Chapter 529: Duke of Norfolk

The next day, Xia Yu first visited the Treasure Pavilion, where he gave Mr. Hua a bank card containing five million pounds. After receiving it, Mr. Hua left excitedly to purchase antiques.

Xia Yu then returned to Huashang Bank. After working for a while, he suddenly asked Wu Hongyi, "Hongyi, I have a question. Do you know anything about the noble families in Britain?"

Although Wu Hongyi was puzzled by Xia Yu's sudden question, he didn't ask for further clarification and nodded, saying, "I know a bit, mostly surface-level information. I don't have much in-depth knowledge."

Xia Yu, feeling certain, asked, "Do you know the Howard family?"

Wu Hongyi immediately frowned, thought for a moment, and asked Xia Yu, "There are four Howard families I know of. Could you specify which one you mean? Any additional information?"

"Right, it should be the Howard family located in Norfolk!"

Xia Yu recalled and provided a hint.

"Norfolk?!"

Wu Hongyi was startled and immediately asked, looking Xia Yu up and down with concern, "Xia Yu, you didn't have any conflict with them, did you?"

Wu Hongyi's unusual reaction surprised Xia Yu, who thought to himself that Elena and her brother indeed came from an extraordinary background.

He smiled lightly and said, "There was no conflict. I just met someone. I didn't ask many questions in a hurry yesterday, so I came to ask you."

Wu Hongyi immediately relaxed, "That's good. Otherwise, it could have caused trouble."

He then explained, "In Norfolk, there is only one famous Howard family, which is the most prominent among all Howard families in Britain. A large part of Norfolk is the Howard family's estate. The Howard family holds the hereditary title of Duke of Norfolk and also has an Earl title."

"The current Duke of Norfolk is Carter Howard, who holds significant status among the British nobility, and the family's power far exceeds that of our Wu family."

"Of course, I've also heard from my grandfather that Duke Carter Howard is somewhat of an anomaly among British nobility. He has a very romantic style. The title of Duke was originally supposed to go to his older brother. However, he faced pressure and married a commoner's daughter."

"Later, when Duke Carter Howard's brother died unexpectedly, the Howard family had no choice but to have Carter Howard inherit the dukedom. At that time, the entire British nobility was stunned and regretted not forming an alliance with Carter Howard."

"Oh, and I've also heard that Duke Carter Howard has close ties with the Conservative Party."

"That's all I know. I'll inquire further and let you know when I find out more!"

"Thank you for your help!"

Xia Yu expressed his gratitude.

However, he was secretly astonished, not expecting Elena to be the daughter of the Duke of Norfolk.

Although he suspected that Elena came from an impressive background, likely from a British noble family, he didn't expect her to be from the top-tier ducal family.

The daughter of a duke could be called a princess.

After all, her father, Carter Howard, is a duke. According to the old European aristocratic hierarchy, he is of the same rank as the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The only difference is that Britain has a queen, so British dukes don't hold real power.

However, according to the ancient European tradition, if Britain were to split again, Carter Howard would be fully qualified to establish a principality and gain recognition from other European countries.

Of course, hoping for Britain to split again is extremely difficult. Even the repeated referendums in Scotland have never succeeded.

…

Three days later, while Xia Yu was at home, he received a call from George Berkeley, saying that a group of people had arrived at the company. The two leading figures were a girl named Elena and a boy named Henry, along with a group of bodyguards.

Knowing that Elena had arrived, Xia Yu asked George Berkeley to entertain them well and then called Li Wuming and the others to set off.

Since Li Xi had relatives visiting yesterday, she was staying home and didn't accompany them.

The car sped along, and after about twenty minutes, Xia Yu arrived at Bright Fund, where he saw Elena and her brother.

Upon seeing Xia Yu, George Berkeley nodded at him and then quietly left.

"Xia Yu, good morning!"

"Elena, it's great to see you again!"

"Hi, Xia Yu, and me too. Although my sister is super beautiful, you can't ignore the handsome me."

"Henry…"

Elena, hearing her brother starting to act up again, raised her voice slightly and called his name with some helplessness.

She often found herself helpless with this overly lively and chatty brother, which was why she rarely took him out, as he always managed to create unnecessary problems, such as the incident of sneaking away a few days ago.

However, because Xia Yu was Henry's savior, Elena's father, Carter Howard, agreed to let her take him out again to thank Xia Yu.

"Henry, your sister is beautiful, and you're handsome too. How could I ignore you? It's been a while!"

Xia Yu smiled at Henry and extended his hand to him with sincerity.

Henry immediately straightened his chest and shook hands with Xia Yu, looking very much like a little adult, clearly pleased with Xia Yu's treatment and feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Xia Yu was inwardly amused. Henry, Elena's brother, was quite a character. His presence and self-perception seemed a bit strong, not quite like an heir groomed by a ducal family.

However, considering Wu Hongyi's description of Duke Carter Howard as an unconventional figure in his youth, it made sense that his son might have been raised with a unique perspective.

Seeing the interaction between Xia Yu and her brother, Elena felt both helpless and amused.

After the pleasantries, Elena, with a faint smile, said to Xia Yu, "Xia Yu, I'm not sure if you're free for lunch or dinner. We would like to invite you to a meal, and I hope we can have the honor."

Xia Yu smiled and looked into Elena's eyes, saying, "It's my honor. I'm free anytime."

Seeing Xia Yu's agreement, Elena's smile bloomed. But just as she was about to be completely happy, her forehead twitched again because her chatty brother spoke up once more.

"See, sister, I told you, no man would refuse your invitation. You should be confident in your charm."

"Xia Yu, let me tell you, you're the first man my sister has actively invited. Aren't you excited!"

As he spoke, Henry even winked at Xia Yu and leaned in close to whisper, "If you want to thank me, let your bodyguards teach me Chinese kung fu. How about it? Next time, I can help you set up a date with my sister."

Hearing Henry's words, Xia Yu couldn't help but laugh. Indeed, a quirky character—ready to sell out his sister just to learn kung fu.

Moreover, he seemed overly familiar.

Xia Yu glanced at Elena unconsciously, only to see her face turn slightly red, her eyes wavering.

"Henry, I think we should have a good talk when we get home."

Elena's words made Henry's expression stiffen, and he sheepishly returned to Elena's side.

Xia Yu smiled and lightly brushed off the awkward moment.

He then took Elena and her brother on a tour of the company.

Afterward, Elena and her brother were quite surprised by Xia Yu's young age and the fact that he had started a financial company in Britain. Elena couldn't help but glance at Xia Yu a few more times as he spoke eloquently.

After spending about half an hour at the company, Xia Yu, along with Elena and her brother, went to the reserved location.