The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 338

Claire blinked. “Of course, no problem.”

After the ancestral rites, the whole family gathered for a meal. The air was packed with laughter and the amazing smell of freshly cooked pork. They had slaughtered a pig that morning, and the food was ridiculously good.

Jenny ate so much she was close to bursting. Claire’s plate was just as piled up, and she felt totally stuffed.

Somehow, word had spread through the village that Claire was basically a genius. People were whispering about how she’d gone to some exclusive winter camp and rocked a math competition.

Pretty soon, a bunch of parents were telling their kids to pull out their homework and show it to Claire, asking her for help whenever they got stuck.

Honestly, this kind of thing happened every year. The village always had a handful of smart kids, and the older ones would help the younger ones with their schoolwork.

Cindy used to be one of the tutors because her grades were really good. But this year, Claire’s marks were even better—plus, she had this way of explaining tricky problems that actually made sense. She could break things down so clearly.

“I think Claire’s smarter than Cindy,” one kid whispered.

“Don’t say that. Cindy would feel bad.”

“But it’s true. And it’s not like I’m saying it to her face!”

“Claire’s prettier, too,” the first kid added.

Another kid, probably one of Cindy’s friends, jumped in right away. “Cindy’s not ugly, though.”

Claire overheard, but she just let them talk. The drama of kids didn’t bother her.

Later that evening, Pandora brought up whether they should bring New Year’s gifts to The James Family. They lived in the city and things were always tense between the families.

“I’ll go drop them off. You don’t need to,” Claire told her.

She really didn’t want Pandora facing any cold shoulders from the city relatives. If anyone was rude, Pandora would only end up upset.

“It wouldn’t look right for you to go alone,” Pandora said, but she knew Claire was only trying to protect her.

“Let Edison go with me,” Claire suggested. She and Edison got along well, and if anyone tried to make things difficult at The James Family’s place, she knew Edison wouldn’t hesitate to stand up for her.

“Sure,” Claire replied smoothly.

“Cindy misses her grandma,” Latham said. “We want to come visit The James Village tomorrow to wish Pandora a happy new year. Is that okay?”

Claire shot Pandora a quick look. Pandora nodded, so Claire answered, “Cindy grew up here. Of course her grandma’s happy to have her come by anytime.”

“That’s a relief,” Latham said, sounding almost like he’d been holding his breath.

He’d worried that because of the mess Cindy and Octavia had caused, Claire and Pandora would want nothing to do with them.

“Does Pandora know about what happened between you and Cindy at the winter camp?” Latham pressed.

He had to ask. Whatever the answer was, he had to be ready.

“No, I didn’t say anything to her. She’s been out in the countryside this whole time,” Claire replied, instantly understanding exactly what Latham was worried about.