Chapter 318: Chapter 318

Through the golden fields, their carriage soon came to a stop before an ancient manor.

Unlike the opulence of Rosings Manor or the natural elegance of Pemberley, this estate before them was undoubtedly extremely simple and substantial. As they were getting down from the carriage, An Ning suddenly turned and spoke to Darcy beside her:

"Regarding the worker unrest incident at the northern factories, didn't you have matters to attend to today, cousin? It's perfectly fine for you to leave after bringing me here."

Under the warm summer sunlight, An Ning suddenly said with a beaming smile.

Was his acting really that clumsy?

If he remembered correctly, the Sherlock Holmes she mentioned should only be a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth who hadn't even attended university yet!

Though confident he wouldn't give himself away and cause trouble for his cousin's "performance," Darcy still chose to tactfully depart.

Of course, one thing she hadn't been wrong about was that there were indeed many matters these days. As a gentleman possessing substantial assets, apart from the extensive land income from Pemberley, Darcy had actually made quite a few investments over the years.

But it had to be said, there were indeed many troubles among them.

After a moment's consideration, Darcy decisively nodded and accepted his cousin's "kind consideration." Only before leaving did he not forget to remind her. Things like not staying out too late, and that he would personally come to pick her up in the evening, and so on.

"No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Darcy. On the honor of the Holmes family, I guarantee I will personally return Miss de Bourgh to Rosings before the sun sets."

Though he said this, before departing, Darcy still glanced somewhat uneasily at An Ning sitting nearby. Only after receiving her nod did he rise to leave.

"This Mr. Darcy is truly a responsible elder brother and a trustworthy gentleman."

Strolling leisurely along the paths of Holmes Manor, Mycroft suddenly spoke.

"Indeed!" An Ning agreed with a nod.

Apart from being somewhat soft-hearted and habitually saying one thing while meaning another, as an elder brother, this Mr. Darcy had truly been sufficiently conscientious and dutiful toward both her and Georgiana over the years.

For instance, despite his busy schedule, he was still willing to spend considerable time traveling long distances with his aunt and cousin.

Undoubtedly, having someone as family was quite a good thing.

"And what about you? With an interesting younger brother like Sherlock, your daily life surely can't be too dull, right?"

Under the sunlight, An Ning spoke with an expression of pure "innocence."

From the moment she stepped into Holmes Manor—no, or rather from the moment she alighted from the carriage—the sweet naivety and pure clarity on An Ning's face had hardly faded.

Noticing the occasional surprised glances secretly cast by the maids passing by, An Ning quickly understood the meaning from their eyes.

So this is the future mistress of the house?

She's truly very beautiful, a great beauty!

Thanks to Sherlock's lack of discretion that day, the entire Holmes Manor had already known for a month that they were about to welcome a new mistress.

Now seeing the two getting along harmoniously, naturally everyone was letting their imaginations run wild one after another.

So this is the type of young lady the master likes!

But this young lady seems rather young, doesn't she?

Sensing the surrounding gazes, An Ning's face grew even more bashful, and she instinctively hid slightly behind the other person. Her originally jade-white cheeks soon flushed with a rosy hue.

Paired with her somewhat petite figure, it emphasized her twelvefold sweetness, forming a sharp contrast with the tall, mature Holmes beside her.

Good heavens! Mycroft said helplessly:

"Believe me, dear Miss de Bourgh, perhaps it wasn't before, but I dare guarantee that from today onward, this manor will no longer have the slightest connection with the word 'boring'."

As if already foreseeing something, Mycroft felt a rare sense of relief at that moment.

Excellent, by this time next year, Sherlock will already be of age to start school.

"Is that so? Then I'll take it as a compliment for now!" An Ning blinked happily, not concealing her pleasure at all.

"By the way, what about Sherlock? He's not still obsessed with those number puzzles until now, is he?"

