Chapter 31. Raphael’s Grandmother Likes Jacintha
Though Jacintha dressed plainly, her long legs, slender arms, and graceful figure only enhanced the gentle and elegant aura she exuded.
Lucas brought Jacintha to a flowerbed near the Wulfhart estate. Raphael’s car was parked there.
Jacintha got into the car and greeted Raphael. But he acted as though he hadn’t heard her, still holding his phone, seemingly busy replying to someone's messages.
From the corner of her eye, Jacintha caught a glimpse of the contact name on the screen: “Little Sharon.”
Raphael was chatting with Sharon. Jacintha didn’t want to ruin her own mood, so she said nothing more and turned to look silently out the window. After about ten minutes, the car slowly entered a stately old compound, the former residence of the Wulfhart family.
As they got out of the car, Raphael finally put his phone away and coldly warned Jacintha, "Don’t say anything out of line later, and don’t reveal the relationship we used to have."
Jacintha understood what he meant and promptly nodded. “I understand.”
Only then did Raphael lead Jacintha into the mansion.
As they stepped into the house, Kaelthor Wulfhart, Raphael's grandfather, stood in the center of the yard, mid-bicep curl with a pair of weathered dumbbells, his muscles taut under a fitted linen shirt.
“Grandfather, I’m home.” Raphael halted before Kaelthor, posture straight with practiced reverence. “This is Jacintha. She is… my girlfrend.”
Kaelthor lowered the weights slowly, his sinewy arms trembling slightly from exertion. Wrinkles mapped his gaunt face, but his eyes, piercing and cobalt-blue, betrayed none of the frailty his age suggested. He wiped his brow with a towel, then fixed Jacintha with an appraising stare that made her grip Raphael’s sleeve.
Suddenly, Kaelthor sneered and pointed toward a wooden table under the eaves. "Girl, come here. Let’s see if you can solve this."
On the table was a wooden board carved with a maze puzzle, an 18th-century European aristocratic brain game. Jacintha glanced at Raphael.
He shrugged, eyes glinting with amusement. "Go ahead. Even if you fail, he won’t throw you to the wolves."
Jacintha stepped forward and picked up a silver stylus etched with the image of a wolf. She looked down at the intricate maze. Something only seasoned pack members could solve in under thirty seconds.
But surprisingly, her fingers glided over the surface with practiced ease, the path unfolding smoothly as if she had done it her whole life. Raphael’s eyes widened. He’d seen Harvard math majors struggle with this game.
Kaelthor gave a slight nod, his voice laced with implication. "Interesting. You’ve played this game before?"
Raphael widened his eyes at Jacintha. In their two years of living together, he had never known she was capable of solving such a complex maze. When Kaelthor pushed the ancient parchment and the Montblanc fountain pen toward her, her fingers moved gracefully, producing elegant, distinctive strokes that left both Raphael and his grandfather in awe.
Raphael watched her every movement, a strange feeling creeping over him like a memory from a past life, making his heart race. Just then, the butler arrived with three glasses of red wine. Raphael quickly took a large sip, trying to regain his composure, but his eyes remained fixed on Jacintha.
The butler’s expression changed the moment she saw Jacintha, but it quickly returned to normal. She had recognized Jacintha as the woman who had helped Raphael escape the effects of an aphrodisiac six years ago. However, she had no intention of revealing that truth.
Kaelthor tilted his head, admiring Jacintha’s handwriting, then laughed. "Marvelous! Your handwriting looks exactly like 18th-century aristocratic style."
"What’s so fascinating?" A warm voice rang out. Laura Brown, Raphael’s grandmother, appeared in a Chanel evening gown, her platinum hair tied in an elegant bun. Though she was over sixty, she radiated the refined grace of noble lineage.
Kaelthor introduced, "Come here, please. This is Jacintha, Raphael’s girlfriend. She just solved the wooden maze and wrote this beautiful script."
Laura bent down to take a look, her eyes lighting up. "Impressive! It’s rare to see handwriting this beautiful nowadays, even rarer when someone also understands classic intellectual games."
Then she raised her head and pulled Jacintha closer to get a better look. When she saw the wound on Jacintha’s face, Laura immediately asked with concern, “Oh dear, how did you get hurt like this? It’s going to affect your beauty, you know!”
At Laura's concern, a sudden warmth stirred in Jacintha's heart. She smiled and replied, “I was just careless and got a little scratch. The doctor said it’s just a minor wound, nothing to worry about.”
Laura disagreed, saying, “How can you call that a minor wound? It looks quite serious to me.”
Jacintha tried to soothe her. “It doesn’t hurt, really. It’s just a light scratch.”
In truth, how could a cut to the face not hurt? What’s more, Jacintha had always been unusually sensitive to pain since she was a child. Even the smallest scrape on her knee could make her burst into tears.
The difference was, when she was a child, her parents would comfort her when she got hurt. But as she grew up, she became the one comforting others. No matter how much it hurt, all she could do was grit her teeth and endure it.
Laura seemed delighted, holding Jacintha’s hand and chatting endlessly. Raphael stood beside them, slightly frowning, his gaze complex as he stared intently at Jacintha, only replying to Laura’s questions once in a while with a word or two.
He was beginning to realize that bringing Jacintha to the Wulfhart estate today might have been a grave mistake. Jacintha was exceedingly skilled at flattery. She clearly knew a great deal about classic aristocratic culture, yet had kept it hidden for two whole years, never once revealing a hint of it in front of him. That alone showed just how calculating she truly was!
Now, seeing both his grandfather and grandmother looking pleased with Jacintha, Raphael’s gaze darkened. The more he looked, the more fake she seemed.
In Raphael’s mind, Jacintha was a master at playing different roles before different people. In front of him, she was as obedient as a loyal dog. But in front of the elderly, she transformed into a humble, courteous, seemingly sincere and honest young woman.
Raphael scoffed silently. For the first time, he felt a desire to uncover Jacintha’s true self. He decided to keep her by his side. To find out just how many tricks she still had up her sleeve.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Wulfhart were very fond of Jacintha, so they kept her until evening. Jacintha had originally planned to pick up Jack from daycare, but had to quietly call Evelyn’s house instead, saying she would be a little late.