After the cool reception, Duke Locke immediately invited her to come in, with Qian Xueying supporting her into the living room all the way.
The guests were seated on the sofa according to rank, and a servant brought over tea and snacks.
Gan Yuan picked up the cup and brought it to her lips, merely touching the rim but not actually drinking the tea.
With Moses involved, she had to be extremely cautious and careful in each step, not allowing for any slip-ups.
"Lunch will still be a while, how about I show you around?" Qian Xueying offered with a smile.
Gan Yuan smiled as she got up.
Now that she was there, she was curious to see what exactly the other party was thinking!
Together, they left the living room to visit the backyard, and Nancy humphed softly, lazily leaning back in her chair.
"She’s just a woman with no reputation to speak of. I really don’t understand what the Duke sees in her."
Duke Locke raised his hand to dismiss the servants and his gaze fell upon his daughter, deep and contemplative.
"If you don’t want to continue being a pampered miss, you should learn from Xueying."
Nancy curled her lip, "If it weren’t for you giving her the Locke surname, she would be nothing!"
Initially, she really liked Qian Xueying but as time went on and Xueying’s cleverness and charm won over everyone, even her father, who had always doted on her, frequently praised her. This had long since caused Nancy to feel discontent.
"What about you!" Duke Locke looked at his daughter with frustration, "If you weren’t my daughter, what would you be?"
"You..." Nancy stood up in anger, "If you like Xueying so much, why don’t you just give her the dukedom!"
She slammed the fruit she had been eating down on the table and stormed upstairs.
Duke Locke stood up, watching her disappear upstairs without looking back, and he heaved a long sigh.
If only his daughter could have half the composure that Qian Xueying had!
"Duke!" a servant approached, "Mr. Moses has arrived."
Duke Locke’s gaze returned from upstairs, "Let him in."
No sooner had he spoken than two figures were already advancing into the hall—Mr. Moses had entered with the butler.
A flash of displeasure crossed Duke Locke’s eyes, yet his lips already curved into a welcoming smile.
"Your timing is impeccable..."
Moses rudely cut him off.
"Xueying is showing her the garden, they should be there by now."
Before he had finished, Moses was already rushing out of the living room.
Duke Locke raised an eyebrow slightly, and the butler approached, apologetically bowing to him.
"Duke, please forgive my master’s rudeness, he’s just anxious to find someone. Please don’t take it to heart."
"How could I?" Duke Locke immediately showed a smile, "I completely understand Mr. Moses’s feelings."
Qian Xueying was looking up at the tall, snow-like cherry blossoms that covered the trees majestically in front her.
"This is ’Edo Higan’, my favorite kind of cherry blossom."
"It shows," Gan Yuan glanced sideways, her gaze slowly sweeping over Xueying’s cheek, "Did Miss Xueying grow up in Japan?"
The more she looked at her face, the more familiar it seemed.
This was no illusion; her memory was impeccable, and she was certain she had seen Qian Xueying somewhere before.
Qian Xueying turned her face towards her, smiled gently, and shook her head slightly.