Chapter 229: Maternal Grandfather and Grandmother

Chapter 229 Maternal Grandparents

"I think it is highly likely a love letter he wrote in the past, except because the Dark Moon Island people found your grave last time, this love letter was also sent to the Allen Manor. According to their intentions, it should have been placed before your tombstone to comfort your soul in heaven and your mutual lovesickness."

Purr blinked, looked at Karen, and slowly extended a cat paw.

"This matter has already been resolved, and I made you fish last time."

"But, it brought me secondary psychological trauma."

"But you have been savoring the memory of the fish I made after eating it."

Purr raised her head and said, "Oh, damn it, why is your retort always so timely."

"Can I tear it open to take a look?" Karen asked.

"Tear it."

"I am really tearing it?"

"Tear it, if I don't permit you to tear it, and you bite the letter away and hide it, that would be tertiary psychological trauma."

"All right.."

Karen tore open the letter, and inside there was actually another envelope. This envelope was somewhat yellowed, clearly from a long time ago. Tearing open the inner envelope, he unfolded the letter:

"Dearest Purr, I know not from when it began, but my life has been severed because of you, before knowing you, after knowing you, before parting from you, after parting from you.

Your existence has already left an indelible brand upon my life. When I cannot breathe, I think of you, and when I think of you, I feel unable to breathe again.

……"

"Cough." Karen gave a cough, "This Monsieur Bernard really likes using parallelism."

Purr lay prone upon the desk, rolling her eyes toward Karen.

Karen could not help but reach out to rub Purr's head. A cat rolling its eyes looked indeed very adorable.

The date signature on the letter was over a hundred years ago, so Karen had guessed correctly.

"I believe this letter should have had a notation, but old Anderson is a filial junior, so he still forwarded this letter to me."

"Counting the days, old Anderson should also enter the cemetery to lie down."

"This is not to blame him. Well, I want to go to the courtyard to read for a while."

"Eh, my dear little Karen, have you forgotten that you still have a second letter you haven't torn open?"

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes, you just stuffed it into the drawer through the gap."

"It accidentally slipped."

"Fine, I believe it slipped, but now, it should be opened to let the words inside catch some air, should it not?"

Karen took out the letter Ophilia had given him and tore it open.

"Spread it out, spread the letter out, just like how you read mine just now." Purr immediately urged.

Karen spread out the letter:

"Monsieur Karen, since we parted it has been……"

Reading from the beginning to near the end, it was basically Ophilia recounting her experiences on her return journey to Dark Moon Island after leaving York Port, as well as the island Patriarch's views on him after she landed on the island.

Rather than calling this a private letter, it resembled more of a work report.

Purr originally looked quite drowsy, but when her gaze fell upon the very bottom, she immediately tapped excitedly there with her paw:

"Here, here, did you see it, did you see it!"

The work report, in the final sentence of the very last paragraph, showed a deviation in atmosphere:

"Karen, I find I miss you a little, what should I do?"

"She said she misses you, she took the initiative to say she misses you!!!"

Karen put away the letter, stuffed it back into the envelope, and said with indifference:

"This is merely a greeting and courtesy to neutralize the atmosphere of a work report."

"Oh, is that so? But how come I feel she wrote this entire work report specifically just to say this sentence?"

"You are overthinking it."

"Whether I am overthinking it, you know very well in your heart. Karen, you are already on the verge of making a mistake, it is very dangerous!"

"She is on Dark Moon Island, and I am in York City. Even if I wanted to make a mistake, I couldn't reach."

"Your father and mother were also very far apart. Didn't your father also abduct your mother back to Mink Street?"

"This analogy is inappropriate."

"Karen, when you are willing to explain and argue back and forth with me for so long over this kind of boring topic, actually you have already lost."

"I will have Xili go buy fish."

"This is not a matter of fish, this is... what flavor are you making?"

……

At noon, Karen made a vine pepper fish for Purr. He originally thought Purr would not like this flavor, but he felt this cat's fish-eating had already risen to a kind of artistic pursuit; no matter what flavor of fish, she could taste it with relish.

This made Karen feel once again that Purr liking to eat fish was not solely because she had turned into a cat.

That young Patriarch named Bernard, from his own love, might just be short of a few dishes of pickled cabbage fish, squirrel mandarin fish……

Because Alfred was still accompanying old Saman to make a coffin, by two-thirty in the afternoon, it was Karen himself driving toward Richard's house.

En route, Karen parked on the roadside shop to buy some fruits and pastries, which counted as standard protocol for visitor gifts here in Vienna.

