Before Kate could even finish her internal roasting, the System began rapidly popping out information again.
[Congratulations Host on obtaining the Ancestral Spirit Protection!]
[When the Host is under the Ancestral Spirit Protection status, all personal attributes +3]
[Beep! Family Side Quest unlocked: Please complete Family Mission 1: Explore the manor to obtain key items (0/3)]
Good heavens, is this a family welcome package?
Kate was distracted by the System's barrage of information. When she finally came back to her senses, she realized the old butler was looking at her with a kindly expression.
"Sorry, I zoned out!" She hurriedly found an excuse. "Grandpa Rand, what did you just say?"
Rand smiled and repeated, "The manor is too large. If the Little Master does not wish to stroll anymore, you can Apparate with me to the main building's drawing room."
No wonder it was built so big; turns out you all can Apparate.
Kate quickly took his arm. "Then let's go."
As soon as the words fell, she subconsciously closed her eyes. The sound of wind rang in her ears, and when she opened them again, she had already arrived in the magnificent drawing room.
"Little Master, as long as you are within the manor, you only need to call Jingjing's name, and it will appear to take you via Apparition to any place in the manor."
Rand let go of her hand, stepped aside, and explained in a low voice.
"I know." Kate lifted her foot, glanced at the intricate patterns of the wooden floor beneath her, and said casually, "I will learn Apparition in two years."
Generally speaking, this spell could only be learned by sixth-year students who were seventeen years old.
However, for Kate, mastering this spell within the next year or two was her goal. At the very least, she had to finish learning this spell before the Goblet of Fire.
"I heard from Newt that the Little Master's talent for learning magic is very high, so please do not be rash; proceeding step by step is sufficient."
As Rand spoke, he turned and poured her a cup of black tea using a gold-rimmed enamel cup. "Please enjoy, Little Master."
"Thank you." Kate took it, took a sip, and looked up at a portrait of a middle-aged man on the wall in the center of the drawing room.
Under her gaze, the man in the portrait moved, and even lowered his head to blink at her.
"This is the fifteenth Head of the Shafiq family, and also your grandfather."
Kate bowed to him somewhat reservedly, then turned her head to ask, "Then what about my parents' portraits?"
"This..." Rand wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. "Back then, the Young Master and Young Mistress hadn't had time to succeed the position before..."
As expected.
Kate lowered her head in disappointment. Although she had transmigrated here around the age of two, she didn't have many memories of this body's parents.
The only profound image was the decreasing number of people at the dining table during weekly family dinners, and the increasingly oppressive atmosphere.
Sighing internally, she lifted her head and smiled at Rand. "Then let's go see my room first. After walking for so long, I want to take a bath."
"Yes, please follow me." Rand nodded, turning to step into the corridor outside the drawing room.
As Kate expected, portraits of her family's ancestors were hung in this spacious and sunlit corridor. Rand introduced them to her one by one as they walked.
The men and women in every portrait looked tall and spirited, while the metal nameplates under the frames briefly recorded their birth and death dates.
As soon as they saw Kate coming, these portraits started chattering non-stop. They didn't even need Rand's introduction to make Kate's head spin with noise. If she were hung on the wall in the future, would she be like these ancestors?
When they finally reached the master bedroom suite at the end of the corridor, his footsteps paused, and he suddenly turned to bow to Kate.
"Jingjing must have already told the Little Master about my summoning Muggles here. I am very sorry; I acted on my own initiative without informing the Little Master in advance."
Kate hurriedly helped him up, somewhat flustered. "This is all Grandpa Rand's kindness; I haven't even had time to thank you for your care!"
She was especially unaccustomed to Rand calling her "Little Master" all the time. Clearly, when they were in the Muggle world before, he could still call her by her name like a grandfather.
"Grandpa Rand, now only the two of us are left in the Shafiq family. You don't need to call me Little Master anymore."
"I treat you like my own grandfather, so please call me by my name as before."
Rand straightened up, his aged face full of gratification. "If the Young Master saw the current Little Master, he would definitely be happy."
"Grandpa Rand..." She put her hands on her hips helplessly.
"Alright, alright, I know. I will call you Kate from now on." Rand nodded with a smile. "Please rest assured, all the Muggles who came for construction were cast with the Memory Charm, no one will reveal it."
He slowly led Kate into the master bedroom guarded by a heavy door, then turned and groped along the wall behind the door for a while before pressing a switch.
The room, originally dark due to the curtains, instantly lit up—
Starlight appeared on the ceiling of the originally luxurious master bedroom. Clear and soft light sprinkled between the beds, giving the entire bedroom a touch of gentleness.
Kate looked up at the ceiling in surprise. "These are..."
"You liked sitting by the window watching the stars the most when you were little, so I asked Muggle workers to come here, cover the circuits, and reinstall a layer of partition with star recesses."
"However, the portraits of the ancestors in the house complained about Muggles entering and leaving, so I could only install these in the main building. Other places can only be put on hold for the time being."
Rand's tone was still a bit regretful. According to his plan, one year was enough to renovate the entire manor.
He still remembered that his Little Master used to be afraid of the dark and couldn't sleep without lights at the door and in the toilet, so he installed such lights in the bedroom.
"I like it very much like this!" Kate shook her head, her small face illuminated by the soft light full of smiles.
Although such a design was not rare in her previous life, the most precious thing was the old butler's intention.
Rand smiled slightly. "In that case, Kate, take your time bathing. I'll go ask the house-elves to make some food you like."
"Mm, thank you, Grandpa Rand!"
After Rand closed the door and left, Kate looked up at the ceiling overhead again.
Who would know that she liked watching stars when she was little only because she missed the times before her transmigration?
Just that after so many years, she had long accepted reality. Moreover, with family like the old butler by her side, there was nothing to be afraid of anymore.
The simple and elegant wardrobe was already filled with her daily clothes. Kate picked a few pieces at random and went to take a bath happily.
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