CH 58

“What’s this?”

I blinked and opened the well-wrapped gift box.

The ribbon flowed gently and fell under my feet.

“Open it.”

Kendrick nodded as he helped Arsene unpack another present.

I opened the box carefully.

There was a necklace in the box.

“Necklace?”

But the decoration on the necklace was very unique.

There was something on it that looked like a round, polished jewel that shone blue, as if the lake had moved to it.

“Is this my present?”

I asked with my eyes wide open.

“Oh, and—”

Kendrick flicked his finger.

Then shadows gathered around the necklace.

Darkness soon drifted over the necklace—.

The blue jewel on the necklace shone brilliantly in the dark.

“Whoa—”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the necklace.

“It only occurs in Fernando territory. It absorbs light and illuminates the surroundings in the dark. Keep wearing it from now on.”

Kendrick picked up the necklace and put it around my neck himself.

I fiddled with the necklace around my neck in a daze.

“Do you like it?”

“Y, yes! I like it so much. Thank you!”

I nodded, fiddling with my necklace.

Kendrick put his hand on my head and stroked me.

“And… Ah. I told you to put this aside.”

Kendrick looked at something and sighed deeply. There was a wrinkle on his forehead. 

At the same time, Arsene and I turned to where Kendrick’s eyes were.

“That’s… What?”

It was a safe that looked incredibly solid.

I don’t know what was in it, but it seemed to be important because it was tightly sealed in several layers.

Then, I heard a knock.

“Come in.”

At the end of Kendrick’s words, Mr. Hern hurried in and bowed his head.

“Where did you put Tamar’s soil? No matter how much I search, I can’t find it—ah!” 

Hern looked at the safe mixed with Kendrick’s pile of luggage and then said with a pale face. 

“I asked you to take care of things like that seriously….”

“Since it’s securely sealed in the safe, it won’t leak. And it’s okay because it’s been transported by ability. Come on, take it.” 

Kendrick held out a small safe to Hern with one hand.

Hern took the safe with both hands as if it were of great value.

“What’s in there?”

“There’s something dangerous in it, Young Master.”

“Something dangerous—?”

“The soil of Tamar. It was hard to get it.”

Kendrick shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing.

“Go ahead.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll be on my way, my Lord. Have a good evening.”

After Mr. Hern left, Arsene and I stayed and opened the gift Lamont Fernando had given us for a long time.

It contained a pretty doll, a cookie set, and a small wooden horse.

“How can I hold all of this… Ah!”

It was moved to the shadows like last time.

I nodded, and Kendrick nodded to see if what I had imagined was right.

“Then let’s stop looking around and go eat. They told me to come to eat in 30 minutes.”

“Why? A little more!”

“You can do it after you eat. It’s not late.”

Kendrick lightly suppressed Arsene’s rebellion and headed to the dining room with Arsene. 

The chef showed off his skills because Kendrick returned after a long time, and there were a lot of nice dishes on the table.

Arsene and I naturally sat on either side of Kendrick and picked up a small fork and knife.

First, I cut the grilled steak into small pieces and put them into my mouth.

‘It’s really good.’

I felt it on the first day, but everything I ate in Yeckhart was delicious.

Thanks to this, I was gaining weight as the days went by.

My white cheeks looked lively, and I had fat on my skinny wrists.

Sometimes I looked in the mirror and wondered if I had gained too much weight. 

“Gain weight? What are you talking about, Lady? You have to eat better!” 

Thanks to Betty, who was excited, I didn’t think about reducing the amount of food I ate.

After eating the steak for a while, I soon turned to Kendrick.

And. 

“Kendrick-nim, I have something to tell you—”

“You can say it without being too self-conscious, Linsy.”

“That’s, there’s Hector in the stable right now.”

“…Hector?”

Kendrick stared at me with an expression of who Hector was.

“Ah, Aiden’s horse! The horse that I treated last time because it got hurt.”

“Ah, you’re talking about that horse. But why is that horse in Yeckhart’s stable? What did Aiden ride?”

