"Big Sister is also the most beautiful... I'm sad I'm many years younger than her. Otherwise, I would want to marry her." Xati jested, giving Shin a provoking look.
This earned another round of laughter from the crowd, with many commenting that he really was Tristan's son. It seemed he was going to break many hearts once he grew up.
After his speech, Xati had barely taken a few steps behind Yeri when guests who had brought their children with them hurried over to introduce them.
Xati ???
The children around his age simply stood there, confused and awkward, staring back at him. A few of them already looked rather annoyed and displeased as their parents began comparing them to Xati.
Xati had no interest in placating or playing with these little humans. He simply nodded casually.
"Xati."
Sean appeared from the side.
"Uhm, hello? Sorry I haven't visited for a while."
Xati looked at him as though he were another nuisance and walked toward where Yeri was, but Sean followed him.
"Are you mad? Did you get scolded because of me?" Sean asked. "I told Dad it wasn't your fault and not to blame you... I-"
"So, did you get them to take a family photo?" Xati cut him off.
Sean's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "Not just a family photo. Mom and Dad went to Family Day for me."
"Congratulations," Xati said indifferently and continued walking.
"Are you still angry?" Sean stubbornly followed.
Xati ignored him, his gaze wandering around as he searched for where his Empress Mother had gone.
Angry? Over such trivial matters?
No. He was a prince. He didn't care.
"Xati? Won't you be friends with me anymore?" Sean blinked, looking very sad.
Xati pursed his lips. "Doesn't matter. Go play with your other friends."
Sean lowered his head.
Seeing that he was about to leave, he quickly said, "But I like being your friend... You don't care about my parents being divorced like the other children do."
Xati "..."
To get rid of him, Xati crossed his arms. "I'm not angry or anything, so don't bother me."
When that incident had happened, Tristan had reminded him not to give advice to humans, especially children. His Empress Mother had told him the same thing.
No big deal.
"Really?" Sean finally cheered up. "Do you want to go to the dessert buffet?"
Xati simply kept walking.
Just as he was about to reach the table where his Empress Mother was sitting, an unfamiliar woman suddenly blocked his path.
"Hello, Xati. It's nice to meet you," the woman greeted cheerfully. "Look at you! So adorable!"
Xati ???
The woman immediately introduced herself as Tristan's girlfriend while dangling a seemingly expensive gift box in front of him.
"Ah..." Xati understood why this woman had approached him.
Nearby, Yeri recognized her as Tristan's CEO girlfriend. Surprisingly, the two were still together.
Xati didn't take the gift box. Instead, he rushed toward Yeri.
"Don't run. What if you trip?" Yeri gestured for him to sit on the chair beside her.
"Miss Zhi, we meet again," Tristan's girlfriend greeted before turning to Xati. "Xati is really fond of you. Does he have any particular toy preferences?"
Yeri remembered that this woman had once been rather stern and domineering, but right now, she was trying incredibly hard to get on Xati's good side.
"It's good to see you as well," Yeri smiled, sighing inwardly.
She had no idea how to tell the woman that she didn't need to go out of her way to please Xati. The boy had no say in whether Tristan wanted to marry her or not.
"He likes snakes," Shin suddenly said from the side, then lowered his voice, audible only to Yeri and Xati. "Just like him. Venomous and ungrateful."
Yeri stared at him.
Was he seriously picking a fight with his own son?
Xati gritted his molars and huffed. "Snakes are amazing predators. Isn't that why humans are afraid of them?"
Tristan's girlfriend immediately agreed with him. It was a pity that her gift wasn't a snake toy. She had asked Tristan for advice beforehand, but he had simply told her that anything would do.
"Relying on your snakes, for a demon prince, you sure are proud of yourself," Shin sneered.
Xati looked like he was about to explode, his cheeks puffing out as he sulked.
Yeri pinched him lightly on the thigh. "Are you done?"
Shin chuckled and grabbed her hand, clasping it tightly as if silently telling Xati, 'In this realm, I'm still her husband, while you're nothing but her nephew.'
"CEO Keir, Miss Zhi, a photo, please," a photographer suddenly called out, preparing to take their picture.
Just as the shutter clicked, Xati clung to Yeri's arm, smiling brightly with his chin tilted high.
The photographer was stunned, but he couldn't exactly shoo away a child, especially when the entire banquet had been held for him.
"I'd like to have a copy of that photo, please," Xati said happily, sticking his tongue out at Shin.
Shin "..."
