Chapter 66: Guardian

Chapter 66: Guardianship

"What you are doing is inappropriate."

Hearing Dis's words, Karen shrugged and said:

"I think we can look at it from a family perspective, but there is one issue: Aunt and Chris don't know how our family differs from others. They probably just think our living conditions are a bit better.

They don't realize that the phrase 'go die' isn't just something said in anger, but something that can actually be realized. Most importantly, once it is realized, we can carry it out without any burden or repercussion."

Dis took a sip of his tea,

and said:

"Do you know why, after you recovered from your illness, I instructed your uncle to have you get more involved in the family business?"

"Was it not because we were short on hands?" Karen asked.

"Corpse haulers are not hard to hire. After all, the monthly salary is high, and the work isn't exhausting."

Karen nodded.

Dis set down his teacup, and Karen stood up to refill it for him.

After sitting back down, Karen answered, "Grandfather, you wanted me to understand the boundaries and respect for life through the business and operation of the funeral parlor, so that I wouldn't become reckless after gaining a bit of power."

"Heh."

Dis smiled. Conversing with an intelligent grandson was indeed a very pleasant experience.

"I understand what you mean, Grandfather, and I have always adhered to my original intentions. Furthermore, I have gradually come to understand the moral standard in your heart. I will not cross the line, for I respect the rules immensely.

But the problem is, while it is true that Aunt and Chris are our family, you and I are also their family. The relationship of family is always reciprocal.

We are not feeling pity for a miserable mother and daughter, nor are we simply disgusted by a man who abandoned his wife and child and understands nothing of gratitude, and we are certainly not just contemptuous of his running back to play the emotional card after becoming a pauper;

it is simply because this man, Parker, through his actions and behavior, has harmed Winnie's father... you, and has also harmed Chris's brother... me.

Therefore, I believe I have a legitimate reason to offer a corresponding response to the harm I have received.

If a passerby snaps the roses I planted in my garden, I would still have to go up and argue with them a bit, and if they spoke insolently, I might even have to throw a couple of punches;

how much more so when it concerns family?

This is my thought, and this is my narrative."

"A judge would not accept that narrative of yours."

"It is enough that Order accepts it." Karen pointed a finger at his own chest. "I am speaking of the order within my own heart."

"But I still deem it inappropriate," Dis reiterated.

Then, Dis drew a pre-written envelope from the desk and placed it before Karen. Karen reached out and took it. It was a document akin to an enforcement order, issued not by a father, but by an inquisitor from the Inquisitorial Department of the Church of Order in Roga City.

"Yes, Grandfather, I shall reflect upon myself."

Mobilizing aberrant demons to strike at ordinary people was a great taboo;

but if the aberrant demon held an official position and possessed enforcement credentials, it became legal, carried out to uphold the majesty of the Church of Order.

Karen picked up the envelope, stood up, and prepared to walk out.

As he opened the door,

Dis spoke up and asked, "So, you came in here just to praise the sweater your aunt knitted for me, saying it looked nice?"

Karen turned around, looking at Dis with a smile, and tapped the envelope against his palm.

I came here simply to take this away, because I knew you must have prepared it long ago.

The grandfather and grandson both smiled.

"By the way, tomorrow is your aunt's birthday."

"I understand, Grandfather. Aunt Mary truly hasn't had it easy in our family; she has sacrificed a lot."

It was not just that Aunt Mary had remained steadfastly loyal after Uncle Mason fell from Wall Street to Mink Street,

but also that, whether from the memories of the previous 'Karen' or from his own observations over the past few months, he felt Aunt Mary was a truly remarkable wife, mother, and elder.

Moreover, Karen understood even better the meaning behind Dis's words;

just as he had previously reminded Dis, 'not counting today, you only have five days left';

therefore, Dis had decided to lift his hand and send Parker, whom he had long found eyesores, to the heavens.

"I will prepare for it well," Karen said.

"Will it be too rushed?" Dis asked.

"It won't. After all, Aunt is not an outsider; she is family."

"Good, thank you for your hard work."

"It is what I ought to do."

...

On the second floor,

in the bedroom.

Uncle Mason was lying there with the bedside lamp on, reading a newspaper—it was the Financial Times.

Aunt Mary finished her bath, put on her nightgown, and climbed into bed.

