Richard and Brando waited for about an hour before they saw Annie emerge from the manor. By then, it was completely dark.
Annie walked out of the manor carrying a food box, her face expressionless. She stepped onto the wooden stool the groom had placed on the ground and climbed into the carriage.
Richard, who had been waiting inside the carriage for quite a while, reached out to take the food box from Annie and ease her burden. But Annie did not appreciate the gesture. She lifted the food box higher, avoiding Richard's hand, and walked straight into the carriage.
Richard's hand remained suspended in midair before he slowly withdrew it. He glanced at the food box Annie was carrying and noticed that its swaying exceeded his expectations—this meant it was far lighter than before, almost empty. In addition, he heard a faint rolling sound from inside, as if some cylindrical object was moving around. That made him think of a scroll.
He said nothing and silently returned to the carriage, sitting down with Brando. At that moment, Annie ordered the groom, "Go home."
"Yes, Miss Annie." The coachman answered, picked up the wooden stool from the ground, jumped onto the carriage, and tugged the reins to drive it toward the city.
"Rumble, rumble..."
The carriage traveled along the uneven road. Brando rolled his eyes, trying to find a topic to improve Annie's impression of him. "Um, Miss Annie, what were you doing earlier? May I know?"
What he received was Annie's icy reply. "No. Shut up!"
"I..." Brando froze. He had not expected such a poor start, and the blow left him discouraged. Like a defeated rooster, he lowered his head and shut his mouth.
Richard watched, his brows twitching slightly as he analyzed the situation:
Annie's behavior showed