Chapter 342: Chapter 342

Ingrid felt content and at ease in the pool until she caught sight of her older sister, triggering a wave of panic. She paused her playful splashing in the water and quickly swam over to her mother’s side as if that would inform her of what to do next. Arriving at Shelby’s side, she cowered in the water and right by her leg, clamping onto it as tight as she could.

She sunk low into the depths of the water, wanting the clear expanse of liquid to shield her from the eyes that seemed to look through her. Even with this, Ingrid could not help but continue panicking as the words wishy-washed through her bewildered brains,

’Samantha saw me! What should I do?’ Her eyes met her mother’s as she tilted her head up, both looking for answers that seemed just out of reach for them.

Somehow, both Ingrid and Shelby knew it before the two men appeared simultaneously. Murray appeared a few seconds later and more soundlessly at the back, staying, bidding his time and watching for what would happen.

Gabriel, who had just taken a dip, came out to see this scene of his elder sister as well. HE squeezed his little face as if deep in thought and then,

"Mama? I never told Sam anything!"

Shelby couldn’t help but shake her head at little Gabriel’s words. All these happened in that split second before Shelby was pulled into Ian’s embrace.

After Ian had left with the headmaster earlier, this was the last thing he expected, and he was overwhelmed by all the maybes and what-ifs.

’What if it wasn’t Samantha?’

’What if it was another attempt on Elfin’s life?’

Though these thoughts seemed far-fetched, he realized he had let his guard down again.

’Will she die before I -’

Ian cut off his thoughts suddenly, wary of what else might emerge from his mind. He recognized his irrationality, but he couldn’t shake it off. They were fortunate it was just Samantha who had burst in...

Ian thought, yet he couldn’t stop considering the worst especially when he remembered what he had felt in the headmaster’s office. Ian was glad that rationality had reigned.

In the headmaster’s office earlier, the man had been all warm smiles and eager, turning into business mode as he ushered Ian in.

Ian’s presence commanded attention even in the modest office space, but that was not the time for him to be thinking of that. The headmaster’s eyes sparkled with excitement, his words tumbling over one another in a rush as he spoke about the upcoming school project commissioned by Ian. Ian nodded politely, his face a mask of courteous interest, but then—he felt it:

A sudden ripple, like a silent echo in his chest, thrumming through his entire being. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, though he kept his expression calm, wondering when the old geezer would complete his relentless unwanted praises.

Beneath Ian’s composed exterior, a flicker of something far deeper crossed his gaze, something the headmaster couldn’t see. That’s when he noticed that this was coming from his Elfin!—he could feel her subtle distress and panic as though it were his own, a pull that tightened like a vice around his heart.

The bond between them was getting more than physical; it was otherworldly, an unspoken connection that transcended distance and defied explanation. Ian had learned to appreciate that bond and not underestimated it.

The headmaster, still blissfully unaware, kept talking, his voice a cheerful buzz. But Ian’s attention had already shifted, the room fading into the background.

"I’m afraid I’ll have to excuse myself," he interrupted abruptly, his tone polite yet firm. The headmaster blinked, caught off guard, his smile faltering in confusion as Ian nodded curtly and turned on his heel. He crossed the room in two long strides.

The moment he was beyond the headmaster’s line of sight, his calm demeanor slipped into urgency. He glanced around the empty hallway to ensure no mortal eyes were watching, then closed his own for the briefest second. And in that heartbeat, he vanished—a mere ripple in the air where he once stood.

The headmaster quickly jumped into action and rushed after him. When he opened the door that had just closed, he was met with an empty hallway. Stunned, he couldn’t believe how Ian seemed to have vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving him wondering just how he had crossed that space so fast.

When Ian reappeared, it was beside his wife, the distress he had sensed now clear in her eyes. His arms reached out to her without hesitation, all traces of the polished powerful businessman gone, replaced by a fierce, protective energy. He had crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, not bound by the limits of the world that had just moments ago held him.

On the other side, Samantha’s breath hitched as her eyes locked onto the person in the pool—a sight that made her heart race and her hands tremble. Excitement flooded her veins, mixed with a thread of fear that sent chills down her spine.

