The Falcon

Diss had deliberately changed into formal attire today. It was an important occasion for his grandson. While it was neither a wedding nor an engagement, both of those were merely formalities once everything had already been settled. Today was when things were settled. He wanted to appear as genial as possible, and he had genuinely tried to do so. That was why he had taken the initiative to greet her first: *"Hello."* As for Madam Jenny dropping straight to her knees and replying with the utmost honorifics, that was her own choice, though hardly a surprising one. In the current atmosphere, the one in the chair, the one on the shoulder, and the one on the floor all found it entirely natural. Because this study was not a gathering of future in-laws, nor was it a reunion of family friends. It was... the church circle. Under the rules of this circle, those meant to sit sat, and those meant to kneel knelt. Purr continued to size up this great-great-great-great... well, grand-niece-in-law, who had one fewer "great" than her niece. She looked decent enough. Strictly speaking, however, she did not belong to the church circle, even if she certainly knew about matters within it. To uphold ancestral dignity, after Karen left to fetch their guests, Purr had even taken the time to groom her fur in the washroom. Yet now, she suddenly found the whole thing rather dull. If earlier she had acted out of instinct, looking at things purely from the perspective of her symbolic family identity, she now felt a flicker of anger rising in her chest. After all, setting aside bloodlines, she had lived with the Inmerlais family far, far longer than she ever had with her own. Besides, even if one considered bloodlines... she was a cat right now, so where was the blood relation in that? *The Allen family only sent you?* *I forged the relationship with the Inmerlais family myself, and this is how you maintain it?* *Sending a daughter-in-law over?* *Heh.* *No wonder the family has sunk so low that they’re having afternoon tea with the Queen's lot. What a bunch of blind fools!* Purr was furious. She wanted nothing more than to leap down and swipe her claws across this grand-niece-in-law's face. Yet doing that felt pointless. If it were the woman's husband or father-in-law kneeling here instead, Purr might truly have been unable to resist drawing blood from both of their faces. *A pack of snobbish, stupid herrings!* In truth, Purr might not have realized it herself, but a large part of her anger stemmed from her sense of belonging to the Inmerlais family. After all, she had watched Diss grow up, watched Karen's father and Mason and Winnie grow up, and watched the previous Karen grow up, even if he had been replaced a few months ago. Thus, Purr was more like the household's venerable matriarch. *Looking down on the Inmerlaises is looking down on me, Purr Allen!* Most important of all, the last time the Allen family paid a personal visit to Rojia City, the prospective young family head had come in person. Back then, the Inmerlais family boasted three Inquisitors of the Church of Order under one roof. And now? As Diss retreated into obscurity over the years, you send someone like this? *Herrings, herrings, a bunch of stupid herrings! Do you really take the Inmerlais family for nothing more than a fallen, minor local family of the Church of Order?* *Do you have any idea how powerful Diss really is?!* *Do you know* *the true identity of the Inmerlais family's next generation,* *that young man named Karen?!* *Perhaps* *he cannot bring you happiness and fortune,* *but in the near future, he might very well bestow calamity upon you in person!* "Today is a happy day," Diss spoke up. "For the two children." Madam Jenny chimed in immediately, "Yes, you are entirely right, sir." "When I wrote the letter, I thought that young man Jonathan would at least be the one to come." "Please forgive us. My husband was temporarily detained by family matters and could not get away. As it happened, I was already in Rojia on account of my mother's affairs, so the task was entrusted to me. After all, Eunice was by my side as well. "However, both my husband and father-in-law sent telegrams last night, and I have spoken to them over the telephone. "They instructed me to treat you with the utmost respect and warmth, and they will soon set out from Wien for Ruilan to hurry here." "Tell them not to bother." "Yes, understood." Madam Jenny complied unconditionally. Diss picked up his teacup, took a sip, tilted his head slightly, glanced at Purr, and said slowly: "From very early on, I knew that the Allen family is a family of opportunists, always trimming their sails to the wind." Perched on his shoulder, Purr did not take offense; instead, she nodded in agreement. Kneeling before them, Madam Jenny spoke at once: "Please do not think that, sir. The Allen family's respect for the Inmerlaises has never wavered." "If it were up to me, I would never have chosen to let my grandson marry a girl from the Allen family." Diss paused for a moment. "Because you are not worthy." On his shoulder, Purr chimed in with a meow: *"Meow!"