10 The Duck Murderer's Threat

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"I said… someone infiltrated the Knox mansion, and cooked my little ducklings."

The second elder, Stane Knox, laughed hysterically even as the look on the face of the first elder kept getting darker. If not for a kick to the shin, he probably would have kept laughing.

He whined in his mind about how sinister the first elder and patriarch were, sitting on his either side when the round table had enough space for thirty people.

"Do you think it's funny? With the situation as it is now, isn't it bad enough that someone can sneak in and out of this place as they please? And they're so fearless that they dare to make a dinner from our pets!"

Stane felt wronged. Is he the only one in the room who doesn't take things too seriously? Why can't there be coincidences in this world? Not everything has to be a conspiracy!

"No no no, elder Floris, don't misunderstand… it's just, isn't it crazy to think that someone would sneak in just to cook your little ducklings? Would they even be enough for dinner?"

"Bastard!"

The kick this time was much harsher, sending the male elder howling.

Osmond felt less like a patriarch and more like a kindergarten teacher as he rubbed his temples. "Alright, you guys… you're not teenagers anymore, okay? Can you not be like this?"

"Humph!"

The male elder waved his hands in surrender. "Eh, I'm sorry for laughing, Floris. It's just so absurd that it sounds like a joke. I didn't mean it! You know I'm a clown and an idiot. I don't get things fast. Sorry."

The patriarch sighed before patting him on the shoulder. "Alright, I think Floris is in the right on this matter. Regardless of why or how it happened, we should at least remain vigilant and increase the security measures around the mansions of the three lords. None of our three youngest descendants are strong enough yet. We can't be careless. Especially with little Eve."

"I understand, milord."

Although the two of them nodded in acceptance, Floris still looked hesitant about something.

Having worked with them for over four decades, how could the patriarch miss such a thing?

"Good… it looks like you still have something to say, Floris?"

The female elder sighed. She almost hoped they wouldn't notice her thoughts, because she knew what their family was like right now. With their own survival at stake, how can she be so selfish?

"Forgive me, I know we're struggling right now, but… isn't there another child we have to worry about?"

Sometimes she saw a tiny little redhead running around in the gardens, bringing life to her otherwise cheerless place. With her personality, it was too much for elder Floris to go out and coddle the girl, but it was definitely impossible to put her in harm's way. If the family couldn't, she would have to figure something out on her own.

Whoever it was that could burn her ducklings to charcoal in her own yard, could very well do the same with that adorable little ball of sunshine. Just thinking about it made her stomach churn.

Moreover, while she was looking around the place, she found a tree with a giant hole inside. It looked like someone with at least ranger level strength had punched through it. How fearless do you have to be to do that? What if one of them noticed the sound and came over, were they confident to escape? The whole situation made her feel uneasy.

The patriarch frowned in thought. "Ah, you must mean the daughter of the Gilmore family. I suppose you're right… But we have no manpower to spare."

Even if they assigned just two people to each mansion, they would only have a single shadow guard left over. The three elder mansions were already without security, and someone definitely had to be available to carry out emergency tasks.

Floris seemed to have already thought it through. After all, all three of them knew exactly how thinly stretched their forces were already.

"Then… how about I tell them to move in with little Eve? They can be safe with her, and it won't require arranging anything extra. What do you think?"

The patriarch also felt more relieved now that there was a good workaround. Although the Gilmore sisters sought shelter directly with Desmond and Isabella and not with the family head, they were still under the Knox family protection. It felt like he was neglecting his duties as the patriarch if he allowed them to be put in harm's way.

"That's actually good. Alright, then let's do it your way. You go talk to those children and tell them to move to Desmond's place."

Despite being over seventy, elder Stane seemed to be dissatisfied at the lack of attention he was getting in this meeting. So he came up with an idea without much thought. What's safer than combining the safety of two mansions? Combining the safety of all mansions!

Feeling proud, he puffed out his chest and tapped the table as if he were a mastermind at work. "Actually, I don't understand one thing."

The other two looked at each other with an eyeroll before the patriarch gave him a dull nod to continue.

"It's sad to say, but with our numbers in this generation... won't we all fit pretty comfortably in a single mansion? What d'ya think?"

Their faces seemed to say 'as expected, it was a dumb idea'.

"I think it's absurd to suggest Nadina and Isabella can stay under the same roof without exploding. And if everyone but George's family are to move in together… you tell me, how does that make us look?"

"Eh? Eh?! They hate each other? Why? No wait, why are you looking at me like I'm an idiot?!"

