Chapter 829
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Rutherford had been snuggling with his wife in their bedroom when he sensed a strong aura radiating inside the mansion.
It did not take him much time to recognize who it belonged to as he had been keeping an eye on his daughter’s training with his old friend from afar.
Through the same window he had peeked at the training sessions in the past, the concerned father had followed the same routine each time Desmo taught her how to maintain her manifested aura for longer periods.
While he trusted his friend to do a good job, he was worried that Des would do a much better job and in the process overburden the little girl.
That was exactly what he had witnessed on the few occasions that he had peeped on their classes from the window overlooking the training ground.
.....
He had no choice but to watch her stumble and fall but Desmo had been relentless while training her.
As someone who had undergone similar conditions during his youth to hone his skills, he could appreciate the pressure Desmo was maintaining on the child as it would help her grow stronger.
However, as a father who feared for the health of his child, he could not help but clench his fists to stop himself from rushing in and snatching her away from that man who was called Neo’s spawn.
All he wanted to do was keep her safe in his embrace but she would be annoyed if he did so.
Therefore, he had stood right where he was, like a heavy boulder that was immovable until the classes ended.
Only after he watched her amble away with Jax helping her get back inside the mansion would Rutherford return to his office as well before pretending to be oblivious about what had taken place during her training with Desmo.
Thanks to the numerous times he had witnessed her manifested aura, he was the one who was most familiar with it after the Captain himself.
So when he felt the same aura within the mansion, he was worried if something had gone wrong.
Making sure that he did not disturb his resting wife, he tip-toed until he was outside their bedroom before striding towards the place he had sensed the aura earlier.
He glanced at Butler Limo who was standing outside the Parlor where he could hear hints of the conversation taking place and soon the door was opened for him.
When Yvonne found her father walking inside, she wasn’t too surprised as this much was already within her expectations.
“Vonny, your dance lessons begin soon so shouldn’t you go prepare for it?” The Earl reminded the child with a kind smile but his interrogating eyes proved that he would need an answer about why she had manifested her aura later on.
Only after hearing what he had just said did the little girl recall that she still had dance classes to attend on weekends.
Yvonne wished to complete even these classes at the earliest and get done with them so she did not object, deciding to leave right away.
Taylor had no clue that she had classes even on a weekend while Howard had learned about it only this morning.
Therefore, the two brothers were at a loss about what to do and could only watch as she bid them goodbye before walking out of the room.
After Yvonne had left, Jax had no reason to stay behind so he too followed her outside.
With the child leaving the room, the conversation that had been focusing on her training until now had come to a halt.
However, they were surprised to see the Earl still in here.
Having separated his daughter from these boys, Rutherford stuck around to have a little chat with them.
Therefore, he took the seat that Yvonne had been in, and naturally, his gaze fell on the pup who was not someone he had seen ever before.
When Taylor had first arrived, Rutherford had been introduced to the kitten who was also in this room so his attention was now on the puppy seated on the floor next to his master.
Just as mysterious the boy named Damien was to the Earl, his etcher gave off the same feeling as well.
With a single glance, it was clear to him that the etcher was concealing its true aura.
‘Or maybe suppressing it.’ He wasn’t too sure which one it was but was confident that the etcher was trying to hide something.
Unfortunately, Rutherford hadn’t realized that both of his answers were right.
Damien’s etcher was not only concealing its true aura but was also suppressing it.
This was one of the reasons why Demon and the rest had not sensed the two boys and their etchers when they had first entered the estate and even reached the grazing field where they had been at that time.
Yvonne had assumed that she was too focused on what was happening between Demon and Celestial that she had not caught the auras of Damien and Topher who had stopped by unannounced.
However, it wasn’t her lack of attention but the conscious efforts of the little pup that had led to her being skeptical of her own abilities.
What Demon and Yvonne had been unable to decipher, Rutherford’s experienced eyes had done so in just a single glance.
Damien had already noticed the cautiousness as well as the curiosity in the Earl’s eyes but did not address it in any way.
Rutherford too did not try to pry anything out of the boy as long as it did not mean harm to his children and his family.
However, there was something that he needed to confirm so he did what he would in such situations.
‘Come here,’ He summoned his etcher who must be wandering somewhere within the estate.
‘And be discreet.’ He added in the next second and without a doubt, was sure that Fryght would comprehend what he had meant.
While he waited for his etcher to come by, he decided to converse with the boys in order to learn more about how they had been in the past six months.
Damien was silent while Topher and Howard spoke the most with Taylor chiming in once every few sentences.
Since the topic was about their training, the boys were all interested to hear what the Earl had to say.
The Tanner siblings had heard about how strong and brave the Earl was from Captain Desmo so they were enjoying this conversation with him.
This continued for a few minutes and no one noticed the doors of the parlor that had been pushed open while they were engrossed in their conversation.
Rutherford was the only one who felt the presence of his etcher making its way towards him.
Fryght was using his special skill to conceal himself, blending his appearance into his surroundings so that he wasn’t visible to others.
Whenever he utilized this trick, he was also able to cover up every trace of his aura as well.
Back when he and his Master still trained together during the days of his youth, Fryght had excelled in this skill, making him the best at concealing both his appearance and his aura from those around him.
Though the amount of training they underwent together had decreased in the past years, his skills remained unmatched.
Therefore, he was confident that there were only a few in this world who would be able to sense his presence now that he had concealed his aura and turned himself ‘invisible’ by using his special skills.
Not even Yvonne was able to sense him when he was this way but for some reason, her etcher, Demon, did so each time without putting in much effort.
Fryght had been upset due to this for so many years now but today, it appeared that his troubles would further increase.
As the boys continued with their conversation, Fryght had taken his seat next to the feet of his Master who had summoned him here for some unknown reason.
Though there were two other etchers in this room, he was confident that they would not be able to sense his arrival.
Therefore, he laid his body down on the ground and lazily scanned his surroundings.
However, his nonchalant movements came to a halt when his eyes collided with another pair that was looking right at him.
‘Master, is he...?’ He inquired and in the next instant heard a reply.
‘He is.’ The simple answer from Rutherford proved that right at this moment, another etcher in this room was gazing in his direction as though it could sense his presence when no one other than Demon should be able to do it.