Work Prophet
Chapter 98 - 14 Gifts and Visitors

Chapter 98: Chapter 14 Gifts and Visitors

After Ireya had agreed, Fosto set aside other matters and devoted himself entirely to the preparations for the banquet.

Having served the Arias family for over 160 years, the former chief steward of Teacup Castle was already proficient in handling such matters, especially since most of the work had already been completed.

Soon, the date for the banquet was set, and invitations were sent to the major families of the west.

Although the Arias family was not considered powerful in the west, their domain was rather large; however, one-third of it was swamp inhabited by a troupe of thieves that caused much trouble by sporadically raiding the area.

Moreover, the fertility of their other lands was also poor, and the only noteworthy thing the family could offer was carrots, a common food among commoners. Therefore, behind their backs, many nobles ridiculed them as bumpkins.

But no matter what was said, they were still one of the powers in the west.

Moreover, since the Arias family had always been staunch followers of the Figrola family, their ancestors had also been in the army when Snow Claw Philip had ridden thousands of miles to the aid of Alexander I.

This relationship meant that, even now, Marquis Kuren still viewed the Arias family favorably—a privilege never enjoyed by the descendants of those Westerly nobles who had surrendered to Philip when the tide turned against them, no matter how compliant they had been in the ensuing 900 years.

So, even if just to respect Marquis Kuren, no western family would openly decline an invitation to a banquet from the new family head of the Arias family.

Even if the family head himself did not attend, he usually sent close relatives in his place, who also brought gifts.

When Ireya saw these gifts, she felt that her depression, which had been worsened lately by Jude and the lizard people, had somewhat lifted.

She also couldn’t help but regret—hmm, had she known that banquets could be profitable, she should have hosted them sooner, maybe three to five times a year.

Indeed, some lords had done this to accumulate wealth, though mainly through repeatedly marrying and using their weddings to sheer their vassals’ wool, since other families were not fools and would only contribute something insubstantial after one or two such occasions.

But even with vassals, shearing too much could provoke a rebellion.

So this thought only circled in Ireya’s mind briefly before she cast it aside. Then, Ireya saw the gifts sent by Li Yu.

The gift list was sloppily written with "Wangzi Snow Cake + one bag of Shrimp Crackers, four packs of New Orleans BBQ sauce, two bottles of Lao Ganma, and two bottles of Great Wall Wine."

She recognized each word, but aside from the wine at the end, she couldn’t make sense of the rest.

The young lady was inclined to ask Li Yu for clarification, but he had arrived last night and had run off to meet the lizard people, having arranged to continue preaching to them today.

So Ireya had to temporarily set aside this pile of quirky items.

She had much to do today; although Fosto and Yago handled the welcoming, if a closely allied family of the Arias or some very important figures arrived, Miss Rabbit herself had to take charge.

Like the young man currently standing in front of her.

This was Baron Ferdinand of the Batoris Family. Like Ireya, his parents had passed away early, but unlike her, Ferdinand had no siblings and had smoothly become the head of the Batoris Family.

His ears were very small, almost hidden by his black hair, and his eyes were not large and set rather far apart. Under his nose was a faint moustache; he usually liked to purse his lips, which made him look quite stern, though sometimes it seemed he was just putting on airs.

However, Ireya knew that the young Baron didn’t do it intentionally; in fact, he had been like that since the first time they met over a decade ago.

Back then, Ferdinand had come to Teacup Castle with his father and wore almost the same expression from start to finish—yes, just as if he had been cast from the same mold as his father.

It wasn’t until Ireya secretly added a few drops of fish bile to his drinking water that she finally confirmed this guy had other expressions.

However, they hadn’t seen each other since then.

Meeting him again today, Miss Rabbit couldn’t help but feel a bit of warmth.

Nine hundred years ago, the ancestors of the Arias Family had done a significant favor for the ancestors of the Batoris Family. Since then, the two families had become lifelong friends and staunch allies, always moving forward or retreating together.

On the other side, the young Baron was also observing Ireya and eventually took the initiative to speak, "Good, you are still the same as when you were little."

Miss Rabbit wanted to say, "Look who’s talking; you haven’t changed at all," but then she heard Ferdinand continue, "Still as childish as when you were little."

???!

"Is the matter of asking for help also something to joke about? After receiving your distress letter, I immediately gathered my vassals and men and set out on the road. But halfway there, someone from home caught up with me to say that they had received your second letter, which stated you were already fine," said the young Baron with a stern face.

Alright, it turned out to be this matter. The girl really felt a bit guilty, so she chose to endure it.

However, Ferdinand was better off silent, for once he started talking, he didn’t stop, "Putting fish bile in my cup is one thing, but it’s better not to write nonsense in a distress letter. Otherwise, it will be troublesome if something really happens in the future."

"Heh, you really can’t forget about the things from our childhood," Ireya said with a cold laugh.

Ferdinand shook his head and said nothing more, walking towards the castle.

He strode forward, the breeze from his walk causing his cloak to billow, embroidered prominently with a large otter emblem.

That was the family crest of the Batoris Family.

Not long after Ferdinand left, Miss Rabbit encountered another significant figure. This time it was a real VIP, the representative of the Immanuel Family, the second most powerful family in the west next to the Figrola Family.

The visitor was Angela, the youngest daughter of the current Family Head of the Immanuel Family.

The Immanuel is a native-born Noble Family in the West, a major noble since the Enriquez family’s reign over the West.

They had actively sided with the Red Lion Empire shortly after the war began, so after the war ended, their investments had paid off, effectively preserving their territories and nearly all their businesses on those lands.

Over the years, the business empire of the Immanuel Family had grown larger, making them the wealthiest family in the West, holding two towns, one of them being Black Stone City, which was next to Miss Rabbit’s border.

Considering future business interactions, Ireya was very enthusiastic. She had seen Angela’s carriage from afar and went to meet it. However, upon disembarking, the latter deliberately ignored Miss Rabbit standing in front of her.

Covering her mouth and nose with one hand, she asked the two Maids beside her, "What’s this strange smell? Can you smell it too?"