When arriving at the door of Richard's house, it was three-thirty.

The time was a bit early, so Karen intended to wait in the car for half an hour before calling. He parked the car by the roadside, reclined the seat back, lay upon it, and began to take a nap.

Half an hour later, past four o'clock, Karen sat up, opened the car door, carried the gifts, and stepped out.

When passing the car in front, Karen noticed the driver inside was also putting his seat up, opening the door, and stepping out, holding a gift box in hand as well.

This was a middle-aged man who looked somewhat haggard. He also noticed Karen and smiled at Karen.

Karen also returned a smile to him.

"My watch seems to be running slow. May I ask what time it is now?" the middle-aged man asked.

"It is now four-eight."

"All right, thank you."

The man carrying gift boxes in both hands began to take deep breaths, as if making some kind of preparation.

Looking at his age, he should not be going to a girlfriend's house to meet the woman's parents, so Karen asked:

"Are you going to visit your father-in-law and mother-in-law?"

"Mm, yes. What, is it very obvious?"

"A little."

"Sigh, I have always been very afraid of coming to her house, because my marrying her was originally considered a step up. However, I love her very much, and the relationship between my wife and me is also very good, but just in this aspect……"

"I understand." Karen offered a gentle smile, but a sudden possibility crossed his mind: could the man before him be Richard's youngest uncle-in-law?

Richard's family was a lineage of Justiciars, making them true nobility within the Order of Principles; that Old Man Delon could execute such a vital mission that night spoke volumes of his standing in the eyes of the high command.

Karen recalled Richard mentioning that his youngest uncle-in-law was an Inquisitor.

Well.

An Inquisitor, excluding anomalies like Dis, would indeed face immense pressure when calling upon a family of Justiciars.

Sometimes pressure was imposed by others, and sometimes it was entirely self-inflicted.

Old Man Delon possessed a commanding majesty, while Mr. Eisen suffered from severe social anxiety; for a son-in-law, the atmosphere of his wife's family must be suffocatingly heavy.

So,

this man was his own uncle-in-law?

"My name is Karen."

"Ah, yes, Karen, hello. I am Dark."

Evidently, Mr. Dark was somewhat unaccustomed to such a direct, overly familiar introduction.

"If I may ask, are you planning to visit the Goumang family?"

"Yes. And you?"

"I am as well."

"You too? Oh, Karen!" Dark's demeanor instantly shifted. "I remember now! You are Richard's teammate. You saved Eisen and Kathy, didn't you?"

"I did."

"Good heavens, it really is you. What a coincidence! Haha, well, about what I said just now..."

"I can understand."

"Splendid, splendid. Allow me to lead the way, Mr. Karen."

"Very well, thank you."

Dark walked ahead while Karen followed. Reaching the grand entrance, Dark knocked, shouting as he did, "Haha, look who I brought with me!"

Standing on the steps, Karen felt that this uncle-in-law of his seemed a bit lacking in the wits department.

For even the simplest mind could deduce exactly for whom tonight's dinner was prepared, and who was merely the afterthought.

Yet Karen understood him; perhaps to Dark, every visit to the Goumang residence felt like entering an execution ground, and now, with an outsider present to divert attention, he was simply overly excited.

The door swung open, revealing Richard's youngest aunt—Karen's aunt-in-law.

"Darling, look who I've brought."

"Mr. Karen?"

"Greetings, My Lady." Karen addressed her by her title but refrained from bowing, as that would be excessive.

"You may call me Lucy. We have all been waiting for you, welcome."

To the savior of her brother and sister-in-law, Justiciar Lucy showed immense respect.

"It is my honor to be invited by the Goumangs."

Karen entered and placed his gifts in the foyer.

"Oh ho, Karen." Old Man Delon walked over from the living room sofa, warmly extending his hand first.

Karen reached out and shook the old man's hand.

During their last encounter, he had merely been a child Richard brought home, so this counted as their first formal meeting.

Indeed, the first formal meeting between grandfather and grandson was marked by a handshake.

"Please forgive my coldness when you visited last time," Old Man Delon apologized.

"You are far too polite, sir. You were very amiable when I saw you last."

"No, no, it is not the same. I was still remiss."

"Please, say no more."

"Father, shouldn't we ask our guest to sit first?" Aunt Lucy reminded him.

"Ah, quite right. Mr. Karen, please take a seat."

"Thank you."

Karen sat down by the living room sofa, noticing Old Man Delon’s attitude toward Dark, which consisted of a flat:

"You're here."

"Yes, father. How is your health?"

"Fine."

