of the room, Harriet following behind.
The two went down to the second floor and found that the noise was coming from that floor.
Dietrich and his sons' bedrooms were located on this floor.
Kathy took a few steps down the second-floor corridor before realizing that the commotion was coming from Dietrich's room.
The door was not closed, and Cathy, standing in the doorway, could see what was inside the room.
However, the sight before her sent chills down Kathy's spine. Dietrich lay motionless on the bed, the floor around him splattered with blood.
Dietrich has been murdered!
Kathy heard a rustling sound, which was probably the sound of Harriet behind her taking steps backward out of fear.
But Kathy had seen this scene many times before. Although he couldn't say he wasn't afraid, he was able to control himself.
He entered the room, only to see something even more surprising.
On the wall against which the head of the bed rests, a pattern has been carved.
The pattern is square!
Kathy suddenly remembered the case he had been investigating with Jar not long ago.
Another square symbol?
Could it be that this was the work of that little girl again?
Or is this another copycat crime?
Kathy noticed that the square pattern this time was different from the previous three times.
Therefore, Kathy speculates that the latter is more likely.
The room was in chaos. Mrs. Dietrich was lying by the bedside, crying and wailing, while the old butler comforted her.
Overwhelmed by surprise and fear, the two younger sons sat on the floor, while the other stood there blankly, both completely bewildered.
Only the eldest son paced around the room, seemingly lost in thought.
Kathy felt sorry for Dietrich and his family, but as an outsider, he shouldn't have interfered so easily.
But with Dietrich dead, his safety would be in jeopardy.
He happened to have some clues, so he wanted to find out more about the situation.
In order to understand the current situation as soon as possible and better persuade Dietrich's eldest son to abide by the agreement between Dietrich and Cyril before his death, to continue to take in Kathy and ensure Kathy's safety.
Before Kathy could speak, a large group of people, including Wu Juejue, suddenly burst into the bedroom.
These people were the grape growers who had approached the mansion earlier.
A tall, burly middle-aged man walked straight to the bedside and stared at Dietrich's corpse for a while.
He then grinned, turned around, raised his right hand, and announced:
"Dietrich is really dead!"
Immediately, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd.
It seems these grape growers had long been hoping for Dietrich's sudden death.
Upon seeing this, Dietrich's eldest son flew into a rage and roared:
"What are you people doing? Have you rebelled? My father just died, and you—"
Before he could finish speaking, a pitchfork pierced his chest from the front.
As the pitchfork was pulled from his body, he immediately went limp.
"ah!!"
When Dietrich's wife saw her son fall to the ground, she went mad and scrambled toward him.
In the end, all he could do was hold his son's body and cry helplessly.
Seeing the constantly changing situation, Casey was completely in a state of chaos.
His protectors and their successors have fallen one after another, so who can ensure his safety now?
The burly man who had led the charge into the room was clearly the leader of the group, and he immediately gave the order:
"Lock up Dietrich's children and women for now. As for what to do with them, we'll discuss it."
No sooner had he finished speaking than several grape growers approached Dietrich's family.
Just then, the burly man suddenly turned his head toward Casey:
"As for you, kid, who are you? What's your relationship with Dietrich?"
Who I am is not important.
These people viewed Dietrich as an enemy, so Kesch, with what little composure he had left, spoke...
"But Dietrich and I are not related."
"How can we trust you?" the big man asked.
Kathy cannot reveal her true identity, so she cannot prove that she and Dietrich are not related by blood.
But if even Dietrich doesn't know who Kathy is, doesn't that prove that Kathy has no connection with him?
Harriet had been by Cathy's side the whole time. She knew that Dietrich didn't know Cathy, and if she was willing to testify, Cathy would immediately give Harriet an expectant look.
However, he saw Harriet smiling.
If Cassie remembered correctly, this was the first time she had ever seen Harriet smile.
Harriet's lips curled slightly upward, her eyes narrowed, her chin tilted up slightly, and her gaze was as cold as flint as she quietly looked at Cathy.
Kathy involuntarily hunched his neck and shoulders, as if he had become a ram on the plateau, while Harriet—
Like a bloodthirsty, hungry she-wolf that has set its sights on its prey.