Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Of course, Caspian had no idea that Ava was interested in him. If he had been that astute and clever, he would have held a position far beyond that of a mere junior official in the Ministry of Infrastructure.

When he returned home, everyone was waiting for him to eat. He handed the ravioli to a servant, instructing them to boil it quickly so everyone could enjoy some.

"I was wondering why you were so late. Was it because you went to buy sravioli? Look at you-you've got your wife on your mind and have forgotten all about your mom. You left her hungry and waiting for you," Zoey teased.

Caspian quickly apologized, but feeling a bit defensive, he explained, "I could have been hearlier, but Harold was so slow. Plus, Ms. Weaver cut in line. She claimed she was starving and askedto let her and her servant go first. That's why I was delayed." "Ms. Weaver?" Zoey repeated curiously, raising an eyebrow.

She knew her brother-in-law well-he usually didn't associate with women. Who was this lady and why was she suddenly in the picture? She pressed for more details, asking, "Who is she?" "The one who runs a coffee shop. She delivered coffee when Lord Snyder was hosting a banquet, and he introduced us. I had Charles buy coffee beans from her before. It's the one I brought ha few days ago." Luna chimed in, "The coffee's not bad. I've tried it. But it is a bit pricey." Being the daughter of a merchant, Luna was quite sensitive to the value of goods, though she didn't notice much else.

Zoey asked for the nof Ava's shop and jotted it down, then said, "Alright, let's eat. Mother must be starving." Given Viola's situation, Evelyn had been ill recently and was just starting to recover. Her appetite was still delicate, but ravioli was perfect for her now. Once it was served, she managed to eat most of her bowl.

"Harold's ravioli is really delicious. If there are any leftovers, don't cook them. Just keep them for breakfast tomorrow," said Evelyn.

"It won't taste as good tomorrow, Mother. Let the servants have whatever you can't finish," Luna suggested. "I'll wake up early tomorrow and make you smillet porridge." "Alright." Evelyn seemed a bit distracted as she set down her cutlery and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. A servant cby with water for her to wash her hands.

"You all continue eating. I'll head back to my room." "Take care, Mom." "Walk slowly, Grandma." Everyone stood to see Evelyn off, which was a familiar routine. The elderly lady had been in this mood lately. Once she was supported out the door, the rest settled back down to eat. Zoey glanced at Caspian but didn't say anything and resumed her meal. After finishing dinner and returning to her room, Zoey summoned the steward, Bernard, to inquire about Ava's family's coffee shop, Weaver Coffee.

"I know of Weaver Coffee, but I'm not aware of who the owner is. All I know is that there's a new young manager now, said to be the owner's daughter," Bernard replied.

Zoey mused, "Strange. You only know about the owner's daughter but not who the owner is? Who ran the shop before?" "There was just one manager, who wasn't the owner either. His nwas Adam, and he was just managing the shop for the owner. He's not around anymore." "Can you find out who the owner is?" Zoey pressed.

Bernard hesitated, then said, "We can certainly try, but we might not be able to uncover anything. The owner has never shown themselves at the coffee house. It's always been managed by the shopkeeper. I suspect the owner might be sinfluential person behind the scenes." Zoey understood this scenaall too well. During Augustus' reign, strict orders had repeatedly been issued to prohibit nobles and officials of the fourth rank and above from engaging in business. At that time, the court had been purged, allowing only the ownership of properties for rental purposes, but prohibiting any direct involvement in business.

During Sigmund's reign, the court had loosened its restrictions somewhat as influential families grew powerful and united. However, even then, it wasn't something done openly If any of them wanted to engage in business, they had to entrust it to a trusted family servant while hiring a shopkeeper from outside to run the shop.

Such situations weren't uncommon.

Even the Earl of Silverstone's family e had similar arrangements.

Of course, owning property was allowed-like buying a shop to collect rent or purchasing land for farming, O planting, or livestock That wasn't restricted. Now that the new king had only been on the throne for a few years, he turned a blind eye to these matters. He wouldn't touch the interests of the noble families since his foundation was still unsteady.

After pondering for a moment, Zoey said, "If that's the case, we might not be able to uncover anything, or we could find something incriminating against someone else. Just drop it. I want strict orders issued throughout the household-absolutely no private interactions with any servants of noble families." "Yes, Madam Zoey!" As for her younger brother-in-law, Zoey felt she needed to give him a few reminders as well.