Before he could ask for another shot, Tristan came over to chat with them. Then Elder Madam Keir and Master Keir joined in.
By the time the next photos were taken, the group had grown larger, with more and more people joining instead of leaving Shin with the private photo he had originally wanted with Yeri.
"What a loser. Hahaha~" Xati leaned toward him and muttered.
Shin glanced at him and suddenly found the perfect person to get rid of him.
He turned back to Xati. "Shouldn't you go hang out with children your age?"
Elder Madam Keir overheard him.
Sure enough, she immediately dragged Xati along with Sean to introduce him to the other children.
Xati turned toward Yeri for help, but she merely smiled at him.
It was indeed better for Xati to experience socializing with other children rather than learning everything about human interaction from books and the internet.
Not long after, Yeri's parents also came over, along with Jj.
"Still swamped with schoolwork?" Yeri asked Jj, noticing the dark circles beneath his eyes.
Jj gave her a half-smile.
In fact, it wasn't just schoolwork keeping him busy. He had also joined Hexion's IT team, making his schedule even more hectic.
Another issue was that, somehow, because of Yeri, her engagement to Shin Keir had not only put her in the spotlight but had also brought more attention to the Zhi family.
As a result, more and more families had begun proposing marriage alliances, while young socialites constantly circled around him.
Of course, among them was Anri Rune, who became hysterical whenever she saw other girls around him.
"Brother Jj," Anri called out as she approached and clung to his arm.
Jj almost flinched.
Speak of the devil.
In fact, he had already talked to her many times and tried various ways to make it clear that he had no interest in dating yet. He had even told her that she should focus on her studies given her age, but she simply wouldn't listen.
"What do you think of my dress? Do you like it?" Anri asked.
"What's important is that Miss Rune likes it," Jj replied politely.
Yeri raised an eyebrow but said nothing. After all, this was something Jj had to handle himself.
—
At the back garden, Lianna stepped outside to unwind for a moment.
She had never liked attending banquets. Admittedly, having been humiliated and scorned at parties in the past had left her uncomfortable and somewhat fearful. However, she didn't want her issues to affect Sean or prevent him from enjoying himself, so she had come to accompany him.
"Lianna? I've been looking for you. What are you doing out here alone?" Zahn walked over and asked worriedly. "Are you cold?"
Lianna shook her head. "It's fine. I like it here."
For a moment, silence fell between them.
Zahn at least knew that she wasn't fond of these kinds of gatherings.
Then he remembered her reaction when Sean had broken out in allergies, the fear, helplessness, and panic on her face.
She might have felt the same way whenever something like that happened in the past, back when they were still married.
And instead of comforting her, what had he done?
Right. He had been quick to blame her, making her feel like an irresponsible mother while simply standing by as his own mother berated and shamed her in front of the hospital staff.
A pang of pain, like being stabbed with a blunt knife, twisted through Zahn's heart.
"Lianna, about Sean's allergy... I mean, what happened before—"
"Don't." Lianna cut him off. "I know I was being dramatic. I was supposed to have his medicine prepared instead of crying so uselessly."
"No, you're not!" Zahn suddenly became agitated. "I'm not blaming you. If anything, it's my fault for making you feel like you weren't enough, like you weren't doing your responsibility. It shouldn't have been like that."
Sensing where the conversation was heading, Lianna felt exhausted.
"Zahn Neri, I'm not going to have this conversation with you." She turned to leave.
Zahn quickly grabbed her arm.
"Wait. I'm not going to ask you to forgive me or ask you to get back together. I know saying anything now is too late, but I still want to tell you how much I regret it."
Lianna looked up at him.
"Since you already know nothing will change, then let's not talk about it. I think we're fine with the way things are now, with this kind of boundary and situation."
"I love you, Lianna. I loved you when I married you, and that hasn't changed even now."
Zahn's eyes reddened, his throat bobbing as he struggled to hold back his emotions.
"I don't know why I let my mother and other people hurt you, why I let them ruin what we had between us. But I know they aren't entirely to blame, because it was me. I was the one who stood by and did nothing. I assumed you were fine..."
"It's not that you didn't know," Lianna interrupted quietly. "You just thought it was trivial, and you always believed I'd never leave."
Zahn looked as though he had been struck.
"With my dysfunctional family, you know I'd always been someone desperate for love. That's why I treated our relationship like it was the only thing that mattered. I relied on you too much. Whenever we had arguments, I was always the first to apologize. Time and again, I was the one who lowered my head, too afraid that you'd leave."
Lianna gave a faint, bitter smile.