786: WILLIAM HARCOURT

WILLIAM HARCOURT

THE first thing that Luo Yan saw when he walked into the room was a man sitting on a wheelchair. His white hair perfectly combed back. But a portion of it, the one at the frontal left, was covered in burn marks. Those burns probably continued on to his face. But he couldn't tell because of the white mask he's wearing.2

It was not a ghastly looking mask. It looked like one of those masks being used in theater plays. It looked delicate and made it good taste. The only problem Luo Yan had with this was that he couldn't see the other's face. 

He could tell a lot of things based on one's face – their expression, the emotions in their eyes. Most of the times, it could tell more than the words one spoke. But now, Luo Yan wouldn't be able to take advantage of that. 

Although disappointed, he tried his best not to show it on his face. "I'm delighted to finally make your acquaintance, Mr. Harcourt."

The other suddenly let out a hoarse laughter. "To not even show a look of surprise after seeing my unsightly appearance, your reputation truly precedes you, Lord Payton."

"Please, just call me Payton. There are much too many Lord Payton running about. One of which is my dear father. And as much as I love the old codger, I truly abhor being referred to in the same way," Luo Yan said in a playful manner.

"Of course, of course. Having sons myself, I can understand your dilemma," Mr. Harcourt said in that hoarse voice. "You better call me William, then. Because you'll be meeting two more Mr. Harcourt later."

"If I were to refer to you as William, then it's only fair to call me James," Luo Yan said with a smile.

Although he's smiling, he truly wanted to just roll his eyes. Damn this etiquette crap. Going around in circles just to arrive at the same point if they had chosen a straight path. And this was just him introducing himself. How annoyingly tiresome.

"Then, do have a seat, James," Mr. Harcourt – no, William said.

Luo Yan sat down on the seat behind a small crystal table.

"Should I bring a pot of tea, Mr. Harcourt?" Gilmore suddenly inquired.

"Yes, please, Cian."

"Very well, sir."

Luo Yan secretly observed the two until the young butler walked out of the room. But he couldn't read anything from their interaction. It's not only because of the mask covering William's face but even his voice. It's so hoarse that he couldn't hear any inflection from it. On the other hand, Gilmore was the model of professionalism. He could see nothing on his face but respect.

"It's truly commendable for such a young lad to be holding the responsibility of a butler in his age," he commented. 

"You must find it ludicrous, appointing such a young man to be the butler," the other said.

"Oh no. I think young Gilmore has done an impeccable job so far," he quickly said. "Although his appointment was very out of the norm, if he's doing his job properly, then, I don't see a problem in it."

William let out a hoarse sigh. "If only everyone is as open-minded as you. My children had been complaining to me about Cian since they arrived this morning. It's really quite tedious. I almost have it in mind to send them back to their homes."

So, the other guests were this guy's children and probably their families. – Luo Yan thought. "They must be only worried about you."

"Ha! The only thing their worried about is their inheritance. A bunch of ungrateful gits, the lot of them."

Even with the hoarse voice, Luo Yan could still hear the contempt in it. Showing just how much this old man disliked – no, maybe even hated – his children. How interesting.

He didn't have time to respond because Gilmore returned with a tray of tea. 

"Thank you, Cian. You may go now," William said after the young man finished pouring them each a cup of team.

"Very well, sir."

Gilmore gave them a respectful bow before walking out of the room and closing the door once more.

Luo Yan picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. The aroma and the taste were different from Chinese tea but it was delicious all the same. After putting down the cup of tea on the table, he decided that it's finally time to talk about the reason James Payton came to this manor.

"William, the letter you sent to me, may I ask what's this 'interesting case' you were referring to?" 

William put down his own cup of tea. His sudden silence made the atmosphere a bit dreary and gloomy. 

"First, you must know that this manor is not the original Magnolia Manor. The original one burnt down almost 20 years ago. I was there when it happened. It's where I got my injuries. My face was burnt beyond recognition, I became an invalid, and my voice turned to this monstrous sound because I inhaled too much smoke. But what happened to me was not the real tragedy."

Surely, this old man wouldn't say that the real tragedy was the house burning down, right? – Luo Yan thought when the other paused. But when he heard what the other said next, it still surprised him quite a bit.

"My second son, he was there with me when it happened. He was visiting me together with his three-year-old boy, my grandson. Unlike me, the both of them didn't survive the fire. They perished in it until only their bones remained."

There was another pause. This time, Luo Yan could see the other clenching his hand tightly – the evidence of the anger he must be feeling.

"I believe what happened then was no mere accident. I suspect that one of my other children was responsible for this tragedy. And I want you to find out which one of the three of them did it." 

After William said that, a notification suddenly appeared in front of Luo Yan.

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