Then Xati turned toward Yeri, silently seeking her support.
Yeri didn't say anything, just picked up the broccoli and ate it herself.
"What are you doing?" Elder Madam Keir said to Yeri. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you wanted my great-grandson to believe you have his best interests at heart, when in fact, you want him to grow up useless and dependent on you."
Before Yeri could respond, Xati exclaimed, "That's not it! Big Sis really has my best interests at heart because I'm allergic to broccoli."
Elder Madam Keir was stunned.
Everyone else paused too, including Yeri.
Xati was a demon. Even the most potent poison in existence wouldn't be enough to kill him, so how could broccoli possibly be a threat?
Anxious, Elder Madam Keir asked, "Why did no one tell me about this? Tristan, don't you know your son is allergic to broccoli?"
Tristan's mouth twitched. "Is he?"
Elder Madam Keir looked at him in disappointment before picking up another vegetable.
But before she could put it on Xati's plate, he exclaimed, "I'm allergic to carrots too."
Elder Madam Keir "..."
Yeri bit her lower lip to stop herself from laughing.
Elder Madam Keir then picked up some mixed stir-fried vegetables and Xati's face immediately crumbled.
"Great-grandma, didn't I say I'm allergic? Do you want me to drop dead?"
"Xati Keir, mind your words! Where did you learn such an ominous thing?" Elder Madam Keir finally flared up. "Are you allergic, or do you just not want to eat your vegetables?"
"Both," Xati said.
"Being allergic and not liking something aren't the same thing. Who taught you such misleading nonsense?" she demanded, although her gaze had already darted toward Yeri.
Sean blinked innocently. "I'm allergic to peaches. Mom often reminds me to avoid them. I feel sorry for you, Xati. You have more allergies than me."
Xati nodded pitifully. "Exactly."
Elder Madam Keir "..."
Still, she urged him to eat his vegetables, even asking Tristan to back her up, but the latter merely smiled.
"Being this disrespectful to an elder, especially your great-grandmother..." Hiro suddenly chimed in. "Tristan, how did you teach him? Or is it because he doesn't have a mother?"
The temperature plummeted.
Yeri's gaze turned cold, while Xati glared at Hiro like a tiger cub ready to pounce.
Tristan was still smiling, but there was unmistakable malice behind it.
"Are you sure the criteria for raising a child with proper morals is whether they have a mother or not?" he asked calmly. "Look at how you and Hadi turned out."
Hiro's expression stiffened.
Seeing Xati upset, Elder Madam Keir also chided Hiro. "My dear Xati is just being willful. What are you being mean to a child for?"
Hiro's expression soured. He wanted to protest, but he dared not upset the old woman.
However, her reaction only alarmed him further.
Could this old hag really be planning to alter her will and include Xati? Is that why she's seeing the lawyer?
He had thought there was one less person to compete with after Hadi's death, but Xati's sudden appearance couldn't have been more unsettling.
Hiro looked at Xati again, only to receive a triumphant, wicked smirk from him.
'Damn brat!' Hiro's blood boiled.
Before he could say anything else, footsteps came from the dining entrance.
Shin appeared, walked straight toward Yeri and kissed her cheek like a husband who had just come home.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he removed Xati from beside her, dumped him into the next empty seat, and occupied the seat himself.
Xati stared at him "..."
It happened so fast that he didn't even have time to react.
"What are you doing disturbing Xati's meal?" Elder Madam Keir snapped.
Only then did Xati recover.
"You madman! How dare you steal my seat? Get up right now!"
Shin ignored the two, simply told Yeri to finish her meal and that they would go home together before taking out his phone and casually answering his business emails.
"You're not eating?" Tristan asked.
"Not hungry," Shin replied flatly.
Yeri almost blurted out, Then what did you sit there for?
If he wasn't going to eat, he could have waited in the living room or gone somewhere else he was comfortable. But with everyone present, she didn't want to say anything that could be misinterpreted.
"I'm not eating anymore," Xati pouted.
"How about dessert? Should we get you some dessert?" Yeri offered.
"I also want dessert," Shin said with a completely straight face.
Yeri looked at him, speechless.
Can't he read the room? Openly competing with a child, does he not want his face anymore?
"What are you two causing a disturbance for during a meal?" Elder Madam Keir suddenly chimed in. "This is outrageous! I'm saying it now. Go make your own children. I won't allow anyone to make my great-grandson insecure."
Yeri felt a headache coming on.
What is she even saying? Is there any relation between dessert and making children?
Meanwhile, Hiro observed the three people across the table, as well as Xati, who was unusually close to Yeri.
