Jeanne d'Arc's guess was spot-on; the visitor was a very well-known lawyer in London, and he had come to see Liang En regarding an inheritance matter.
"You mean to say I now own a castle in Romania, along with the surrounding forested hills?" Liang En's eyes widened as the lawyer explained his purpose. The news was astonishing.
According to the lawyer, the discovery of a deceased Austrian resistor in an Orient Express tunnel turned out to be a member of the famous Habsburg family. According to this member's will, anyone who found his remains and returned them to the family after his country was freed from the clutches of tyranny would inherit a castle in Romania.
"Yes, sir. You are now the sole heir to that castle. As soon as you sign these documents, the ancient castle will be yours," the lawyer said, handing Liang En a stack of papers.
"An ancient castle, with 40 hectares of land, just given to me?" Liang En asked again, taking the documents.
His hesitation was understandable. For European nobility, passing on a title was very difficult, but passing on wealth within the family was easy. A large castle like this should have easily found a family heir, not been left to an outsider like Liang En.
Despite the Western emphasis on contract spirit, when it comes to a large fortune, the wealthy wouldn't easily give up their money. The Habsburg family, a German noble house that built an empire through marriage, had no shortage of family members.
Obtaining a castle worth over ten million should not have been hard for them, so why would they hand it over to an outsider?
Selling ancestral property, especially for nobility, is a terrible thing, representing the family's decline. For a family at the top of Europe's noble hierarchy, like the Habsburgs, this would be unacceptable.
Even though they no longer had a crown, the Habsburgs controlled significant enterprises, giving them ample money and power, far from being in decline.
"It's mainly due to historical reasons, sir," the lawyer said, a knowing expression on his face.
"You know, after World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire split into many countries. Transylvania, originally part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assigned to Romania due to ethnic issues."
"More importantly, the Habsburgs' greatest loss was the Austro-Hungarian crown, marking the start of their decline."
"But no one expected it was just the beginning. World War II soon followed, and after it ended, half of Europe fell behind the Iron Curtain."
"This shift greatly affected many things, including Bran Castle," the lawyer said, pointing to a photo of the castle in the mountains.
"Romania nationalized the castle, and due to the two world wars, the weakened Habsburgs could only protest weakly."
"At that time, they gave up the castle's ownership and publicized the will, offering the castle and surrounding land as a reward for finding the missing member."
To ensure the authenticity of his statements, the lawyer had sought the recent Catholic Church as a witness, making the promise more reliable.
Apart from this noble reason, there was also a practical one: with the fall of the Iron Curtain, the castle was returned to the Habsburg family as a symbol.
Unfortunately, for the modernized Habsburg family, the castle had become a burden rather than an honor.
The castle could only host 30-40,000 visitors annually, economically a losing proposition. Even with ticket sales, the castle required an additional 300,000 euros annually for maintenance.
With hundreds of years of history, repairing a castle in Europe is expensive, especially such an antique.
Maintaining it required a lot of money, not a worthy long-term asset for the modern Habsburgs.
The Habsburgs once controlled half of Europe, with numerous castles and palaces, far too many to maintain.
Thus, they focused on ancient castles and palaces near Vienna, neglecting the one in Romania.
"Alright, I'll have my lawyer discuss the details with you," Liang En decided to accept the castle. Without the Habsburgs' historical baggage, he could simply sell it later.
The lawyer, having received Liang En's confirmation, handed over the documents and drove off.
For a top lawyer, if it weren't obligatory, he wouldn't travel so far. Once he delivered the documents, he left immediately.
"We might need to go to Romania," Liang En told Jeanne d'Arc, who was reading beside him after spending three days reviewing the documents and consulting his lawyer.
"After all, it's a property worth ten million. I must see it in person. Will you come along?"
"Of course, I'm your knight," Jeanne replied, setting down her book. "Besides, this isn't like our usual expeditions; it's more like a vacation. I could use a break."
Through their trips, Liang En realized that Jeanne, unlike him, who was always seeking treasure or relics, simply enjoyed traveling.
As a young woman who had never left France in her past life, now free of her burdens, Jeanne had personal interests like traveling.
Their trips fulfilled her wish to see the world, and this visit to Romania was another opportunity for her to explore a new place.
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