Seeing her husband still reading this kind of newspaper, her brow furrowed slightly out of habit, but she quickly took a breath, clearing away the negative emotion, unwilling to let even a trace of it show on her face.

"The print is so small, doesn't it tire your eyes to read it?"

Aunt Mary took the initiative to pull Uncle Mason's head into her embrace, beginning to gently massage his temples.

Uncle Mason reached out and flicked the newspaper, rolled it up, and tossed it aside.

"Actually, it isn't that I'm unwilling to accept things—of course, there is still a bit of that—but I've never thought about going back. I read this newspaper just to keep an eye on things."

"I know." Aunt Mary pressed her cheek against her husband's head. "I know you have also been blaming yourself and hurting all this time."

Uncle Mason reached out to grasp Aunt Mary's hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss it twice:

"I wanted to give you and the children a better life. I'm sorry, my ability wasn't enough."

"Our life right now is very good. Being a mortician is also quite nice; it saves us from looking at a lot of cold shoulders.

Oh, although some clients keep rolling their eyes after they die, that kind of cold shoulder doesn't make one feel annoyed or uncomfortable.

After spending enough time with them, you start to think they're actually quite lovely.

Every time a memorial service begins, seeing a client I've prepared lying peacefully and gracefully in the coffin to bid farewell to their loved ones, I feel that what I do is truly meaningful.

Besides, look at Mina and Lunt; living at home suits them quite well.

In the past, we were both so busy, it was truly hard to find time to look after the children's growth. Now, the children are right before our eyes every day.

Father may be a bit stern, but our family values are very upright. I believe Mina and Lunt will certainly grow up to have excellent character."

Uncle Mason reached out to wrap his arms around his wife's waist, took a deep breath, and said:

"My dear, I know you are comforting me. I am truly grateful to fate for allowing me to meet you in this lifetime."

"Me too, because you have always been a good husband."

The two held each other close, feeling the warmth radiating from one another.

After a long while,

Uncle Mason suddenly asked, "By the way, the household stock has decreased quite a lot this past month."

"The funds in the family's public account are running tight."

"That shouldn't be. Although buying the crematorium and the new hearse cost a great deal, we both contributed our respective shares to the public fund. Business hasn't been exceptionally booming lately, but we did handle several Tier-B packages, and the profits were quite substantial.

The money in the public account isn't in any rush for dividends, so how does it feel so drastically reduced all of a sudden?"

"Because Winnie and I are planning to draw a sum of money from the public account. Last night, she and I were still going over the books."

"Mm, what is it for?"

"It's to prepare for Karen."

"Karen? What's wrong with him?"

"Karen and Miss Eunice, of course."

"Isn't that going well? Miss Eunice is a fine match for our nephew."

When it came to his own nephew, Mason was exceptionally confident these days.

"Miss Eunice is Viennese."

"What about it if she's Viennese?"

"She is Viennese nobility. When she and her mother returned to visit relatives, they stayed on Rhine Street. Furthermore, I've wanted to talk to Father several times about future arrangements for Karen and Miss Eunice, and Father's reply is always the same line:

Let them develop freely."

"Huh, Father really said that?"

Uncle Mason finally realized something was amiss. His father had always highly valued this eldest grandson, even indulging him to some extent.

After all, Karen's parents had passed away long ago, and he naturally deserved more attention and support from the family.

Now, seeing that Karen was already in a relationship and the young lady's mother had even paid a visit to their home, customs dictated that things should have progressed to the next stage of courtship.

As a grandfather who loved this grandson almost to a fault, how could he suddenly become so indifferent and uninvolved?

"Moreover, last time when Miss Eunice and her mother came to visit us, Father deliberately had us take Mina and the others to the amusement park, and it was on a rainy day at that," Aunt Mary said. "I feel that Father simply doesn't want us to participate too much in Karen's romance. Therefore, this points to one possibility."

Uncle Mason's eyes instantly widened, and he cried out, "Father wants Karen to go to Vienna?"

"Exactly. That is why Winnie and I were thinking that if Karen really is going back to Vienna with Miss Eunice, we must immediately raise a sum of liquid cash to exchange into Reals. Property prices in York City are by no means cheap, but we must at least prepare a smaller apartment for Karen, right?

Whether Karen lives in the bride's family estate is one thing, but how could he not have a house of his own in York City?

