"Hi, sweetheart. What are you eating to get yourself so messy?".

Arabella turned her head to see Benjamin. "A chocolate cone".

Benjamin looked her up and down, his smile brightening. "You look beautiful today, sweetheart. The outfit and brooch suit you perfectly, and the makeup is so exquisite. Those animals won't be able to run when they see you—and neither will I".

Benjamin's English had a thick German and Italian accent with many rolled Rs. Arabella understood about seventy percent of it, failing to realize it was flirtation. She simply introduced her items seriously: "The brooch was from Grandma, the clothes were chosen by Fritz, and the makeup was done by the artist".

Benjamin let out a laugh. "And the cone? It looks delicious. Can I have a bite, sweetheart?".

He winked and leaned in close. "Don't worry, Fritz won't know. He's busy cleaning his precious gun".

Arabella was briefly dazed by his flower-like beauty, but her protective instinct over food made her hide the ice cream behind her back. "No... if you want some, go to the kitchen. They have an ice cream machine there".

"Little one, still protecting your food?" Benjamin's smile was mischievous. Just as he was about to pinch Arabella's full cheek, he felt a tangible sense of pressure from behind.

He snapped upright and looked back. Frederick's dark blue eyes were fixed on him, his large hands gripping a powerful shotgun. The barrel seemed restless, as if it might level with Benjamin's head in the next second.

Holding the gun, Frederick asked very politely, "Benny, are you hungry?".

Benjamin immediately behaved, laughing awkwardly. "Hahaha... not hungry, not hungry. I ate too much this morning".

Frederick offered a smile, but his tone in German was sharp and cold. "Then do not steal other people's food".

Benjamin naturally understood what his cousin meant by "food." With another awkward laugh, he bolted away. Arabella looked at Frederick with a grin, holding up the ice cream. "Do you want some?".

Frederick leaned down and took a lick of the ice cream—just as he had licked her the night before. Arabella watched his broad, pink tongue quickly swirl away the cream before he swallowed.

After having some ice cream, Frederick took out a handkerchief to wipe the cream from the corner of her mouth. "Do not talk to Benjamin from now on," he warned seriously.

Arabella tilted her head, her heart feeling a bit moist. "But he's not a bad person. He defended me in front of Daisy's mother yesterday".

Frederick reflected that he shouldn't appear too dominant. "Then talk to him less, alright? I don't want you to be led astray by him. He's not as good as you imagine".

Arabella didn't think Benjamin was bad in any way, but she figured Frederick was always right, so she nodded.

With preparations complete, the group gathered at the front of the camp to discuss which route would yield the most abundant harvest. A faint scent of firearms lingered in the air.

Arabella spotted Daisy Beaumont; she hadn't expected her to come today. Daisy wore a vintage moss-green hunting suit, leading a large greyhound and a small "Teddy" dog. To be precise, it was a Teddy Bear—a cross between a Poodle and a Bichon. The curly little dog was groomed quite nicely, wearing a pink gemstone necklace, its dark eyes twinkling.

Arabella stared at the dog for a moment. To her surprise, Daisy acted against her previous character, bringing the dog over and inviting Arabella to pet it. She even praised Arabella's hunting suit, asking if it was the new winter fabric from Piacenza.

Arabella had no concept of luxury brands and, fearing she would be called a "hick" again, just mumbled a few vague agreements. She felt conflicted by Daisy's overture, wanting to pretend nothing had happened but feeling quite awkward. Arabella was smart and perceptive, but she lacked calculation or guile.

Daisy saw her unnatural reaction, smiled, and leaned down to put the dog back on the ground.

The little Teddy dog immediately hid behind Daisy and barked incessantly at Black and Peach, acting quite brave under its owner's shadow. The two majestic, fierce dogs didn't even acknowledge it, sitting with haughty poise—likely not even considering the "little fry" worth their attention.

"Don't mind her," Daisy said. "Minnie only barks at people she likes. Aerona, I was too reckless yesterday and said many stupid things. I'm sorry; I hope you won't mind. Next time, we can arrange to walk the dogs, shop, or go on vacation together".

Arabella looked at her in surprise. "Play together?".

"Of course! For the party tonight, Sophia and I plan to dress in a Gatsby style. I brought many jewels and gowns; if you like, I can help you coordinate. But since you're staying with Fritz, it might be inconvenient. You had better come find Sophia and me".

Arabella didn't know what Gatsby style was, but she nodded happily. "You can come to my room! I don't live with him! I have my own room!".

Daisy raised an eyebrow in surprise but quickly smiled. "Then we'll connect tonight!".

The group split into three routes, driving deep into the forest to designated locations on the map. The beaters were responsible for flushing out the prey, while the shooters waited in observation towers. German precision was evident; every step was organized clearly.

Hunting sounded interesting, but the process was actually long and tedious. Sometimes one could wait for an hour without seeing any movement. Consequently, many people brought cigars, beer, and snacks to pass the time.

Arabella sat inside an observation tower, using binoculars to scan the area.

"Sweetheart, found anything?" Frederick asked.

"Not even a ghost".

Frederick let out a hearty laugh and beckoned her over. "Come here, sweetheart. Let me teach you about guns. Once you get your hunting and firearm licenses in the future, you'll be able to hunt your own prey".

He held a very precision-engineered rifle equipped with Zeiss optics. The complex hand-carving made this bloody weapon look like a magnificent work of art.

"This is the magazine where the bullets are kept. This is the manual safety—flick it down to be ready to fire. Here, put your index finger on the trigger. Feel it".

"Don't pull it yet, sweetheart. Fire only when you are ready. You must ensure that every shot you fire is one hundred percent certain".

For some reason, these words were familiar; Arabella felt she had heard them somewhere before.

She touched the gun with a focused expression, not missing a single detail. Finally, she placed her finger on the trigger without moving. A strange sense of familiarity slowly seeped from her heart to her fingertips—as if she had held a weapon like this hundreds of thousands of times.

"Focus, Bella. Our bullets are limited; you must ensure every shot is in the direction your heart is certain of".

"But I'm afraid, Daddy. Why do I have to learn this? Guns, boxing, fighting... I don't like any of it. Is it because I'm not smart that I have to learn these things?".

"Who dares say my daughter isn't smart?".

"Then I want to dress up beautifully like Mommy, walk the red carpet, pose, and make movies!".

"Mommy has to hang from wires and practice martial arts for movies, too. She spends three months at a time in the desert where she can't even get fruit, let alone chocolate cake. Bella, without a strong body, a person can support nothing—not your steps, your hobbies, your dreams, or your ambitions. Even beautiful jewelry becomes heavier, doesn't it? Don't be afraid, Bella. Everything you learn is meant to support you, and Daddy will support you too. When Daddy is old, you'll be able to protect Mommy, alright?".

"I'll protect you too, Daddy. I'll protect all of you!"

.......