Chapter 122: As If I’d Believe You
Chapter 122: Chapter 122: As If I’d Believe You
Arabella Donovan heaved a long sigh, her face a mask of exasperation. She was at her master’s mercy and had no choice but to give in.
SpareTheRod: Forget it. Now isn’t the time to dwell on that. The Five Emperors Coins are working, but I’m still not sure what hurt my second cousin. I just wanted to ask you, what should I do to save him and get rid of whatever dangerous thing is involved?
TranquilMind: You even have to ask? Did you forget everything I’ve taught you over the years the moment you came down the mountain?
SpareTheRod: ???
TranquilMind: *Rolls eyes* You’re protected by Merit. What’s there to be afraid of? If it’s a mild case, just touch it. If that doesn’t get rid of it, pinch it. If that doesn’t work, hammer it. And if that fails, just smash it.
SpareTheRod: ...Isn’t that a little brutal?
TranquilMind: Hey, a physical deliverance is a deliverance all the same. You need to have some faith in yourself.
Arabella: "..." ’I’ll be damned if I believe you!’
Left speechless by her unreliable master, Arabella went downstairs with a troubled mind, only to find Mrs. Donovan directing the staff to carry in a pile of gifts.
Arabella was puzzled. "Weren’t all the birthday presents put away yesterday? What are these...?"
"Serena, you’re down. Perfect timing. Come see if there’s anything you like. These are all for you."
"For me?"
"Didn’t you do some simple readings for all those aunts, uncles, and other guests yesterday? These are their thank-you gifts."
"They’re being so generous?"
"It’s only right. You don’t get your fortune told for free. Even if it’s not cash, it’s proper to send a gift. Those two biggest ones over there are from your fourth and fifth aunts, this one is from Beatrice, and this one..."
Mrs. Donovan singled out one of the packages. Arabella took a closer look and saw it was a box of tea. The box itself was iridescent and looked quite luxurious.
She opened it and found a small tea caddy inside, far more understated than the outer box.
Arabella didn’t know much about tea. Back on the mountain, she had always drunk the spring tea her master roasted himself. It was sweet and mellow, with a fresh, rich aroma and a lingering aftertaste.
When Mrs. Donovan saw her staring at the caddy with a completely blank expression, she couldn’t help but laugh. "This is Golden Melon Tribute Tea. Even though it’s a replica, it’s still an incredible rarity. The Chamberlain Family is in the tea business, so it was very thoughtful of them to send a caddy like this."
"The Chamberlain Family?" Arabella raised an eyebrow. "Don’t tell me it’s..."
"That’s right. The family of the Mr. Chamberlain who caused a scene last night. His parents sent this box of tea as an apology gift and as your Divination Money."
"And my cousin...?"
"She also got a caddy of tea. It’s not quite as good as yours, but it’s still quite valuable."
No wonder Mr. Donovan had said, when he brought these two tea gift boxes home, that the Chamberlain Family had really spared no expense for their son this time.
The more Arabella heard, the more puzzled she became. "How on earth did such an intelligent and tactful couple, who clearly know how to handle things, end up with such a dumb husky for a son?"
"Maybe a genetic mutation?"
"..."
Arabella was speechless for a moment but didn’t dwell on the topic. She handed the tea caddy back to Mrs. Donovan.
"I don’t really know much about this, and Dad seems to love tea. Let’s just give it to him to deal with."
Mrs. Donovan laughed. "Your cousin said the same thing. Getting two caddies of premium tea for free... your dad’s ego is going to be sky-high."
Arabella nearly snorted with laughter.
’Mom, does Dad know you talk about him like this behind his back?’
Mrs. Donovan was unconcerned. So what if he knew? What could he do to her, anyway?
The hidden matriarch of the family was just that self-assured.
"Oh, right, Mom. I just asked my master about my second cousin. He told me some methods for getting rid of... nasty things. I’ll go see my cousin tomorrow after he’s transferred to the hospital here. Don’t worry, everything will be okay."
Mrs. Donovan paused for a moment. "You mean the Temple Master, the one who was traveling all over the place for the last few months?"
"Yes."
"It’s all right, there’s no rush. Those Five Emperors Coins of yours are very effective; Eugene’s condition has improved a lot. You just fainted yesterday, so you shouldn’t overexert yourself. It’s fine if you want to rest for a few days before going to see him."
Mrs. Donovan was primarily worried about what Arabella had said last night—about the price one had to pay for prying into heavenly secrets. Even though her daughter had Merit to protect her and seemed physically fine at the moment, she still couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
"I’m fine. My cousin has been like this for half a month already; we don’t know the true extent of his condition. That string of Five Emperors Coins can only suppress the malevolent entity, it can’t expel it. If this drags on, new problems could arise, and it will take a toll on his body. It’s better to deal with it sooner rather than later."
Seeing her so insistent, Mrs. Donovan didn’t try to stop her any longer.
Arabella breathed a sigh of relief. But when she thought about the suggestions her master had given her, the corner of her mouth twitched.
’Even though Master is usually unreliable, he wouldn’t screw me over on something like this... right?’
Mrs. Donovan: "..." ’The look on your face is making me even more worried!’
「The Jennings family was thrilled to hear that Arabella would be coming over on the day of Eugene’s hospital transfer, especially Mrs. Jennings.」
The poor mother had grown haggard over the last two weeks. When her older son, Brandon, first returned alone, carrying a string of copper coins and claiming they could save his younger brother, she thought he must have lost his mind to believe in such things.
But as she watched her younger son’s condition worsen, Mrs. Jennings grew desperate. Willing to try anything as a last resort, she agreed to let Brandon put the coins on Eugene.
Miraculously, the moment Eugene put on the Five Emperors Coins, his pale, bluish complexion improved right before her eyes.
Before, Eugene couldn’t sleep for more than half an hour at night without waking up gasping for air.
He would wake up drenched in sweat, feeling even more physically and mentally exhausted than before he’d fallen asleep.
But staying awake wasn’t an option; eventually, he wouldn’t be able to keep his eyes open. For the past two weeks, Eugene had been trapped in a miserable cycle of waking and sleeping. No medicine helped, and the ordeal was wasting him away.
But after putting on the Five Emperors Coins, he had the best, most uninterrupted sleep he’d had in two weeks. He woke up feeling refreshed and clear-headed, with none of the usual side effects like headaches, night sweats, or dizziness.
He even felt hungry and asked Mrs. Jennings for something to eat on his own, which made her so happy she almost cried with joy.
After watching her son eat his breakfast, the mother and son finally composed themselves. They listened as Brandon—and Warren Jennings, who had called specifically for this—recounted the events of the previous night’s joint birthday party. They told them about the background of Arabella and her cousin, and about the infamous Miss Lynch, who had secretly goaded someone into causing a scene at the party only to have it backfire in her face.
Mrs. Jennings despised these kinds of sneaky, manipulative "green tea" types more than anything. Hearing the story made her fly into a rage, and she slammed her hand on the table. "This is outrageous! Are they picking on them because they think the Donovan and Jennings families are pushovers? How dare they bully our girl like that!"
The three Jennings men: "..." ’She’s "our girl" already?’
But on second thought... why not? A treasure like her absolutely had to become part of their family!