Caroline stepped out from behind the door with Charlotte.
"Thank you for your help, Miss Bellamy."
"Thank you."
"Beatrice Bellamy." Beatrice took off her glasses, revealing eyes marked by the wisdom gained over time.
"I would prefer to be called 'Miss Beatrice.' It makes me seem younger."
"Yes, Miss Beatrice..." Charlotte was about to introduce herself alongside Caroline, but Beatrice interrupted.
"Is your surname Christie?" she asked.
"Christie is my mother's surname. My name is Charlotte Von Eiberg." Beatrice hadn't guessed correctly, but Charlotte had a suspicion. "Did you know my mother?"
"Lady Charlotte Christie, right? She didn't take her husband's surname. That caught my attention."
"Yes," Charlotte replied. "Women from Wenze don’t have the tradition of changing their surname after marriage."
Dong... Dong...
Beatrice gestured for them to be quiet and closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the church bells, as if savoring the moment.
There were twenty chimes; it was now eight in the evening.
The light at the top of the bell tower gradually faded. The orange moon had already hidden below the horizon, and the solar eclipse brought darkness to the sky.
"Let’s talk inside." Beatrice leaned on the arms of the reclining chair to stand and invited them to enter.
.........
Beatrice's house was a three-story mansion.
The living room, near the garden, was simple and almost empty, except for a fireplace to fight the cold. Through the large glass windows, Charlotte noticed that the garden was mostly cultivated with chrysanthemums.
Charlotte sat across from Beatrice. On the tea table between them, there was a small vase with some wilting chrysanthemums, and beside it, a tray with a tea set. It was clear that Beatrice didn’t often receive visitors.
The water for the tea had already been boiled. Beatrice seemed to have the habit of drinking tea at night. Caroline served tea for both of them, letting Charlotte lead the conversation.
When Charlotte began to speak, Beatrice pointed to the tea cup in front of her, suggesting that she take a sip before continuing.
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Charlotte complied. The tea had a slightly faded color, but the taste was intense, with a hint of honey and a level of sweetness that Charlotte found pleasing.
Beatrice drank slowly, blowing on each sip to cool it down.
Charlotte wondered if this method really worked.
"You belong to the Eiberg family, don’t you?" Beatrice asked first.
"Yes, I’m Charlotte Von Eiberg, a knight of the Eiberg House, and this is my maid, Caroline. Once again, thank you for your help." Charlotte responded promptly.
"Oh, the Knight of the Red Apple."
Charlotte almost choked on her tea at the title, which she found a bit childish.
"Yes." A slight blush covered Charlotte’s cheeks, and she felt somewhat embarrassed to admit the nickname.
The Eiberg family gained prominence during the Wars against the Witches.
Legend has it that, during a battle, an apple hit the commander of Wenze on the head, and he thought it was an enemy attack.
To boost morale, he knighted five commoners, one of whom was the founder of the Eiberg House.
The family’s original coat of arms featured an apple tree. During the fighting, the founder fought bravely, and the blood spilled stained the coat of arms, turning the green apple tree into a red apple.
Later, the family rose to the rank of count, and the coat of arms evolved to a red apple tree with a gray wolf holding a golden fleece.
Despite the evolution of the coat of arms, the title “Knight of the Red Apple” remained, often told as an amusing story.
"Do you know me?" To change the subject, Charlotte asked a question.
Beatrice explained her deduction simply: "Only from what I’ve seen."
"And from her too." Beatrice pointed to Caroline. "I imagine Lady Charlotte, in her youth, looked very much like you."
"My appearance was made to resemble Lady Charlotte’s," Caroline confirmed.
"Did you know my parents?" Charlotte, eager, asked a silly question.
"Obviously." Beatrice answered kindly, reminiscing. "It was five years ago, almost six. The mist of Solvellon had just cleared, and they appeared. Mr. Amon was the first alchemist to arrive in this city. Though Alistair didn’t like him much, without him, the industrialization of Solvellon would have taken years."
"Where are they now?" Charlotte stood up abruptly. Caroline coughed softly, alerting her to her behavior. "I’m sorry."
"Who knows." Beatrice’s eyes were filled with nostalgia. "They appeared suddenly and left the same way. Maybe in the morning or at dusk. Since then, no one has seen them."
"Now it’s my turn to ask." Beatrice abandoned the nostalgia and looked at Charlotte with a stern gaze, like a teacher controlling undisciplined students. "Why is Alfred after you? I don’t believe the daughter of Amon is a cultist."
Charlotte exchanged a look with Caroline and revealed the whole story.
"We were trying to leave Solvellon when we saw them shouting to arrest cultists. They surrounded people in the street and started shooting. Miss Beatrice, this is absurd. It’s impossible that so many people are cultists. And they didn’t even investigate."
Beatrice gestured for her to continue.
"So, Caroline and I taught them a lesson and ended up provoking... Alfred? Is that his name?" Charlotte asked.
"You got involved with cultists. Your days in this city won’t be easy. I bet they’ve already closed the gates. Until you’re captured, the city won’t reopen." Beatrice looked at Charlotte. "You came here for an important reason. Is it worth it?"
"Regardless of the value, knights must protect civilians." Charlotte answered naturally.
"The knights of Kaihaide think that way?"
"The knights of Wenze think that way," Charlotte affirmed.
"Wenze... I almost forgot that I’m from there." Beatrice closed her eyes, reflecting on Charlotte’s words.
"Knights must protect civilians. What a beautiful thought."
Beatrice remembered Charlotte’s parents, who had also said those words.
"Miss Beatrice," Caroline interrupted. "Can you tell us more about the cultists in this city?"