The Herb King

After changing Olivia's clothes, Aethelwolf held her hand and brought her to the study. Julie Irish was sitting there while looking at them in silence.

"Alright. Just tell me why you want to come here. I don't believe you are just here to eat my food." Aethelwolf said as he looked at Julie Irish.

Julie Irish glanced at him with a serious look on her face. "You know Enrique Maynard, right?" She asked.

Aethelwolf furrowed his eyebrows and sat down. "Yes, he is my friend. What about him?"

"He is dead." Julie Irish muttered.

Aethelwolf's eyes widened upon hearing this.

Enrique Maynard was one of the four family head candidates of the Maynard Household. He has the highest chance of becoming the next family head among the four of them. It was only a matter of time before he would inherit the position.

"Who did it?" Aethelwolf's eyes turned cold. Enrique Maynard wasn't that close to him, but he still treated the man as his friend. He even got a peak Refined-Rated sword from him as a gift.

Julie Irish shook her head as she answered. "I still have no clue. My informant is still investigating this matter so it would take a few days to find out what happened. However, I'm sure that the culprit is one of the family head candidates."

Aethelwolf frowned upon hearing this. "Why didn't he ask for my help?" He muttered silently.

Olivia looked at him worriedly and held his hands. She could sense the anger and regret in his eyes.

"The Maynard Household has kept this matter a secret and they even killed off a few of servants to ensure that this information won't be spread. What do you want to do about this?" Julie Irish asked as he looked at him. She knew that Aethelwolf was a man who values friendship. He wouldn't sit idly by after knowing this.

Aethelwolf looked at her as he muttered in a cold voice. "I'll investigate this matter on my own. You should stay out of it."

"What do you mean? You are an important business partner of our Urgel Household. I won't allow you to do something reckless on your own... I will help you." Julie Irish said.

Aethelwolf rubbed his temples. His heart slowly calmed down because of his skill [Demon Heart]. "Alright. I won't decline your help, Miss Julie."

"Papa, I will also help you!" Olivia said as she held his hands.

Aethelwolf's face eased up at her words. He smiled as he gently rubbed her head. "Thank you, Olivia."

Olivia eagerly nodded her head.

"Do you have any plans?" Julie Irish asked.

Aethelwolf shook his head. "Just keep an eye on the three suspects and tell me if you have a piece of new information. Once we learn who the culprit is, I will send someone to eliminate him!" He said.

"Alright. I will send more people to hasten the investigation." Julie Irish nodded her head. She thought that he would erupt into a rage, but the man was still clear-headed even after hearing the news. His self-control was remarkable.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Sir Aethelwolf, your wine is here. I also brought the young miss' shake." Hyacinth's voice echoed outside the room.

"Come inside." Aethelwolf said.

Hyacinth entered the room. She was pushing a cart with a bottle of wine and a small bottle of homemade shake placed on top of it. There were also two wine glasses together with the wine.

"Do you want me to pour the wine for you?" Hyacinth asked while looking at Aethelwolf.

"There's no need for that. You may take your leave." Aethelwolf said to her.

Hyacinth bowed after hearing his words. "Yes, Sir Aethelwolf." She then left the room.

After Hyacinth left, Aethelwolf grabbed the wine bottle and pulled the stopper. "This wine is something I created on my own. Normally, it would have taken three years before it would be ready to be served, but I used some methods to expedite this lengthy process." He said as he poured wine into the two wine glasses.

He handed one glass to Julie Irish. "Try it." He said with a smile.

Julie Irish took the glass and swirled it gently. The rich wine aroma pervaded the air and entered her nostrils. She closed her eyes as soon as she smelled the fruity fragrance. "It smells great!" She said as she opened her eyes.

Aethelwolf merely smiled at her words. He then gestured for her to drink the wine.

Julie Irish took a small sip. The wine felt soft and smooth as it moved through her mouth. It tastes sweet and there was a hint of acidic aftertaste that made her salivate.

After that one small sip, she knew that there was still a long way to go before she could perfect their wine recipe.

She sighed as she looked at Aethelwolf. "Do you have one more bottle of this wine?" She asked.

"Maybe." He answered as he chuckled softly.

"How did you lower the acidity level of this wine? I noticed that the world essence contained in this wine is a lot so you must have used high-level ingredients to make it and these ingredients have a higher acidity." She had so many questions after that one sip.

"The taste would have been better if it was naturally aged. It would have had a silky and velvety texture. Too bad." Aethelwolf muttered regretfully.

Julie Irish couldn't help but stare at him incredulously when she heard this. "That's actually possible?"

Aethelwolf chuckled and nodded his head. "Of course. Just follow what I wrote in that book and you'll achieve that kind of taste. Just that, you would need to be patient for that."

Olivia stared at them in confusion. She didn't understand what they were talking about. 'What is silky and velvety?' She thought to herself as she opened the bottle of her homemade shake.

The smell of the shake made her smile. "This is still the best. Hehe." She muttered.