Chapter 57 Baron Barnie's Horse Died
The next morning.
Chen Lun left the small manor without eating breakfast.
—because he had not digested last night's food yet.
"The feeling of going to work in a horse carriage isn't bad."
Chen Lun remarked in the carriage.
The roads in the Inner City District were very smooth, without bumps, much better than his previous experiences in a carriage.
Soon, the carriage arrived at the entrance of Pompey Manor.
Chen Lun instructed the coachman to come back in the evening to wait for him here.
The coachman nodded, bowed, and then drove the carriage away.
At the entrance, a maid had been waiting for a while, and upon seeing Chen Lun alight from the carriage, she opened The Great Gate just enough for him to enter.
The Great Gate was too heavy, and fully opening it was a bit difficult for the maid.
"Mr. Jack, Viscount Pompey is having breakfast. He said if you arrived early, you could join him,"
Binose said to Chen Lun as they reached the villa entrance.
"No need, I already ate before I came. Please thank His Excellency the Viscount for his kindness, Butler Binose,"
Chen Lun nodded, politely replying.
"Then please wait in the living room for a moment, Miss Rebecca's Nature class will start at ten o'clock,"
Binose led Chen Lun to sit on the living room sofa, greeted him, and then left.
Watching the old butler disappear around the corner of the living room, Chen Lun idly surveyed his surroundings.
Many framed paintings hung on the walls, mostly oil paintings.
It was unclear whether it was the preference of the era or just Viscount Pompey's personal taste.
Just past nine o'clock, Chen Lun heard the rapid sound of wheels rolling.
Rebecca approached him by herself, pushing her wheelchair.
"Huff... Good morning, Mr. Jack!"
She seemed very excited, and her attire and makeup appeared deliberately styled, looking even prettier than the day before.
"Good morning, Miss Rebecca."
Chen Lun stood up, removing his hat in preparation to bow.
But he saw Rebecca quickly remove her white lace gloves and swiftly extend her hand towards him.
He was slightly startled, then saw Rebecca looking at him with flushed face, expectantly.
"You look very beautiful today, but this outfit might not be suitable for my Nature class,"
Chen Lun took Rebecca's hand and kissed it on the back.
Rebecca did not hear his words.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
He kissed me!
Did he smell the perfume I deliberately sprayed on my hand today?
Is it too pungent?
"Ahem, ahem!"
Lady Pompey coughed twice and walked over quickly.
"Good morning, Lady Pompey."
"Good morning, Mr. Jack."
After amiably greeting each other, Lady Pompey said to Chen Lun:
"Hearing of your arrival, Rebecca left breakfast unfinished and pushed herself here with her wheelchair."
Saying this, she squinted and glared at Rebecca.
Rebecca, unfazed, stared back.
"Ah, I'm truly sorry for that, it seems Miss Rebecca is very eager to learn,"
Chen Lun feigned apology, showing an embarrassed expression.
"In that case, may we begin today's lesson?"
"Yes, yes!"
Rebecca nodded, ignoring her mother's watchful presence, and pushed herself towards the door.
Fearing she may stumble on the doorstep, Butler Binose hurriedly followed her.
Ten minutes later.
Chen Lun sat under a sun umbrella, sharing his views on Nature with Rebecca.
Honestly, he actually felt quite passionate about this topic.
Whether it was his past experiences exploring maps alone or his understanding after becoming a "Beast Tamer."
"...Animals are an indispensable part of Nature, look at this snake,"
he said, pointing at a venomous snake on the table and spoke eloquently.
Rebecca, already frightened, paled and huddled up in her chair, not daring to move.
The green scales shone under the sunlight, its small body coiled up, lifting its little head and staring at her.
"It... it's staring at me!"
Rebecca said with a tremble in her voice.
"Oh no, this is just a fake snake, as I said, merely a prop,"
Chen Lun picked up the venomous snake and placed it in his palm.
"See, it won't bite. Don't be scared, Miss Rebecca, come, feel it."
"Ah!"
Chen Lun grabbed Rebecca's hand and gently placed it on the snake.
Cold, with a tangible texture.
Rebecca slowly opened her eyes and her face gradually revealed a look of surprise.
"It's really fake... but it looks so realistic, it's amazing."
