A thumb ring belonging to a certain Shafiq ancestor; she didn't know what use it had.
Kate took it out of the jewelry box and examined it carefully under the light of the bedside lamp.
Except for looking very good, pardon her clumsy eyes, she really couldn't see its utility. However, since the second Head of the House liked it so much, it must at least be very expensive.
After trying it on all ten fingers while sitting on the bed, Kate could only helplessly declare that if she wanted to wear this thing, she would need to grow for a few more years.
However, she could find a chain and use it as a pendant. She decided to ask Grandpa Rand to help her get a necklace chain tomorrow.
Thinking this, Kate was preparing to put it back into the jewelry box, but when she picked up the box again, she vaguely felt something was wrong.
When she was in the collection room, she hadn't examined this box carefully because she was too excited. But thinking about it now, the fact that it could be placed in the collection room meant that this unassuming little black box was itself a collectible.
Oh boy, she had accidentally brought out a beloved item of some unknown ancestor.
For such precious collectibles that were older than her, Kate essentially had no intention of offending them. If the System hadn't hinted that the thumb ring was one of the key items, she definitely wouldn't have taken it away.
Now look what happened; she accidentally took another collectible.
"I don't know which ancestor you belonged to, but I'll send you back tomorrow, old timer..."
She placed the jewelry box on the bedside table with trembling hands, observing it carefully under the light, afraid that she might have crushed it just now in a moment of excitement.
"Hm? What is this?"
She hadn't noticed it before, but after rummaging carefully for a long time, Kate felt a hard object inside the inner velvet lining of the jewelry box. Taking it out cautiously, she discovered it was a piece of small parchment that had hardened and turned white with age.
She immediately pulled out her wand, pointed it at the object, and whispered, "Reparo."
After a flash of white light, the parchment before her finally regained its softness.
[Obtained Key Item: Lisa Shafiq's Love Letter]
[Current Collection Progress: 2/3]
Can it identify names now?
Lisa Shafiq. Kate remembered that during the day, the old butler had briefly introduced her. It was said that she was the daughter of the first Head of the House, but for some reason, she remained unmarried all her life and later passed the position of Head to her nephew.
Because the photography spells of that era were not very advanced, there were no portraits of her in the family.
The thumb ring and the love letter in her hand were both things belonging to this Lisa Shafiq. It seemed she would have to make another trip to the collection room tomorrow.
Thinking this, Kate unfolded the parchment bit by bit, only to see a few short sentences written in Old English.
"To my love, if you are willing to abandon everything, meet me at the place we first met on the night of the full moon of this month. Be there or be square."
Kate tried to identify the final signature for a long time, but she couldn't make out the meaning of that string of scribbled characters; she could only roughly determine that it was a name.
This was a letter asking Lisa Shafiq to elope. And the person who hid this letter in the jewelry box and gave it to Lisa along with the box was her lover.
However, based on subsequent history, it was unknown whether Lisa never found this letter, or if she found it but still chose not to go to the appointment.
In short, after her father and brother passed away one after another, she became the second Head of the Shafiq family. She raised her nephew and niece alone, and after they grew up, she passed away at the age of less than forty.
And this lover of hers, who never saw the light of day, became a secret of history.
Why exactly did the System want her to find these things from hundreds of years ago?
Kate refolded the parchment, put it into the jewelry box together with the thumb ring, and lay back on the bed.
"Please wait a little longer. After tomorrow, perhaps everything will be clear."
She murmured softly, slowly closing her eyes.
The next day, after breakfast.
"You still want to go to the collection room to have a look?"
Rand was somewhat troubled. "Kate, although you can rest well at home for these two months, it's better not to be too obsessed with those..."
"You're overthinking it, Grandpa Rand." Kate held up the jewelry box in her hand and said, "I didn't see clearly yesterday and took this out too. I just want to put it back now."
Rand naturally remembered this jewelry box. He pondered for a moment before calling out Jingjing.
"Kate, there are still some matters in the manor that I need to attend to. Let Jingjing go with you."
"Mm, don't worry, Grandpa Rand. I'll be out in a while."
Kate nodded with a beaming smile, then looked at the elf beside her and extended her hand. "Take me to the library."
"Yes, Little Master." Jingjing placed its hand on hers in fear and trepidation, and the two instantly vanished from where they stood.
Rand looked at the spot where she had just been standing, sighed slightly, and turned to walk toward the manor grounds outside the castle.
After another bout of dizziness, Kate stepped into the library once again.
"Jingjing, try not to make any noise here. Maintain a certain sense of reverence, understood?"
The elf drooped its head and responded in a low voice, "Yes."
Quickly arriving at the door of the collection room, Kate pushed open the heavy door and walked briskly to the dressing table where the jewelry box had been placed before.
She had been too anxious yesterday and hadn't noticed that the craftsmanship of this lady's dressing table was extremely fine. Even the Green Luan bird wrapped around the wood carving appeared exceptionally exquisite; its tail feathers were even made of real feathers and hair.
And on the dressing table, there were also quite a few precious exotic pearls and jewels, or finely crafted hairpins.
Kate raised her hand, gently stroking these magnificent yet outdated gems and jewelry, and asked softly, "The person has passed away. Will the things left behind feel lonely?"
"As long as the Little Master is here, they won't be lonely," Jingjing suddenly answered in a suppressed whisper.
Kate was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and smiled. "I am just their temporary owner, not their master."
As she spoke, she took the parchment and the emerald green thumb ring out of the jewelry box and placed them on the dressing table.
She had already touched all the jewelry here, but she still hadn't found the third key item. Could it be that this third item wasn't here?
But apart from this dressing table, where else in the entire manor would there be traces left by people from nearly a thousand years ago?
Kate frowned in thought, her gaze patrolling back and forth among the dazzling jewels.
Suddenly, her gaze stopped on the Green Luan bird carved above the bronze mirror before her. The Green Luan, a legendary divine bird symbolizing love.
Could it be... that this dressing table was also a gift from the ancestor's lover?
She tentatively reached out her hand, gently covering the lifelike tail feathers of the green bird—
[Obtained Key Item: Veela's Hair]
[Congratulations Host on finding three key items. Family Side Quest 1 completed.]
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