The Enigmatic Return (Neera and Jean) novel Chapter 152

Jean's aunt, Seren, sat there sipping her tea, seemingly indifferent to the tense atmosphere. However, her sudden light laughter broke the silence.

"Frederic, this new daughter-in-law of yours comes from a humble background, which is fine, but she needs a lot of refinement and etiquette. You'll have to teach her how to communicate with elders properly," she remarked, implying that Neera lacked manners.

Frederic's brow slightly furrowed as he listened, his thoughts clear as a mirror.

What kind of "teaching" was this? His sister just wanted to provoke Neera.

But Frederic didn't blame her; he calmly said, "Neera has just arrived, and she might be feeling a bit nervous, so her words may have been misjudged."

Wrenn chimed in to support, "Absolutely! She's just arrived, and you all are putting on such a grand show, making it feel like an interrogation. She's a young girl and may say the wrong things due to nerves. As elders, we should be understanding and not take it to heart."

Neera's eyes flashed with a glint of determination, but she kept up her innocent facade, timidly biting her lip.

"Did I say something wrong just now, Uncle Clarence? I hope you don't misunderstand; I truly didn't mean anything else. Jean had already advised me before coming that I must always respect and agree with the elders. I might not be very articulate, and perhaps I said something inappropriate..."

Her expression of innocence was so convincing that it made it hard for anyone to blame her.

The members of the Beauvort family found themselves doubting their judgments. Was this woman genuinely naive, or was she pretending to be ignorant?

If she was truly naive, then her sharp retort earlier must have been coincidental, leaving everyone speechless.

On the other hand, if she was pretending to be naive, her current appearance made it difficult to tell if it was an act.

Only Jean remained clear-headed, watching her act, and nearly bursting out laughing.

He realized he had seriously underestimated this woman.

Even Ian, who had been standing nearby, couldn't help but think, "What a fantastic performance! This level of skill in expression, she deserves an Auscar Award!"

Seren squinted at Neera for a while and began to sense that she was a formidable one.

After a moment, Seren spoke again, her smile seemingly having a hidden meaning. "Jean, your wife is quite fascinating."

Though her words sounded like praise, there was an obvious undertone.

Jean was well aware of the implied meaning but paid no mind to it. He responded casually, "Aunt Seren, you're too kind. She is indeed fascinating."

Having been shut down earlier, Clarence was unwilling to lose face. He took the opportunity to mock, "Considering Jean's health, shouldn't he have married a gentle and virtuous woman to take care of him? Why marry someone so..."

He stopped midway, leaving the rest unspoken.

Everyone could easily guess what he didn't say; it wasn't anything complimentary.

Clarence turned to Frederic, purposely targeting his sensitive spot.

"All I'm saying is, aren't you afraid Jean might face some unexpected consequences later? Your new daughter-in-law seems quite spirited, and it might clash with Jean's fate."

His words were cunning, aiming straight at Neera and implying that she might negatively influence Jean.

Frederic's expression turned grim at once.

Jean's health had always been a worry for him, and Clarence's words struck a nerve.

Wrenn, too, showed a faint crack in her well-maintained composure, unable to bear it any longer. She glared at Clarence and rebuked him with a stern voice.

"Clarence, what's the meaning of this? Are you allowed to speak recklessly like that?!"