She felt as if she were on the edge of something immense, something she both wanted to run towards and away from simultaneously. Her lips parted slightly, her pulse pounding in her ears as she stared, frozen and wide-eyed.

But then, just as the moment gripped her the tightest, the figure of her father’s assistant moved directly into her line of sight, obscuring her view. Her chest tightened with frustration; the spell broken in an instant. She clenched her fists, annoyance flashing in her eyes especially at the words that he had just sported.

"Assistant Currey, why would you claim I was never here when I’m standing right in front of you? Your words seem quite unusual!"

"Huh?" Currey was puzzled but a sense of déjà vu washed over him as if he had experienced this scene with someone in the recent past. However, in that moment, and in his flustered state, Currey could not remember whom it was or if such a scene had ever happened in his life.

Samantha bit her lip, torn between the urge to push past him and the fear of what she might see if she did. His words were indeed odd, but, in her mind, Samantha just wanted him gone. The mix of longing and frustration bubbled up inside her, a restless energy that refused to settle until she had her view back.

That was until Currey repeated the statement, and Samantha snapped.

"What do you mean that I never saw anything?!" Samantha’s irritation stemming from her bubbling emotions overflowed,

"Move!" she snapped under her breath, barely managing to keep her voice low. She leaned sideways, craning her neck to catch a glimpse of what was hidden from her. Currey, oblivious to the storm of emotions brewing inside the little girl, remained in place, unaware of how his simple presence felt like an infuriating wall between her and the thing that had captured her so ultimately.

Murray and Ian noticed something wrong with the whole scene at the same time.

With Ian by Shelby’s side, Murray sprung into action from the back and nudged his brother away.

Murray repeated the same spell without opening his mouth. He kept his eye on Samantha but to his amazement, She suddenly dashed around him and towards the pool.

Currey ran after her, only for Murray to hold him back with a shake of his head. Murray shut his eyes tightly and conveyed his thoughts over to Ian.

"Is that you, Ingrid?" Samantha asked as she lay down flat on her belly by the pool and dipped her hands into the water.

It was at that time that Shelby also noticed the odd scenario.

"Samantha is not scared but looks excited?" Shelby whispered, and Ian nodded gravely. None of the adults in the room felt that this made sense!

Ingrid floated closer to Shelby, and Samantha sagged in disappointment.

"Is that a costume? That looks so realistic!"

Samantha crawled on her tummy, and they all watched her warily as she reached out her hand to Ingrid.

Ingrid looked long and hard at Ian and then Shelby. Seeing that none of them reacted, she stayed in place so that Samantha’s hand finally touched her in the water.

"OMG! It’s not a costume? Is this real? AWESOME!"

"Huh?" This came from Currey. The scene was unfolding a little too wrong. However, Samantha’s next statement almost made him choke.

"This is awesome! How did you become like that? It’s amazing. You can breathe under the water, too? OMG! Like a real-life fairy tale!"

It was also then that they all realized that they had been too shocked by Samantha’s presence that they had not noticed that Ingrid was almost fully submerged in the water except for her eyes!

’This is just like that freak from earlier! Her highness’ friend!’ Currey lamented, wondering why normal humans were not scared of such outworldly things. Murray just looked on gravely.

"You don’t need to say anything! This is the best day of my life! My sister is awesome!"

Samantha’s enthusiasm was infectious.

Before they realized it, she had shed her clothes on her bra and panties and dived into the water. This all happened too fast, but Shelby knew that it was only because Ian had allowed it.

"Ingrid, you’re no shyer? You look very confident now. I version of you, Ingrid."

Samantha could not stop talking and had even forgotten what had brought her there.

Soon, Ingrid let go and continued her dazzling swimming, doing eights and waeving around her siblings.

"What is going on?" Ian asked, even though Murray had already told him,

"She can’t be compelled!"

"What?! What do you mean that she cannot be?" Currey asked, still puzzled by the sequence of activities, and then as if in an epiphany, widened his eyes....

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