Chapter 626: Ethan’s Little Sister [Part 1]

Torches lit up the castle that night as music played within its main hall.

Ethan and Wallace sat in the seats of honor on an elevated platform, alongside Emma and the Heads of the Four Protector Clans.

The Elves were skillfully playing their instruments as the performers displayed their skills in order to entertain their Young Lord, who had finally returned home after many years.

Each table was filled with delicious food. Everyone made merry and toasted for Ethan's good health and happiness.

When the performance ended, Ethan applauded the entertainers, making them feel that their hard work was worth it.

A few minutes later, the Elves once again plucked the strings of their instruments as the dancing officially began.

Ethan stood up and asked Emma if she wanted to dance with him.

His Promised One was dressed beautifully for the occasion. The ladies sighed in envy, wishing that they were in her shoes.

The two of them then danced, and everyone watched their graceful movements.

The majority of the adults were trying to get a good read of their Young Master, wanting to check if he had grown up as a gentleman during the years that he was away from Caer Wydion.

They were quite happy that Ethan was a very respectful and down-to-earth person who made them feel that they didn't need to be too formal when talking to him.

"You dance well," Ethan commented as he and Emma danced in the center of the event hall.

"I learned from a young age," Emma replied. "All the candidates to become your Promised One learned how to dance so that they wouldn't bring you down on occasions like this."

The two danced for a few more minutes before the song finally came to an end.

Cheers and a round of applause descended on the two of them as they bowed to each other as a sign of respect.

Suddenly, the sound of a bell reverberated in the surroundings, making everyone glance at the grand staircase that led down into the Event Hall.

There, a beautiful young girl, wearing a black dress, slowly descended the stairs while holding a white elephant plushie in her hands.

Her handmaidens, who were wearing ceremonial clothes, trailed behind her.

The young girl's Head Maid raised her voice and declared her Master's name for Ethan to hear.

"Lady Joanne Valentin has arrived to join the party," the Head Maid declared.

The Heads of the Protector Clans didn't say anything and simply stood from their seats, bowing their heads respectfully.

All the people in the room, with the exception of Ethan, Wallace, and Emma, bowed their heads respectfully to the cute girl, who had made her presence known.

Since Emma was Ethan's Promised One, she was exempt from having to bow to the members of Ethan's Family, for her status meant allegiance solely to her Master.

The only time she would have to bow her head was if her Master bowed to someone first.

"I have declared my name," Joanne stated. "So, what is your name? Or are you perhaps a nameless person?"

"Ethan Gremory," Ethan replied. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Joanne."

The corner of the girl's lips curled up into a smirk after hearing Ethan's reply.

"A Gremory? What's that?" Joanne asked. "Is that some kind of dog from the countryside?" Sёarᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The little girl covered her lips with her hand and giggled.

Wallace gave Joanne a sidelong glance before sipping his wine. His gaze then shifted to Ethan, wanting to know how he would react to the girl's provocation.

"I can't believe that my little sister is this cute," Ethan said as he glanced at Emma, who was standing beside him with a calm expression on her face. "Do you think I can take her back, so Grandma Agnes can hug her?"

Emma didn't know if he should laugh or cry because Ethan had completely ignored Joanne's taunt as if it was just a passing breeze.

The heads of the four Protector Clans, Enzo, Fortuna, Heleth, and Thorric, gave Ethan a thumbs up in their hearts for handling the situation properly.

The other Elders, on the other hand, knew that this was just the beginning, so they kept silent and waited with bated breath for how things were going to unfold.

Seeing that her provocation didn't work, Joanne smiled sweetly and once again taunted her long-lost brother.

"So, you accept that you are just a dog from the countryside?" Joanne asked. "I had no expectations from the start, but to think that the four Protector Clans would bow their heads to a mongrel. It seems that the times really have changed."

Ethan smiled at the little girl before taking a step in her direction.

The atmosphere in the surroundings immediately became tense, making even the Heads of the Protector Clans prepare to diffuse the situation by force if they had to.

'Enzo, Thorric, you take care of the Young Master if he decides to confront the Young Miss,' Fortuna said through telepathy. 'Heleth and I will deal with Lady Joanne.'

The Catkin and the Dwarf nodded their heads at the same time. They prepared themselves, ready to take action if the situation escalated.

Joanne smiled fearlessly at the young man approaching her because this was her intention.

She wanted to anger Ethan so that he would raise his hand against her, giving her the perfect reason to use her power as a means of self-defense.

Also, even if the four Protector Clans treated Ethan with respect, that respect would instantly disappear if he were to raise his hand against her, who had been raised in Caer Wydion since she was a baby.

In the end, her importance exceeded that of Ethan, for she had long been recognized as a true member of the Valentin Family.

His answer earlier when he declared that he was a Gremory was also her way of telling everyone that the young man was still not a Valentin and would not be recognized as a Valentin until he shed his former surname to become part of their family.

When Ethan was only a meter away from Joanne, her handmaidens tensed as they readied themselves to create a human wall to protect their lady from her brother's wrath.

But to everyone's surprise, Ethan crouched down until his eye level was the same as Joanne's.

The young man then smiled and asked Joanne a question that she didn't expect she would hear from the person in front of her.

"Are you really my sister?" Ethan inquired. "I'd be really happy if you are. I've always wanted to have a sibling because I grew up as an only child. Can you call me Brother? Just once is enough, please?"

The smile on Joanne's face disappeared, replaced with a scowl.

The mere thought of calling the person in front of her Brother made her skin crawl.

So, instead of answering Ethan's question and calling him Brother, Joanne held the elephant plushie in her hand tightly before uttering three words.

"Trample him, Earhart!"

As soon as she said those words, she released the elephant plushie in her hand and flew several meters back.

Her Handmaidens, who had already seen this scene in the past, also retreated quickly.

Earhart then grew into a three-meter-tall Elephant, which raised its foot to stomp the young man as ordered by its Master.

Enzo and Thorric were about to dash in Ethan's direction in order to save him when the two of them felt a hand rest on their shoulders, holding them in place.

"He's going to be fine," Wallace said calmly. "Just watch."

As soon as he finished saying those words, a loud explosion erupted in the hall as the White Elephant stomped its foot down.

But, to everyone's surprise, Ethan was still standing in the same spot, while the White Elephant's body was pinned on the ground by an invisible force that prevented it from standing up.

A moment later, an eerie chuckle reverberated in the surroundings, and the figure of the Ancient Wendigo turned visible.

The vile creature was sitting on the White Elephant's head, preventing it from standing up with his Gravity Magic.

Its malevolent gaze landed on the little girl, whose face had become completely ashen due to how scary the monster looked.

The Ancient Wendigo once again chuckled, but its laughter was cut short when Ethan gave it a chopping strike on the head, making it stop laughing.

"Don't bully or scare my sister, okay?" Ethan said in a disapproving tone. "If you do, I'll feed you to the fish."

Dainsleif blinked once then twice before nodding his head in understanding.

Since his Master had forbidden him to scare or bully the cute girl, he decided to turn invisible so that no one would be able to see the amused smile on his monstrous face because he found this situation quite amusing.

(E/N: Dainsleif chuckles eerily despite himself.)