* *** "Woof!" "He's so adorable," Eunice said, looking at the golden retriever beside her. Following Mr. Hoffen's passing, the large retriever had naturally obtained permanent residency in the Inmerlais household. "Yes, he is very cute." Karen placed a plate of sliced sausage before Eunice. "You can feed him a bit, then give him some commands." "Really?" Eunice took the plate. "I'll try." "Sit." The retriever sat down. "Shake." The retriever raised a paw. "Other paw." The retriever lifted the other paw. Eunice fed him two slices of sausage. The retriever happily gulped them down, lolling his tongue in a warm, friendly smile. "He really is smart," Eunice said to Karen. "The black cat in our house is even smarter. If you feed her, she can do arithmetic right in front of you." "Really?" Eunice looked incredulous. "Simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. She can tell you the answer with the number of meows." "That impressive?" "That's why I cook special dishes just to feed her. Huh, where is she now? When she turns up later, you can use some dried fish and have her put on a show for you." "Sounds wonderful. I'm looking forward to it." Eunice looked up and said, "Mother was so nervous when we arrived, even more nervous than I was. Ever since she saw the bookmark you had me pass along last night, she seemed... different somehow. "Still, I told her your grandfather is very easy to get along with. After all, how could a grandfather who takes his grandchildren out to catch loaches in a pond be frightening?" "Yes, you're right. I'm sure they're sitting across from each other drinking tea and having a delightful chat right now." "Mm-hmm." "By the way, Eunice, do you keep any pets at home?" "No. I wanted to keep a cat once, but Father said no. I went to beg Grandfather, and Grandfather wouldn't allow it either." "Oh? Why?" "Because cats hold a different status in our household. We have many bronze cat statues and antique scrolls of cats at home. It seems to have something to do with a very distant grand-aunt of mine. Keeping a cat in our household is seen as a sign of disrespect toward our ancestors." "Oh, I see. Sometimes having small animals around is quite nice. They relieve fatigue, and you can talk to them." *For example, I love teasing our black cat. Every time I see her pout in frustration, it's hilarious.* *And the sight of her eating squirrel mandarin fish while sipping coffee—she thinks it's terribly refined, but it's indescribably silly.* "Yes, though I do have eight horses that I care for in the stables. They are very gentle. At dusk, I love taking them down to the river for a stroll." "That must be a beautiful sight." *Right, so that's the kind of pet a wealthy young lady keeps.* "It is. Because the fief hasn't been permitted to develop, it's very well preserved. The scenery is lovely." "No, I meant the person." Karen looked at Eunice. "I can picture it—the way you look in riding clothes." "Karen, there's something I've been wanting to ask you. You may choose to lie to me." "Oh?" Karen smiled. "Go ahead." Eunice raised an index finger, lightly placing it in front of Karen. "Have you really never dated anyone before?" "Never." It was no lie. Across two lifetimes, he truly never had. In his previous life, he had been entirely absorbed in building his career and had no time for romance. Though there had been a few flirtations, they had all fizzled out due to work. In this life, as if to compensate him, he had been arranged a wicked, feudal, backward, and immoral... arranged marriage. Eunice blinked. "Then why do I always feel like you understand so much?" Karen parted his lips, taking the finger she held before him into his mouth. "Mmh..." Eunice let out a soft gasp and instinctively tried to pull back, but Karen caught her wrist. After a long moment, Karen finally released her finger, letting her draw it back. "When one encounters someone of the opposite sex they like, if they still didn't know how to pursue them, humanity would never have survived to this day. We would have gone extinct long ago, wouldn't we? "It is an instinct." Eunice pouted. Karen thought that when the women of the Allen family made that expression, it was quite endearing. Perhaps it was genuinely hereditary. Reaching out, he looped an arm around her shoulders and applied a gentle backward pressure. Under the "overwhelming force" of his "coercion," Eunice lost her balance and leaned back against Karen's shoulder. There were only five people in the house anyway: two having a "friendly discussion" on the third floor, one watching the front door on the first floor, and just the two of them on the second floor, safe from interruption. "Will you come back to Wien with me?" Eunice asked. "I will." Diss had already made arrangements to this point; Karen had no other choice. Even the two aberrant demons under his command were already packing their bags and wrapping up their businesses. In truth, Diss had once asked him if he wanted to live out his life peacefully and uneventfully in the Inmerlais Funeral Parlor. Having lived through that night, Karen had refused without hesitation. *If I had never seen it, I could have chosen a tranquil life. But I have seen it.* "Then we can ride horses along the river together at sunset." Eunice lightly twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I think that would be lovely." "Yes, I think so too." Eunice tilted her head slightly, looking up at Karen. "Karen, won't you feel wronged by all this?" *** "No, I do not feel wronged in the least. "You are entirely correct, sir. Absolutely correct. "Everything you have said, I will convey word for word to my husband and my father-in-law. In truth, they have already come to their senses, ever since I told them I received the bookmark you sent. "They are deeply remorseful and thoroughly terrified." "Aren't they happy?" Diss asked. "Happy, profoundly so. But however happy they are, they are equally terrified." "Have you written the name?" Diss asked. "This matter is of grave importance, so the family still needs to deliberate—" "Hand it over," Diss said. Madam Jenny nodded. Taking out an exquisite jewelry box, she opened it, lifted the purple bookmark with both hands, and slowly rose to her feet, placing it onto Diss's desk. Purr hopped onto the desk, glancing at the name inscribed upon the bookmark: *Raphael!* A familiar name; she seemed to have heard it before. *Hm?* *Isn't that a minor family that once served as a vassal to my own?* *Why would they write that name?* Purr looked in disbelief at Madam Jenny, who had already dropped back to her knees. *Has my family truly fallen this low? A former vassal family has become their greatest current threat?