In the afternoon, Allyce changed into a light gym suit, picked up a less conspicuous car from the garage and hit the road.
Once in the car, he glanced back at the address Tajo had sent and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
The two men understood each other’s true purpose in arranging this meeting.
But Tajo, for reasons unknown to her, had chosen to meet at a resort with fishing and entertainment.
The address was on the outskirts of the camp and it would take Allyce more than an hour to get there.
Whatever it took, he was going to get Tajo to stop.
With this firm conviction, he arrived at the accommodation where he had arranged to meet Tajo.
…
He parked the car in front of the hostel and turned his head to see Saul standing not far from the entrance.
Allyce looked around again and saw that there were not many guests at the entrance to the complex either.
I had checked the hostel before arriving, and due to its unique natural conditions, the hostel was doing very well, with no low season and always full.
But now it is so cold that it could be that the Tagus has taken over the complex.
Allyce’s mind was on this, but her hands wouldn’t stop moving.
He opened the car door and got out, heading straight for Saul.
Saul had noticed Allyce’s car when it stopped.
When he reached her, Saul nodded slightly and said, “Miss Delahoz”.
Allyce asked directly: “Where is Grandpa?
“Monsieur le Comte is waiting for you inside”.
“Then I’ll pester Betances, the housekeeper, to let me in”.
Allyce’s words were polite, but her demeanour was arrogant, her chin slightly raised, looking unusually composed.
Saul couldn’t help but give her an extra glance before turning to her and leading her inside: “Please follow me.
…
There was a lake at the back of the complex.
It was there that Allyce was taken by Saul, and there she saw Tagus who was already sitting there and had started fishing.
Tajo was also dressed casually today and seemed relaxed and at ease.
Behind him was a group of bodyguards, with an umbrella at their side, as it was summer and the afternoon sun was still a little hot.
This was originally a natural lake, not very big, but the terrain is high and it is surrounded by jungle on all sides, which makes it relatively cool.
A developer liked the natural conditions and invested in the development, which has now become one of Cloud Cit’s most famous resorts.
“Mr. Earl, Miss Delahoz is here.” Saul was the first to come up behind Tajo and bent down to call out to him.
Tajo was still looking at the lake and when he heard Saul’s voice he didn’t turn around, he just nodded imperceptibly: “Hmm”.
Allyce stepped forward and approached Tajo’s side and shouted, “Grandfather”.
Only then did Tajo finally turn his head to look at her.
I don’t know if it was an act of God, but when he turned his head to look at her, Allyce saw Tajo’s fishing rod moving in front of him.
The fish was hooked.
As he had already used this metaphor on the phone, he struggled to say anything when he saw the rod move.
Was she not now the fish that had bitten?
Tajo stood still and slowly picked up the line before standing up and lifting the rod, with a fat, tender fish dangling from the end of the line.
The lake is natural and there are many wild fish in it.
When Tajo pulled the line, a bodyguard came over to pick up the fish.
Tajo saw it, but waved his hand and said: “No, I’ll do it myself”.
As soon as he had finished, he removed the fish and placed it in a bucket he had prepared for himself.
The bucket was half full of water and, as soon as the fish was placed in it, it swam nimbly.
At this point, Tajo looked at Allyce with interest: “What do you think of this fish?
Allyce pretended not to hear the deeper meaning of Tajo’s words as he nodded and said, “It’s a good fish, I hear all the fish here are wild, and I happen to know how to cook fish, so I’ll cook it for you tonight.”
Tajo raised his eyebrows at her, with a sharp light in his eyes, as if examining what she really meant by that.
But he soon looked away: “In that case, we’ll have it for dinner tonight.
As soon as Tajo finished speaking, someone brought the fishing rod over and handed it to Allyce.
Allyce, of course, could not fish, but she had no choice but to sit next to Tajo.
So, it was an afternoon of sitting.
It wasn’t until the sun was turning west that Tajo slowly rose, “It’s getting late, let’s go back, you said earlier you were going fishing tonight”.
“Yes.” Allyce rose meekly and let her bodyguard tidy up her things as she walked alongside Tajo.
Perhaps she was acting too calmly and Tajo couldn’t help but turn his head to look at her.
Allyce’s calm was just an act, but she was in a state of confusion.
…
When the group returned to the lodge, the lights were already on.
When Allyce was led by the bodyguard to the kitchen, there were no guests except the staff, so it seemed that the place was really full.
The bodyguard took her to the kitchen and stood guard at the door: “Monsieur le Comte has asked us to lend him a hand.
Allyce nodded, “I’ll call you if I need you”.
In fact, I had no intention of asking them for help.
She took the fish in the bucket, rolled up her sleeves and dissected it herself, and then made a fish with spring onions.
This was his best dish, as it was the first he had learned to cook.
He then sautéed two more small dishes and prepared a soup.
At dinner, it was just her and Severo seated at the table, with Saul standing at her rear flank, handing her – and tasting – the dishes.
Allyce had heard of some of the rules and customs that some nobles maintained before, but this was the first time she had seen them.
Was it a drug test?
Allyce couldn’t help but laugh, a mocking laugh.
Tajo looked at her and took a bite after Saul tasted the dish.
Then he put down his chopsticks and spoke: “It tastes good, not like the cooks at Solares castle”.
“It’s Severo’s favourite. So she had made this dish the best.
Tajo’s face changed slightly at her words, but it was only for a moment.
Then he said: “I like it very much, come back to Solares Castle with me”.
He said it in a declarative sentence.
Allyce blushed and said: “Is that a condition?