Hearing her daughter, Cynthia Shaw, suddenly come out with a statement like that, Margaret Shaw was taken aback, "Cynthia, you've already joined a chess training class, so you don't need to be tutored by Mr. Knight. Your chess skills are much better than those of other kids, and besides, we aren't participating in any formal competitions."
But Cynthia Shaw immediately said, "Mommy, I want to participate in a chess tournament!"
Margaret Shaw frowned, "Those tournaments are just a waste of time."
After muttering that, seeing the determination on her daughter's face, Margaret Shaw quickly changed her tune, "Okay, whatever Cynthia wants to do, I'll support her."
"Thank you, Mommy." Cynthia Shaw happily hugged her mother and then asked, "Mommy, can you contact Mr. Knight? I want to start my apprenticeship with him as soon as possible."
"I'll definitely manage it, just give me some time," Margaret Shaw said, stroking her daughter's head lovingly, although she was puzzled by Cynthia's sudden interest in chess.
But Mr. Knight still accepts new students, doesn't he?
She had heard that Mr. Knight had stopped taking on new apprentices long ago.
Oh well, she'd just have to try offering more money and gifts. No matter how famous these old people were, they'd eventually bow down to money, right?
Margaret Shaw wasn't convinced, but seeing her daughter regain her spirit and no longer mope around because of the party incident made her smile with relief.
Cynthia Shaw wouldn't cause any trouble for them. She knew her family couldn't give her justice after the party, so she acted like it had never happened.
At least, no one dared to bring it up in front of her.
Except for Emily Stone.
Cynthia Shaw took three days off before returning to kindergarten.
Her body was still that of a six-year-old child, but her soul was already in her teens. She found it boring and childish to watch the other kids fight over toys during recess.
Sitting in what was originally the teacher's seat, Cynthia Shaw stared uninterestedly at her classmates playing.
Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder. "Cynthia, why are you being so quiet?" Emily Stone, with her bright eyes full of childish innocence, ran over. "Did you become stupid after being kicked out of Uncle Foster's house the other day?"
Cynthia Shaw's hand clenched into a fist at her side.
Was she doing this on purpose?!
And Emily Stone, still with a look of concern, said, "Cynthia, have you seen a psychologist? My mom says that if you're traumatized, you might become stupid!"
Cynthia Shaw gritted her teeth and forced a smile. "I'm fine, don't say that."
"I'm not saying anything wrong, my mom really told me that, and it's on the news too!" Emily Stone said thoughtfully. "The term is psychological... something syndrome."
"Enough, I said I'm fine, I'm doing well!" Cynthia Shaw snapped at her.
"Oh..." Emily Stone, confused by Cynthia's glare, found it strange but didn't dwell on it. She turned and walked towards the other kids.
Another child noticed the feather in Emily Stone's pocket and asked, "Emily, why do you have a feather in your pocket?"
"This is a gift from Grace, and it's a special feather!" Emily Stone proudly took out the feather, stroking it gently. "I discovered that as long as I carry it, I won't get wet!"
This was something she discovered while bathing. Whenever she touched the feather, the water on her body would disappear, leaving her cleGraced fresh.
Cynthia Shaw, who had been about to return to her class, stopped in her tracks.
She recognized this feather. It was plucked from Grace Foster's pet, Snowy.
Emily's words also reminded her of something. At the party, when she fell into the pool, Emily jumped in to save her. Despite both being in the pool, Cynthia was soaking wet afterward, while Emily remained dry.
Could it be because of this feather?
If so, then Grace Foster's Snowy must be no ordinary pet!
Cynthia also remembered that when Grace came to their house to demand the diamond apple back, Snowy had followed the Fosters without reason.
It was suspicious.
Very suspicious.
That Snowy must have secrets she didn't know about!
Emily felt Cynthia's gaze on the feather and quickly put it back in her pocket, telling Cynthia, "This feather was a gift from Grace, and I won't give it to you, so don't bother looking at it."
Cynthia, pulling herself out of her thoughts, scoffed lightly and said, "Who cares about your feather?"
She then turned and continued walking towards her class.
Emily found Cynthia's behavior strange today but chose to ignore it. She joined the other kids, who whispered among themselves about how Cynthia had been acting oddly lately, not playing with them and even rejecting their gifts of snacks.
Meanwhile, at Bay Villa, Snowy the goose was having a nightmare while absorbing spiritual energy in the flower garden. It woke up in a fright, its small eyes wide open.
It shuddered all over, its long neck stretching as its beak brushed over its feathers.
It had a vision of itself being plucked bare of feathers!
"Snowy! Snowy!"
