Chapter 205
As the first rays of morning sunlight streamed in, warm golden light spilled across the bed. A small, sleepy figure curled beneath the covers. Soon, a head with a wild mess of hair popped out—Zinnia lay with her cheek pressed against the pillow, eyes slowly opening as she stared blankly out the window, lost in thought.
In the morning, Zinnia usually took a moment to collect herself. Finally on holiday and free from the rush to school, she eased into her day before rising to wash. Today, she planned to visit the house her Master had given her—the Moore manor. She hadn't had much free time lately, but with the long holiday, she finally had time to take a proper look around.
After washing, she stepped out to find Yannis had already left for work. On the round table sat an insulated food container with breakfast he'd arranged to be delivered. She noticed a note in bold, elegant handwriting with a distinct sharpness. Picking it up, she read, "Eat before you go out. Call if you need me."
By around nine o'clock, Zinnia opened the food container and sat down for a leisurely breakfast—pumpkin soup, pancakes, and ham omelets, all crafted by a highly paid chef. Everything was delicious. After breakfast, she loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, grabbed her bag, and headed out the door.
Yannis's health was slowly improving—he should be more or less back to normal in just over a month. She started thinking about moving out. She thought, ‘I can't keep imposing on him like this.’
Zinnia had already located the Moore manor. After leaving her apartment complex, she hailed a taxi directly to the manor. Perched halfway up the mountainside, boasting a prime location, the majestic estate rose into view as she gazed at it from a distance.
The taxi could go no further up the mountain, as access was restricted beyond a certain point. Zinnia paid the fare and got out. The Moore manor occupied nearly half the mountainside. She walked up to the gatehouse and explained her purpose. The security guard, seeing Zinnia, immediately called the butler. Recognizing her and the key she showed, he bowed respectfully and said, “Please wait a moment.”
Zinnia waited briefly. Soon, a discreet Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up to the gate. The car stopped, and a butler in his early fifties stepped out of the passenger seat. His gaze landed on Zinnia, eyes filled with barely contained excitement. He was very happy she had finally arrived.
The old butler looked at Zinnia, his eyes welling up with tears. “Lady Zinnia, you finally came. We’ve been waiting so long—we thought you’d abandoned us,” he said, his voice trembling with emotion.
For five or six years, he had tended the manor without ever meeting his employer in person. Though his wages always arrived on time, the owner’s long absence left him feeling precarious, as if he might be dismissed at any moment. When he received the call that someone was coming to see the manor, he could barely contain his excitement—after all this time, the real owner was finally about to arrive.
He still remembered what the person in charge had told him when he was first hired: “Whoever comes with the key will be the true owner of the manor, and from that moment on, everything here will be at her command.”
“Please get in the car,” the elderly butler said respectfully as he opened the door for her.
As the car wound its way up the mountain road toward the manor, the butler, sitting in the front passenger seat, couldn't hide his excitement as he turned to speak to Zinnia. “Mistress, where are you staying now? Would you like to move back?”
“I can have your room prepared right away. What style do you prefer? And for colors, do you like white, yellow, blue, or purple?”
“Tell me about the manor first,” Zinnia said. She actually knew nothing about the place; she'd only planned to take a look. But the moment they arrived, the talkative butler started calling her “Lady Zinnia.”
‘Did Master already tell them who I am?’ she wondered. Since everyone here had been arranged by Master, she trusted them implicitly.
“Sorry for my excitement. I’m the butler of the manor. My name is Laurie.” Laurie began, his voice heavy with emotion. “I came here five years ago and have been waiting for you all this time, Mistress. You never once visited, and everyone in the manor grew so uneasy—afraid you might cast us aside.”
He was genuinely fond of his current employer. His previous boss had let him go due to his age, but it was his present employer who gave him a second chance. For years, he devoted himself to managing and guarding the manor, always hoping the owner would return for a visit. He never expected this wait would last five long years.
Zinnia listened as Laurie rambled on, his storytelling vivid and animated. She wasn't annoyed—actually, she found the old fellow rather amusing. As she pieced together the key points from his rambling, she realized the main takeaway: the Moore manor had been entrusted to Laurie’s care five years ago. In other words, Master had bought it back then.
Laurie and the staff had never actually met their employer. For years, only a representative would occasionally visit to check on the estate, always telling them to wait for the real master. No one knew who the manor truly belonged to—countless people had tried to purchase the estate, but all had failed. Zinnia was the first to arrive after all these years with the key—the proof of ownership—so Laurie and the other staff immediately recognized her as the rightful mistress.
After nearly half an hour winding up the mountain, the car finally arrived. Before her stretched a vast manor, so expansive she couldn’t see where it ended, enveloped by lush woodlands. At its heart stood a majestic main building, flanked by numerous smaller buildings. Flowering vines twined around the arched entrance, and intricately carved pillars lined the corridors. The entire estate radiated a breathtaking blend of grandeur and romantic solemnity, exuding luxury from every angle.
‘Only royalty could live in a place like this,’ Zinnia thought. She had expected to find the manor desolate and neglected, but to her surprise, everything was impeccably maintained. ‘Of course,’ she mused, ‘Master has always been so thorough.’ As the car wound up the mountain and pulled into the manor’s parking area, everything looked perfectly in order.
“Lady Zinnia, let’s get out of the car and switch to the golf cart. I’ll give you a proper tour of the manor,” said Laurie as he stepped out and opened the car door for her. Outside the parking area, two neat rows of uniformed servants stood at attention, waiting to welcome her.
Zinnia stepped out of the car. A chorus of voices greeted her in perfect unison, “Welcome home.” Zinnia’s eyes widened.
“Laurie, dismiss them,” Zinnia said, glancing at the beaming Laurie. ‘This is embarrassing,’ she thought.
“Don’t you like it?” Laurie looked puzzled. ‘In all those romance novels I read, the young ladies always love grand welcomes—it shows off their status. But Lady Zinnia isn’t even smiling at my arrangement.’
Zinnia stared at him in silence, her unspoken displeasure loud and clear. Seeing her reaction, Laurie regretfully waved his hand, signaling for the servants to disperse.
‘She dislikes this kind of welcome,’ Laurie mused, inwardly resolved. ‘I’ll dedicate myself to figuring out what she truly prefers and make sure it’s perfect next time.’
“Lady Zinnia, are you perhaps hungry? The chef has just prepared freshly baked pastries and afternoon tea snacks. Please have a taste,” Laurie said as he and Zinnia boarded the golf cart and began their tour of the estate. As they drove, he eagerly pointed out the sights. “This is the rose garden. Over there is the hot spring pavilion; that’s the party hall; here is the library building, the art studio building, the equestrian grounds, and over there is the golf course.”