Chapter 40: I Know Your Secret

Chapter 40: I Know Your Secret

Bran looked at the young lamb before him, then at the brother and sister in front of him, and suddenly laughed. He laughed extremely happily, extremely loudly. His laughter went on and on without end, even creating echoes within the Mountain Villa. He laughed until the faces of the two opposite him turned red with embarrassment.

The two Little Dragon Riders stood awkwardly before the laughing Bran, but the laughter seemed endless. It began to annoy the two youths, and their expressions grew increasingly unfriendly. Just as the two youths were about to explode, Bran’s laughter stopped abruptly. He turned and went back into the Mountain Villa, leaving the two of them standing outside the door without any acknowledgment, as if his earlier laughter had been an illusion. After a good while, someone else came out and invited the two into the Mountain Villa.

Upon reaching the second floor of the Mountain Villa, they saw Bran still lying back in his rocking chair, rocking it sporadically. His Black Cat was still holding onto his arm, curled up on his body.

Eileen looked at him and then walked over to another rocking chair. She imitated Zoya’s posture, reclining on her side, and said, “I have a little secret.”

Then, she heard a disdainful snort. Strangely, she could sense too many meanings in it. She sensed a ‘you little brat,’ sensed a ‘go away,’ sensed a ‘don’t bother me,’ and sensed a deep contempt that seemed to say ‘what kind of secret could you possibly have.’ Surprise and anger appeared simultaneously on the young girl’s face. Her face grew redder and redder, and she began to clench her fists. She wanted to smash this idiot’s face flat. She was not Zoya, who was gentle-tempered and could bottle up countless little thoughts and stories inside. She was a Warrior who had been trained since childhood, a Dragon Rider whose ability to act far surpassed her ability with words.

Her intended target still had his eyes closed, rocking slowly and leisurely, completely unguarded. In other words, he simply didn’t take her seriously at all. Yes, from the very beginning, he had been like this. From the first time she saw him, what was that look in his eyes? A single phrase had reached her ears: “Meat, fresh meat.” This made her fury surge even higher.

One eye stopped her possible impulsive action. Huahua, nestled in Bran’s arms, opened one eye. Because she was curled up on Bran, holding his arm, half of the Black Cat’s face was buried under Bran’s arm and her own paws, with only half her face exposed. Now, the exposed half of her face opened an eye.

That opened cat eye stared quietly at her, but it made Eileen feel fear. She remembered her father scolding her brother last night: “If you hadn’t sensed a lethal threat, why would you be afraid?”

She remembered her father’s warning from last night: “That boy isn’t an idiot, but he seems a bit mentally unstable. Stay away from such a madman. We can’t afford to provoke him.”

So, she felt tense, and her palms began to sweat. She noticed there was no one else around; it was very quiet, too quiet. Yes, it had been like this from the start. It had been like this from the moment she entered the Mountain Villa and saw him. He was always sitting here quietly alone, with not a single person around him. And my brother? Where did he run off to? She wanted to shout…

Long years of training made her instinctively grip the sword at her side when she sensed danger. The solid feel helped her regain some confidence. She understood those words she usually scoffed at: “They are my companions, my life.” Yes, they are my companions, they are my life, they are my support. So, she slowly sat up straight, straightened her chest, placed her sword across her knees. Panic began to fade from her body; she felt strength flowing within her. Although that cat eye began to flicker with an increasingly dangerous glint, the little girl could now face it bravely.

Seemingly because it hadn’t intimidated the little girl before it, the cat eye now began to show a very human-like expression of intense disgust and rejection. Then, just like its master at the Training Ground that day, these emotions began to mix and transform into—ferocity.

Eileen knew an attack was imminent. Although she had a feeling she couldn’t withstand it, she was no longer afraid, no longer panicked. She just needed to do as she did in training, as her father said, and hold her weapon tight.

Bran reached out and covered Huahua’s eyes, gently stroking the cat’s fur. The beast obediently closed its eyes, purring softly, then hugged the arm still in its embrace even more tightly, looking utterly content.

Now that she had relaxed, Eileen began to notice the Black Cat on Bran. This Black Cat had no presence; it was more like Bran’s Shadow. Who would pay attention to a Shadow? Only after experiencing the recent event and paying a little attention did she realize it was clearly a Lynx—a beast of the forest, a solitary hunter. But how was this possible? How could a Lynx coexist with a human, like a pet? With such an obvious size difference, how had it made people overlook it?

Eileen took a deep breath and said, “I want to ask you a question?” Seeing Bran show no reaction, she continued on her own, “Why are you so patient with Zoya?”

She waited quietly for a long time. Just when she thought there would be no answer, Bran spoke. “It’s not that I’m patient with her; she is patient with me. She just patiently talks about her worries, her troubles. And you,” Bran snorted derisively and continued, “although you don’t harbor much malice, you have too many little schemes.”

After a moment’s thought, Bran added, “Talk about anything, simple things. Your past, your brother, your father. Or the scenery you like, the people you hate and want to curse. Scheming and intrigue aren’t really suitable for kids, especially when it involves family or benefits. We’re not yet capable of handling that. Actually, I’d really like to be friends with you guys, but some things have gotten a bad taste, so don’t bother me.”

As he spoke, Bran tilted his head slightly towards the direction of the Mountain Villa entrance. Following his movement, Eileen saw Zoya trotting happily towards them, a joyful smile on her face, simple, clean, and transparent.

Seeing Eileen beside Bran, Zoya paused for a moment, then smiled and greeted her. She extended the hand wearing the Ring to Bran, asking happily if it was pretty. Bran nodded slightly, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. Then he pulled out a hair clip, motioned for the little girl to bend down, and helped her pin it in her hair.

Eileen watched as Zoya kept asking Bran if she looked pretty. This suddenly made Eileen feel a pang of jealousy and resentment. So, she stood up to take her leave, leaving that despicable pair behind.

…

Her brother was indeed at the Training Ground, and his partner-in-crime, Zhuoma, was standing beside him. The two brothers were critiquing the row of weapons on the weapon rack. Although there was no one else in the Training Ground, the two of them were very properly behaved and didn’t touch anything. Eileen always felt this Mountain Villa was eerie. There seemed to be too few people in the villa. Also, they had never been invited to the third floor of the villa, stopping only at the second floor. This was rather rude, but it also stirred a strong curiosity in the young girl.

Eileen wandered around the second floor, pretending to be nonchalant. When she felt she had avoided everyone’s gaze, she stepped towards the third floor of the Mountain Villa. Don’t be sneaky, be natural and confident, as if on a normal tour, Eileen encouraged herself in her heart. As soon as one of her feet stepped onto the third floor, a tall White Wolf blocked her path like a ghost…

At that moment, Bran’s sisters were fiddling with the weapons in the treasure chamber in the Courtyard on the third floor. The weapons in Bran’s treasure chamber had first been look-but-don’t-touch, but by now the prohibition was basically meaningless. As long as they didn’t take them out of the Attic, they were free to handle them. These Northlands women kept testing the various weapons and then offering all sorts of opinions. Or, inspired by the bizarre weapon designs in the room, they sketched new patterns.

A White Wolf walked into the Courtyard, rubbing against Danny. Danny placed her hand on the White Wolf’s head and gave it a ruffle, then said with a smile to the others, “Just now, a little girl tried to come up to the third floor…”