Chapter 132 Angelina's Tea Party 1
"Clang, clang, clangβ"
A heavy bell tolled, seeming to come from underground, or perhaps from all directions. It was heavy, like a giant boulder attached to a pendulum that could never be pushed to the top of a mountain.
Lin Xiangjun slowly opened her eyes.
She was sitting at a beautiful mahogany table covered with a white lace tablecloth. The exposed table legs featured intricate and delicate carvings. On the white tablecloth sat a silver teapot and teacups, along with some scattered small jars, and exquisite little cakes, macarons, and other pretty pastries she recognized and didn't recognize, all served on lace-trimmed porcelain plates.
In front of Lin Xiangjun sat an empty small plate, a small fork, a teacup, and a piece of paper placed neatly and flatly beside her plate.
She looked around.
Near the door stood a man dressed as a Servant. He had a high hairline, a mustache that curled up at the ends, wore a black tuxedo, white gloves, and a monocle, standing silently and solemnly.
Aside from Lin Xiangjun, the only other person in the room was this Servant, who stood motionless with half-closed eyes.
Before figuring out the rules of the instance, Lin Xiangjun didn't rashly stand up from the chair; instead, she reached out and picked up the paper with the writing on it.
"Dear Guest, welcome to Angelina's Tea Party. Please read and follow the rules below carefully; they will ensure your safety until you drink the truly delicious black tea."
γ1. The tea party begins at 3:00 PM and ends at 5:00 PM. The hands of the clock are your most reliable friends and your most dangerous enemies.γ
γ2. The hostess, Ms. Angelina, loves dark green. If you see dark red patterns resembling blood vessels appearing on her dress, do not raise an alarm, and immediately compliment her pearl necklace.γ
γ3. Angelina's black tea can significantly improve the drinker's physical constitutionβthis is the tea party's only and greatest gift. However, this effect will only be safe and permanent if consumed after adding both "True Rose Tea Leaves" and "Pure Soul Sugar Cubes." Otherwise, it will only bring temporary vitality followed by deeper exhaustion.γ
γ4. The living room is relatively safe. Entering the study and bedroom is strictly prohibited. If you find yourself in either, immediately find the silver bell in the room, ring it, and then remain still until you are "invited" back to the living room by a Servant. You only have one chance to ring the bell.γ
γ5. The tea leaves are in a locked glass display cabinet in the study. The sugar cubes are in an ivory jar on the bedroom vanity.γ
γ6. All Servants wear white bow ties and are silent. If you see a Servant wearing a black bow tie with tea stains on the corners of their mouth, please stay away. They are Guests, or at least, they once were.γ
γ7. The mirror in the living room will honestly reflect your "vitality." If you in the mirror age rapidly or become transparent, immediately take a sip of the black tea in any cup at hand (regardless of whom it belongs to). If you see Angelina standing behind you in the mirror, but she is not actually behind you, hold your breath and close your eyes; she will leave.γ
γ8. Do not accept any food offered by other Guests, especially if they are overly enthusiastic; they may just want to "share" their fate with you.γ
γ9. At 4:30 PM, the large clock will chime, but the hands will tick back counter-clockwise slightly. At this moment, the protective effects of all rules will temporarily fail for three minutes. This is your only chance to obtain the tea leaves and sugar cubes, and also the moment you are most likely to be "discovered."γ
γ10. When you drink the "complete tea," Angelina will applaud you sincerely. Please be sure to pour all the rose sugar (ordinary sugar cubes) on your plate into your empty cup before the applause ends, and say: "Thank you for your hospitality; may this sweetness accompany my journey home." Otherwise, you will remain to keep her company forever.γ
γ11. Please use the front door when leaving. No matter if there is pleading, weeping, or angry roaring behind you, you must never look back.γ
This was a two-star instance. There were no fake rules among the rules, but the handwriting of the fifth rule was twisted, as if it were struggling.
Lin Xiangjun memorized the rules by reciting them silently twice, then tucked the paper into her notebook.
After she finished reading the rules and put her notebook away, the Servant standing motionless at the door suddenly coughed twice, then bowed.
Lin Xiangjun immediately guessed that it might be the tea party hostess, Angelina, so she stood up at once.
"Good afternoon, my dear Guest. I am so sorry to have kept you waiting; my grooming and dressing took far too long today. I hope you don't mind."
Angelina said this as she walked in.
Angelina was a very typical European noblewoman, wearing a velvet dark green gown with layers of skirts spread out exaggeratedly, at least three or four meters in diameter. She had long, golden curly hair piled into a high bun, adorned with pearl hair accessories, a pearl necklace, and pearl earrings. She had a pair of beautiful blue eyes, and when she raised her hand to wave her fan, the strands of pearl bracelets on her wrist, which looked like sleeves, clattered loudly.
She was beautiful, but Lin Xiangjun always felt vaguely that something was wrong.
She remembered that in ancient Europe, etiquette requirements for women were very strict; women were expected to be demure and respectful, without overly expressive facial expressions or overly obvious emotions in their speech, otherwise, they would be considered insane.
But Angelina's way of speaking didn't seem to have anything to do with being demure.
Lin Xiangjun was puzzled, but she still bowed slightly: "No, Madam, I have not been waiting long."
Angelina waved her fan and pulled out a chair to sit at the head of the table.
"Grooming and dressing is such a troublesome affair, especially since getting my hair into such a beautiful bun is truly no easy task... Today's bun is already simple! If it were the sailboat-style bun I wore to the banquet before, I would have had to get up six hours early to do my hair and makeup."
As she spoke, Angelina picked up the teapot in the center of the table to pour tea for Lin Xiangjun.
However, the moment she touched the teapot handle, she gave a small gasp: "Henry! Didn't you brew tea for the Guest in advance? This pot of tea is already cold; how can I serve this to a Guest? Go and pour it outβMiss, please don't mind, I just bought some new herbal tea a couple of days ago, I'm sure you'll love the taste."
Unbelievable, she wasn't even pretending anymore.
You can tell if it's hot just by touching the handle? You won't even touch the body of the pot to put on a show for me?
"My apologies, Madam. It was my oversight; I shall brew a fresh pot of tea right now."
Lin Xiangjun firmly pressed down on the teapot and said with a gentle smile: "It's alright, Madam. I ate something too hot earlier and injured my mouth, so I need to drink tea that isn't too hot right now. I specifically let this pot of black tea cool down; the current temperature is just right for me, no need to change it."
π Text To Speech
Listen while reading