To Arno, Celeste's plan seemed like a pipe dream.There were plenty of wealthy and influential people in Carlino who had tried to reclaim the artifact from Nilson over the years, yet he had never budged.Why was Celeste so confident that she could succeed?Unable to resist her persistent coaxing, Arno eventually relented and shared what he knew.Nilson was over 80 years old, coming from a prominent family, and owned hundreds of farms and vineyards.Arno showed Celeste the latest reports on Nilson, highlighting his 80th birthday celebration where numerous Franciso nobility, along with their children and gifts, waited respectfully outside his door.Despite his extraordinary status and illustrious background, Nilson had never married and now lived alone with a dog in a small town in Franciso."What is he like?" Celeste asked."Exceptionally cold, eccentric, and dislikes human interaction," Arno replied. "In this picture, the visitors left their gifts outside without being let in."
Celeste took Leo to Francisco. She settled in a small town where Nilson lived, according to her plan.Nilson, who disliked interacting with people, had bought an entire street along with all the houses and gardens.This meant that even if Celeste wanted to be as close to him as possible, she was still at least one street away from him.She rented a lovely house for two thousand dollars. While handling Opulent Prowl's business in Francisco during the day, she would pass by Nilson's place to observe his reactions, ready to act whenever an opportunity arose.Nilson had fair skin, blue eyes, and a full head of hair. Perhaps due to his wealth and leisure, he looked at least twenty years younger than his actual age. Saying he was only sixty was entirely believable.Like many older men in Francisco, Nilson liked to wear full suits and a bowler hat. Even if he were just strolling around, he would always have his tie perfectly in place.After intentionally passing by a few times, Celeste
Celeste was not fluent in Frence. Then again, she had lived in Franciso for a few years, after all. She could still understand it. She was just lazy and felt that speaking Latish was relatively less tiring and less alliterative. Besides, most of the Francisians she interacted with understood Latish. That was why she insisted on using Latish to communicate.She found it absurd that Leo was seriously talking to Nilson about his dog. Nilson was clearly unhappy at this point."Sorry, Mr. Gama." She smiled apologetically at Nilson and reached out to hold Leo's hand. "Leo, let's go."But Leo didn't move.Unexpectedly, as the gate was about to close, Nilson's Golden Desert Hound squeezed through the gap and ran straight to Leo.Celeste was startled and instinctively tried to shield Leo.However, Leo wasn't afraid."It's okay, Mommy." He said, then walked over and patted the dog's head."What's your name?" He asked in Frence.The dog seemed to understand him. It sat down next to Leo a
Given Nilson's temperament, he might not really come looking for them just because his dog liked Leo. Both Celeste and Leo knew there was an element of gambling in this matter.But there was no other way. If she continued to approach him rashly, it would only provoke Nilson's displeasure. Leo's tactic of retreating to advance was already a resort to desperate measures in desperate times.In the past, Leo had his own room. Celeste hadn't noticed before what he would do before bed. Now that they were in Francisco and sleeping together, she realised that Leo would talk to Damon on the phone every night.There was a six-hour time difference between Francisco and Carlino. When Damon called at 8 p.m. Francisco time, it was already early morning in Carlino."When I used to live at the Bishop residence, Dad would call me every night at 8 p.m. He probably thinks I'm used to this time, so he insists on calling at this time even if he has to stay up late." Leo explained. He was clearly moved.
Someone did come, but it wasn't Nilson.It was an elderly servant. He was leading Nelson's dog, Oloso, and holding a Christmas tree made of pine boughs as he knocked on the door of their house.The man introduced himself and said, "I am Mr. Gama's butler. Mr. Gama said this young gentleman invited Oloso over for Christmas."Celeste stood at the door with Leo. They exchanged a look, and she found it both amusing and helpless.Alright. He actually just sent the dog over."Yes. Sorry for the trouble," Leo said politely. He went over to pet the dog's head and then signalled to it. "Come in, Oloso. We'll spend Christmas together."Then he politely asked Nilson's butler, "Will you be staying here for Christmas too?"The man understood the implication and naturally declined the offer."No, sir. I have other work to do. Just let me know when it's convenient for you, and I'll come back to pick up Oloso."This statement left room for interpretation. Hence, Leo smiled."It's fine. I'll
Celeste and Leo really did spend Christmas Eve with Oloso. They didn’t feed it any food because Leo said it didn't need any, but they did give it some water. Before leaving, Leo even stood on a small stool to take down a red stocking filled with Christmas gifts for the dog."Oloso said it likes this," Leo said.No matter how strong Celeste's mental fortitude was, learning that her son could talk to animals still felt frightening.She could only try her best to stay calm so Leo wouldn't feel like he was being treated as an oddity.At 8 p.m., Damon called as usual. Leo took a photo of Oloso with his smartwatch and sent it to Damon."This is Mr. Gama's dog. It likes playing with me," Leo said."Yes, I'll send it back soon. Mommy and I will go together."Celeste didn't know what Damon said on the other end. She reminded Leo, "You can tell your dad he doesn't have to stay up so late to call you. He can call two or three hours earlier, and you'll still be available around 5 to 6 p.m.
Celeste could have made demands at this moment. However, she couldn't bring herself to do it in front of Nilson.He was a lonely eighty-year-old man spending Christmas alone. Even his dog wasn't with him that night.She couldn't do it. Her conscience wouldn't allow it.Leo, being a genius, naturally thought about this too.He gave Celeste a questioning look.Celeste subtly shook her head at Leo and then smiled at Nilson, saying, "Leo says he understands some. I don't know how much he understands. You can ask him anything you want to know.""Leo?" Nilson called out Leo's name for the first time. Before this, he hadn't cared about what the child's name was.Leo obediently walked over. "Sir, your dog also said it really liked something you gave it to eat last week. It was yellow and sticky, with pieces of potato, meat, and rice in it."Nilson's eyes widened as they shone brightly under the light. "Yes, last week we had Phailune cuisine, and I gave it some curry rice."Celeste had
It only took them about forty minutes from leaving to returning.Light snow was falling outside, and Nilson was still sitting in the yard. A blanket covered his shoulders, with some white specks on it. He was silently smoking a cigar while gazing thoughtfully at the gate.His dog, Oloso, was lying on a blanket at his feet, covered with another blanket."Go ahead, Leo." Celeste stood at the gate. She handed the stocking with the gift to Leo and patted his head.Leo took it and went over.Nilson looked at the returning mother and son. He was visibly puzzled."Merry Christmas, Nilson!" Leo handed the stocking to Nilson and even gave him a hug.Nilson was clearly taken aback. He didn't know how to react.Leo, having completed his task, didn't care about Nilson's reaction and ran back to Celeste.Nilson's gaze was complex as he looked at them again."Goodbye." Celeste nodded at him and then walked away with Leo's hand in hers.Everyone had their own suffering, and this was all sh