Mycroft smiled and nodded:

"In fact, dear Miss de Bourgh, you may indeed have underestimated the difficulty of those problems, especially for Sherlock who just turned sixteen."

His tone was hard to describe as completely free of schadenfreude.

"Really? I don't think so. Your brother's intellect is evident to all."

"How about this, care to make a wager?" An Ning said with a smile.

"Bet on when Sherly will solve the answer and come downstairs?"

"Yes!" An Ning nodded with a laugh:

"I bet within an hour, after we've finished touring this manor."

"Oh, in that case, you may have already won!" Mycroft laughed.

As the words fell, An Ning instinctively looked up and indeed saw a tall, slender young man wearing a long brown coat walking toward them from not far away.

It was Sherlock Holmes, who had just finished solving the puzzles and was called by the servants to meet the guest.

Having guessed the visitor's identity from the servants, and driven by strong curiosity about Mycroft's other half, Sherlock—currently in his rebellious teenage years—rarely didn't refuse. After simply having a small portion of pastries, he hurried over with his long strides.

However, the moment he approached, an intense sense of incongruity instantly assaulted Sherlock's vision and quickly spread to his brain.

Don't tell him that the one with eyes so clear you could see straight to the bottom, smiling with exceptional shyness and sweetness, was the so-called object of Mycroft's affection.

And definitely don't tell him that the foolish man beside her, clearly fallen head over heels, with eyes blinded like a goldfish's, was his own elder brother Mycroft...

In any case, at this moment, perhaps because the outside sunlight was too glaring, Sherlock nearly thought he was hallucinating.

"You must be Sherlock. Hello, I'm Anne de Bourgh. Very pleased to meet you."

"Just before, Mike mentioned you to me often, saying he has an especially lovely younger brother at home!"

Seeing the newcomer, An Ning, barely containing her shyness, stepped forward enthusiastically to greet him.

"Sherlock Holmes, likewise very pleased to meet you, Miss de Bourgh!"

Oh, that last sentence—slightly awkward smile, shifting eyes, fingers instinctively slightly curling—this young lady was clearly not someone accustomed to lying, or even making polite conversation.

Extremely lustrous hair, not a single flaw on her face or hands, figure maintained excellently, even to the point where one more or one less would not be considered perfect. Clothing extremely exquisite and refined—someone extremely concerned about their appearance.

The only thing: the fan in her hand showed obvious wear, clearly frequently used, which didn't match this young lady's habits.

Oh, the pattern on this fan was painted by her own hand, and she particularly loved it, hmm... strong romanticism, which indeed matched this young lady's style quite well.

But judging by the meticulous brushwork of this painting, clearly this person before him hadn't been studying painting for a short time, yet suspiciously, her hands showed very little trace of it...

Hand-care products? Visually estimating, the time spent on this daily was considerable.

Oh, the boring hobbies of ladies!

Floral juice accidentally stained on her skirt—just moments ago, this young lady had first chosen the more distant garden...

In short, after repeated deductions, he still couldn't find the slightest evidence that she wasn't "innocent and artless," "pure romanticism."

Mycroft's beloved, an innocent, artless, naive young girl?

Wasn't this precisely the biggest joke of all?

Something, something must be wrong somewhere...

At that moment, Sherlock firmly believed this.

At the same time, closely beside Mycroft, An Ning was also "surreptitiously" observing this future great detective with unconcealed curiosity.

Eyes of misty gray identical to the person beside her, high and straight nose bridge, facial features with sharp angles exactly as described in books, a tall figure further emphasized by the long brown coat.

It had to be said, the two brothers did share some resemblance in appearance. Only compared to Mycroft's steady dignity beside him, the sixteen-year-old youth already showed some sharp intensity in his eyes now, like an eagle preparing to hunt.

Especially when intently observing "someone."

How interesting! An Ning thought with keen interest:

It seems indeed as someone said, this Holmes Manor truly has nothing to do with boredom...