In fact, his father had long ago sent private detectives to investigate Xati's origins, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't trace anything about his biological mother. It was as though the boy had simply appeared out of thin air.
Then there was Shin, who seemed to dislike Xati. It's strange considering Shin and Tristan weren't merely cousins. They were more like brothers who shared a deep bond.
Does Shin's dislike have something to do with the position of future heir?
And what if there was some truth to the rumors about Yeri and Tristan?
Hiro couldn't stop his intrusive thoughts. He finally commented, "Grandma, don't make it sound like having children is easy. Besides, Shin and Tristan aren't in competition with each other. Surely, it would be the same for their children. Whoever becomes the future heir, Shin wouldn't mind if it's not his son, right, Shin?"
He then looked meaningfully at Yeri and Tristan.
Tristan chuckled. "We're all still young. There's no need to discuss such matters yet, Hiro."
Shin didn't even look up, but said something that made Hiro choke.
"Congratulations on your woman's pregnancy. I heard it's a son."
Elder Madam Keir immediately became excited. "Your wife is pregnant again? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Hiro forced a smile, his expression turning nervous. "That's not it. It's a false alarm. You know we've been trying for a son for some time. Our daughter is already one, but unfortunately, there's still no luck."
Elder Madam Keir waved her hand in disappointment.
Hiro glared at Shin and Tristan but said nothing. He knew Shin had said it intentionally.
It was true that he was expecting a son, just not with his wife.
Given how much Elder Madam Keir cared about the family's reputation, she would definitely be furious if she found out.
Tristan chuckled, obviously enjoying Hiro's uneasiness.
Unlike Hadi, whose brain seemed to be there mostly for decoration and who had never been particularly keen on hiding his cheating, Hiro was the type to hide behind the banner of being 'a filial son and ideal husband' when, in reality, he was no better.
Moreover, Xati's appearance seemed to have triggered Hiro into working even harder.
Shin's people had already reported that one of Hiro's mistresses was now pregnant with a son.
"Big Sis, what's your favorite dessert?" Xati asked as Yeri led him toward the kitchen along with Sean. "I'll like it too."
Shin stood up and followed them as well, completely ignoring Elder Madam Keir's scolding and endless lecture about manners and etiquette.
---
The following weekend, Elder Madam Keir, who had been expecting her lawyer, suddenly fell ill and became bedridden, forcing her to cancel the appointment.
"Do you have something to do today? I'll pick you up later so we can see the wedding planner for the flower selection," Shin said while buttoning his shirt.
Yeri had just woken up. She sat against the headboard, looking pale and exhausted.
"Do I look like I'm capable of doing anything today?"
"Then later in the afternoon. We'll go see the wedding planner?" Shin smiled and sat on the side of the bed, handing her his tie. "Help me put this on."
"I don't know how to do it." Yeri glared at him, resisting the urge to strangle him with the tie instead.
These days, he no longer asked her to come with him to the company. Instead, he exhausted her every night.
She'd been wanting to go see Xati again, but she couldn't even manage that because all she wanted to do during the day was sleep.
"Will you stop competing with Xati?" Yeri said. "Don't forget he's your son. I also have obligations to spend time with him."
Shin looked completely unbothered. "No, you don't. He doesn't need supervision or a guardian. Your priority is me, remember?"
Yeri felt her frustration rising.
They had discussed Xati countless times, yet Shin remained as stubborn and unyielding as ever.
Sometimes, she'd used her bewitching ability to make him listen to her, but it always backfired, leaving her even more exhausted instead.
"Xati aside, I'm not going to live my life serving you in bed. I'm not Empress Jewel anymore, with nothing to do all day. Besides, we're not married yet. This is illegal."
Shin grinned teasingly as he put on his tie. "What's illegal? You have the mentality of someone who's lived for thousands of years. And am I stopping you from doing something you want?"
"You're not stopping me, but you're exhausting me on purpose."
"Those are two different things."
Yeri was about to argue when her phone rang, and she immediately answered.
After the phone call, she frowned. "Xati said Elder Madam Keir isn't just sick. She's been poisoned."
To be exact, Xati was furious that someone had dared to touch his subordinate.
Shin's expression remained calm. "Xati managed to contact you? Which number did he call from?"
Yeri really wanted to strangle him now. What is he even asking?
Then it suddenly dawned on her.
"You... Did you touch my phone and block him again?"
No wonder the call had come from an unknown number. It must have been from the villa's landline.
"Never mind that. Are you going to do something?" she asked.
Shin shrugged. "You care about that old relic?"
Yeri thought about it.
It wasn't that she cared about Elder Madam Keir. But at the very least, the old woman was useful to Xati.