In the distance, Viscount Pompey, not quite at ease, glanced at his wife.
"That's really a fake snake?"
"Yes, Binose has already checked,"
Lady Pompey explained.
"Besides, Mr. Jack is a scholar, not a madman, no one would carry a venomous snake in their pocket."
She said, then shifted her attention back to Chen Lun.
This dark-haired young man had a certain charm while lecturing, which was no wonder why his daughter Rebecca liked him.
Chen Lun finished discussing each part of the snake in detail, along with its habits and origins.
Rebecca's eyes shone with realization and admiration.
She had never attended a class so seriously, and although she didn't like such knowledge originally, once Chen Lun lectured, she firmly memorized it.
What she didn't see, however, was that when Chen Lun unnoticeably stuffed the "fake snake" into his pocket, it "accidentally" fell onto the lawn.
Like a drop of green water, it fell into the green ocean and disappeared without a trace.
This scene also went unnoticed by the Binose and Viscount Pompey couple.
"Let it go check out the backyard first…," Chen Lun thought.
"Hey! Be careful!!"
Suddenly, everyone heard a loud shout.
Chen Lun looked up to see a brown stallion bursting out from the other end of the garden.
It galloped vigorously, dashing recklessly, followed by a male servant desperately chasing after it.
"Ah!!"
Rebecca screamed.
The Pompey Viscount couple and the Binose Butler were all startled.
They saw the horse charging straight towards the parasol where Rebecca was! If it hit her, Rebecca would definitely be in mortal danger!
"Stop it quickly!"
Viscount Pompey roared.
But it was already too late.
In an instant, amid a loud crash, the horse knocked over the tables and chairs, toppled the parasol, and then rushed towards Rebecca.
Bang!
A dull thud followed by complete silence ensued.
"Rebecca!"
The Pompeys rushed over immediately.
With the toppled parasol blocking their view and path, they had to go around to the back.
Their hearts pounded, fearing to see their daughter in a gruesome state.
But what they saw was Mr. Jack supporting Rebecca on the side, with a horse lying on the ground, bleeding from its mouth.
"Oh, thank heavens, Rebecca, you're okay."
Lady Pompey rushed forward anxiously, embracing Rebecca.
"Thank the Sun for its protection."
"No, Mom, you should thank Mr. Jack. He saved me," Rebecca said surprisingly calmly to Lady Pompey.
Her words were also overheard by Viscount Pompey and the Binose Butler, everyone stared at Chen Lun in surprise.
A "frail" young man subdued a runaway stallion?
What a joke!
They merely thought that Chen Lun had pulled Rebecca away from the collision at a critical moment, and the horse happened to die on the spot.
Only then did their speculation seem to make sense.
"This horse was fed something strange, which caused it to go mad, and ultimately its heart burst and it died," Chen Lun explained after examining the horse's corpse. This made them even more certain of their assumption.
Only Rebecca knew that it truly was Mr. Jack who subdued the mad horse and saved her.
At that critical moment, she had widened her eyes in fear and saw Mr. Jack step forward, standing in front of her.
With just the extension of one hand, he struck the mad horse down, as if swatting a fly.
Upon waking up, she could hardly believe it.
Was he an Angel?
No!
He was her knight!
Chen Lun quietly made a shushing gesture towards Rebecca, who blinked back in understanding.
Don't worry, Mr. Jack!
This will be our secret!
"What was up with that horse!?"
Viscount Pompey asked sternly, facing the belatedly arriving male servant.
"Viscount, I…I'm not quite sure," the servant swallowed nervously.
"In fact, it had run amok before, but the specific reason is unknown."
"When did this happen?"
The servant glanced at Rebecca.
"That time when Miss Rebecca secretly rode it to school..."
Viscount Pompey frowned.
So, was that the reason Rebecca injured her leg last time because of this insane horse?
He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Luckily, last time Rebecca only injured her leg.
Viscount Pompey suddenly realized how inappropriate it seemed to think this way, but he didn't dwell on it further.
Then he sternly asked:
"Where did this horse come from?"
"It… it was you, Viscount, who brought it from Baron Barnie's place!"
Viscount Pompey stiffened.
He remembered now, this horse was indeed one he had obtained from his friend, Barnie.
Damn!