Imperial Crown.

Chapter 61 Fiona (Part )
The maids in Eagle Castle were very diligent. The beds were cleaned very cleanly. A one-foot-tall bear-shaped doll was quietly placed on the sky blue linen sheets. It was sewn with soft cotton cloth, and the stitches were dense and regular.

The cotton cloth has turned yellow due to washing, and it is obvious that it is quite old, but it has been maintained with great care, giving people a very reassuring sense of age.

Fiona sat gently on the bed, holding the teddy bear in her arms, rubbing her cheek against its ears, and revealing a peaceful smile.

"Little Baoli, you are still the best..."

After a while, she stood up and placed the stuffed bear neatly on the dressing table, then took out a long roll of cloth from her pocket and unfolded it.

The strips were written with many words and phrases, such as "No appetite", "Ok to meet you", "Thank you for your generosity" and so on.

Some short sentences and words were checked, some were checked and then crossed out, and more were left blank.

After carefully reading the above phrase and clearing her throat, Fiona raised her head and suddenly bowed deeply to the teddy bear, then said respectfully: "Your Excellency, Your Excellency..."

After saying just two syllables, she got stuck and had to look down again. This time, she seemed to remember it well, and raised her head with a hint of confidence: "Respected Baron... Lord... Lord?"

Still not right!

A trace of annoyance flashed across Fiona's face.

She wasn't stuttering, nor did she not know how to say it, but even though she remembered it well, her mind went blank when she started to speak.

Especially when she mistook the stuffed bear named Polly for Raven.

Sighing in frustration, she lowered her head and saw the cloth tablecloth on the table. A gleam of inspiration came to Fiona's eyes and she immediately started to work on it.

Half a minute later, a layer of white cloth covered the head of the rag doll bear Polly, covering not only the eyes but also the entire face.

It’s just that...it seems a bit weird?
Forget it, that’s it!
"Hmm!" Fiona bowed deeply again, imagining that Polly in front of her was Raven, and said respectfully, "Respected Baron."

“Thank you for your generosity and kindness.”

"I'd like to be your helper!"

It worked!
Fiona had a hint of excitement on her face, and with her confidence she lifted the white cloth on Polly's head, but when she thought that it represented Raven at the moment, she immediately covered it back.

"Maybe... next time..."

Time passed as she practiced each sentence to the teddy bear. Her confidence rose and fell with the white cloth on Polly's head, but she was still unable to face "Raven".

There was a sudden knock on the door. Fiona was startled. She quickly reset the furnishings in the house, carefully opened the door, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Grandpa!"

Old Gordon coughed and said, "I'm going to pay a visit to the Baron. You come with me. I don't ask you to say anything this time. I just want you to get used to getting along with the Baron. You must not be rude again. Do you understand?"

"Yeah..." Fiona nodded, and mustered up the courage to follow old Gordon.

What surprised Fiona was that this time they did not go to the study or the conference room, but to the restaurant.

As soon as she entered the restaurant, she heard a series of clattering sounds. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Raven sitting at the main seat, eating a bowl of noodles, with another bowl on each side.

Noodles are not common food in the Nord Province, but they are not rare either. What surprised Fiona was that the noodles were not the common yellow strips, but white ones, covered with a layer of sauce, and were constantly being picked up by Raven with a fork.

The Baron is indeed good at breaking the rules.

Fiona thought so.

It was the first time she saw a nobleman eating so lavishly, eating three bowls at a time.

Are those noodles...really that delicious?
"My Lord Baron," said old Gordon, bowing, "the accounts have been sorted out as you ordered."

"Well, you've worked hard." Raven swallowed the noodles in his mouth and said without looking up: "Start the report."

Old Gordon was no longer surprised by such scenes. Before, Raven would always invite him to have a bite, but after being rejected so many times, he would no longer make such a request.

"Understood, sir." Old Gordon cleared his throat, picked up his notebook, turned to a specific page, and reported: "In the past month, a total of 317 local citizens participated in the construction, including..."

The report was detailed but also boring. Old Gordon read it quickly and methodically, a speed that he and Raven had gradually developed.

"...a total of 462.72 silver coins."

After a brief pause, old Gordon was about to continue his report when he suddenly heard a strange noise.

That sounds like... sniffing and swallowing?
And it came from behind him!
Fiona, what the hell are you doing?
"Ahem!" Old Gordon coughed heavily. He heard the voice behind him pause for a moment and continued his report: "Food consumption has increased compared to expectations..."

Before he could say a few words, the voice behind him sounded again.

Gulu.

That was the sound of the stomach growling, and it could be heard clearly in the empty restaurant.

Old Gordon's face turned red all of a sudden. It was really rude to make such a sound in front of the Baron.

Could it be that Fiona was interested in this new kind of noodles? Impossible! She was never interested in any food.

But considering his granddaughter's frail body, the old retainer spoke out of character, rubbing his stomach and taking the blame for Fiona: "My Lord Baron, I... am a little hungry."

"It's okay. Everyone gets hungry." Raven raised his head and wiped his mouth. "You don't have time to eat at noon, right? Then sit down and eat together."

As he said this, he pushed the two bowls of noodles aside.

Old Gordon was still sticking to etiquette: "Sir, this is against the rules, otherwise we should go downstairs to eat..."

