A Guest of the Estate

This smiling yet hardworking old man was the original President/CEO of Golden Bloom—Hansel Chastain. His entire family ran the Carousel Group, which he also started as part of his role to secure the financial resources of the Pineberry household.

It was just that the man in charge of Golden Bloom died from an unknown disease without a child to carry on his role. His wife handled another company, so they inevitably passed it back to Hansel. Knowing it would be hard for him to work anymore, their very lady posed as the man's adopted daughter to support the company.

"Lady Wren, I heard you divorced Master Lev in this lifetime." Hansel was drafting a few solutions to a risky venture when he remembered something. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing really." Wren hummed as she continued writing and signing papers in the lounge. "He just felt like things were shaking up, but I thought otherwise. He wanted to travel around, so I gave him an excuse. Moreover, if I used my availability as a single woman, I could just marry someone I find worthy and give him the role of continuing Golden Bloom." 

She chuckled in a proud tone. "Of course, he must agree to take on the Chastain family name instead. After all, I am not willing for someone else to be associated with your family business."

"Ah, how troublesome. I'm really sorry about everything you'd have to go through because of us." Hansel grew melancholic. He couldn't apologize and blame his son who mysteriously died. Neither could he shoulder the company again. "I hope Master Lev won't take it badly."

Wren shook her head and hummed as she began slacking off. She twirled the pen on her fingers. "Hansel, let some of my men watch over you and your family again. The Horses began causing trouble with the excuse of looking for the princess. If they realized how you are affiliated with me, they might strike you down as a way to get my attention."

Hansel frowned. "I see, then I will take your protection willingly, my lady. I don't want any of us to be remembered as the wick of war between you and someone from your family."

"All right. Thank you, Hansel." Wren smiled again before twitching and giggling in her spot. "Don't forget to drop by the Pineberry Estate later. Gephardt wouldn't sit still if he found out you only said 'hi' to me. He might act haughtily, but he felt incredibly sad when you left the Estate."

"That's not good. That cat might be living too long, but he still hasn't gained much as a human being. Words wouldn't be enough to appease him." Hansel stroked his chin as if recalling something else. "I actually arrived with my great-granddaughter. Her parents are too busy working, so I took her on a trip. Do you mind having us over at your Estate for dinner tonight?"

"I'll ask the maids to prepare for a feast." Wren chuckled and took out her phone to send a message just as fast. Then she stared at Hansel. "If you're coming to my house later, you might as well find out from me myself. Hansel…"

The old man stared at her, but Wren's eyes glinted in red as she spoke with a smile. "The princess is with me again. I hope you can handle that."

Instead of a shocked expression, Hansel showed one that involved deep frowning and deep breathing. He then brought his pen down. "When everyone began converging here, I figured something was different these days. For the princess to appear so close to you once again…"

He flicked his eyes at Wren's face. "Milady, have you… tested her again? The last time was truly unfortunate. Those other members of your family might no longer trust you to keep her company."

"I was waiting for you to get stunned, but I clearly underestimated you." Wren chuckled and leaned on the couch. "You don't have to worry. Her reincarnation this time seems to be too faint-hearted. I can't start testing her unless I want her to start running away from me."

"May I speak to her, Milady? I might be of help despite being past my prime as a servant." Hansel hummed as he continued writing in his notebook. His handwriting was already shaky from his age, but the ideas on it were still as sharp as they once were during his reign in Golden Bloom.

Wren, however, leaned her head away from him and closed her eyes. "You might have further progress about talking to her compared to me. Please don't hold back, Hansel."

…

At home, Keagan was caught staring at the laptop in Wren's home office. The door was open because the maid was cleaning up, while Keagan was just watching as if hoping to learn the path along the estate. However, her eyes couldn't look away from the laptop.

Gephardt, who followed her around like some guard, poked his head inside the room. He followed Keagan's gaze and looked at her suspiciously. "If you want to make off with something, better not pick something related to her work."

"I just wanted to borrow it. I haven't checked my emails again. The remunerations from the last project hadn't come in yet. I want to cash it out as soon as possible." Keagan hummed as she turned to Gephardt. "Erm, do you have a phone, Gephardt? I know you're supposed to be the house cat, but…"

"I don't have anything like that. Lev told me that those things would only rot my brain." Gephardt scoffed as he straightened his back. "Do you just want a phone? Let's just buy one. I'm sure Wren can buy one or a hundred easily."

Keagan flinched and chuckled as she waved her hands. "Please don't. That's very expensive. I might not be able to pay it back within the year. I'll just wait for her to return and see if I can borrow anything."

At the side, Cherie was receiving orders from Wren. She heard the conversation between the two and asked Wren in Keagan's stead. However, her eyes flickered at the answer she received. Now, how could she break it to the miss?

Then, she also saw the message sent to the group chat of the maids. It seemed that a guest would be coming over to their estate later for dinner. She just kept her phone and looked up at Gephardt. "Master Gephardt, we will have a guest later. I might have to take Miss Allard to prepare for it."

"Huh? I'm preparing for the guest?" Keagan flinched again, but Cherie gestured at Keagan's body. She looked down at her body and saw how her clothes—a loose shirt and a pair of shorts—were proper housewear. That was when she realized these clothes might not be the best ones to wear with a guest over the sophisticated Pineberry Estate.