Al leaned back in the chair, arms folded, eyes empty as he stared at his plate.
Even so, he felt too lazy to bother with it. Still, he decided to wait and see whether there would be any more drama in this dinner that was supposed to be harmonious.
Fortunately, the food in front of him looked delicious enough — giving him a decent excuse to stay put a little longer.
He stared at the fine silverware and porcelain, at the delicious dishes presented—his mouth almost watering.
He let out a small smile. Not of joy, but the kind you give when trying to hide embarrassment over nearly drooling.
For now, this is the one reason I actually like the elite — the food's satisfying. The portions are usually too small, though… but luckily, this time it's homemade, and the servings are huge. Haha, he thought.
He then glanced at everyone who was supposed to be his real family.
Despite the irritation gnawing at him from their behavior, this was, after all, the first time he was having a meal with his true family.
Somehow, it brought a strange sense of warmth to him—even though his attention remained firmly on analyzing their actions.
So far, he had already gathered quite a bit of interesting information about this family's internal dynamics.
Aside from learning that the family was surprisingly familiar with magical and spiritual matters, he was also intrigued by the way the children in this household lived.
Given his position as one of them, that information was naturally very useful to him.
From what he could tell, this family had everything needed to be considered a complete, well-structured system—and so did each of the children.
All of them were assigned personal servants, drivers, or bodyguards. The meals served at the table were prepared individually by their own dedicated chefs.
Even the areas they lived in within the main house were divided more like territories than simple bedrooms.
For example, David's living area occupied the eastern side of the second floor, spanning more than ten rooms.
Yet it was separated by a long corridor from Sarah's quarters, which were also on the eastern side of the same floor, built with a similar concept.
The same applied to the other sisters' quarters—all on the second floor, except for Aurielle's, which was on the fourth floor, sharing the same level as Edward and Sandra's master bedroom.
This place felt less like an ordinary house and more like a palace, where each corridor was ruled by a young master, rather than a family home.
I wonder where my room is, and what kind of facilities I'll be given, Al thought.
He didn't dwell on it for long. His focus soon shifted to the delicious food laid out before him.
And so, the dinner began.
While they ate, Edward finally spoke in a calm tone.
"I was honestly a bit shocked by what Al experienced earlier. This is the first time I've ever seen a bunch of servants daring to slander their own master—especially knowing they did it entirely on their own initiative."
"I felt the same, Dad," Aurielle said.
"But I can understand their way of thinking. Al still carries the image of a street kid in their eyes. Still… something like that is absolutely unacceptable." she added.
Edward nodded lightly.
"Exactly. And I hope all of you can better control your subordinates. Incidents like this are extremely embarrassing. Make sure something like this never happens again."
The Virellano children nodded in unison.
"Yes, Dad," they replied—everyone except Al.
He didn't feel the need to get involved. After all, he didn't even have a single personal servant in this family yet.
Then Sarah, unwilling to stay silent, spoke up as well.
"Dad, even if this time he was framed, we still need to be cautious around him. A child raised outside—especially on the streets—still has a high chance of doing things like that. Or even worse."
Edward found her words reasonable. So did the others. For now, they simply didn't know who Al really was, or what kind of person he might be.
All eyes turned to Al.
But he remained calm, focused on his food.
After a moment, he glanced up and realized everyone was staring at him.
"Ah… relax," he said casually. "I'm a good kid, you know. Stuff like that is really far from me."
"Still, I understand your doubts," he continued calmly. "Just don't take your prejudice too far. In the end, I haven't even been here for a full day yet. Judging me this early is pretty unreasonable."
Sarah let out a soft chuckle.
"Prejudice, you say? Heh." She tilted her head slightly. "Even if you haven't been proven a womanizer yet, there's at least one thing we learned about you today..."
"...You're ruthless."
"Slapping a woman—and even injuring a servant without a shred of mercy. Ugh… just thinking about it again kills my appetite."
She shuddered slightly.
"But it's good that you understand," she continued coolly. "People like you are naturally judged that way. I just hope you keep your distance from me while you're staying here."
"I don't want to be on the receiving end of your brutality while you're in this house."
Al's eyes sharpened at that.
Wow, this woman never tires. Even I'm getting a little bored. What actually makes her hate me so much? Is something wrong with her? Al thought, impressed by Sarah's persistence.
Hearing Sarah's words, Sandra could only shake her head helplessly.
"Sarah, please… try not to speak like that to Al," she said softly. "He's your younger brother, after all."
Edward nodded as well, the exhaustion on his face clearly visible.
"Yes, Sarah. Even if you don't like him right now, at the very least, try to be more courteous and give him a proper welcome."
Sarah could only nod. Her expression, however, remained sharp and cold—clearly reluctant to follow the instruction.
Al looked at her for a moment, then simply shook his head and continued eating.
He wasn't particularly bothered by Sarah's point of view. To him, reactions like that were understandable. He himself could be just as harsh at times.
What truly irritated him was how Sarah seemed determined to use every spare moment she had just to provoke him.
"Yeah. So far, she's really been enjoying messing with me," he said between bites of his meal.
"I think the number of insults I've gotten from her already exceeds the total hours I've actually lived in this house," he added.
Sarah let out a small laugh. Instead of feeling guilty, she looked oddly satisfied—but she didn't respond.