When the time comes, in case the two of them quarrel or have a conflict, Karen might not even have a place to go. He is a man, after all."

"I'll go ask Father tomorrow. No, I'll go ask Father right now. I'll ask him what exactly he is thinking, and if he really wants Karen to go to Vienna!"

Uncle Mason turned over, got out of bed, and put on his slippers.

"Oh, what are you doing? Once Father has decided something, is there any room for you to interject?"

"No, I must go. I simply cannot swallow this anger!

My brother is no longer with us. How can we let Karen go to Vienna!

Our Inmeles family has not fallen to such a disgraceful state!"

"Then go ask Father about his thoughts tomorrow. It's too late now; Father might already be resting."

"No. If he's not in the study, I'll look for him in the bedroom. Even if he's asleep, I will wake him up. Because I didn't know before, but now that I know, I cannot allow myself to play dumb.

Mary, do you know? I am truly terrified. I'm afraid that Father is planning to send Karen away just because we returned, so that I may inherit the family business."

Slap!

Mason delivered a harsh slap to his own face.

"How could I do such a thing? If it really is like that, would I even be worthy of Karen calling me 'Uncle'!"

"Father... wouldn't think that way. Father has always been a very just man."

"But I cannot allow this to happen. Absolutely not. This home, this funeral parlor, belongs to Karen!

Back then, Father called the three of us siblings before him and very solemnly asked who was willing to inherit the family funeral parlor.

Winnie and I both refused. We yearned for the outside world. We had grown up in the Inmeles family funeral parlor since childhood, and we were long sick of all this!

We felt that if we continued in this profession upon growing up, it would be a complete waste of youth, a waste of life, a ruin of our existence!

Seeing that Winnie and I both refused, my brother chose to inherit the funeral parlor.

At that time, Winnie and I were young and ignorant. We only felt that since our brother agreed to inherit the estate, Winnie and I would be free. Otherwise, we were truly afraid that if Father forced a choice upon us, it would fall on our heads.

But that was actually my brother relinquishing the right of choice to Winnie and me. He fulfilled the wishes of his younger brother and sister.

After I started working, before I even met you, the initial capital for my stock trading was actually given to me by my brother—a substantial sum of money.

Where else would Winnie get so much private savings to help that piece of garbage Parker open a factory? That was also given by my brother.

Therefore,

For our sakes, my brother chose to stay behind and guard the family business, yet at the exact same time, he had already divided the family assets between Winnie and me long ago.

And now, as a result, my brother's only son is to be sent away to Vienna.

Mary,

I am sorry,

Even if I have to take you all to move out and sleep on the streets tonight, I cannot let this happen!

Why should Winnie and I have chosen freedom back then, leaving my brother to guard the home,

Only for us to break our wings outside, return, and still have to snatch the nest of my brother's son?"

Hearing Mason speak thus, Aunt Mary withdrew the hand that had been pulling her husband back.

"Back then, when Father mentioned giving us family shares so that the funeral parlor could be operated better, I shouldn't have agreed. Winnie and I merely came back as laborers seeking a shelter. How could we be qualified to hold shares? These shares, this family business, belonged to Karen all along.

I am going to find Father to get a clear answer!"

Uncle Mason walked out of the bedroom and arrived at the third floor. He first knocked on the door of the study.

"Come in."

Standing at the doorway, Uncle Mason took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked inside.

About a quarter of an hour later,

Uncle Mason walked out of the study.

...

"Squeak..."

The bedroom door was pushed open, revealing Uncle Mason's face.

Sitting before the desk reading a book, Karen looked up: "Uncle?"

"Cullen, step outside for a moment."

"Alright."

Cullen followed his uncle all the way down the stairs to the first floor.

On the ground floor, only a single light on the northwest side was illuminated, casting its glow where the sofa and coffee table sat.

Aunt Winnie was already seated there, pouring coffee as she dabbed at her reddened eyes.

"Auntie, what is wrong?" Cullen stepped forward to ask. "It really is not worth getting upset over someone like that."

Cullen assumed his aunt was still grieving over the business with Parker from earlier that day, but by now Parker was likely offering his repentance to the gods in heaven, and Alfred should be returning to report his success shortly.

Yet such affairs were things Cullen preferred to keep from his aunt and Chris; it was better to let the man vanish in what would seem an unfortunate accident.

