Chapter 415: The Ancestral Grave is Smoking

Chapter 415: Chapter 415: The Ancestral Grave is Smoking

Arabella Donovan shot Guinevere Rhodes a resentful glare. She finally saw her for what she was—another one of those "green tea" types, cut from the same cloth as Cassandra Lynch.

As long as she could achieve her goals, she would call black white and claim the dead were alive. She would go back on her word in an instant, shamelessly contradicting herself. Her defining traits were being unprincipled and full of lies.

And unlike Cassandra Lynch, who played the frail victim, this one was far more aggressive. She was practically a Green Tea Plus.

’No wonder she and Ian Jennings hit it off. Turns out, that’s his type.’

Caspian Rhodes was speechless. It was a good thing Ian Jennings couldn’t hear her thoughts, or he’d definitely be screaming about his reputation being unjustly smeared.

But on second thought, what Arabella Donovan said might not be wrong. It was just that Ian Jennings wasn’t interested in their "green tea" act, but in their family backgrounds and the benefits they could bring him.

The elders, unaware of Guinevere Rhodes’s malicious intentions, heard her words and were reminded of something. They recalled what the younger generation had said upon arriving at the ancestral hall—about the unexpected conflict between Arabella Donovan and First Uncle’s family.

While the others were still hesitating, the same clan uncle who had been arguing with First Uncle’s family earlier spoke up with a smile. "Which of your relatives’ children is it, Sister-in-law? Why not have them come out for us to see? They’re just one of the young ones, after all. I’m sure no one will be too critical, regardless of whether they have any real ability."

The elder Mrs. Rhodes and the others’ faces fell. ’Easy for you to say now,’ they thought. ’But if that young lady actually says something you don’t want to hear, you’ll probably be the first one to jump up and condemn her!’

But since he’d already brought it up, the others all looked over. Although they didn’t say anything, it was clear they agreed with the clan uncle’s words.

The elder Mrs. Rhodes turned to Mrs. Rhodes, who then turned to her own son. "What should we do? Arabella... are you sure she can handle this?"

Caspian Rhodes glanced at the still somewhat baffled Arabella Donovan a short distance away, a small smile playing on his lips. "It’s fine. I trust her. And even if... even if she says something that infuriates everyone, the worst that can happen is I’ll throw her over my shoulder and make a run for it. You all can just remember to clean up the mess. Of course, if you want to run away with us, that’s not out of the question either."

Mrs. Rhodes was dumbfounded. ’Did I just hear something outrageous? Is this still my mature, composed, and self-possessed son?’

Although her son’s sudden mischievousness made her question reality, now was not the time to get into it.

Mrs. Rhodes shot her flippant son a look. By the time she turned back to Arabella Donovan, her expression had already returned to its usual gentle warmth.

"Arabella, come here for a moment."

Arabella Donovan wasn’t bothered. Her main reason for coming today was to inspect the Rhodes Family’s ancestral graves in the first place. Now, things were finally getting back on track.

So, upon hearing Mrs. Rhodes call for her, Arabella immediately walked over.

"Mrs. Rhodes..."

"Don’t be nervous, dear. It’s going to be alright." Mrs. Rhodes squeezed Arabella Donovan’s hand reassuringly. Worried the girl might be anxious, she decided to summarize the situation, even though she knew Arabella had been watching the whole time.

"Just now, we were burning incense to honor our ancestors. Everything was going fine until the very last step, when it was their turn to offer the incense. The sticks held by those other families all snapped. They tried lighting new ones several times, but nothing worked. Could you take a look and see what’s going on?"

Arabella Donovan nodded and turned her gaze toward the area.

What she saw made her freeze.

The ancients had a saying that your body, hair, and skin are gifts from your parents. There were also the beliefs of "finding peace in the earth" and "fallen leaves returning to their roots." Consequently, cremation only became popular in the last few decades; burial was the common practice in the early years.

The situation was much the same for the Rhodes Family. One glance at the graves higher up the mountain told you they belonged to ancestors who had died long ago. In contrast, the grave where Caspian Rhodes and the others now stood was far simpler. Its main feature was the single headstone, suggesting it belonged to an elder who had passed away in recent decades.

Arabella Donovan carefully examined the words on the headstone. It read, "Our Late Esteemed Father, [So-and-so]," and to the side below it was, "Eldest Son, Rhodes [So-and-so]."

Arabella Donovan had never heard either of those names, so she had no choice but to turn to Caspian Rhodes for help once more.

"Mr. Rhodes, this one is..."

"That’s my great-grandfather."

"Oh..."

Caspian Rhodes keenly sensed Arabella Donovan’s odd reaction and asked tentatively, "Arabella, is there something wrong with my great-grandfather’s grave?"

"Mr. Rhodes, your family’s ancestral grave... seems to be smoking."

Caspian Rhodes was utterly confused. "???"

Her words didn’t just stun Caspian Rhodes; the relatives who had been watching her every move were also taken aback.

Ian Rhodes was the first to snap out of it, his tone dripping with theatrical disbelief. "Smoking? What do you mean? We’re in the middle of nowhere, where would smoke come from? You’re not just making things up to fool us, are you?"

The others chimed in. "That’s right! We’re all standing right here watching. Where’s any smoke? You’re just trying to scare us with this hocus pocus, aren’t you?"

Hector Donovan and his friends had been standing quietly by Arabella’s side, intending to stay out of the Rhodes family’s business. But if the Rhodess were going to bully their Arabella so brazenly, then they couldn’t be blamed for throwing the rules out the window.

"Believe it or not. You’re the ones who asked her to speak, and now you’re the ones who refuse to believe her. It seems you get to have it both ways. If you’re so smart, why don’t you find the cause yourselves? Why did you even bother asking our Arabella?"

"Exactly! ’Fool you’? Who even are you? Why would she bother fooling you? Don’t you think you’re a little full of yourself? Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean Arabella can’t. When you run into something you don’t understand, maybe you should consider your own incompetence before you rush to doubt someone else. All it does is put your own ignorance on full display."

These younger members of the Rhodes family had always been proud of their elite background and considered themselves a cut above everyone else. When had they ever been mocked so brazenly to their faces?

They immediately turned pale with fury. "And who the hell do you think you are? I’m talking to her, why are you butting in? This is our conversation; you have no right to interfere!"

"Oh, listen to you. Who do you think you are, the Jade Emperor or the Queen Mother? Wow, you can talk, that’s amazing. Does that mean no one else is allowed to? Let me tell you something. I’m her brother. You bully her, you’re bullying me. If you want to talk to her, you’ll have to get through me first."

"You..."

While they argued, Caspian Rhodes managed to calm down. He turned to Arabella Donovan, his expression complex.

He didn’t ask if she was telling the truth. Instead, he just asked in a low voice, "What kind of smoke... is it, exactly?"

"This particular one of your family’s graves... is emitting a blue-green smoke."

Caspian Rhodes was baffled. "???" ’What is this? A real-life case of the ancestral grave emitting blue-green smoke?’

But he quickly caught the implication in her words. "This particular one of our family’s? Does that mean there are other graves here that are smoking?"

Arabella Donovan’s eyes brightened, her face a mask of admiration that seemed to say, ’Mr. Rhodes, you’re so smart!’ "Correct," she said.

Caspian Rhodes was silent for a moment. "...And which other ones would that be?"

"All of them."

"What?"

"I’m saying, all the graves here are smoking."

Caspian Rhodes was utterly thunderstruck.