That evening, for a change, the entire family gathered together for dinner.

“Try this first.”

“Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. Once you finish, I’ll cut more for you.”

“Little one, have you tried this?”

As usual, Mikael listened to the conversation of the Fabulous family with one ear and focused on the meal with the other.

Initially, his behavior felt quite unfamiliar, but after a few years, he accepted it as a matter of course.

‘Although there are times when it’s excessive.’

Reaching for the mushrooms on the middle plate, which were freshly baked and emitting fragrant steam, I grabbed one with my hand. At the same time, Deivan, sitting across from me, snatched it away and devoured it in one bite.

“…Isn’t it hot?”

“Not at all.”

Deivan stuffed the large mushroom into his mouth and savored it. However, his eyes, looking at himself, seemed to contain a considerable force.

‘Why is he like that?’

Mikael’s mushroom dish, intended for consumption, turned out to be the last.

A little annoyed, but I decided to think calmly.

‘That kid loves to cause trouble every now and then.’

If I ask the servant to bring more, they will, but since there are already many dishes laid out, I decided to try something else.

This time, Mikael reached for the steak covered in sauce. However, before the fork could touch the beef, it was swiftly moved to the side of his brother’s plate.

Taken aback by his brother’s swift movement, Mikael, with the fork still in the air, stared blankly at the empty plate. Seeing this, Clemens chuckled and said,

“Oh, I didn’t know if you were trying to eat that. Sorry.”

“…It’s okay.”

Anyway, there are many other dishes to eat. However, it’s inevitable to feel a bit uneasy.

‘What is this? What’s going on?’

Turning my head quickly, this time, when I tried to pick up the closest eggplant dish, there was no interference, or so I thought.

Except for the meat pancake that bounced off the eggplant, of course.

“Sorry. I really didn’t know it would bounce that way.”

…Father said that.

“Yes, it’s okay.”

Mikael slowly put down the fork. His innate sense told him it was time to go up to his room, regardless of the meal or anything else.

However, Diene was the one who grabbed his ankle.

“Um, Mikael. If you want to eat meat, would you like this?”

I don’t know where he thought he wanted meat, but Diene pushed the plate with meat towards me.

And Mikael saw it. The eyes of the family, excluding Diene, burning with jealousy.

Mikael felt extremely unfair.

‘…What did I do?’

After the teleport connecting Hesera and the capital was closed, the footsteps of the nobles who used to visit Hesera for social purposes were completely cut off.
However, it wasn’t that their interest waned. On the contrary, the gossip magazines about Hesera, exclusively handled at the Basilii shop, were selling like hotcakes.

Especially recently, rumors about Hesera had been circulating more frequently among those going to Crystalga, mainly due to the upcoming event at the Ducal residence.

Therefore, one day, a week before the Hesera event, Lady Belen, who loved gossip, hosted a simple gathering that doubled as a meeting.

“Isn’t this the first time the Ducal residence is hosting an event?”

“Yes, since adopting the heirs, we haven’t hosted any events.”

“After that, you occasionally showed up at the Capital’s events, right?”

The interest in Lady Belen and others was piqued.

“Will everyone attend?”

“Well, we haven’t received replies yet, but…”

One of the ladies covered her mouth with a fan and trailed off. Everyone’s eyes hinted at thoughts of attendance.

‘Naturally, we have to go!’

It was the Ducal residence, after all. Considering the wealth and influence the family possessed, it was an event that everyone had to attend for the sake of their family’s future.

On the other hand, the men who attended the gathering with their wives had similar thoughts.

“I’ve never been to Hesera. Well, as you all know, there are various similarities between Crystalga and our family business, right? It might be better to go and discuss business matters.”

“Count Dejev will probably think so. I also plan to attend because the new business I started recently is closely related to that area.”

“Oh, Lord Yasik started a new business? I heard that rumor! Count, what on earth happened? Discovering a gold mine!”

“I think I was just lucky.”

Count Yasik responded modestly. Nobles began bombarding him with questions.

“Tell us the secret, how can one discover such land?”

“And moreover, it’s said that the land, which nobody wanted to buy, was purchased for a very low price. Is that true?”

“Now, sitting on a money cushion is the only thing left!”

Of course, wherever there was good news, there were people expressing joy. In the midst of nobles admiring and praising him, one noble, pouring out his joy, interjected boldly.