Gesture of Respect

Then again, in the present, Benedict and Penelope still doubt that Maximilian really had a lover and a child.

They were yet to get rid of their belief that he was just lying so he would not get into an arranged marriage. After all, when he brought it up to the whole family back then, it was completely out of the blue. That alone made this whole thing suspicious.

However, Lady would have to side with Maximilian on this one. Penelope and Benedict may not know it yet, but they will absolutely come to love Sarah, their future step-granddaughter.

That being said, she has a mission to accomplish here, and she refuses to let a mere self-introduction keep her from carrying that out.

"G-G-G-Good evening, Granny and Grandpa," Lady greeted.

And the crowd went silent.

But she did not notice that.

She did not even notice how she called her grandparents, which, unbeknownst to her, was not really how she should address them. The overwhelming aura they give off is just too much for her to handle – they are too intimidating, and they are making her want to pee for real.

Now, she feels like a fallen god who is cowering before her own creation after failing to realize that she has made them too strong and powerful for her liking.

"M-My name is L-Lady. I am Father's d-daughter. It's a p-pleasure to m-meet you," she continued, trying so hard not to stutter yet, obviously, to no avail.

Lady can hear snickers from behind her. She can tell it's her cousins. From the side, she can also see that Fallon is giving her a look of pity, and she is quite sure that Maximilian will give her the exact opposite of that later on.

Then, there are murmurs and chatters everywhere. She is beginning to break out into a cold sweat. Still, she steels herself there, steady, holding it together. She just needs to finish this, and she can finally take off.

"Granny, may I?" Lady asked with a hand stretched out, taking Penelope aback once again.

It took a couple of seconds before she realized that her granddaughter was asking for her hand. Despite her confusion, she hesitantly reached out and offered it to her.

"What the? What is she doing?" cousin number one blurted out.

"Is she seriously asking Grandmother for a handshake?" cousin number two piped in.

"Pfftt…!!! Is she making fun of her and Grandfather?" cousin number three sniggered.

She can hear them mocking her, but she pays them no mind. Instead, she went on ahead and did her own style of greeting an older family member – that is, by bowing down a little and guiding the back of Penelope's hand to kiss her forehead. It stays there for a few good seconds. The gesture catches her and Benedict off guard.

Everyone else also seems to still then, reacting just as bewildered as them.

"Oh, dear..." Penelope breathed right after Lady let go and stood up straight again.

"And here I was wondering what you were about to do."

"O-Oh, ummm… T-That's my way of greeting you, Granny. I-I learned back then that it's how youngsters show respect to their elderlies."

"Really? You learned it? To tell you the truth, that's my first time seeing someone do that…" Benedict commented, sounding a little less stern than earlier.

"Quite interesting, nonetheless. We didn't expect that."

When both of them showed her a small smile, she could not help but let out a relieved sigh. She somehow sensed the surprise from the crowd behind her as well.

They probably thought that Lady had vexed Benedict and Penelope at that moment.