* *To the point where they wouldn't hesitate to write the Raphael family's name on this bookmark?* *Heavens,* *what kind of useless descendants could have run the Allen family into such a state?!* *The worse they fare, the more they look down their snobbish dog noses at others, is that it?* Diss tapped his finger lightly against the bookmark before him. A purple flame ignited across the bookmark, reducing it to a wisp of blue smoke that drifted away into nothingness. "Does the Allen family still possess the ability to construct teleportation array coordinates?" Diss asked. "That... I am not certain." Madam Jenny looked somewhat at a loss. "The only remaining array coordinate I know of in the family is in the courtyard of my father-in-law's private study. But ever since I married into the Allen family, I have never seen it activated." Purr brought a cat paw to her face. Teleportation array coordinates required maintenance at least once a month. Major families and large churches even assigned dedicated wardens to watch over them day and night, because even the slightest flaw could result in horrific consequences. For instance, arriving on the other side missing an arm, a leg, or even a head. If it had remained sealed away all this time... then it was almost certainly abandoned. "Understood," Diss said. "I will ask my father-in-law upon my return; he will reply immediately." "No need. When the time comes, I will make use of the Church of Order's array coordinates in York City." "Yes..." Madam Jenny spoke again: "Last night on the telephone, my father-in-law repeatedly and earnestly reminded me to pass along this message to you. "Though the Allen family has declined, our network of connections remains intact. Sheltering one person will be no trouble at all. "Our Allen family will spare no expense to protect this young man named Inmerlais." "Please relay a message for me as well." "Please speak, sir," Madam Jenny said respectfully. "Once Karen arrives in Wien, you must protect him." "We will. That is the Allen family's promise. He will become a member of our family. We will cherish him as our dearest kin, and he will be Eunice's husband." "Do not interrupt me." "Yes, please forgive me." "After sheltering him for a period of time, you may choose to break the engagement with him. "You may help him settle somewhere, give him a sum of money, or help him open a shop—for example, a funeral parlor just like this one. "You may do whatever you wish, but please do so openly and honorably. "My grandson is very resilient. "He is fine in every regard, except that he cannot bear being wronged." "Please rest assured, sir, nothing of the sort will happen. He will stand as a symbol of friendship between the Allen and Inmerlais families, and he and Eunice will surely bear children who unite both our bloodlines. "My father-in-law has promised "that any child born of him and Eunice, boy or girl, will become the next head of the family after my husband." A faint smile appeared at the corner of Diss's mouth. Madam Jenny caught the change in the terrifyingly imposing elder's expression, and she let out a long breath of relief inside. In truth, she should not have been the one in this study today. It should have been her husband, or her father-in-law. Of course, even if they had been the ones here, they would undoubtedly be kneeling just the same. "You may rise." "Yes." Madam Jenny stood, holding herself in a posture of utmost deference. "You may leave. Have dinner with the children; I will not be joining you." "Yes, everything shall be as you command, sir." Madam Jenny opened the study door, then turned around to face inside, backing out slowly before gently shutting the door. Only then did she let out a long sigh. Clutching her chest, she realized her evening gown was already soaked through with cold sweat. Supporting herself against the railing as she made her way downstairs, she couldn't stop repeating to herself in her mind: *With such a formidable existence backing him, how could the Allen family ever dare to be foolish enough to slight that young man?* *** "I think those people in my family will inevitably do something stupid in the future." Purr paced across Diss's desk, speaking as she walked: "Experience proves that whenever the Allen family has an opportunity to be stupid, no matter how small that chance is, they will seize it without fail!" Diss remained silent. "Diss, find another family. I'm not saying this for the Allen family's sake; I'm speaking from the Inmerlais family's perspective." "Their strength has waned, but their network runs deep. In York City, you won't find a more suitable candidate than the Allen family," Diss said. "Besides, you can return home alongside Karen." "And what if they really do something stupid in the end? While you're around, they certainly won't dare. But once you're gone, the greater the favor you bestow upon them, the more terrified they'll be. Instead of cherishing it, they will come to view Karen as a thorn in their side, an unsettling presence within the Allen family. "The more polite they are to Karen in the beginning, the nastier their faces will turn later on. "Diss, I don't want Karen to go through that. "I know you don't want him to either. "Yet human nature is like this. "Not every family possesses the upright upbringing of the Inmerlaises!" Diss glanced at Purr and said indifferently: "It does not matter." "It doesn't matter? What do you mean it doesn't matter?! "Didn't you say your grandson—didn't you say Karen can least bear being wronged?!" "My grandson is no chick huddled beneath the shelter of my wings. "He is a falcon. "If anything, I am the one who has kept the tether tightened around his neck, keeping him from taking full flight. "The Allen family may mistreat Karen if they wish. "In any case, "the consequences will be theirs alone to bear."