Chapter 1328
The city was under curfew, with the Capital Guard and the Garrison Unit taking turns patrolling. The Royal Citadel had also sent over officers to assist in the efforts.
At the city gates, Carissa had arranged for additional personnel to conduct thorough checks and stop any suspicious individuals.
Since Alistair had fallen out of favor with the king, the Royal Guard had temporarily been placed under Kevin’s command. Meanwhile, Ivan was now a trusted bodyguard to the king. He could still pass information between Alistair and the others.
Homer, Felix, and the other scouts from the Septimus Tetra reconnaissance team had also been integrated into the Mystic Army. They were given general ranks and were tasked with guarding the city.
Salvador was intent on turning the capital into an impenetrable fortress.
He knew these people had the skills, though he hadn’t dared to put them to full use before. Now, with the situation critical, all those with titles but no real positions were brought into action.
Strangely enough, aside from some unusual activities at Willowbrook Estate, there was little sign of covert movement in the city.
As for Violet, her investigation into where the food for over a hundred people was being delivered from the kitchen had yielded no answers.
Bun had been stationed at the kitchen door, observing the meals being sent out three times a day. In Willowbrook Estate, there was only Hayden, Chaya, and Gordon, along with their guests. It was impossible to need that much food, even if the rest supposedly went to feeding the servants in the
estate.
If there were hidden chambers or secret passages, it made sense that the food would be sent there. But there was no sign of that.
After the meals were delivered, Bun went inside to take a look and found nothing unusual–just a perfectly ordinary kitchen, even smaller than the one at Hell Monarch Estate. He checked two or three times but found no secret doors. After a few days, he decided to stay and watch the cooks prepare the food.
When he went inside to keep an eye on things, he noticed that while there were a lot of ingredients, only the best parts were taken. For example, a whole pig would have its tongue, knuckle, or a piece of fatty and lean meat taken. The rest would be thrown into a bucket.
They took only the bellies from 20 to 30 fish. Occasionally, they made fish sashimi. The rest of the parts were thrown into another bucket.
Other ingredients were treated the same way–only a small portion was taken, while the rest was discarded.
When the cooks started preparing meals for the servants, they took more of the remaining ingredients. But even then, much of it was still left over in the large buckets.
Bun was stunned and asked one of the cooks, “Are you throwing all of this away?”
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Chapter 1328
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The cook chuckled, “Of course not. It would be a waste We’re sending it out to help the poor
folk.”
Bun followed the cook as they carried the food to Blessed Street, the district where the impoverished
lived.
Upon arriving, Bun observed the gaunt, hungry faces of the people. When the cart from Willowbrook Estate arrived, they immediately lined up, eager to receive the food. It seemed the people from Willowbrook Estate had been regularly sending provisions here, perhaps even making it a daily habit.
However, Bun started to notice something was off. They had been staying at Willowbrook Estate and watching the kitchen for many days. If the people from the estate had been sending food every day, then why were the impoverished here still so thin and starving?
Yet he didn’t comment on that, instead offering a quiet farewell to the cook with the excuse that he wished to explore the area on his own.
Once the cook had left, Bun doubled back and knocked on one of the doors in the alley. However, he didn’t see a person who was waiting for the food earlier. Instead, a stranger was looking at him in confusion.
With a smile, Bun asked, “The people from Prince Hayden’s residence send food every day. Why didn’t you come out to collect it?”
The man at the door stared at him in confusion. “That’s not for us. Why would we come out for it?” “Not for you?” Bun pressed, confused. “But weren’t the people who were just here waiting for food living here?”
“No, we don’t know them,” the man said, and he quickly shut the door.
Bun went around asking people in several houses, but they all said they hadn’t received anything.
One crippled laborer got annoyed and snapped, “If there were free food, would we still be out carrying heavy loads? Who are you? Don’t accuse us of taking their stuff! We’ve never even heard of whatever royal prince you’re talking about.”
Still smiling, Bun took out a small pouch of coins and pressed it into the man’s hand. “I’m just asking around. No harm meant.”
The man’s eyes lit up at the sight of the coins, and he quickly pocketed them. “Ask away.”
“Were those people already here before this?” Bun inquired.
“They’ve been here for two or three days now,” the man replied. “Every day, a new batch of beggars are waiting right here. It wasn’t like that before. If my leg wasn’t so bad, I’d be out there chasing them off myself. They’ve been making noise all day, and I can’t even rest properly. I’ve got a family to take care of.”
Bun understood. The whole thing started when he began watching the kitchen—it was all just a show for him and his group.
If someone were to tell him that nothing suspicious was going on in Willowbrook Estate, Bun wouldn’t believe it.
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Chapter 1329
Chapter 1329
