The banquet was about to begin.
Hela ultimately chose a white ladies' evening gown from the dozen or so clothes she bought from Hewitt.
Paired with her dyed-black short hair, the girl who originally appeared lovable now had an added touch of handsome charm, enough to make the sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls in town scream in excitement.
"Hewitt, what do we do if we encounter bad people?"
"Just stay by my side, and I'll take care of everything. Besides, even if they walk past you, they probably won't recognize you."
Hewitt touched the few metal balls in his pocket and said with extreme confidence:
"Don't worry, you've got me."
Hela responded with a lack of confidence:
"Mm-hmm."
The two quickly arrived at the entrance of Jimmy's house, and just as Hewitt said, no strange person dressed in black had appeared to abduct Hela.
Thump, thump.
The door was opened by a rosy-faced Rebecca. Jimmy's mother was already thirty-eight this year, but she had maintained her skin better than many women in their twenties. You couldn't even see any crow's feet.
This blonde beauty looked at Hewitt and Hela, and smiled:
"So this little princess must be Miss Hela."
Hela raised her nose and emphasized:
"Yes, I am Hewitt's niece. And are you Nellie's sister?"
Rebecca covered her mouth with her hand and said with a light chuckle:
"Little Hela is quite the talker. I'm Nellie's mother, Rebecca."
Hela widened her eyes, her face in disbelief.
Rebecca laughed and invited the two inside:
"What are you two waiting for? Come on in! Ogden! Get everything ready quickly."
The two quickly took their seats.
Jimmy seemed very excited by Hewitt's arrival. In addition, there was a hint of relief on his face, as if a seasoned warrior had finally returned home and could finally relax his tense nerves for a moment.
Nellie, although impatient, didn't say anything strange, and Hewitt guessed that her parents must have instructed her not to.
Actually, the problem between Nellie and him was quite simple. When they were young, he had told Nellie about some things he had seen in the past, but when Nellie talked about these things to others, she was mocked by her peers harshly.
Feeling deceived, Nellie, with tears in her eyes, rushed to Hewitt's house, only to see him absorbing the bone powder of the Ancient Beast to replenish his vitality. She took him for a vicious person who enjoyed deceiving children and stormed away angrily.
Although it was only a minor incident, this invisible crack slowly widened over the next ten years, leading to a continued deterioration in their relationship. As for the others who thought Nellie had feelings for Hewitt, that was simply a beautiful misunderstanding.
"So this is Little Hera. You look so pretty." Nellie deliberately didn't look at Hewitt and started chatting with the little girl next to him. "Do you want to come to my room to play? We still have some girl time."
Hela nodded without expression:
"Mm-hmm."
Rebecca looked at Hela, feeling a little strange. Why were the girl's attitudes towards Nellie and her completely different? But she thought about it and just figured that Nellie didn't always get along well with children.
Although Hela appeared cold, Nellie didn't show any displeasure. Instead, she took Hela even more enthusiastically into her own room.
At the same time, Jimmy took advantage of the opportunity to approach Hewitt and whispered:
"I've been feeling the monster's eyes on me these days, as if he never left this place. And..."
Jimmy hesitated for a few seconds, lowering his voice again:
"My father, Ogden, has been acting strange lately. I triple-checked, and he remembers things that only he and I know; his habits and subconscious little actions haven't changed. He is still him, but very different from usual. I suspect that the monster did something bad to him."
"Maybe he's hiding the monster."
Hewitt nodded slightly:
"I see."
Not long after, Nellie brought Hela out again, looking very pleased with herself. It seemed the two got along quite well.
Hela moved back to sit beside Hewitt, while Nellie sat at a slightly offset position directly across from Hewitt so their gazes wouldn't meet.
Ogden came out of the kitchen and poured red wine for Hewitt, his wife, and his daughter. In front of Jimmy and Hela were glasses of sweet orange juice.
Hela whispered into Hewitt's ear:
"Nellie is a bad person."
Hewitt smiled and asked:
"Why?"
Hela sounded a little angry:
"She lied to me and said you were a bad person."
"Haha, she's not a bad person, just a foolish one."
"Oh~" Hela opened her eyes wide, as if she had learned a new piece of knowledge, and then looked at Nellie with a sympathetic gaze.
Once everyone was seated, Ogden stood up first and raised his glass.
"Today, we are here to celebrate my daughter, Nellie, being accepted into Worton Institute of Technology. Soon, she will leave home for Capital Warton, where she will begin a new and promising four-year college life."
The old man, with slightly red eyes, called out while looking at his daughter, who he had raised single-handedly and was about to leave home:
"Cheers! To Nellie."
"Cheers!" "Cheers!" "Cheers!" "Cheers!" "Cheers!"
The other five people echoed in unison.
Ogden quickly recovered his emotions. Nobody but Hewitt noticed his change just now. The father continued:
"Everyone can start eating now, but before that, there's one more thing to discuss."
Ogden looked at Hewitt and asked straightforwardly:
"Do you love my daughter?"
"Dad!" Nellie cried out, her face flushed with embarrassment, "My relationship with him is not what you think."
That being said, Nellie couldn't help but wonder how Hewitt would answer.
The young girl stared straight at the air ten centimeters away from Hewitt's face, blushing and silent.
"Hewitt, what is love?" Hela asked, completely oblivious to the atmosphere.
Hewitt chuckled softly:
"You'll understand when you grow up."
The hunter looked solemnly at Nellie and her father again:
"I assure you, as Nellie said, this is a misunderstanding. In my opinion, Nellie is just a rebellious little girl. Perhaps she hasn't even realized it herself, but she must see me as an important adult figure. That's probably why she had such a strong opinion of me during her adolescence."
Nellie sighed with relief and muttered under her breath:
"Anyway, after I go to Warton, I won't see you again."
Rebecca frowned. She hadn't really supported the idea of Nellie dating Hewitt, who was considerably older. But after meeting him today, she had to admit he had a unique charm.
And little Hela was so cute.
"I've said it so many times, we're not in that kind of relationship. Dad, please stop talking about it, okay?" Nellie felt a sudden surge of inexplicable anger in her heart and softly reprimanded her father.
"Alright, but maybe I can walk you home tonight and we can talk about this topic more." Ogden seemed to be not ready to give up, suggesting.
Thump! Thump!
Two heavy and urgent knocks sounded at the door.
Rebecca looked at her husband:
"Did you invite anyone else?"
Ogden replied with a serious face:
"No."