“Hey, you!” called out Bethany in a commanding voice. Breaking from his daze, Gerald then looked at the girl who had shouted at him before asking, “What do you want?” The girl who was pointing at him looked to be in her late teens, and while she looked rather bizarre, she was also somewhat beautiful. “Are you all alone?” asked another girl as she placed a hand on her waist. It was the girl who had told Bethany about Gerald earlier. “I suppose you could say that!” replied Gerald as he nodded. “That’s rather pitiful to hear! How about this, Bethany wants to invite you over to pick tennis balls for us! At least you won’t be alone if you do that for us!” added the girl. Gerald remembered his sister telling him that since the Crawford family was so immensely huge with so many complicated branches, it was normal for those within the family to not know who was who among the younger generation. “If something’s weighing your mind, it’ll only get worse if you continue dwelling on i
Lyra asked that question as she gently helped Gerald wipe the prickly grass off his face. “I… I’m, um… Not sure which family I belong to!” replied Gerald. Hearing that, Lyra simply laughed before saying, “I’ll call some doctors over later and tell them to treat your wounds… Wouldn’t want you to get an infection now, would we?” “No, it’s fine…” For some unknown reason, Lyra simply felt the urge to pamper and take good care of Gerald from the moment she had met him. It was truly an odd feeling. “The assembly will begin soon, young lady… It’s best that you head there immediately,” said a person who seemed to be Lyra’s maid as she walked over. “Very well,” said Lyra as she nodded to Gerald before leaving with her maid. “Young lady? So she’s someone who’s been married into the Crawford family!” muttered Gerald to himself as he finished wiping his face clean. In his mind, he was thinking what a blessing it must be for the person who had married such a gentle and attractive wi
“My word! Since when has the Crawford family assembly become this lax? Can literally anybody participate and sit wherever they like? Just look at how pathetic this awkward-looking person is!” Gerald had just finished sending a message to his sister when he heard a woman’s voice mocking him. When he turned to look at the woman beside him who had heavy makeup on, she simply rolled her eyes at him. “Humph! And here I thought that I’d only be able to meet distinguished people after getting married into the famous Crawford family! Never would I have imagined to have to sit at a table here with such a person!” complained the woman loudly, just so Gerald could hear her. The woman looked down on Gerald so much that she seemed to be embarrassed just having to sit next to him. “That’s quite enough! Watch your mouth. While everyone in the family is wealthy, some people are still less knowledgeable and insightful than others! Besides, some of us here may have attitudes of an upstart, so ju
The one who had immediately stood up and shouted at the madwoman was Bethany. “So what if I’m rude? What are you going to do about it?” retorted Xandra, not wanting to be outdone. The two seemed to have forgotten where they were as they continued arguing with each other. This was made apparent since everyone else had already gone silent for some time. “Brother!” shouted a crisp and clear voice which silenced the two arguing women. After all, they knew who the voice belonged to. Both of them then turned to look at Jessica who was hurriedly walking toward them. “Sister!” replied Gerald as he tried wiping the tea stains off his body. “…Sister?” Everyone there was immediately stunned. He called Jessica his sister? Was he really… “Who did this? Who dared to humiliate the young master of the Crawford family? That person must have a death wish!” scolded Jessica in a frigid tone which sent chills down the spines of the other Crawford family members. Xandra and Bethany themsel
“This is Lyra, Gerald! Though we’ve never mentioned her to you before, she’s the one who’s been helping you handle your financial issues all these years. We’ve raised her since she was young!” said Yulia who didn’t seem to have heard what Lyra had said earlier. Though her mother wasn’t saying it directly, the underlying message she was implying was clear as day to Gerald. After all, not only had Gerald already heard others referring to Lyra as the young lady, it was also obvious based on the current expressions on his parents’ faces. “Mom, we’ve already met earlier!” said Lyra a little louder this time as she looked at Gerald with a faint smile. “Oh, you have? Well all the better then! Haha! Alright, no more beating around the bush! Lyra is your fiancée, Gerald!” said Dylan who was looking very happy. In response, however, Yulia coughed before tugging gently on Dylan’s sleeve. After all, they were aware that their son had a girlfriend. Not only that, she was now missing! It sim
While he had been excited to finally be able to dress in attire suited for rich heirs, he was exhausted and in a bad mood yesterday. Because of that, he had forgotten to tell the servants to get something ready for him before he went to bed. Unexpectedly, somebody had already done that without even receiving his orders! Heading to the bathroom in his pajamas, Gerald saw that all the usual items for personal hygiene had already been prepared for him as well. Thinking back, this was his home and family after all. The servants needed to be at least this attentive. However, the thought of servants entering and leaving his room as he slept—to prepare such things for him—still made Gerald feel slightly uneasy. After all, what would happen if any of the maids entered while he was sleeping naked? The thought of it alone sent chills running down his spine. At that moment, Gerald heard three distinct knocks on his door. “Who is it?” asked Gerald. “I’m a maid, young master. I go b
“I’ve called you over today mainly to discuss the incident. You’re already a grown man so you should be aware of the secrets that our family has gained!” said Dylan as he gently patted his son’s shoulder. “See, this symbol behaves somewhat like a curse… People call it the symbol of the Sun League. Whenever anyone personally receives the symbol, they go missing within three days! To think that Mila’s currently facing what your uncle had gone through twenty years ago!” explained his father. “According to what Fynn had said, the curse resurfaces every twenty years, and whenever it does, people go missing. He also said that nobody who’s received the curse has managed to escape it!” replied Gerald. Shaking his head, Dylan then said, “Fynn is only half correct there. While it’s true that the majority who receive the symbol go missing, I’ve been able to locate someone who’s managed to return safely!” Hearing that, Gerald’s eyes lit up. “After interviewing him, the person stated that
“Those two? Humph! It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that twelve-year-olds from that family could single-handedly beat them to a pulp!” Hearing that, Gerald felt himself gulp. He then wondered how Finnley would fare against that family. However, he quickly shook the thought away. After all, his focus shouldn’t be on making comparisons now. Rather, he knew that he had to find a way to get the Moldell family’s help. After all, their family would be an incredibly strong ally to have. “The Moldells live in seclusion most of the time. Even I wouldn’t contact them if it wasn’t our last resort. However, your uncle held on to a very important secret relating to the Crawford family’s bloodline. If the secret had gotten out from the time he went missing, our family would’ve already been ruined by the time your generation came to be! Now that I know that there’s a chance that he’s still alive, I’m left with no other option but to seek the Moldell family’s help for fear that the secret may o