In truth, Cullen had misunderstood.

Aunt Winnie was wiping away tears because she had just been reprimanded by her second elder brother, Uncle Mason.

Uncle Mason had barked directly at her:

It is one thing for Mary to keep me in the dark, that is perfectly understandable—she does not bear the Inmeles name, so she would naturally think more of Mina, Lunt, and her own household.

But what about you? Since you already sensed it, why did you not take the initiative to tell me?

Have you forgotten that you have already dropped your husband's surname and changed it back to Inmeles?

By acting like this, are we doing right by our deceased brother?

Under the barrage of Uncle Mason’s interrogations, Aunt Winnie offered no defense, only wiping her tears away.

"Sit," Uncle Mason said, gesturing toward the sofa.

Sensing the strange atmosphere, Cullen took a seat.

Uncle Mason sat down as well, looking at Cullen, and asked with immense gravity:

"Cullen, tell me honestly, are you going to Wien with Miss Eunice?"

Stunned for a moment, Cullen nevertheless nodded and said, "I believe I will."

"Is it of your own free will? Your grandfather said you were willing."

"Grandfather was right, I am willing. He asked for my opinion several times, and each time I chose to go to Wien."

Growing anxious, Uncle Mason blurted out, "What kind of logic is that? This is your home, Cullen, this is your home. This house, this funeral parlor, all of it belongs to you, and to you alone.

If you stay, when you grow a bit older... no, there is no need to wait, right now."

Uncle Mason looked toward Aunt Winnie, who pulled out a piece of paper she had just written on from before her;

"Cullen, your aunt and I will withdraw all our shares, including Mary's portion. This home, this business, will be entirely yours."

Cullen felt as though he finally understood exactly what was happening, and a warm current coursed through his heart.

Truly, having grown accustomed to seeing far too many relatives tear off their masks completely in the face of money and interest, those who could actively restrain themselves and maintain their fundamental character before wealth were exceedingly rare.

Cullen pushed the paper back toward Uncle Mason and Aunt Winnie, saying with a smile:

"Uncle, Auntie, I truly want to go to Wien."

"Trust your uncle, living as a son-in-law in another family's house, life can never be comfortable. Besides, you are a man of great self-esteem and pride, I can feel it."

"It is not like that," Cullen explained. "Uncle, I want to go out and see the world, truly. I want to experience what is out there. It makes no sense that you were all permitted to wander and experience the outside world in your youth, yet when it comes to me, I am deprived of even the right to go look, is it?"

"That is not the same thing!" Uncle Mason countered.

"It is exactly the same thing." Cullen stepped up behind Uncle Mason and Aunt Winnie, reaching out to wrap his arms around their shoulders. "I heard Grandfather mention before..."

In truth, he had heard it from Purr.

"That the bond between you, Auntie, and my father back then was exceptionally deep."

"Your father was an excellent elder brother," Mason said.

"Yes," Aunt Winnie agreed.

"Back then, both Uncle and Auntie went out to forge your own paths and saw the world, before returning home again. Because this has always been your home, Uncle, Auntie. No matter when you return, the doors here will always be open to you.

It is the same for me.

If things do not go well for me in Wien, or if Miss Eunice and I ultimately do not end up together, I can always come back.

Just like Uncle and Auntie did back then, because I know this will forever be my home. If I ever return, there will be an uncle, an aunt, and an aunt-in-law who will accept me unconditionally, and my cousins will welcome me home.

So, what is the point of signing this?

Without these shares, would Uncle and Auntie cease to recognize me as your nephew?

With these shares, would I somehow not be your nephew anymore?

We are family,

These things

Cannot pull us apart, nor can they become a barrier between us."

Under Cullen’s gentle persuasion, Uncle Mason finally stopped insisting on signing the share transfer agreement;

Cullen ushered his uncle and aunt up to the second floor, telling them to get some rest early.

When Cullen returned to the third floor himself, he saw Diss standing at the head of the third-floor stairs.

"Mason came to see me; he even wanted to have an argument with me, which has almost never happened before."

"Uncle was just a bit too emotional," Cullen said.

Diss spoke:

"Therefore, from the past to the present, having a family like this makes me very proud."

Cullen nodded and said:

"I am very proud too. From now on, I can protect a family like this."