Grace Foster nodded her little head, replying in a sweet, soft voice: "I know you, you're Grandpa."
"Oh my, you know me?" Mr. Knight was overjoyed, his eyes twinkling with delight. "Do you know what I do?"
Grace Foster nodded again: "My brothers said you play Chinese chess."
This information was gathered from her brothers' conversations.
"So smart, so smart!" Mr. Knight praised her enthusiastically, completely satisfied with the little cutie.
Mr. Foster watched as Mr. Knight smiled foolishly at his granddaughter and let out a snort.
Look at that worthless expression, he thought, where's the demeanor of a Chinese chess grandmaster?
Mr. Knight didn't say anything else but instead commented, "Grace, I watched your match this morning and you have a very deep understanding of chess and a lot of talent."
Grace Foster didn't understand much but knew that Mr. Knight was praising her, making her little cheeks flush with joy.
"Do you want to continue participating in chess tournaments?" Mr. Knight asked.
"Yes!" Grace Foster nodded immediately. She wanted to win and collect lots of prize money!
"Good ambition!" Mr. Knight was fired up with enthusiasm. "Grace, I want to take you as my apprentice. Together, we'll keep winning!"
"Keep winning!" Grace Foster repeated his last words happily because that was her goal too.
Mr. Knight's face lit up with joy as he asked, "Grace, does that mean you agree to be my apprentice?"
Grace Foster looked puzzled and asked, "Agree to what?"
"To become my apprentice!" Mr. Knight pointed at her and then at himself. "From now on, I'll be your master!"
Grace Foster shook her little head: "No, I already have a master."
"Who? Your grandfather?" Mr. Knight looked back at Mr. Foster. "With his level of skill, he could never teach you!"
"It's not Grandpa," Grace Foster looked at her grandparents and then at Mr. Knight. It was her great-grandfather who taught her chess, and he was her master.
Mr. Knight wanted to ask more but saw the struggling look on her face and didn't press further. Instead, he said, "Alright then, Grace. If you ever want to become my apprentice, I'm always here!"
Grace Foster nodded seriously, "I remember, Mr. Knight."
Mr. Foster saw Mr. Knight's crestfallen expression and chuckled. "Old Knight, don't be too disappointed. It's not like my granddaughter isn't talented. She's already been taken in as an apprentice by someone else."
His tone was filled with pride.
Mr. Knight glanced at him, "What are you so proud of? It's your granddaughter who's amazing, not you."
"Well, my granddaughter is amazing, so I'm proud!" Mr. Foster's smile grew even wider. "Old Knight, you don't know. My granddaughter is talented in many other aspects besides chess."
Mr. Knight was half-convinced by Mr. Foster's words. He had only witnessed the little girl's chess talent.
William Foster arrived in the garden just in time to hear his daughter refuse to become Mr. Knight's apprentice, which was expected.
He walked into the pavilion, picked up his daughter, and greeted Mr. Knight: "Mr. Knight, it's nice to see you."
"Conrad is becoming more and more handsome!" Mr. Knight exclaimed.
The Foster family's genes were exceptional, from old Foster to little Grace, each one was favoured by the Goddess. Even old Foster's wife, Lan, showed signs of beauty from her youth.
Mr. Knight thought of old Foster's son-in-law, Evelyn Blake of the Leaf family, whom he had met at the Foster-Leaf wedding. She was also stunningly beautiful.
Mr. Knight looked at Grace's face, noting the resemblance to Evelyn Blake. With Evelyn's intelligence and the Foster family's genes, it was no wonder that Grace had such extraordinary talent at a young age.
Grace Foster leaned against her father's chest and noticed Mr. Knight staring at her face. She wondered why and asked her father softly, "Dad, is my face dirty?"
"No, it's not dirty." William Foster touched her little cheeks and turned to Mr. Knight. "Mr. Knight, please join us for lunch."
Mr. Knight snapped out of his thoughts and apologized, "I'm sorry, I was lost in thought."
He remembered that after the Foster family's young miss was kidnapped, the Leaf family seemingly cut ties with the Foster family.
Mr. Knight didn't mention the incident and instead accepted the invitation, saying, "It would be my pleasure. It's been a long time since I've had a meal with old Foster."
