Chapter 101: 97 Inferiority

“Master Darren, be careful.”

In the banquet hall of the Fischer family manor, Vanessa held the small Lilian in her arms and helplessly gazed at the curious and extremely restless Darren, saying with some concern.

Seven-year-old Darren was standing on the table usually used for dining, his plump body jumping up time and again as he tried to reach the chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

“You’d better come down, if you fall, I’m sure Hospital Director Irene will have words with me.”

Vanessa helplessly put down the three-year-old Lilian and stepped forward.

Lilian’s hair, like her mother’s, was soft and light golden while her sapphire-like eyes were inherited from her father, pure and natural like the azure sky, quietly and curiously watching her brother Darren.

She was well-behaved, obedient, and sensible — a stark contrast to the always restless Darren.

Vanessa approached the table, intending to get him down, yet Darren didn’t listen to her at all.

Having mastered the Power of Consecution, she could jump onto the table and forcibly take the jumping Darren down.

But to jump onto the table herself would be quite unseemly, and Vanessa felt that doing so would definitely infuriate Master Darren.

Indeed, Darren shouted impatiently, “I won’t listen to you, who do you think you are? Stop meddling in my business!”

Vanessa frowned slightly; she didn’t particularly like Master Darren’s personality.

He behaved well in front of his parents and the Hospital Director, perhaps a bit too inquisitive, but when it came to dealing with elders otherwise, he tended to enjoy being mischievous and making trouble.

She thought it might be because of his young age, so his personality was a bit troublesome. He might grow out of it as he got older.

While pondering, Vanessa suddenly thought of Chris.

She actually remembered that Chris, as a child, liked to play pranks as well, but that teenager had become much more steady recently.

Only, that guy was still as taciturn as before.

Without Chris’s help, capturing those two murderers wouldn’t have been that easy.

She remembered how Old Abutte’s granddaughter cried outside the factory, feeling deeply uncomfortable inside, pitying that, in the end, both murderers were ransomed.

She had not been able to grant her real fairness and justice.

All thanks to Chris.

“Sister, what are you thinking about?”

The quiet Lilian suddenly asked, her large eyes filled with curiosity.

“Ah.”

Vanessa was taken aback, wondering how long she had been thinking about Chris.

She noticed that Darren, who had been jumping on the table, was also curiously looking at her.

“It’s nothing. Master Darren, come down quickly!”

She deliberately emphasized her tone, yet Darren, standing on the table, remained disdainful.

“Come down!”

A sudden voice made everyone present startle, with Darren feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, scrambling down from the table.

“I, I’m sorry, I…”

Irene stood calmly at the doorway, her expression stern. Vanessa immediately went to her side and stood straight.

“Hospital Director, it’s my fault for not being able to supervise him.”

Irene glanced at Vanessa and said,

“You used to be the king of children in the hospital, but now I know you truly can’t control him.”

Because of the difference in status, Vanessa had to hold back when it came to Darren, but Darren keenly sensed that she posed no threat and thus could act recklessly without fear.

Irene knew that the years of careful nurturing had filled Vanessa with loyalty and gratitude towards the Fischer family members.

That Vanessa dared not be strict with Darren at least ensured that she would also not rebel in the future.

But Darren’s character education still had to be strictly addressed; it could not be allowed for him to continue misbehaving. At seven years old, it was time for him to rein in his character.

According to the discussions between Irene and Byrne, they intended to gradually instill the faith of the Lord of the Lost in their progeny starting at the age of ten.

Each descendant was extremely precious; although they were Extraordinary Exponents with the Power of Consecution, they were still bound by rules set by the gods, and the number of offspring of an Extraordinary Exponent was naturally limited.

Irene pondered silently; Darren stood in front of her, silent and trembling with fear.

He feared Aunt Irene more than his parents; she managed all of the family’s internal affairs, and even his parents struggled to intervene when it came to his punishment.

“Why did you climb up there?” Irene’s inquiring tone was very calm.

Byrne’s son was actually very clever, quick to learn anything and with a flexible mind capable of drawing inferences, it’s just that his personality was somewhat unpleasant.

“I just wanted, I mean, I wanted to…”

Darren stammered, his face turning red without being able to finish his sentence.

Irene calmly continued, “Did you want to see if you could touch the chandelier on the ceiling?”

“Mm-hmm,” Darren nodded after she finished speaking.

Irene said sternly, “You can’t do this again in the future; you will be punished by copying that mineral book your father has been reading recently. Vanessa, if he exhibits any more improper behavior, tell me immediately!”

“I understand.”

Darren deflated like a punctured ball but also breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, he wasn’t physically punished this time.

Once, he had accidentally set the curtains on fire and was severely beaten by Aunt Irene.

