After the dances and during the banquet, Lady Amielle had tried a few tricks to sche against Lara, in an attempt to embarrass her or ruin her reputation. But how could Alaric, her brothers, or Alaric’s guards tasked to watch over Lara allow her to succeed?
Amielled did not even have the opportunity at all.
Reuben also attempted to corner Lara to have a private ti with her. But, if not her three brothers who surrounded her like a wall of steel, there was his annoying half-brother, Alaric, who was akin to a cobra’s coils, with his eyes never leaving its target, and his close and watchful posture even better than that of Espior.
The second prince of Northem was furious, but the banquet ended without him achieving much. He could only hatch a different plan in the future.
***
When the Norse siblings learned that Prince Alaric and his n were staying at ndel Manor, Bener disapproved of it, and the day after the banquet, the three visited Jethru to complain.
"If you are not agreeable to it, why not stay in the house as well. There is still a vacant room on the ground floor. But you have to pay for the accommodation and lodging."
Why did Bener feel that Jethru had beco a money-grubber? Didn’t he live in seclusion for more than two decades, and shouldn’t he have worldly desires?
In the end, the Norse brothers agreed and paid Jethru a lot of gold. They did not mind at all. They were very happy to stay close to their sister.
The three brothers occupied the second room on the ground floor opposite the dining room.
"Master, why do I feel that you are transforming your house into an inn?" Lara asked when she was working on her exercise routine on the monkey bar, while Jethru was moving on a series of poles of different heights.
At first glance, one might think that the poles were placed randomly, but they were ticulously positioned to accommodate the lengths of both children’s and adults’ legs, who were expected to use those poles for climbing, running, and striking.
"You guessed it right, Girl. I want to build a new martial arts school to beat those arrogant bastards in the capital. To raise money, we can build a building over there to serve as an inn. I heard from Prince Alaric that Calma will see a lot of visitors in the near future."
Lara’s eyes widened. In that case, she should speed up her plan. She needed to travel to the capital to determine if she could obtain all the necessary equipnt she needed for her plans.
"Master, I am coming back to Savadra with my brothers. Do you want to co along?"
Jethru, who was on top of the tallest pole, almost fell. He jumped to the ground and approached Lara, who had just landed from the monkey bars.
"The ti is not ripe yet." His gaze turned sharp as he directed it toward the north. "I am not strong enough. They could crush like an ant."
Lara sighed. When she recalled the story of how his master was betrayed and the downfall of Samuel years later, she understood her master’s bitterness and his thirst for revenge.
"Don’t worry, Master, I will help you in any way I can." Lara’s voice was resolute.
"My good disciple, I know you’ll do." The old man patted her head.
...
Alaric and his soldiers, as well as the Norse siblings, found the training equipnt at the ndel estate very intriguing and helpful. They would wake up earlier than Jethru and Lara so they could practice on them and then join Samuel’s exercise routines.
When it was ti for Jethru and Lara to practice, the soldiers would join Samuel and his followers—the Gabriella ladies and the children—to do their ditative exercises. They did not want to hurt the old man’s feelings by skipping it.
...
In the days that followed, Lara was busy giving instructions to Lina on her planned garnt factory. She still focused on backpacks targeting n, and luxury bags targeting the noble ladies in the capital.
Grandmother Arlina didn’t need much instruction, as she seed to have a natural talent for gardening. Anything she touched flourished. She expanded her vertical herb garden, which now lined one side of the estate’s wall.
The system is a drip irrigation setup. However, since there was no way for her to replicate a water pump, soone had to manually pour water into a receptacle located at the highest level of the shelves. As the water trickled down and seeped into the pots below, it nourished the plants along its path. Any excess water drained into a halved bamboo pole situated at the bottom layer. From there, the water flowed back to the clay jar located on each cluster of the vertical garden, passing through sand and small pebbles that acted as filters.
The task of watering the plants fell into the hands of Arlina’s grandson, the 12-year-old Lito, and the orphan boy, Palos.
Sandoz, Ivan, and Ivy also helped, as their grandpas told them that carrying water would help their muscles grow strong. Grandpa Jethru made them a beautiful water skin from a boar hide, which was lighter to carry than the clay jars. The children even had a competition: the person who finishes filling the clay jars in each cluster first will be the winner.
...
The night before Lara, her brothers, and Alaric’s entourage were scheduled to journey back to the capital, Lara handed a parchnt to her master.
"Master, take a look at this. This is the blueprint of the inn that you want to build." Lara laid down the parchnt on the wooden table in the living room.
"This is three floors. You can reinforce the pillars with stones." She explained, pointing to so areas in the parchnt.
Jetrhu studied the drawing, and he looked at his disciple in another light. She never stopped to amaze him.
The sleeping quarters were located on the second and third floors, while the first floor was designated for the reception area and restaurant. The inn features a large frontage and a beautiful garden. Additionally, there is plenty of space on the side for carriages to stop and unload their passengers without obstructing the street.
"How did you co up with these designs?" Jetrhu asked, amazed.
"They just ca to my mind," Lara mumbled.
Of course, she would never admit that those were designs of small hotels in the modern era.
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