Seeing the puzzled look in his sister’s eyes, Klein suddenly realized this was an opportunity. He looked her up and down, then said seriously:
“Melissa, you aren’t respecting tonight’s dinner party either.”
“What?” Melissa was confused.
Klein pointed at her neck.
“As a lady, you’re missing a necklace to adorn this spot.”
Before his sister could speak, he cheerfully pulled out a silver charm surrounded by angel feathers from his pocket.
“Fortunately, I prepared one for you.”
“…” Melissa was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, “How much did it cost?”
*Sis, you’re focusing on the wrong thing…* Klein silently complained. Chuckling, he explained,
“Actually, it wasn’t expensive. It was just a semi-finished product at first. I carved the blessing prayers and beautiful patterns on it, imitating a historical relic I’d seen before.”
“You carved it?” Melissa’s attention was, as expected, diverted.
“So? What do you think of my craftsmanship?” Klein handed the charm to his sister.
Melissa looked it over several times, bit her lip softly, and said,
“I like the angel feathers around it.”
*If you think the spells and symbols I carved are ugly, just say so. No need to hide it… The important thing about a charm is its effectiveness!* Klein twitched the corner of his mouth. He was about to persuade his sister to accept it when Melissa, with a look of “forcing herself,” put the silver necklace on and carefully adjusted the charm.
“Perfect.” Klein looked at her and praised her exaggeratedly.
Melissa glanced at him, then looked down at the charm and said sullenly,
“Klein, you weren’t like this before… like this…”
“Maybe having a good job and a decent income has made me a lot more confident.” Klein interrupted his sister, explaining himself first.
*Sigh, even though I received fragments of the original owner’s memories and I’m fine with the big things, in some details, my true personality habitually shows… especially as I get more and more comfortable with Benson and Melissa…* He sighed inwardly.
Melissa seemed to accept his reason. She pursed her lips and said,
“The way you are now is good… really good…”
While the siblings were chatting, Benson came downstairs in his changed clothes. A white shirt, black vest, tailcoat, black bow tie, and crisp trousers completely transformed him. He looked like a successful man who had worked hard for years to build his own career.
*The hairline is very fitting too…* Klein laughed inwardly.
“Fantastic, Benson. This kind of clothes really suits you.” He spread his hands with a brilliant smile.
Melissa seriously nodded in agreement beside him.
“As it turns out, clothes are more important than the person,” Benson joked self-deprecatingly.
Klein took the opportunity to take out the other charm, repeated his previous spiel, and finally said,
“I made one for you too.”
“Not bad. I’ll carry it with me.” Benson accepted it calmly and teased, “Klein, even if you suddenly learned to cut hair, make clothes, fix watches, and feed curly-haired baboons, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Life is always full of surprises and unexpected events,” Klein smiled in reply.
After that, the three siblings tidied themselves up, walked out the door, and took a horse-drawn omnibus to Fania Street in the North District, where Selena's family lived.
The Wood family also lived in a row house, but unlike Klein's, this one had a porch and a small front lawn, making it look more elegant.
After ringing the doorbell, Klein, Benson, and Melissa waited only a dozen seconds before seeing today’s protagonist, Selena Wood.
The girl with wine-red hair happily gave Melissa a hug.
“I love this dress. It makes you look especially beautiful.”
Beside Selena stood her father, Old Mr. Wood, a senior employee of the Backlund Bank’s Tingen branch.
“Welcome, our venerable brother! Welcome, our young historian!” he greeted Benson and Klein with exaggerated enthusiasm.
*Young historian… why didn’t he add the word “conscientious” to the description?* Klein grumbled inwardly, took off his hat, and replied with a smile,
“Mr. Wood, you look much more energetic and younger than I imagined.”
His flattery style had unknowingly shifted toward the Great Glutton Empire.
Benson reached out and shook Old Mr. Wood’s hand.
“I know quite a few bank employees, but they are all arrogant and rigid, just like the latest model of machinery. Not one of them has as much charm as you.”
“If you met me at the bank, you probably wouldn’t say that.” Old Mr. Wood laughed heartily.