“Aiden said he rides different horses. That’s…I treated Hector, and since then, Hector seems to like me.” 

“So that horse…like you?”

“Yes, so Aiden asked if I could take care of Hector and then he left Hector in the stable for now. Gilbert is taking care of it now.”

“Hey, I’ve heard that Aiden’s favorite horse was weird. But I’m worried…that it might harm you because it’s ferocious… Linsy.” 

Kendrick narrowed his brow.

‘It’s true that Hector is ferocious.’

Gilbert has also been injured, and now it has partially torn down the stable’s wall. But still. 

“But it’s gentle in front of me, really. Do you want me to show you later?”

“Yeah, let’s go see it after we eat.”

Kendrick readily agreed. I nodded my head again. 

“Yes, thank you!”

“But if it’s fierce, I’ll send it back to Aiden, Linsy. You’re only seven years old. You’re still too young to have a horse.”

“Yes, I know….”

“But you say it’s gentle, so let’s check and think about it.” 

So, to finish eating first, Kendrick pushed the salad bowl in front of me. 

I poked cherry tomatoes into my mouth with a fork.

From the other side, Arsene watched me eat cherry tomatoes with a wrinkled face.

“Ah, and.”

Kendrick sent the rhyme. 

Arsene and I turned to Kendrick at the same time.

“There’s a festival soon… Arsene, have you ever heard of the festival?” 

“I heard it from Ancia the other day.”

“An, who?”

I added it quickly.

“It’s Ancia Tristan Young Lady, she came and went to the mansion for a while when Kendrick was away.” 

“Oh, the one I saw at the banquet. Yeah, she seemed like a good kid.”

Kendrick nodded.

“I should have told you in advance, but I’m sorry, Arsene. There is a festival held once a year by all the clans. It’s an event to pray for more blessings under God’s protection.” 

Kendrick explained the festival to Arsene for a long time.

“…And this time you’ll be joining us.”

“Really?”

“Really?”

We said the same thing at the same time and stared at each other.

“Yes, Arsene, you are now officially the heir to Yeckhart. And you too, Linsy, are part of Yeckhart, so you have a duty to attend the festival. However, you have to be careful during the festival. Since it’s a place where all the clans members gather, something dangerous can happen.” 

Kendrick said as if pleading.

“Of course, the Knights of Yeckhart will escort you during the festival—but you must be careful. Especially Arsene, you are weak, so if you get sick, talk to me right away.” 

“Ung, I know.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

Kendrick grinned.

“First, you must attend the event at the temple—. After the event is over, you can play in the festival street. However, Ethan and the maids will accompany you. Of course, the Knights.” 

“That many?”

“It would be nice for you to play on your own, but there are so many people on the street during the festival.”

Arsene and I nodded obediently. 

In fact, I was really happy just to be able to go to the festival. 

‘Festival—. What kind of atmosphere is it?’

Gale said everyone on the street was dancing.

Is everyone really enjoying the festival while dancing?

Looking at Arsene’s expression with a glance, Arsene also seemed busy imagining the festival. 

“If you go to the event, you will have many friends of your age. The daughter of Lamont, the head of the lion clan, is the same age as you. The heir of the snake clan is also seven years old. You have quite a few friends, so you won’t be bored during the event.” 

“The lion clan’s girl….”

I listened to Kendrick quietly, and my face hardened in an instant.

“Then will Gale come too?’

The time he tried to drag me away from the temple kept coming to mind.

As my face darkened, Kendrick, who noticed what I was thinking, said while cutting the fish and putting it on my plate, as if not to worry. 

“Of course Raniero will attend, but don’t worry because there will be knights with you. I’ll attach Sir Aiden to you, and he’ll escort you well.”

“Yees, thank you.”

“Tell me if your half-brother tries to take you again.”

“I will. Thank you, Kendrick-nim.” 

I looked up at Kendrick, who laughed and relieved me of the dish.

‘I have a lot to worry about, but….’

Still, the thought of going to the festival already made me feel like my toes were floating.