Chapter 368

Chapter 368 Finally Spilling the Beans As Alfred spoke, he realized his slip of the tongue and quickly stopped.

“What does it have, Granduncle?” Cecelia stared at the old man without blinking, studying his aged, livid face.

She thought to herself, “Hmph! You finally spilled the beans.”

“Well, nothing,” Alfred responded. He then inwardly cursed, “D*mn it! How could she actually burn something so important?” He was so furious that he wanted to stomp.

However, Alfred didn’t really believe Cecelia because he knew this girl was very cunning.

“Let me guess! Is it true that there’s a royal tomb map hidden in the secret manual, just as the rumors say? Everyone wants the manual just to find the treasure in that tomb, right?” Cecelia asked.

Alfred stared at her in surprise, opening his mouth but not denying it.

Cecelia continued, “But Granduncle, do you realize your age? You’re eighty-eight years old, practically one foot in the ground. Even if you find the treasure, do you have the energy to get into the royal tomb and find it? I might believe you if you said you wanted to be buried there after your death.”

When it came to cursing people, Cecelia was definitely a master among masters.

She could insult someone without using a single dirty word.

“You have quite a sharp tongue, girl,” Alfred remarked. His aged face turned livid with anger as he listened to her sarcastic words. Nothing offended someone his age more than telling him that he didn’t have much time left.

“I only have a sharp tongue, but some people have vicious hearts and cruel methods. Don’t tell me that you’re looking for the treasure for the offspring of the Songo family! Is it necessary for the Songo family, with its background and status, to go to such lengths to explore an ancient tomb?

Besides, you should know that royal tombs and ancient graves belong to the country, not to any individual. Is it worth expending so much effort on just a few ancient artifacts? Tell me, Granduncle, is there a secret behind the Collection of Fragrant Clothes that outsiders don’t know?” Cecelia suddenly got closer to the old man, making Alfred feel uneasy.

He turned his face away and replied solemnly, “There are no such secrets. Those are all rumors from the outside world. Whether you believe it or not, my lifelong goal is to pass down Fragrant Clothes.”

“Alright then! Since you and my grandmother share the same goal, let’s work towards that goal together. Can you show me the second half of the secret manual?” Cecelia proposed, and Alfred hesitated for a moment before standing up and telling her, “Wait a minute!”

He returned to his room again and quickly came back with a box, placing it on the table. He then opened the box, revealing the words The Collection of Fragrant Clothes.

Cecelia reached out to take it, but Alfred stopped her. “Please wear gloves.”

Alfred gave her a pair of rubber gloves, and after she put them on, she carefully opened the second half of the secret manual.

The second half continued from where the first half left off. The first half mainly recorded the collection and drying methods of fragrances, while the second half focused on dyeing fabrics.

Therefore, only when the two manuals were combined could Fragrant Clothes be developed.

But after Cecelia read it, she noticed something amiss. “Granduncle, this isn’t the real secret manual, is it? It’s just a replica, right?”

Cecelia remembered the original appearance of the first half. The paper of the second half was obviously newer, with chaotic and disorganized descriptions that didn’t resemble an ancient manuscript.

Alfred nodded. “Yes, the Songo family only has this replica. The genuine manuals were taken away by your grandmother back then.”

After all this, he shifted the blame to Cecelia’s grandmother again. Then, there was no way to find the manual since Cecelia’s grandmother had passed away.

Cecelia wasn’t easily fooled as Alfred thought. She became more certain that he had the real second half and he had fabricated numerous replicas to deceive others.

“What should we do now? My grandmother passed away a long time ago, and the only remaining half was burned by me. Granduncle, you don’t have the genuine one, either, and this replica has so many flaws. It seems impossible for the Songo family to revive Fragrant Clothes. Alas! I really wonder where the genuine second half is.” Cecelia looked troubled and sighed.

She could feel that Alfred wanted to deceive her and got the first half of the manual in her possession, just as she wanted to obtain the genuine second half from him.

Alfred could act, and so could Cecelia. Now, it was a matter of who could act more convincingly.

Both of them fell into a brief silence. When Cecelia realized that it was getting late, she said to the old man, “Alright, Granduncle. You should rest early. I’ll off.”

Alfred nodded and watched her leave.

Just as Cecelia reached the door, she suddenly paused and asked, “By the way, Granduncle, I heard rumors that another person from the Songo family disappeared along with my grandmother back then. Who was that?”

Alfred’s face froze for a moment, then he forced a smile and said, “That’s all bullshit! Don’t casually believe rumors. They may cause you a lot of trouble.”

“You’re right, Granduncle. I’m leaving.” Since the cunning old man didn’t want to talk about it, Cecelia let it go and walked out.

After she left, Alfred sighed with relief. Cecelia’s questions almost trapped him, and he thought, “This girl is really cunning.”

That was also Cecelia’s strategy. By asking many questions and repeating them, she caught Alfred off guard, giving her a chance to find out the truth.

Cecelia left the main house and bumped into someone outside, nearly colliding with him.

“Watch out where you’re walking!”

The person snapped irritably, but when he saw Cecelia, he visibly froze.

“I’m sorry.”

Cecelia bowed coldly in apology and walked straight past him.

The man caught a whiff of her fragrance and turned to look at her figure in shock. He hurriedly caught up with her and stopped her. “Hold on, please!”

“What’s wrong?” Cecelia hadn’t paid much attention to the person in front of her earlier. She took a good look at him. He was a young man with a sense of British style, handsome features, and impeccable taste, evident in the details.

Judging from the baggage tag on the luggage he was holding, he had just returned from abroad.

Cecelia knew him. He was Edwin, the son of the Songo family’s third branch. He was a fragrance judge.

“I feel like I’ve smelled the fragrance on you somewhere before. Have you participated in the fragrance competition in Aromaville? Are you the perfumer, Olivia?”

Edwin seemed excited. He had just returned from France. In the past, he had unwittingly caught a whiff of the fragrance on perfumer Olivia during the fragrance competition in Aromaville, and it was an experience he still remembered vividly.

He was a world-renowned fragrance judge, acclaimed in the industry as having an excellent sense of smell.

During that competition, he had selected Olivia as the best perfumer and recommended her fragrance to the Songo Group.

He had been searching for Olivia all the time, and he hadn’t expected to encounter her in his own home today.

“That’s quite a unique way of approaching someone, sir, but I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong person,” Cecelia responded in a cold tone.

“Impossible!”

Edwin couldn’t have been mistaken. Just as he was about to say something more, several figures walked out of the shadows.