"My words are the rules." Raven showed a meaningful smile: "Your stomach was growling so loudly just now. If you faint from hunger here later, wouldn't it seem that I am too harsh on my retainers?"

"sit down!"

"...Yes, sir." Old Gordon turned and looked at Fiona, implying that she should not be rude again.

Old Gordon was still relieved about this. His granddaughter had never liked eating much and her manners were very elegant, so she would not offend the adults.

Sitting on either side of Raven with Fiona, Gordon Sr. tucked in his napkin and began methodically mixing the noodles with the sauce.

Raven temporarily stopped eating and watched the two people's actions with interest.

As expected of grandparents and grandchildren, Fiona and old Gordon behaved in exactly the same way. They mixed the noodles very methodically, and it did not seem like they were about to eat them, but rather like they were preparing for a magic experiment.

Noodles still exist in this world, but the ingredients are not just flour. Instead, they are made with lethal amounts of milk and butter, as well as a variety of toppings - the term here is sauce.

It tastes sticky, which is not bad, but it is far from the noodles Raven had in mind.

Thanks to this, Lei Wen didn't have to explain how to mix the noodles.

After mixing the noodles, Fiona raised her head and glanced at Raven. She found that he was looking at her and her body froze.

Raven smiled lightly, no longer paying attention, lowered his head and continued eating.

After a while, Fiona made sure that Raven was not still looking at her, and then she picked up a noodle with her fork, but her expression was still a little hesitant.

Fiona was not very willing to eat at first, but although Raven's eating manner was rough, it was so contagious. In addition, the salty and fresh aroma in the air immediately aroused her appetite, and she couldn't help swallowing her saliva.

Moreover, this bowl of novel noodles looks really good. The white noodles are smooth and translucent, and the amber sauce on top has golden and silver filaments. The shredded pickles, carrots and lettuce placed on the edge of the bowl are brightly colored and pleasing to the eye.

But when it was mixed, it didn't look so good anymore, and reminded her of those sticky noodles that looked like stewed slugs.

But the sound of Raven slurping noodles in her ears once again stimulated her nerves, and Fiona couldn't help but put a noodle into her mouth.

Ok?
Um! !

The next moment, her eyes suddenly lit up.

The noodles not only look good, but are also chewy and smooth without being hard. In addition to the aroma of the flour itself, there is also a hint of egg fragrance. Combined with the delicious gravy, it immediately activated her long-dormant appetite.

Fiona swallowed and smiled. Her eyes and eyebrows became more lively than ever under the glasses as thick as the bottom of a bottle.

After chewing and swallowing the first noodle carefully, Fiona immediately couldn't help but eat the next one.

She was a girl who was very good at learning from experience. She immediately recalled how Raven had eaten noodles before, and couldn't wait to start a new attempt.

First, use a fork to roll up the shredded pickles, carrots, and lettuce. Then pick up the noodles covered with sauce, twist them into a big ball on the fork, and put the whole thing into your mouth.

There was a smile on her lips, her eyes were narrowed, and a satisfied hum came from her small nose. She felt unprecedented satisfaction and happiness.

How delicious!
The sour, salty and umami tastes exploded in her mouth one after another, further dispelling the greasiness of the gravy and adding a lot of flavor, completely awakening her taste buds. She no longer cared about her image and started to eat it up in a whirlwind.

Raven saw this scene and felt quite proud.

Humph, little guy, I knew no one can resist the temptation of a bowl of noodles with soybean paste!
You know, this is the skill he accumulated over more than ten years in his previous life!
It’s a pity that there are too few types of side dishes, otherwise they would definitely be even more surprised!

Even without so many side dishes, old Gordon was already impressive.

At this time, he adjusted his monocle and stared blankly at Fiona who was eating happily.

Oh my god! She actually likes to eat something so much?
Although they didn't have many opportunities to meet, Old Gordon was always concerned about Fiona's health. Ever since she went to Hovey City eight years ago, she had become thinner and thinner. Old Gordon had thought of many ways to solve this problem, but all had little effect.

But now, after five years, Fiona is finally eating again!
Looking at the happy expression on Fiona's face, Old Gordon felt relieved.

But the feeling of relief disappeared immediately and his heart began to lift again.

Fiona actually overturned in the most unexpected place.

The way she eats is a bit...

Not very elegant.

There was sauce on the edges of his lips. Maybe he ate too vigorously, and even his thick glasses had a few stains.

But Fiona was completely unaware and was enjoying her meal so much that she even started making the same sounds as Raven!

Excuse me, so rude!
Old Gordon lowered his head and winked at his granddaughter secretly, but Fiona was completely immersed in the food and couldn't divert her attention.

It’s broken, it’s broken…

Old Gordon groaned inwardly.

clang.

The sound of a fork hitting the bowl was heard, and Old Gordon looked up, only to see that Fiona had finished her noodles and was licking her lips.

It's delicious!

Fiona thought so.

She let out a long breath through her nose and was suddenly a little surprised.

Why was Grandpa looking at me like that? And why was he constantly wiping his already clean lips?
Oh no!
Fiona was startled and quickly picked up the napkin to wipe her lips, secretly regretting why she was so rude.

But the more panicked you are, the more mistakes you will make.

Her lips parted slightly and she let out an uncontrollable breath.

"belch--"

……

(End of this chapter)