Indeed, it was a residence worthy of the Duke himself.
“Nicole, this is where I live. Let me bring you inside.” As he said this, Levant extended his arm towards Nicole.
Nicole’s glanced at the man’s large and imposing hand but felt her heart pounding inside her chest. She had a feeling that she would be punished most severely by a certain someone if she accepted.
Bright-eyed, Nicole looked directly at the estate and asked, “Can I go inside now?” Without waiting for Levant to reply, she hurried in.
Levant was left behind with his hand in mid-air, which he retracted angrily. He quickly caught up to her to save himself the embarrassment.
The estate resembled a Renaissance painting. Everything from the layout to the hustle and bustle of servants tending to their chores felt surreal to Nicole.
Nicole stopped abruptly. She couldn’t bring herself to walk any further lest she destroyed the picturesque beauty of the place.
“What is it?” asked Levant suspiciously. He wondered why she came to such a sudden halt.
“This place is so majestic. How did my mother even get involved with all this?” asked Nicole as she gestured vaguely at her surroundings.
Nicole was so overwhelmed by the sights that she was star-struck, no matter where she looked.
She also felt extremely out of place.
Nicole’s mother was just the daughter of a middle-class businessman in Y City. To think that she had come here, to such an aristocratic place to seek answers made her feel weak in the knees.
Levant’s face broke into a dazzling smile. “It is magnificent, alright, but don’t forget that it’s also a place filled with people. Don’t think of its inhabitants as otherworldly or inaccessible. They also have emotions and desires. Like us, they’re very much human.”
That’s true. How else can you abandon my pregnant mother? thought Nicole bitterly.
Suddenly, she felt as if all the beauty and magnificence of the place were deeply flawed.
Levant took them all the way through the twisty gallery towards the guest wing. He also arranged accommodation for her bodyguards and found four maids to attend to her every need.
“If you need me, just let any of the maids know. I need to see to the Duke first.” With a curt nod, Levant departed.
“Alright.”
After Levant left, Nicole asked the bodyguards to rest in their respective quarters. With the four maids standing guard outside, only Yoda remained inside with her.
Nicole closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. From the moment she entered the estate, she could not shake off the feeling that something was wrong.
“Do you think my father is someone who lives here? But how did my parents meet?” she wondered aloud. “People normally have more clues to work with, like a keepsake or a token. My mother never mentioned anything, let alone leave something behind for me.”
Yoda observed the estate from the window, with a melancholy look in his eyes.
He could sense trouble lurking behind this façade of opulence.
Yoda suddenly regretted letting Nicole come here. It was too risky.
Seeing that Yoda did not reply, Nicole pressed on. “By the way, Levant mentioned that my mother was also Wesley’s apprentice. I think my biological father has something to do with her learning the skill in the first place. I wonder if this is an important clue. Maybe I can use it to go down the rabbit hole and see where it leads.”
Yoda narrowed his gaze as he turned around to look at her. “That means your mentor might know something?” His mellow voice rang across the room.
“Yeah. But he is notoriously difficult to track, and it will take ages to pinpoint an exact location.”
“Tell me whatever you can about Wesley. I’ll have someone look into this.”
“That could work.”
Nicole detailed whatever she knew about Wesley, and Yoda immediately made a phone call.
When he was done, Nicole cautiously said, “Go back to your room first. Staying here for too long will make people suspicious.”
“Okay, call me if you need anything.”
“Alright.”
Yoda left the room and closed the door behind him.
Nicole looked around at the room she was in. It was exquisitely designed, where even the humble shoe cabinet in the corner did not seem out of place. Every piece of furniture was painstakingly chosen to match.
Her pale fingers slid across the milky white leather sofa. She sat down gingerly and made herself comfortable against one of the pillows.
