Chapter 67: 65: Tea Party

“Chris, would you like to join me at the gathering? Your sister won’t mind, will she?”

Outside the Fischer family’s home, Margaret in the carriage furrowed her brows and asked Chris.

“She won’t.”

Chris silently shook his head and then said no more.

If it were someone else, Margaret might think they were angry or disrespecting her, but everyone understood Chris’s situation.

He really was a child who was not fond of talking.

Margaret didn’t quite like Byrne’s arrangement; it was normal for her to have to speak with him each time they went to a gathering, but having to carry that piece of paper and bring a guard made her feel like Byrne didn’t respect Lady Isaac.

Lately, she always felt that Byrne was becoming increasingly domineering; the gentle man he used to be clearly wasn’t like this.

The carriage slowly headed towards the Isaac knight family’s estate in Nasir Town.

Fog enveloped the streets of Nasir, the world was serene, almost isolated from the outside, and the two people in the carriage gradually could no longer hear the noise outside, only the wheels’ repetitive, rhythmic sound echoing in their ears.

“We’re here, Lady Margaret, Young Master Chris.”

The coachman’s voice rang out from outside, and inside the carriage Margaret said, “You’ve worked hard; Chris and I will still come out at the old time.”

The two who alighted from the carriage, along with a female guard, made their way to the Isaac family’s manor.

In the quiet manor, a peaceful and pleasant scenery indulged the senses, and as they entered the main gate, they were greeted by a stone path lined with flowerbeds brimming with blossoms of all colors.

The pair followed the path deeper in, where a verdant green space unfolded before them, a vast lawn as smooth as a green carpet, its visibility reduced in the fog, the only slight imperfection in an otherwise perfect view.

The Isaac knight family was one of the oldest among the knight clans in Nasir, their ancestors having already been knights back when the Cyart people were still the Flame Tribe.

Lady Isaac had already appeared with several servants from the residence.

Chris was seeing Lady Isaac for the first time, a female Bloodline Knight and also the head of the Isaac family.

She appeared to be just over fifty years old, with wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, loose skin, and very high cheekbones that gave her a stern look, with wisdom and strength still sparkling in those deep-set eyes.

“Good day, Margaret.”

Lady Isaac nodded slightly, her tone serious.

“Good day, Lady Isaac. Today I’ve brought a child who also wishes to hear the teachings of the Moon.”

Margaret responded with a smile, clearly very close to Lady Isaac.

Having married from Fein City to the remote Nasir Town, she hadn’t made many friends and felt increasingly solitary; Lady Isaac’s gatherings gave Margaret a lot of emotional value.

Lady Isaac then looked towards Chris, nodding calmly and solemnly.

“Chris, you’re Madam Irene’s brother, aren’t you? I’ve heard of you. Indeed, you are as beautiful as the rumors say…”

She spoke with a slight frown as if complimenting someone was a difficult task.

Chris actually didn’t like being praised for his looks, but he said nothing.

“Chris is indeed a handsome boy. His sister, Madam Irene, is also a beautiful woman. The Fischer family’s bloodline has always been good in terms of appearance,” Margaret said with a smile. In truth, everyone in the Fischer family was full of charm, and the current low point in looks within the family was her overweight son, Darren.

However, Margaret didn’t think her son being overweight was an issue, and she was convinced that her son would grow up to be a handsome and attractive man.

Lady Isaac nodded and continued, “As I’ve told you, I’ve met Madam Irene a few times. She healed a hidden ailment in my leg, and the girl’s temperament left a deep impression on me.”

“Let’s go; we don’t want to keep the others waiting. Let’s join the gathering,” she urged.

She and Chris followed Lady Isaac to the residence and all the way into the drawing room.

The drawing room was lit with candle after candle, casting a bright yellow hue. Over a dozen people were already waiting there, with tables loaded with tea and pastries.

The attendees of the tea party were all women and children, mostly the wives and offspring of the town’s wealthy, eagerly chatting and constantly sharing information they possessed.

“Lady Margaret, you’ve arrived.”

“We’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Lady Margaret.”

“Wow, this child must be Chris, even cuter than you described!”

Chris naturally took his seat at the table where the children were gathered.

Lady Margaret, with a beaming smile, began to interact with the women, speaking rapidly and clearly excited.

“The weather has finally cleared up, it was really dreadful with all the rain before.”

Sitting quietly among the children, munching on sweet treats, Chris suddenly understood something.

The reason Margaret was so keen on attending tea parties was not just due to her devotion to the Moon Lady.

The more important issue was about “cliques.” Since all the women of wealth and status in town joined, she would be easily ostracized if she refused to participate.

Hers was already a sacrifice, having left Fein City to marry and move here. With Byrne extremely busy, Margaret couldn’t rely on him to alleviate her loneliness, so she joined the women’s tea parties to seek emotional value.

Furthermore, in her eyes, there was nothing wrong with the tea party itself; it was her husband Byrne who was a bit neurotic.

The dignified Lady Isaac didn’t disturb anyone, calmly sitting in the principal seat with her hands placed in front of her, quietly waiting for over half an hour.

After the women had finished their exchanges, she spoke:

“Everyone, let’s calm down. Now, our discussion is about to begin.”

“I hope everyone remembers what I mentioned last time about the teachings of the Moon Lady. Only she truly considers the needs of the less fortunate.”

“We, who are rich and powerful, should be the ones to shoulder the responsibility of aiding the weak.”

Lady Isaac distributed some books belonging to the Silver Moon Church to the women and began to calmly interpret and discuss the doctrines. The whole process seemed very tranquil and normal.

Yes, perfectly normal.

The Silver Moon Church was one of the Six Great True Gods Churches. Propagating faith in her could not be considered heretical or blasphemous. There was simply nothing wrong with this tea party.

The tea party lasted for about two hours. At the end, Lady Isaac looked towards Chris with a meaningful gaze, then turned to Lady Margaret and displayed a serene smile.

“I propose we all donate to the orphanage established by Madam Irene.”

Everyone was startled; although Lady Isaac had always advocated aiding the weak, it was the first time she asked for monetary contributions.

“You must all know of Madam Irene’s hard work and mercy. Many people in the slums of East City have benefited from her kindness, and I’ve always held her in high regard.”

Lady Isaac paused briefly and continued, “Unfortunately, she is too busy and devoutly worships the Lord of Salvation, thus unable to attend our tea parties.”

“I wish to help the orphanage and lighten Madam Irene’s heavy burdens, and I hope you all can join me in donating.”

She paused then added calmly, “Well, I will give five Gold Coins. You don’t need to contribute too much, just give what you can.”

The turn of events was completely unexpected by both Margaret and Chris. Lady Isaac was actually calling for donations to the Fischer family’s orphanage.

Meanwhile, hundreds of meters away from the Isaac family estate, in an alley, Irene clad in black sat silently in a carriage, listening to the entire content of the tea party conversation through the Secret Ear Technique.

She slightly furrowed her brow, talking to herself:

“This is strange, why do I feel that she indeed seems to have no problems?”

Irene had met Lady Isaac a few times but never sensed any malice. Her Extraordinary trait “Listening for Malice” had never been triggered, so the other woman might genuinely respect her.

However, the presence of that mysterious stranger with Level 2 power and a Treasure class Mysterious rare artifact, as mentioned by the Lord, still gave Irene a very ominous premonition.