Vanessa stood silently at the side with her hands behind her back, not saying anything, just accepting the arrangement.

Irene shook her head. If anything else happened, she would have Vanessa let her know immediately.

In fact, she still did not want to give Vanessa the authority to directly control Darren.

Because the Verne family in Nasir Town was an example, the young knight’s personal old servant had become increasingly arrogant.

Since the old knight’s death, he had taken a strong stance in managing the family business, indulging relatives and embezzling the family’s property.

And Verne, who had been raised by him since childhood, didn’t mind at all. On the contrary, he felt that the other party was being kind to him, even saying that the old servant was his only remaining elder and these matters were not an issue at all.

The Irene of the past could never understand why nearly all noble families always emphasized the class difference between master and servant.

Now she had gradually come to understand, because some pampered servants would certainly try to take advantage of any opportunity to steal and take possession of the family’s belongings.

As she left the banquet hall, she pondered that perhaps it was time to emulate those true noble families and establish a set of complete family rules.

“When Byrne returns, I’ll discuss it with him in detail,” she said.

At night, Vanessa returned to her room on the second floor of the manor.

Among the many family servants and guards, only Vanessa, Erik, Archibald, and Theo had their own rooms on the second floor of the residence.

She sat on the chair, absent-mindedly picked up the booklet written by Hospital Director Irene, which contained doctrines praising the Lord of the Lost. The content was not much but concise.

Suddenly, the young girl seemed to see Chris’s figure in front of her.

“What’s happening?”

Vanessa blushed slightly, touching her neck, as she had been thinking about Chris in her mind, even after coming back she couldn’t help but think of him.

It was strange, she had never felt this way before.

She had pleaded with the young man in the pouring rain to find the killer who murdered the innocent.

The young man nodded silently, a shallow smile spreading across his face.

Vanessa seldom saw Chris smile, and most of his smiles were usually malicious. That kind of joyful smile was the first she had seen.

It was attractive.

“What on earth is happening to me? Strange, it’s really too strange.”

She felt as if Chris was just standing in the room, calmly looking at her, with a gentle, shallow smile.

If a handsome young man often smiles, then his smile, though charming, might not be unforgettable.

However, a silent and expressionless handsome young man like Chris, his heartfelt smile truly made Vanessa unable to forget it.

“Sigh, I can’t think about this anymore.”

Vanessa harshly twisted her unharmed leg to snap out of it, then silently looked at her deformed right leg.

After taking off her pants, what was revealed was a leg that looked like rotten wood, disgusting and with several parts even having dense black spots.

Anyone who saw it for the first time would probably be unable to stop themselves from wanting to vomit.

“…”

What am I daydreaming about? With a leg like this, how could I possibly be worthy of him?

Moreover, Chris’s marriage partner would inevitably be someone from a noble family, even possibly a graceful young lady from a viscount family.

Many nobles have commoner lovers, even more than one, but the partner they marry is always another noble family member who is a match in social status.

Her heart, that was once overflowing with joy and anticipation, suddenly fell back into a trough, filled with misery.

For years, Vanessa had no thoughts about her deformed leg, she did not care about other’s gazes and prejudices, but now she felt an unprecedented sense of grievance and inferiority, eventually crying with clenched teeth, her body trembling slightly and continuously.

Suddenly, running footsteps sounded from outside the room.

The door was pushed open, and Madam Irene stood outside, her expression calm.

“Do you know where Chris and Archibald are?”

Vanessa’s eyes were red as she wiped her eyes, pulled up her pants, and shook her head:

“They seem to be at the port.”

“Are you sure?” A moment of contemplation filled Madam Irene’s eyes.

Vanessa thought carefully and recalled what Chris and Archibald had mentioned.

They were going to the port to deal with a problematic male merchant, who was a commoner, but who could very well be a spy planted by the Kesse family.

Chris and Archibald, the two young men, had been handling such problems ever since they killed the original town chief.

She nodded in affirmation: “It’s at the port.”

Irene noticed that Vanessa seemed to have been crying, but there was no time to discuss it. She immediately said:

“Get ready for battle right away, Vanessa. Powerful enemies have arrived at Nasir Town!”

Vanessa, still immersed in emotion, was instantly shocked and snapped out of it, promptly pulling out flintlock guns and several daggers from inside the room.

Then, she and Irene left the room together to notify the rest of the family of the incoming danger.

Irene took a deep breath, the enemy’s location was at the port.

Great Lord of the Lost, You must have also given the information to Chris. He should return at the first opportunity, avoiding the enemy…

I humbly request again, do not let him die.

She suddenly realized she did not have that sense of fear, the fear of losing Chris.

A strong premonition surged within the depths of Irene’s heart, that if she were to make one more sacrifice, it would likely be her last.

She would ultimately die because of it.