"Pearls are excellent. I've never seen this color and size before. As for the ivory, forget it—too long, too large, and far too eye-catching. Mm... I will present them to the king in Baron Anger's name."
"Bruno, you kept your place honestly, and knew to come see me at the first opportunity... that makes you a man with some thoughtfulness. My strong recommendation of you to His Majesty was not in vain..."
"Yes! Yes! Steward Nuno, I, Bruno, will forever be loyal to His Majesty, and even more loyal to you! You are as dear to me as my own father!..."
Steward Nuno's residence was not as grand as imagined. It was the mansion of a court viscount, with a ring of courtyard outside and a two-story building within; in bustling Lisbon, it could not be called eye-catching at all. The decorations inside the mansion were likewise proper and plain. On the walls, there were none of those new, lifelike, expensive "Renaissance" paintings and sculptures, only some ancient murals of the Order of Aviz, symbolizing the old glory of the family's ancestors.
Tonight, Steward Nuno's movements seemed somewhat aged, and his expression carried more than a little vicissitude; even his words were much more numerous than usual. Bruno found it very strange, but he did not dare ask. As for Steward Nuno, naturally he would not tell Bruno that because of the toil and attention of these past two days, as well as the violent emotional upheaval brought by the discovery of the New Continent, King John II had coughed blood once again...
"Bruno, His Majesty is very concerned about the news you brought... perhaps too concerned. And your achievements are indeed great, enough for you to advance another step upward—perhaps even a great step!"
Steward Nuno's expression was distant