Invitation

Early in the morning, Albert woke up from his sleep, still in a strange daze.

Last night, he studied Brell's Gold Book carefully.

To be honest, the sight of a book made of gold was quite a shock to Albert. It was unbelievable that something that could only exist in fairy tales would one day appear in front of him.

Albert leaned forward and looked out the window. The sky was blue with white clouds, the view was clear, and he could faintly hear birds chirping outside. A gentle breeze blew into the room through the window.

"It's so quiet!"

Albert sighed softly as he went to the window, gazing into the distance, recalling his conversation with Mr. Brood the previous night.

It seems that this manor will belong to me in the future.

"He's really rich!" he muttered to himself with a self-deprecating smile.

Albert was very suspicious of how this manor came to be—was it the property of some unfortunate Muggle? Wizards do indeed possess such abilities, and it seems to be a very simple matter for them.

After all, even the Ministry of Magic has a similar history.

The superiors set an example for the subordinates.

Many ancient wizards must have done similar things.

It wasn't that Albert liked to think about dark things, but according to records, when the Ministry of Magic built the Hogwarts Express, the only word used was "requisition."

There is no doubt that wizards are incapable of building such a train.

"Never mind, it's none of my business." Albert covered a yawn, stretched lazily, changed his clothes, washed up, and prepared to go to the restaurant for breakfast.

The manor was large, with long corridors and empty rooms that felt deserted.

Albert couldn't find anyone in the restaurant, nor did he see the breakfast prepared by the House-elf. Finally, he thought for a moment and decided to go to the kitchen. As he headed towards the kitchen, his gaze fell on the sunroom not far away, so he smiled and walked over there. Isobel was having breakfast.

"Good morning!" Albert greeted the girl with a smile.

"Good morning." Isobel put down his fork, looked up, and asked, "Did you see Mr. Brood last night?"

"I've seen her. By the way, why did you refuse?" Albert sat down opposite Isobel, looking at the girl in front of him with a half-smile. He was about to say something more when his gaze fell on the House-elf had silently appeared beside them, and he stopped what he was about to say.

"Sir, what would you like for breakfast?" the House-elf asked in a shrill voice.

"Just give me a breakfast similar to hers," Albert thought for a moment and then added, "Hmm, a glass of milk would be best."

"Okay, just a moment!" The House-elf vanished in a flash.

"Mom has always hoped that a House-elf could help us cook, but she's not very good at cooking," Isobel said, looking at Albert.

"Then why did you refuse?" Albert looked at Isobel with a half-smile, poured himself a cup of black tea, and muttered to himself.

"It would be really convenient to have House-elf help with the housework. I'm thinking that once I graduate, I'll bring a House-elf from Hogwarts."

"They have a contract."

"I know, but I can talk to Dumbledore. I think he might agree. Anyway, Hogwarts doesn't lack House-elf." Albert was confident he could find a House-elf at Hogwarts.

"Now, you don't need to think about these things anymore," Isobel said after finishing his fried egg.

Do you regret giving up?

"No." Isobel took a sip of her black tea. "You're more suited to it, and besides..."

Isobel didn't say anything more, but Albert felt he understood what she meant.

"Sigh, I was really blinded by the brilliance last night!" Albert exclaimed. "It feels unbelievable now that I think about it. But you were right last time, I do have a hard time refusing those kinds of things."

"Actually, that knowledge is not very useful to most people, and even if you want to master that knowledge, you need to spend a lot of time and energy," Isobel said calmly.

This is also one of the reasons why Isobel gave up. She thought she had pretty good talent, but after seeing the contents of the Gold Book, she realized how difficult those contents were.

The secret of the Two-Way Mirror technique was lost, partly due to its secrecy, but more importantly because of its manufacturing difficulty.

That requires a high level of alchemical skill, just like brewing Felix Felicis, which greatly tests the skill of the maker.

Moreover, it is not only necessary to master alchemy, but also to have superb Transfiguration. Without sufficient knowledge and technical accumulation, even if you master the technology, you will only be able to produce inferior products.

Mass production? There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Isobel also noticed Albert's unusual behavior; he was absorbing knowledge at a very strange rate, which is why she readily gave up that surname.

In fact, Isobel also believed that they were more likely to let Albert inherit the throne in the end. After all, given the same circumstances, everyone wants to choose the better one.

The House-elf quickly served breakfast, which included milk, sausage, fried eggs, and bread.

After saying thank you and taking a big gulp of milk, Albert casually chatted with Isobel about some trivial matters.

There are some things you should try to achieve yourself.

The conversation between the two parties only stopped after Katrina arrived.

"What are you talking about?" Katrina asked curiously.

"We were discussing how to improve the Beauty Potion," Albert briefly recounted his skiing trip in France.

"Is Miss Louise very pretty?" Katrina's focus seemed to be a little... different.

"She's very beautiful. It's said that she has one-quarter Veela blood, and she's inherited the Veela's beauty very well," Albert said with a smile, referring to the little troubles Miss Louise caused the men.

Katrina ate her food expressionlessly, while Isobel seemed unconcerned, continuing her conversation with Albert about the Beauty Potion. She was also skilled in Potions, and the girl would certainly be happy to improve it if possible.

After all, loving beauty is a girl's nature.

After breakfast, the House-elf tidied up the sunroom, and the three of them stayed there reading and chatting until Morg appeared at the door of the sunroom.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Morg," Albert greeted him with a smile.

"It's been a long time. I just heard you talking about Mr. Delacour."

Yes!

Albert then recounted his encounter with Mr. Delacour in France.

"I've met Mr. Delacour. Adrian Delacour; he's a witty and humorous wizard," Morg said, pulling a letter from his pocket and handing it to Albert. "I have some other business to attend to, so I won't bother you any longer."

Albert took the letter with a puzzled look, watched Morg's departing figure, raised his eyebrows slightly, turned the letter over, and glanced at the sender. It was a letter from Sera Harishis.

"What's wrong?" Katrina asked curiously.

"Nothing."

"Your expression doesn't look like nothing's wrong."