CHAPTER 269: A QUICK GLANCE

Mid-Autumn Festival was a special event to celebrate the end of the agricultural year and a moment to hope for another prosperous harvest in the years to come. And today was the opening day of the festival that was held during autumn in Barasca.

She and her brother were not unfamiliar with the festival, which was usually crowded with people from in and outside Barasca. What made the event special was that it was not held for certain classes, genders, and ages.

It was to be celebrated by a large group of society. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival was never void of visitors, though mostly they came from the middle to lower classes, as the upper classes were reluctant to mingle with those who were lower than them. Yet it was an exception for her family.

When she was a kid, her brother always took her there to enjoy the festival cheerfully. It was the moment when they could meet with so many people, watch numerous entertainments to cheer their monotone days, and gain knowledge of a few things that she could not get at home.

There they could see so many people selling their harvested products, such as fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers, some of which could not be met on the regular days. Aside from that, there were various foods and beverages, which mostly could only be found during the festival. The ambiance was brightened through the performance of folk dances and music. Overall, it was the seasonal event that should not be missed.

It had been a long time for her since the last time she visited the festival. She remembered well that the last time she went there was before her brother commenced his study in Lasse.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, holidays were mostly taken from many aspects, including academics. Her brother went home for holidays in his earlier years of study, but not anymore when the study load got escalated with time.

Though he managed to go home, she could not ask him to accompany her to that event, as she built a tacit understanding with her brother that if he did not initiate asking her to go there, that meant that he was busy or not interested in being there.

But now, what was her brother going to do with Valerie in that seasonal event when he looked busy despite spending time to go back home? What kind of better world was he going to create with Valerie there?

Joanna felt she had difficulty breathing at the thought, and she had reason for that. Aside from celebrating the prosperity of the harvest of the year, the festival was also a moment for the youth to strengthen bonds with their loved ones.

"What are you going to do there, brother?" Joanna questioned eagerly.

With a quick glance, Joanna found Valerie in the same spot before her brother led her away to their current spot, looking at them.

She knew that the main purpose of her brother lowering the volume of his voice and moving her from their previous spot was to make their conversation be heard by only the two of them.

There was another rule that had been set by their father, which was to keep the dignity of their family, and it had been applied in their daily life since they were taught of that. They were fine to tease each other, labeling each other with their own tag, but not in front of outsiders, particularly when it came to using a not positive term.

In other words, they were fine to find fun from each other but not to be consumed by outsiders. It was just like their family’s personal matter that should not be shared and known in public ears, although it was only for a joke.

Their father reminded them that no one would protect their family’s dignity but themselves. Outside, there were abundant people with abundant thoughts and agendas. Not all were white, but not all were black. Therefore, in the gray world, they had to be careful and wise in their every conduct.

It was also the reason why, in public, her brother never called her ugly sister and she never called him crazy brother. She never badmouthed him, and neither did he.

Thus, she was relieved with what her brother did to keep their conversation to themselves, as it implied that he still regarded Valerie as an outsider, and she did not want their relationship to develop more than that.

Amidst the silence of her brother, Joanna added, "I will go back to my room only after you answer my question, brother." The tone of her voice was decisive, in line with the way she stared sharply without blinking at her brother, ready to declare war if her wish was not fulfilled.

The first response she got from Phillip was the sound of his chuckle that was very typical of him, and she would immediately recognize it even when she only heard that sound without looking at his face.

"Well, for sure, it is not for having fun." Phillip began to fulfill his sister’s wish so that she would follow his words. He continued,

"You know today is the opening of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there will be so many visitors there. I need to collect as many people as possible to become correspondents and answer some questions related to my research. And Valerie happened to know about that and offered her help because it was one topic that was brought up this morning during breakfast. Has it answered your question, ma’am?" Phillip grinned, looking down at Joanna, who was looking at him with the same attentive manner.

Joanna was stunned before regret surged up inside her. If she had not woken up late this morning, she would not have missed such important information and would not have opened a chance for Valerie to get closer to her brother and offered her hands to help him.

However, to think properly about that, Joanna thought that it was not solely about her waking up late. Currently, she was in a condition where she could not do vigorous activities. Another point to consider, which could not be underestimated, was that she did not forget about the Tres that might still lurk out there and had not yet shifted their target.

If she decided to go there, exposing herself in the public’s eyes, there would be Barasca knights and her husband to protect her. But it would only give disturbance to people who wanted to enjoy the merry festival.

The crowd would also make the security lack efficiency. Harm might not only be aimed at her but also at the innocent people who wanted to enjoy the event and protect her. Overall, she could not both let herself be in danger and give problems to people around her.

Based on her brother’s answer, the festival seemed to be the most ideal place for him to conduct anything he needed to support his research, recalling he had to find as many people as possible that would help him collect the required data. She could not ask regarding that too much, as her brother was the only person who understood most of what he needed for his study.

But still, she could not let her brother be with Valerie without the presence of another party. Joanna was deep in thought until Phillip’s next words were perceived by her sense of hearing.