Chapter 264: The Former Head of the Family
Calais is the most important port city in northern France, facing the British Isles across the sea.
It produces lace, gauze, and embroidery, and it is also home to France's famous seaside resorts.
The reason for mentioning Calais, which lies just over 30 kilometers from the Port of Dover, is not its lace, nor to bring up the bloodiest war in human history, but because there is a manor here inhabited by wizards.
At this moment, inside this luxurious and romantic manor, seven or eight wizards were holding a meeting to discuss one matter — to discuss a relative they had never even met before: Esmeralda Twist.
Everyone in the spacious living room was silent, seated around a finely decorated long table.
Above the fireplace hung a golden ornament shaped like a rose, and similar rose-shaped decorations could be seen everywhere among the items displayed in the room.
Their dispute had just ended. Despite some twists and turns, they had finally reached a unified conclusion.
A loud voice rose from the head of the table. A middle-aged man with a thick beard said in French, "Under no circumstances can we allow that child to return. The purity of the family must not be tainted by filthy blood!"
Some people in the room immediately agreed, saying things like "Yes, that's right." Others hesitated, thinking for a moment before echoing his stance — clearly, they held different opinions but were not firm enough to stand their ground.
In the first seat to the right sat an elderly man, who looked extremely old — perhaps even older than Eda's grandmother. He frowned deeply, looking weighed down by concern.
"Father, should we take action?" a handsome young man asked. "The people in Britain have already learned her daily routine. They can move at any time…"
As he spoke, the young man made a downward chopping motion with his right hand. Cut the grass at the root — instead of debating back and forth, it was better to resolve the issue directly from the source. Once the deed was done, no amount of discussion afterward would matter.
The middle-aged, bearded man leading the meeting lifted his eyebrows, clearly approving of the young man's suggestion. He said, "That brat sounds like she has some skill. Vincent, can your people handle it?"
But the elderly man on the right did not agree. Frowning, he said to the bearded man, "Alain, you did not live through that era, so you don't understand Vinda's iron hand. She will not allow you to do such a thing. Even if we take the most generous view — yes, Vinda is old now, but that child is still Louis' child. Still—"
"Louis' child? From the moment he eloped with that Muggle woman, Louis became the shame of this family!" the bearded middle-aged man, Alain, cut him off. "Because of his foolishness, the Rosier family became a laughingstock among pure-blood families!"
As if he still hadn't vented enough, Alain continued disdainfully, "Times have changed. This is no longer her era."
A sneer spread across the face of the young man, Vincent. He and his father (Alain) were the ones who ran the family now. Vinda? She was just an old relic who could drop dead any day.
This time, the others around the long table did not immediately echo Alain. The name Vinda Rosier still carried weight in their hearts. The old man could only sigh helplessly; for a moment, he seemed to glimpse the family's future fragmentation.
"Hah.. haha~" Just then, voices suddenly came from outside the living room. Someone said, "It is indeed no longer my era. But is it your era, Alain Rosier?"
Before the person appeared, her voice arrived first. Around the long table, all the Rosiers except Alain Rosier and Vincent Rosier immediately stood up to greet their former head of the family — Vinda Rosier.
The Rosier family might not be as famous or powerful as the Blacks, Lestranges, or Malfoys, but they too were an ancient family whose bloodline threaded through the wizarding world, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
This family had once followed two generations of Dark Lords — both Grindelwald and Voldemort counted Rosiers among their loyalists. Their British relatives had even met their ends in a blaze of loyalty to Voldemort, dying to the last.
A white-haired old woman slowly entered the living room. She walked very slowly, yet every step seemed to land heavily on everyone's hearts.
Every Rosier who met her gaze immediately lowered their eyes in shame.
Vinda walked to Alain Rosier's side and said again, "You still haven't answered my question, Alain. I don't blame you for not having a good head — you've been like that since childhood — but why is your body failing you now, too?"
Under Vinda's gaze, Alain Rosier could no longer remain seated.
He stood up and yielded his seat to her. Gone was the disdain he had shown moments earlier. He said respectfully, "That's not what I meant, I simply—"
"No need to explain, Alain. I've known exactly what kind of person you are for a long time," Vinda said, closing her eyes as she settled into the high-backed chair. "And I know full well why all of you traveled all the way to Calais behind my back."
The others kept their heads down and stayed silent.
But the young and arrogant Vincent Rosier couldn't stand Vinda's tone of seniority. He said, "The family will never acknowledge that brat. And there hasn't been a 'Louis' in this family for a long time."
A pampered childhood had left Vincent insolent and blind to his own arrogance. He was used to barking orders and had long forgotten what humility and respect looked like. A person like that was overdue for a harsh beating from the real world — and even one beating might not be enough.
Vinda ignored Vincent and continued speaking to Alain Rosier: "Did you really think your little schemes behind my back could escape me? Or is it that you think I'm as stupid as you?"
Alain didn't argue back; he said nothing at all. But the hand he held behind him gradually clenched. He could still keep his composure — Vincent couldn't.
Vincent slapped the table and shot to his feet, his tone threatening as he said, "From the day that idiot Louis ran off, his name should've been erased from the family ledger. The only reason it's still there is Father's mercy. Don't mistake kindness for weakness!"
"Mind your tone, Vincent! Vinda is your elder!" the old man on the right side barked.
If one were to ask who in the room respected Vinda the most, it would unquestionably be this elder, who was nearly her age. And if one were to ask who feared her the most, the answer would still be him.
"Thank you, Thierry," Vinda said to the old man first. Then she lifted her eyelids and looked at Vincent. "Have you grown tired of this beautiful world?"
"Sit down, Vincent!" Alain Rosier ordered. Only after hearing his father's command did Vincent finally sink back into his seat, though the defiant glare he leveled at Vinda made one feel an urge to gouge his eyes out.
Seeing his son sit down, Alain Rosier continued to hold himself back. He spoke gently, trying to persuade her: "Aunt, the Rosiers are a noble, pure-blood family; our people will never acknowledge that child."
"And is that what all of you believe?" Vinda opened her eyes and looked at the others around the long table.
The Rosiers seated along the long table lowered their heads again in unison. None of them wished to accept a half-blood into the family — especially one whose origins were unclear.
Their earlier disagreement had only been about how to deal with Twist, and then about how to handle Vinda, their former matriarch. No one wanted to be confronted by this old woman.
"How ruthless you all are," Vinda said slowly. "For the sake of 'honor,' you would deprive an old woman of her right to enjoy her own family. Truly cold-hearted."
"Aunt, weren't you yourself a supporter of pure-blood supremacy back then?" Alain Rosier pressed on, making his accusation heavier. "You even followed that man and threw all of Europe into chaos."
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Here is a curveball 😎 Vinda Rosier's eye color is emerald green, btw.
Vinda Rosier is a French witch who lived during the early 20th century. She was a member of the famous pure-blood Rosier family and a loyal and trusted acolyte of Gellert Grindelwald. She was said to be mysterious, seemingly being the Dark Wizard's lieutenant.
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