Mr. Foster glanced at him and teased, "You busybody, always immersed in chess."
"Well, speaking of chess..." Mr. Knight looked at Grace Foster and asked, "Grace, can you play a game with me after lunch? Just one game, please."
Mr. Foster frowned, "You, a Chinese chess grandmaster, want to play with my granddaughter?"
Wasn't that bullying her?
Mr. Knight assured him, "The times are changing, and the younger generation is surpassing us. Fortunately, I was born earlier, or else the title of grandmaster wouldn't belong to me."
Hearing the praise for his granddaughter, Mr. Foster was pleased and his smile widened.
After lunch, William Foster carried Grace Foster to the chess room.
Mr. Knight followed them and observed the room's setup, noting, "You've really done your research. This chess room is set up just like a tournament."
Mr. Foster confirmed, "We were worried that Grace would be too nervous during competitions, so we designed this chess room according to tournament rules."
A large, square red wooden table was placed in the center, with the chessboard already set up by the bodyguards.
William Foster put Grace Foster in one of the chairs, then stepped back to watch.
Mr. Knight sat across from her and said affectionately, "Grace, you go first."
"Okay." Grace Foster didn't hesitate and placed a red chess piece on the board.
Mr. Knight's smile faded as he focused on the game. He made his move, and Grace quickly followed with hers, showing no signs of needing time to think, as if she had already calculated everything.
Mr. Knight's expression became serious as he realized the depth of her skill.
The others in the room remained silent, watching the intense game between the two.
The brothers noticed Grace's strategy and understood that she was intentionally prolonging the game with Mr. Knight, indicating that she liked him.
Mr. Knight, the chess master, sensed the unusualness and his expression became more and more serious as he tried to escape the chessboard designed by the little girl. However, no matter what move he made, the little girl always responded effortlessly, as if his every move was already anticipated by her.
Fifteen minutes later, Mr. Knight sighed deeply, feeling physically and mentally refreshed after the game. When it was his turn to move, he didn't take a chess piece but instead admitted, "Grace's chess skills are exceptional. I was too arrogant before, thinking I could take her as my apprentice. It should be the other way around; I should be her apprentice."
Grace Foster shook her head when she heard Mr. Knight's words, saying firmly in her childish voice, "Grace doesn't take apprentices!"
Mr. Knight laughed heartily, finding the little girl adorable. In all his years of playing chess, he had never encountered an opponent who made him feel like just a piece on the board. And this opponent was only three years old! Mr. Knight was curious about who taught Grace to play chess, as her skills were already so advanced.
Mr. Knight conceded defeat and did not continue playing with Grace. After eating and playing chess, Grace was ready for her afternoon nap. William Foster took her upstairs while Mr. Knight and Mr. Foster moved to the living room. The bodyguards served afternoon tea and snacks.
As they drank tea, Mr. Foster asked Mr. Knight if he had gained any insights from playing with Grace. Mr. Knight hinted that he recalled Mr. Foster's father, who loved playing chess. Mr. Foster remembered his father mentioning it but couldn't recall clearly. Mr. Knight regretted not having played against Mr. Foster's father to gauge his skills.
After drinking tea, Mr. Foster suggested playing golf, thinking about how Grace had played well with her cousins earlier. Mr. Knight teased Mr. Foster about his poor golf skills, but Mr. Foster, confident in his granddaughter, ignored the jab and led the way to play golf.
Upstairs in William Foster's room, Grace was about to fall asleep. She asked her grandfather if she looked like her mother, recalling comments from her dad and others. William Foster confirmed that she resembled her mother and reassured her before she drifted off.
At the Shaw household, Mrs. Shaw was furious and ranting about the Foster family. Margaret Shaw, Cynthia Shaw's mother, stayed in her room to avoid becoming a target of her mother's anger. Cynthia, frustrated by the noise, wondered about the silver bracelets that Grace Foster wore, believing they held some significance.
Cynthia remembered that Mr. Knight had wanted to take Grace as his apprentice in the future. If she could learn his chess skills, she might be able to surpass Grace in competitions. Excited by the idea, she told her mother she wanted to become Mr. Knight's apprentice.