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Some people believe that whatever is bound to happen in this world will happen regardless of whether you want it to happen or not. But Amara firmly believed that the likelihood of something happening increased exponentially with how much she didn't want it to happen.

For example, the person she would really hate to come across today would be the first elder Floris Knox. And guess who she can see walking towards their place from the window? She hurriedly stuffed the two children into the closet with 'shush!' before rushing out to greet the elder.

"E-Elder Floris, good day!"

Floris smiled gently, making the redhead feel guilty. "Good day to you too, Amara."

Amara waited anxiously for Floris to question her, a thousand different excuses running through her mind. Her thoughts kept swinging between confessing directly and begging forgiveness for her little sister's accident, and denying everything vehemently unless presented with proof.

"Well, where's your baby sister?"

The redhead screamed inside, wondering if the elder already knew. "A-ah, little Vivi? She must be out somewhere running around. You know children, they do whatever they want whenever they want, haha. Ha. Why don't you come sit down, Elder?"

Floris smiled, and the more she looked like a kind middle-aged woman from the outside, the more Amara dreaded the interrogation to come. All adults wore masks! They think something else and speak something else!

Patting her on the head, the elder walked with her all the way to the room Vivian and Amara shared. Although the mansion was huge and had many, with the lack of staff, it was better to just use what was needed. This was the only place that Amara had properly cleaned and maintained.

Floris chuckled as she picked up the glass of water that the redhead had brought over. "Look at you, what a dutiful child. No need to be so nervous."

She tucked some of her long gray hair behind her ear with a sigh. Feeling much more relaxed in this room she had just arrived in than she did in the meeting hall she frequented for decades. It was as if there was a soothing presence nearby that helped calm her soul.

"So, how do you like it here so far? Has there been anything troubling recently?"

There was an audible gulp.

"N-No? Nothing I can think of?"

The elder didn't seem to notice her suspicious behavior.

"Oh, good… In that case, although it's a bit abrupt, we have decided that you two sisters shall move into the third lord's mansion."

For a moment, Amara wondered if she heard right. Her mind was filled with confusion. Did the elder know about the duck murderer's origins or not? Was this another weirdly sophisticated adult scheme?

Meanwhile, Evelyn was trying her hardest to keep Vivian quiet. She even had to cover her mouth with her hand, and the little idiot actually covered it with drool! Ew! Next time Amara better explain what's going on before throwing her around!

As if fearing that the child would misunderstand her, the elder started explaining a little nervously. "It's not that we don't want you to have privacy or your own place… it's just… there's been some security concerns lately…"

Halfway through her words, the elder paused as she realized that everything that she had said could be misunderstood to make everything worse. Isn't this the same as saying the Knox family doesn't trust them and wants to keep an eye on them? Won't they misunderstand that the so-called security concern is just caution against them?

Gritting her teeth, she decided to just come clean. It was shameful to behave like that in front of a child. "Yesterday, there was an incident near my mansion."

Amara's heart jumped with a guilty conscience.

"After discussing with the patriarch and elder Stane, we decided that we'll tighten the protection around three mansions in particular. And I want you to move in with the one you're closest to, for the sake of your little sister's safety."

Amara felt moved in her heart, and the guilt was palpable. Here she was thinking of how to shift blame on killing her ducklings, while elder Floris was worried about their well-being.

"Well, you children move out at your own pace, but don't take too long. I shall go. If there is anything in this place that troubles you and you have nowhere to go, you can come to me."

"Thank you… thank you, elder!"

"Fufu…"

Floris left, feeling that her depressed mood was completely gone after talking with a cute and shy child like Amara. It almost made her wish she had descendants of her own, but shook her head shortly after. If she had to get together with someone obnoxious like elder Stane, she would have seizures every day from sheer rage and disgust.

"Also, children are very cute only for a while. Then they're very, very annoying! Ah, the peace of living alone is the best after all!"

After hearing the dull thud from the door, two little heads finally peeked out of the closet.

Amara rolled her eyes as she looked at the pink haired girl's hands and dress covered in Vivian's drool.

Evelyn futilely wiped her hands against her clothes again. She kept trying to separate from the giggling Vivian, but the tiny redhead was still stubbornly clinging to her. Thankfully, she didn't have to handle her all day or she would go crazy.

"What's going on, Amara? What did the old lady talk to you about?"

Amara wondered if it's indeed true that one's own feeling of misfortune becomes less unbearable just by watching others suffer. "Well, looks like what you said that day came true after all. We're going to be moving into your mansion and the two of you can have fun playing together all day, and I can save time watching the two of you at the same time!"

Evelyn's confused 'Huuuuuuuuuuh?!' was drowned out by Vivian's excited squeal.