Chapter 246 - 11: Brotherhood (5)_2

Words : 1461 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Chapter 246: Chapter 11: Brotherhood (5)_2 Something felt strange this time—when Jones woke up, Dora wasn’t in his room. In the past, every time he opened his eyes, Dora was always the first to appear. "Dora? Are you there?" Jones opened the door and poked his head out into the hallway. It was completely empty; not a soul in sight. "Where did she go? Never mind, I’ll handle it myself." She always slept later than him, yet woke up earlier. Jones had to admit, Dora was a very diligent and responsible maid... except for being a bit dumb. Otherwise, she was practically perfect. Carrying his change of clothes, Jones went straight to the bathroom to freshen up. Amid the swirling steam, he found himself alone. Honestly, it felt a little unsettling to him. After a halfhearted scrub or two, Jones gave up on properly washing himself, changed into his clothes, and left. He’d basically just rinsed off. "Dora—! Where are you? Have you seen Dora?" Jones stopped a zombie who was sweeping the floor. "Seems like she’s in the courtyard," the zombie responded. Jones paused for a moment. Turning his head, he noticed rain was pouring down outside the window. "Out in the courtyard in the rain? Is her brain not waterlogged enough already?" Walking down the stairs and peering through another window, Jones spotted Dora standing under an umbrella in the rain. Beside her, Goya lay motionless on the ground, eyes closed, letting the raindrops pelt her body. "What’s wrong with her?" Jones was startled. "Lord Jones, she insisted on standing in the rain. I couldn’t stop her." Dora tilted her head back and shouted. "Insisted on standing in the rain?" Just then, Jones saw Goya open her eyes and smile—a dreamy, oddly enchanting smile as she stared up at the sky. She still had shackles around her wrists, but the dirt on her face was completely gone, revealing pale, clean skin. She’d also changed into a white long dress, though it was now thoroughly drenched. It looked like she was performing some sort of prayer ritual. Goya hopped and danced around in the rain for quite a while. If there had been even the slightest trace of magic power, Jones might have thought she was preparing some kind of spell. But as it turned out, she simply wanted to play in the rain, nothing more. "Are all werewolves like this?" Jones muttered to himself, baffled. "Dora, just come inside. Don’t worry about her." "Didn’t Lord Jones say I should watch her?" Dora asked. "Uh... fine, as long as you’ve got an umbrella." Werewolf Jones couldn’t entirely figure it out. Vampires, being immortal creatures, had never been known to come down with anything from getting wet in the rain. Since that was the case, Jones decided it wasn’t worth fretting over. After spending a full hour frolicking in the rain, Goya finally returned to the castle, changed into a dry dress, and began devouring the dinner prepared for her. She ate ravenously, showing no sense of decorum whatsoever. Jones, sitting across from her, slowly savored the Blood Clan pastries his mother had made. As he ate, he quietly studied Goya. She had a face full of unique character. From her physique, she was clearly an adult werewolf—one might even say somewhat voluptuous. Yet her features had a childlike softness, as if she were still a little girl. Her eyes weren’t large but were delicately shaped. She had a high, petite nose and arresting features that were unlike both the Blood Clan and the humans of the continent. Hers was a face of gentle beauty. Hard to believe she was a werewolf, wasn’t it? Of course, judging by her manners—or lack thereof—it wasn’t so hard to believe. She seemed completely ignorant of etiquette. During meals, she curled her body up and didn’t know how to use a knife or fork. She ate with a hunger that suggested she was either famished or just naturally accustomed to scarfing down food. Occasionally, she’d glance up at Jones with a hint of wariness, though she’d already warmed up to Dora. Midway through the meal, she suddenly fixed her eyes on the pastries on Jones’s plate. Jones glanced at the half-eaten pastry on his plate, then at her, and softly pushed the plate toward her. Goya happily grabbed the remaining pastries and began munching on them, smiling as she ate. Watching her, Jones let out a resigned sigh. "By the way, Lord Jones, there’s a letter from Salted Fish Port," Dora said. "Let me see it!" Taking the envelope Dora handed him, Jones froze for a moment. It was a letter from Camilla. Well, at least someone remembered him—it was nice to know someone cared, to some extent. Jones thought this as he opened the envelope. The first line read: "Jones, you coward!" Yes, that’s exactly how it began. A tirade promptly followed, scolding Jones for choosing to return home at this time to avoid the war with the Dragon Clan. Camilla demanded that Jones return immediately and accused him of shirking his responsibilities. She also mentioned that they were currently in a standoff with the Gustav Empire, with negotiations seemingly ongoing, though Camilla didn’t have the clearance to be involved in such talks. The letter didn’t go into much detail beyond that, as Camilla’s rank wasn’t high enough to access more sensitive information. Jones finished the letter, expressionless, then quietly put it away before resuming his observation of Goya. "Lord Jones, aren’t you going to reply?" "Reply? What would I even say? Ask her to convince Gray to send me a letter canceling my vacation?" Jones sighed helplessly. Though the thought was tempting, it was mere wishful thinking. The only reason Camilla even wrote to Jones wasn’t because of any significant authority she held—it was simply because she was nosy. Yes, incredibly nosy, one of the most enthusiastic members of the Silver Moon Knight Order. "Lord Jones, when are you planning to remove her shackles?" Dora asked. "When we’re back at Salted Fish Port," Jones replied casually. "Didn’t a northern expedition just get launched? We’ll take her north when we go back. For now, she can stay here." As he spoke, Jones reached for another plate of Blood Clan pastries. Before he could touch his knife and fork, he noticed Goya eyeing his pastries again. Resigned, he slid the second plate over to her as well. Ever since returning from the Brotherhood, Jones’s peaceful life had resumed. However, unlike before, he could no longer sleep the days away, because the castle now had an additional "resident." Most of the time, Dora had to keep an eye on Goya, and during Dora’s breaks, Jones had to take over. As for Goya... She was a peculiar girl, utterly unversed in the concept of etiquette. She acted like a wildling, bouncing around like a rabbit all day long. She saw food, she ate it, showing no trace of her recent history of being sold as a slave. The shackles she wore only served to prevent her from transforming into her werewolf form—they didn’t hinder her daily activities. Though her antics brought some trouble to Jones, it wasn’t unbearable. "It’s better than dealing with hostility, isn’t it? Sure, she’s a handful, but it’s better than having a dangerous threat in the house." Jones’s mother, however, had strong opinions about the werewolf girl. "How can we keep a werewolf in the house? It’s bad enough you didn’t lock her up, but you actually let her roam around? Unbelievable!" "Just think of her as my pet," Jones replied. "What kind of Blood Clan member keeps a werewolf as a pet? I don’t care; you need to lock her up." "Of course, Mother. You’re absolutely right. I’ll do as you say." That was Jones for you. He always apologized sincerely and made promises he never intended to keep. Lock her up? Not a chance. Instead, Jones devised ways to keep Goya away from his mother. Fortunately, the castle was large, and nobody in it dared report Jones to the Countess. After all, unlike Gray, Jones wasn’t one to shy away from retaliation. And so, five days passed. Aunt Sarah seemed to have been delayed by something, and their meeting kept getting postponed. With the second Brotherhood gathering approaching, Jones found himself hesitating. He didn’t want to go, but skipping it after just receiving gifts felt a bit rude. After some deliberation, he resolved reluctantly, "I’ll go this time. If it’s really unbearable, I just won’t participate in the future." However, two days before the second Brotherhood meeting, Jones received an invitation from Adelle. "Let’s meet in Hilde tomorrow. I have a new friend I’d like to introduce to you."

Chapter 246 - 11: Brotherhood (5)_2

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