Arthur looked at the family head with an expressionless face, but his mind was racing.What's he talking about? "Have fun"? What does that mean?
Panic rose in him like an icy wave.
Did he notice? How could he have noticed?! Damn, that's never happened before!
He cursed his curiosity internally.
I really shouldn't have activated my vision. That'll teach me. This world really is different from
where I came from. I thought with my discretion, nobody could notice me, but him… He
really detected something.
Arthur felt Marquoc's gaze linger on him, scrutinizing, as if reading directly into his soul.
What exactly did he figure out? That I'm not a normal child? That there's something
abnormal about me?
Before he could formulate an appropriate response, a sharp voice cut through the silence.
"Don't just stand there like a peasant! Learn some manners in front of the Family Head! Bow
down!"
It was the first wife—the icy blonde who sat beside his father. Her blue eyes shot
contemptuous daggers at Arthur.
That one never misses a chance to get at me…
Arthur hesitated for a split second, not knowing exactly what the appropriate procedure was.
The other wife—the brunette—let out a small crystalline laugh, covering her mouth with a
gloved hand in false delicacy.
"What can you expect from a peasant woman's bastard?" she said disdainfully.
"He doesn't
even know how to behave in front of nobility. What a shame for the Berher name.
"
Arthur felt his mother stiffen beside him. Anastasia stepped forward, her head still bowed in
submission.
"Forgive my son, Lord Marquoc,
" she said in a trembling but dignified voice.
"He's only three
years old. I… I haven't had the opportunity to properly teach him good manners. It's entirely
my fault.
"
She gently placed her hand on Arthur's shoulder.
"Kneel down, sweetheart. And greet the Family Head.
"
No. No, no, NO.
Something in Arthur categorically refused to kneel before this man. Not out of pride—though
his former Olympic athlete pride certainly played a role—but out of instinct.
If I bow down now, after he's detected something abnormal about me, it'll confirm his
suspicions. He'll know I'm aware of his scrutinizing gaze.
He had to play another card.
Arthur straightened his tiny shoulders, raised his big red eyes to Marquoc with a perfectly
calibrated expression of childish admiration, and bowed with astonishing grace for a
three-year-old.
"Please excuse me, Uncle Marquoc,
" he said in a clear, composed voice, with just the right
amount of trembling to seem sincere.
"It's not from lack of respect that I stood frozen. It's
simply that…
"
He lowered his eyes slightly, as if embarrassed.
"
…I was completely dazzled by your presence. Your beauty, your charisma… It's the first
time I've seen someone so magnificent and imposing. My mind just… stopped.
"
He raised his eyes again with a disarmingly sincere expression.
"I let myself be overwhelmed by admiration. That's why I forgot my manners. I beg you to
excuse this unforgivable rudeness.
"
Then, with a grace that would have honored any noble courtier, Arthur performed an
impeccable bow—straight back, hand on heart, head slightly tilted."It's an immense honor for me, and an unspeakable pleasure, that you're present for my
birthday, Lord Marquoc.
"
A stunned silence fell over the hall.
Aldric's wives' eyes widened, mouths agape. The assembled nobles exchanged incredulous
looks. Even Aldric frowned slightly, an indecipherable gleam passing through his red eyes.
Well played, Arthur. You just saved face. Transformed a humiliating situation into a
demonstration of impeccable courtesy.
Marquoc blinked once. Twice.
Then his face lit up with a radiant smile, and he burst into thunderous laughter that echoed
throughout the hall.
"AHAHAHAHA! That's normal! Completely normal! How could anyone not be dazzled by
charisma as exceptional as mine?"
He slapped his thigh with infectious joy.
"Of course you were impressed! Even adults are! AHAHAHAHA!"
Despite his theatrical laughter, Marquoc's eyes—those piercing red eyes—never left Arthur.
And in their depths gleamed something much more serious: heightened interest, sharpened
curiosity.
He's not fooled. He's playing the game, but he knows I'm playing too.
Marquoc straightened up and affectionately patted Arthur's head.
"But tell me, little nephew, you have remarkably refined manners for a three-year-old child.
Who taught you such an impeccable bow?"
Arthur immediately turned his gaze to his mother, his expression softening with sincere
affection.
"My mother taught me everything,
" he said simply.
"She gave me several lessons and taught
me with rigor and dedication. Everything I know, I learned from her.
"
Anastasia's eyes widened slightly, surprised and moved by her son's words.
Marquoc raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued.
"You didn't have a tutor to teach you noble etiquette?"
Arthur shook his head with perfectly played innocence.
"No, Uncle. I had nothing like that. I learned everything only from my mother.
"
Marquoc's smile faded slightly. He slowly turned his head toward his younger brother, Aldric,
his gaze suddenly becoming much colder.
"Aldric,
" he said in a soft voice—too soft.
"Can you explain to me why your son has never
had a tutor?"
Aldric frowned, clearly caught off guard by this question.
"What do you mean? I ordered that one be assigned to him from his second birthday. He
should have received proper education for over a year now.
"
He narrowed his eyes and turned to his first wife, the icy blonde.
"Lady Seraphine,
" he said in a dangerously calm tone.
"Weren't you in charge of overseeing
the education of all the estate's children?"
Seraphine—for that was apparently her name—visibly stiffened. Her knuckles whitened as
she gripped the armrests of her seat.
"I… There must have been a misunderstanding in the transmission of orders, my lord,
" she
said in a tense voice, carefully avoiding Marquoc's gaze.
"I will immediately rectify this…
oversight.
"
Oversight, my ass. That was deliberate.
Arthur observed the scene with discreet satisfaction.You wanted to humiliate me, dear stepmother. But you just got caught red-handed in front of
the Family Head himself.
The second wife—the brunette—had also lost her haughty expression. She stared at her
plate with sudden concentration, clearly unwilling to attract Marquoc's attention.
Eric, Arthur's eldest brother, watched the whole scene with a tense expression, jaw
clenched. He seemed to realize the situation had just shifted in an unexpected way.
Nyssal, meanwhile, was observing Arthur for the first time with something that vaguely
resembled interest—though her face remained as cold as a porcelain mask.
The twins, Dyson and Ericson, exchanged confused looks, not really understanding the
political subtleties playing out before them.
Marquoc let the silence stretch, heavy and uncomfortable, before finally smiling again—but
this time, his smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Well,
" he said in a light voice that fooled no one.
"It would seem there have been some…
malfunctions in this estate's organization.
"
He placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder with an almost paternal gentleness.
"But don't worry, little nephew. I will personally ensure you receive an education worthy of a
member of the Berher clan.
"
His red eyes gleamed with a dangerous light as he looked at Seraphine.
"Isn't that right, Lady Seraphine?"
The blonde woman swallowed hard.
"Of course, Lord Marquoc. It will be done.
"
Arthur concealed a satisfied smile.
Checkmate, stepmother.