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Qiluo Ling went to the nearby station and bought a bus ticket. After validating her ticket, she found an empty seat and sat down.
When she left in the morning, she had asked the young man at the front desk about the bus route to 62 Old Town Market Square. Old Town Market Square is the central square of Warsaw, rectangular in shape, with a long history, and is a landmark of Warsaw. The city buses that pass through can only detour around the square.
So she could only get off at a nearby stop and then walk to the market square. After walking for a few minutes, she arrived at the market square.
The place that used to host markets before the eighteenth century has now become a leisurely commercial pedestrian street. The large square is surrounded by restaurants, gift shops, and cafes. The buildings around are all in the style of the Renaissance Period. There are not many people in the square, and everyone wears friendly smiles. Street performers showcase their art here.
O'Hara Law Firm is located on the third floor of the building ahead. The building is a four-story brick-red Baroque structure, with an exterior that is quaint yet not dilapidated.
Standing in front of this charming building, she looked at the note in her hand, comparing it with the address she had written down; it was indeed the correct address. Then she checked the time; it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon, just right.
Qiluo Ling entered the first floor, with marble flooring, and walked up the dark red spiral wooden staircase, its handrails polished to a shine.
Upon reaching the third floor, the decor inside was even more antiquated, with swirling floral patterns on the walls that bore witness to time's passage. Just as she stepped into the third-floor hall, a woman in a red long dress approached her.
“Excuse me, are you Miss Qiluo Ling from Shanghai, China?”
“Yes.”
“The O'Hara Law Firm is waiting for you; please follow me.”
The woman in red gestured invitingly and led her to the office at the end of the hallway on the third floor.
She lightly knocked on the door and then opened it, signaling for Qiluo Ling to enter.
This was a spacious office with elegant decor; the black desk exuded an air of authority befitting a law firm.
Standing in front of the desk was a man dressed in a dark blue suit. He must be from O'Hara Law Firm. He appeared to be in his forties, with slightly curly brown hair, a light blue shirt, and a blue striped tie, exuding an upper-class demeanor in his every movement.
“Hello, Miss Qiluo Ling,” he said with a faint smile as he extended his right hand.
Qiluo Ling shook his broad hand. “Hello, O'Hara Law Firm.”
He smiled and gestured for her to sit down.
Qiluo Ling sat down, and a woman in a red dress walked in, asking if she wanted something to drink. She shook her head.
O'Hara Law Firm sat down, put on glasses, lowered his head, and flipped through the documents in his hands. The room suddenly became quiet, with only the old clock on the wall ticking away.
After more than ten seconds, O'Hara Law Firm raised his head, cleared his throat, and said, "Miss Qi, as stated in the letter I sent you, the reason for inviting you to Warsaw is related to the will of Mr. Mice Durand. I won't bother with pleasantries; let's get straight to the point. I, Burns O'Hara, as you know, am a lawyer who has long served as the dedicated attorney for Mr. Mice Durand, handling legal matters on his behalf."
She nodded.
"Mr. Mice Durand passed away a month ago due to illness. Besides expressing our condolences for this noble gentleman, we are here to faithfully execute his last will as entrusted to us by Mr. Mice Durand during his lifetime."
With that, O'Hara Law Firm took out a will from the folder in his hand.
"This is the will after Mr. Mice Durand's second amendment; he mentioned you in this document."
"The will after the second amendment?"
"Yes, just a few days before his death, he suddenly requested changes to the previous will that was kept with me. After confirming that he was clear-minded and coherent, we amended the will as per his request and notarized this new document. The previous will is now void."
"I still don't understand; I have no acquaintance with Mr. Mice Durand. Why would his regrets mention me?"
Mr. O'Hara looked at her through his gold-rimmed glasses, seemingly carrying an elusive meaning.
"Do you know who he is?"
Qiluo Ling shook her head.
"You don't know the Durand family?"
The Durand family? Qiluo Ling frowned; this surname was clearly unfamiliar to her or perhaps she had never heard of it.
"I suppose that's understandable since you grew up in China."
"Yes, I know nothing about it."
"The Durand family has always been nobility in Poland; they were titled dukes during the Middle Ages and held vast estates. Their manor once exceeded 1,000 acres and they owned properties throughout the city. Although by the end of the sixteenth century, the tradition of blood nobility was broken."
"However, even today, the Durand family remains a prominent family in Warsaw, with many honorary privileges still retained. The family duke can intercept and use any vehicle; this privilege once applied to horse-drawn carriages and ships, and now, if necessary, Duke Durand has the same legal authority over trains, cars, and even airplanes. However, after the death of Duke Myse, there have been no heirs to the Durand family." Mr. O'Hara's tone seemed somewhat regretful.
However, the tone of O'Hara Law Firm shifted, and his expression became slightly serious as he said: "In this will, two individuals are mentioned: one is you, and the other is the estate's steward, Madam Carolina. She is a distant relative of Mr. Mice. However, she is not present today."
"The will can be roughly divided into three parts. In the first part, Mr. Mice bequeaths a portion of his personal property to Madam Carolina and her husband. The second part donates his real estate and all music records to a charitable organization. The third part concerns you, Miss Qi. Mr. Mice has unconditionally gifted Blycheno Manor to you."
After finishing his statement, O'Hara Law Firm pushed the will across the table.
"If you have any questions about this, you can take a look at the original will of Mr. Mice."
Qiluo Ling took the will and read it carefully. It was not long—only one page—and as the lawyer had said, it was divided into three parts. The third part mentioned her.
"......I voluntarily bequeath Blycheno Manor to Miss Qiluo Ling, including all collections and items within the manor as the property of Miss Qiluo Ling......."
At the bottom of the will was a photograph—surprisingly, it was a picture of her having coffee with Mr. Mu at the Bund in Shanghai. No wonder she felt like someone was watching her that day; it turned out she had indeed been followed.
After signing some procedural documents, the matter of the will came to a close.
She wanted to ask more about the will but didn't know how to phrase her questions, so she stood up to take her leave.
O'Hara Law Firm neither explained anything nor asked further questions; they simply accompanied her downstairs in a silence filled with special meaning.
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