It heard Grace calling and immediately rushed to the child, flinging itself into her arms. "Quack!"
Grace Foster, puzzled, asked, "What's wrong, Snowy?"
Snowy shook its head, not wanting to worry Grace. After calming down, it asked, "Grace, why are you the only one here?"
"Grandpa and Grandma are reading the newspaper, Poopoo is at work, and my brothers are busy."
Snowy raised one wing, mimicking a human hand, and comfortingly patted the young Grace Foster on the shoulder, "Honk~ Little Grace wants to play something, I'll play with you!"
Grace Foster didn't have anything specific she wanted to play, so Snowy suggested they explore around. The Bay Mansion was big enough for them to spend a whole day exploring.
As they strolled leisurely around the mansion, Grace Foster asked, "Snowy, why hasn't Grandpa been around lately? Has he gone home?"
"Honk~" Snowy knew the answer and replied immediately, "Little Grace, your Grandpa had to return to the underworld to process a pass to come and go from the human world. He also said it's a good opportunity to avoid attending the chess tournament so he wouldn't be tempted to help you cheat."
Grandpa was worried he might accidentally help her during the chess tournament, which would be unfair to both her and the other contestants. He had never participated in a formal chess tournament before and wasn't sure if little Grace, with her quickly learned skills, could defeat opponents much older than her.
Fortunately, Grandpa's worries were unnecessary as Grace won every match, even against the top chess player, Mr. Knight.
"Underworld... human world..."
Grace Foster wasn't entirely sure what these words meant, but she understood that Grandpa was a soul and the underworld was his special home. This made her think of her mother, whom she had only seen in photos and had never met in person.
Snowy noticed Grace's steps becoming slower and her expression turning to one of worry. "Honk~ Little Grace, what's wrong?"
"I want to see Mama." Grace Foster lowered her head, her soft voice filled with sadness.
Snowy, unable to bear seeing her so melancholy, flapped its wings and said, "Honk~ That's easy! You can go see your mama directly!"
Grace Foster stopped and blinked in confusion, "I don't know where Mama is."
Snowy closed its eyes for a moment, then opened them and said, "Honk~ In the white place! I know it's called the hospital!"
There were countless hospitals in A City alone, let alone the rest of the world. Snowy closed its eyes again to try and narrow down the location, but was interrupted by the sudden roar of a motorcycle.
Grace Foster also heard the sound and turned around to see a bright red motorcycle speeding through the Bay Mansion's roads.
The motorcycle circled the castle once before stopping briefly, as if the rider was talking to the guards. Then it rode in Grace's direction.
Grace Foster and Snowy moved to the side to make way for the motorcycle. The rider stopped in front of them, took off their helmet, and shook their hair.
"Big brother?" Grace Foster recognized Lucas Foster and admired his red motorcycle, "Wow, big brother is so amazing! He can ride a car!"
"Shh, don't let Grandpa know, or my leg will be in trouble!" Lucas Foster had bought a friend's motorcycle after an exam and hurried home.
He parked the bike and walked over to Grace, squatting down to her level. "Grace, how did you end up here all alone? Isn't there anyone playing with you?"
Snowy flapped its wings in indignation, "Honk! I'm here too! Don't underestimate me, human!" Although Lucas couldn't understand Snowy, he felt its anger.
"Snowy isn't angry at big brother," Grace Foster smiled and added, "I can play by myself too, you don't have to play with me."
"You're so obedient!" Lucas Foster ruffled her hair and handed the motorcycle keys to a nearby guard to put away. Then he picked up Grace and asked, "Where do you want to go? I'll carry you."
Grace Foster laughed and replied, "Nowhere~"
"I get it, you were out for a walk. Make sure to keep up, Snowy!" Lucas Foster carried Grace as they continued walking.
With Lucas's arrival, Grace temporarily forgot about her earlier conversation with Snowy. She hadn't heard her brothers mention their mother much since returning home, so she didn't bring it up again. Snowy, sensing Grace's thoughts, also didn't mention it, although its goose language was unintelligible to humans.
After walking around the Bay Mansion for a while, Lucas took Grace to an indoor basketball court to play basketball and have some fun. They played until late afternoon before heading back to the castle.
Grace Foster was tired and rested her head on Lucas's shoulder as he carried her back. Lucas asked her gently, "Grace, are you sleepy? Should I walk slower so you can sleep a bit? It'll take us ten or twenty more minutes to reach the castle."
Grace Foster, who was initially not very sleepy, began to doze off due to the comfortable pace and Lucas's gentle patting on her back. Lucas looked at her and whispered, "Grace, earlier when I arrived on the motorcycle, were you talking to Snowy about something important?"