And with that, the dialogue between father-in-law and son-in-law concluded.

It was palpable that Old Man Delon was displeased with this son-in-law; this dissatisfaction likely stemmed not from status, but from the belief that the man's personality and conduct

Delon immediately waved his hand, saying, "You know your mother's character by now. To her, a painstakingly brewed soup is the only true respect for an honored guest. She won't be leaving her kitchen right now."

"Yes, Mother is indeed like that."

Old Master Delon then raised his hand again, pointing at Lucia, and smiled. "Lucia, what do you think of Mr. Cullen?"

Lucia's face flushed instantly, and she grumbled, "Grandfather, what are you saying?"

"Well, I am merely reminding you never to hesitate when the time comes. Just like your father when he pursued your mother back then—before I could even react, they were already together!"

An awkward look appeared on Dark's face, while Lucy took the initiative to ask Cullen:

"Is Mr. Cullen currently single?"

Cullen still remembered the first time Lucy had seen him, by the collapsed academic affairs building, when she had merely asked for his identity with a cold detachment.

This time, however, she seemed eager to play matchmaker for her own daughter.

This shift in attitude was not just because he had saved her brother and sister-in-law, but more so due to her perception of his strength, gleaned from the descriptions provided by Richard and the couple.

This world was always so realistic; never mind strangers, even the attitude among relatives similarly placed immense weight on strength.

Cullen immediately replied, "I am already engaged."

"I see." A hint of regret surfaced on Lucy's face.

Hearing this, Lucia actually looked back at Cullen quite generously and even offered him a smile.

Next, everyone began to chat, speaking only of local customs and anecdotes without touching upon their work within the Holy Church.

It was plain to see that this family did not seem particularly skilled at conversation. At first, they were forcing talk just to keep the atmosphere from freezing, but fortunately, Cullen was adept at socializing and began to control the room. Originally, the Guman family was supposed to be keeping Cullen company, but it ended up looking as though Cullen were entertaining them.

"Cullen, do you have any plans for your future career?"

Cullen noticed that Old Master Delon had called him directly by his first name, which meant he was exercising his authority as the head of the Guman family to make professional arrangements for a newly aligned "vassal."

"I am very satisfied with my current work and life, and I haven't considered anything else for the time being."

"You must consider it; planning is essential, even if you are still young. For if you walk the right path while you are young, your future development will certainly be better. It determines your ultimate ceiling."

As he spoke these words, Delon swept a glance over his son-in-law, Dark, as if Dark were a living counterexample.

"Most importantly, your capability is excellent. There is a tradition in the Holy Church: if one performs outstandingly within the Whip of Order, it will serve as a massive advantage when choosing and developing a future path."

"Very well, I understand. I will continue to work hard."

"Mm, if you have any thoughts, you can come and speak to me in the future, and I will keep an eye out for you. Your next target should be to strive to become a captain of the Whip of Order. I believe you should possess this capability."

That night, Cullen had descended from the heavens, cleaving the head of the Samsara Holy Church's guard captains in two with a single sword strike;

This scene was one Old Master Delon had clearly learned about from the mouths of his son and daughter-in-law.

Becoming a captain offered two routes: one was replacement, provided that Neo was promoted or Neo died;

The other route was to branch out on his own and form a new Whip of Order squad.

The former relied more on ability, as an internal squad election required strong power to command respect, while the latter also looked at strength, though it depended far more on connections.

"I feel there is no rush for this, because I wish to stay by my captain's side and learn more things from him."

This answer was very fitting, and Old Master Delon nodded, saying, "For you to possess such a steady mindset at such a young age is very good."

"Dinner is served."

From the dining room came the shout of an elderly woman.

"Cullen, you just wait to taste my grandmother's cooking."

"I am very much looking forward to it."

The crowd rose one after another, moving from the living room to the dining room.

Cullen saw a kind-faced, white-haired elderly woman setting out the dishes. Lucy, Lucia, and Kathy immediately stepped forward to help, with Kathy chiding gently:

"Mother, didn't we agree that while we wouldn't enter the kitchen, bringing out the dishes would be up to us?"

Clearly, the kitchen was regarded by the old woman as her exclusive domain; whenever she was preparing a meal, no one else was permitted to enter.

"My health is fine, there is no need for you all to worry so much."

The old woman's gaze swept across the surroundings, and Cullen noticed that after her eyes fell upon him, her body suddenly trembled.

Then, the old woman grabbed her daughter-in-law's hand, tears suddenly streaming down her face, as she sobbed to Kathy:

"Child, you have suffered."