Chapter 40…………………………………………..
“It’s admirable that the little one thought of his sister. But the kids’ mocktail is for children. How much could adults possibly enjoy something meant for kids?”
What might come of brushing it off lightly now was anyone’s guess, but for the moment, there was something more important to focus on than the mocktail that had already been successfully debuted.
The Ability Ceremony.
It was now time for Lin to take center stage at the event that everyone would be watching the most at this party.
Feeling her heart pounding, Lin took a deep breath.
“Lin.”
“Uncle Theo.”
Theodore approached, partly to check on his niece and partly to offer support before she stepped onto the stage. He observed her face carefully.
Lin’s cheeks were flushed with joy, puffed up from meeting several peers at today’s party and successfully debuting the mocktail she had been aiming for. A little nervousness lingered, but excitement dominated.
“You remember the sequence for the ability ceremony, right?”
“Yes! Step up, greet, transform into the beast figure, and then… bam!”
“Good.”
Looking at Lin with gentle eyes, Theodore lightly stroked his excited niece’s cheek.
“Don’t worry if you forget something or make a small mistake. I’ll be close by.”
“I’ll do it well!”
“That’s my girl. Excellent.”
As Theodore smiled lightly and raised his head to announce the start of Lin’s ceremony to the visitors, a group approached them.
“Has the Acting Head of the House been well?”
“Lord Peonal.”
Emphasizing the word “Acting Head,” the person who appeared was Peonal, a former member of the Elder Council.
Flanked by a group of former council members, none of them tried to hide their insolent expressions.
It was immediately clear, from their distinct family traits, that all of them were Pegasus beastfolk.
Among them was Pein, whose swollen eyes hadn’t yet recovered, and who kept glancing at Lin with fish-like eyes. When Lin slightly moved her head, Pein jumped in surprise and hid behind her parent’s legs.
“It’s been a long time since I last entered the family estate,” Peonal said. “At this rate, my old mind might completely forget this lordly castle that has been like home to me.”
“Hadn’t you been coming for decades before being barred by the head of the house? If your memory isn’t that sharp, you might need a doctor.”
“Cough.”
Peonal’s face flushed as he realized he had been treated with such casual disrespect by the head’s adopted child, now acting in the position of Acting Head.
Coughing awkwardly to mask his discomfort, Theodore spoke in a calm, matter-of-fact tone:
“They say dementia should be treated early. If your symptoms are really that severe, speak up. By family loyalty, a doctor can be sent.”
“Cough, cough, I am not yet so old as to worry about such ailments.”
“Hmm.”
Theodore’s gaze, clearly unconvinced by the claim that Peonal wasn’t that old, fell on Peonal’s receding hairline.
As the others’ gazes followed suit, Peonal’s pale face gradually flushed red.
He clenched his molars and forced a grin, his trembling lips trying to form a smile.
“Shall we leave the chit-chat here? Today is an important day, isn’t it?”
His yellow eyes gleamed from behind his wrinkled eyelids.
“In honor of a good day for our family, we have brought a distinguished guest. Please.”
As he gestured, the Pegasus group parted in two.
In the cleared space stood a fox beastfolk priest in pristine white ceremonial robes, wearing a gentle smile.
“Greetings, Acting Head of the Pegasus House.”
“Aren’t you an envoy from the Holy Nation?”
For an envoy, not acting like an envoy but instead meddling in the internal affairs of the Pegasus family meant one shouldn’t expect to be treated as a proper envoy.
The priest, understanding the hidden implication, smiled gracefully and offered a ceremonial bow, showing no other intent.
“Yes. May God’s blessings also be with the Acting Head. We are grateful that on such a fine day, we are able to gather together.”
“Of course, indeed, we have every reason to be grateful.”
Peonal, as if he were hosting the guest himself, nodded in agreement and turned to Lin, giving a benevolent smile.
“Our precious daughter of the Pegasus lineage is undergoing the ability ceremony. How could we elders of the family be negligent? Truly, congratulations, young one.”
Seeing Lin blink blankly at the unfamiliar face, Peonal frowned and clicked his tongue at Theodore as if to say, “Listen carefully.”
“So, you still find me unfamiliar. You didn’t even allow the children to become acquainted with their relatives… such rigidity. I had hoped to meet sooner; what a shame.”
Peonal again put on a gentle demeanor and introduced the priest to Lin.
“Though we haven’t met before, as part of our family duties, we have brought this priest specially for today.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Pegasus. I have come to bestow blessings for the young lady.”
Lin furrowed her brows, confused by something she had never heard of when preparing for the ability ceremony.
Stepping forward protectively, Theodore blocked the others and asked:
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Do not be alarmed. It has already been approved by His Holiness, the Law King.”
Placing a hand over his chest, the priest spoke kindly, confident that his gesture would be well-received.
“Even if the previous head of the family was temporarily distant, the merciful Law King would not object. He prays that blessings be upon all noble bloodlines.”
The priest seemed intoxicated with admiration for his master’s generosity, willing to overlook previous disrespect if future repentance were shown.
Theodore corrected the misunderstanding firmly:
“Not the previous head. The current head of the house.”
“…I see. I have been focused on my duties, so my titles were lacking.”
Though surprised, the priest accepted his mistake gracefully. By addressing the missing head as “previous,” he had been attempting a friendly gesture to acknowledge the Acting Head as the current head.
Offering a hand of reconciliation between the Holy Nation and the Pegasus family, there was no reason to insist if the other party did not want it.
As instructed, the priest once more extended a hand of goodwill to the Pegasus family.
“I have come to bless the noble bloodline of the young Miss Lin Pegasus. Please provide a medallion; after the consecration, I shall personally place it upon her following the ability ceremony.”
The medallion bearing the family crest was customarily given to a beastfolk child completing their ability ceremony.
Usually the family head would place it, but the priest offered to do so in their stead.
For a devout noble, this would be an honor—but the Pegasus head was not such a person.
And Theodore had always upheld the wishes of the adoptive head.
“Your kindness is appreciated, but I cannot concede that role.”
“!”
The priest, having never expected refusal, was startled.
His fox-like eyes widened.
“This blessing comes from the Law King himself. I am here as an envoy of the Holy Nation. Do you understand the significance of the Law King’s blessing?”
The meaning was clear: just as one designated by the Law King would be supported by all followers of the faith, the one blessed by the priest would gain favor from all believers across the continent.
The priest had even brought a Holy Nation emblem brooch, signaling that the child had received the Law King’s blessing.
His plan was to act on behalf of the Law King, personally placing the medallion on the direct-line Pegasus child and presenting the emblem brooch in front of the influential nobles.
In such a plan, refusal of the blessing was unthinkable.