Edward could only stare at the two of them in exasperation. He hadn't expected such an open conflict between his children on the very first day Al returned.
He glanced at David for a moment—the child he thought would be most likely to clash with Al.
But David seemed perfectly calm. Al, too, showed no sign of hostility toward him.
The worry he'd had about one day being forced to choose between David and Al now seemed unlikely, and that alone was a relief.
At the very least, his two sons could coexist under the same roof.
Meanwhile, sensing Edward's lingering gaze, David chose to pretend he hadn't noticed and continued eating.
Still, his mind was far from quiet.
Hmph… so Dad has a positive impression of that kid, he thought. Bia's failure really screwed up my plan to ruin his first impression in this family.
He then glanced at Al.
I didn't expect this brat to be somewhat capable. But whatever… this is just a minor setback. No matter how impressive you are, I'll make sure you never become an obstacle to my plans here.
His eyes sharpened slightly.
Whether you end up as an outcast in this house, someone lower than a dog, driven out altogether, or…
A faint smile crept onto his lips.
…dead.
Back to Edward, he took a sip of his drink.
"That's enough. You two don't need to keep poking at each other. Let's drop it here," he said sternly.
"Yes, Dad," Sarah replied, while Al gave a light nod in agreement.
Edward nodded, then turned his gaze back to Al.
"Al… your life in this family will be very different from the life you had outside. I don't know what you were like out there, but I hope you can integrate smoothly here," he said.
Al set his spoon down, nodded after swallowing the food still in his mouth, then replied,
"Yes, Father… From the very beginning, I actually hoped to integrate into this family—because, after all, this is my real family," he began.
"But just like you, I don't really know you either. Knowing you through your public image is very different from knowing you as family."
He lightly pointed his spoon toward Sarah. "She's a good example. I almost fell for it and thought she was an innocent, cute girl."
He took a small sip of water to clear his throat before continuing.
"Overall, I'm used to living simply out there. That's quite a contrast to this family, which seems to enjoy… complicated things. Still, I'll try to bear with it."
He placed the glass down.
"It won't be easy for me to integrate. Because right now, it seems like quite a few people here don't like me," he said calmly.
"But I will integrate properly. Whether that integration is… normal, or—"
A faint smile appeared as he looked at the water in his glass, still gently rippling.
"…done in an unexpected way."
A brief silence fell over the table.
Edward let out a breath.
"Hmph… I don't like that kind of threatening way of speaking, Al. I hope you change that," he said.
"Still, I'm glad to hear that no matter how you intend to do it, your main intention is to become part of this family."
Al nodded.
"Of course. In the end, you're my blood family. And we don't have a good enough reason to sever that bond…"
He let out a quiet sigh.
"…so I also have no reason to ignore that fact and distance myself from this family."
"Good," Edward replied, clearly satisfied.
Aurielle nodded as well and joined the conversation.
"You seem quite eloquent, Al. The way you've spoken so far feels mature. It makes me curious—what kind of life did you live outside that shaped you into who you are now?"
Her words drew the attention of the others. Even Sandra and Edward nodded slightly in agreement.
Al thought for a moment before responding. There were many things he couldn't say, but he still tried to give an answer that would satisfy them.
"Don't worry. Honestly, it's not that different from what you're probably imagining," he said.
"I lived outside—on the streets. On the downside, I dealt with a lot of unfair treatment. I had to stay alert every second, and danger was everywhere."
Then he looked straight into Aurielle's eyes.
"But on the positive side, I met a lot of people. I got used to socializing, had more real and varied interactions, and learned many things along the way," he continued.
"I think those experiences are what shaped me."
Hearing that, a flicker of guilt stirred in Edward's heart—and in Sandra's and Aurielle's as well.
Sarah remained neutral, her lingering resentment dulling any sympathy she might have felt.
Sandra let out a deep sigh and chose not to push the matter further.
"Your life out there was truly difficult, Al," she said softly. "Please forgive us for taking so long to find you."
Edward nodded. He felt the same. Though he was cold and rigid by nature, the guilt still lingered within him.
Silence fell over the table—until David spoke up.
"You're making me feel guilty too, Al," he said. "I'm the one who should have lived that life, while you were the one meant to enjoy all the comfort I had here."
He let out a short breath.
"…I'm sorry for taking your place in this family."
Hearing David finally speak and explain his feelings, the rest of the family felt slightly conflicted.
Except for Sarah, who thought their switched fates were a good thing.
The others couldn't help but wonder—what if they had never been switched?
Seeing how rapidly David had grown, they couldn't bear the thought of him not being part of their family.
And then there was Al—someone who had managed to grow and mature despite living outside, without receiving the level of education David had enjoyed. That alone was remarkable.
Still, in their eyes, Al was far behind David. They weren't even sure that if the switch had never happened, Al could have achieved what David had.
Those thoughts dulled the emotional weight of the tragedy somewhat. Yet even so, the guilt lingering in their hearts remained heavy.
Meanwhile, Al let out a quiet sigh and gave a small chuckle after hearing David.
This kid… he knows how to read the room and when to act. He's dangerous in his own way.
I don't know what he wants from me. But for now, playing along with his game shouldn't be a problem.
He shook his head lightly.
"You don't need to say things like that. I already said it earlier—we're both victims," Al replied.
He then looked at the others.
"And you don't need to pity me so much. For me, life out there was more than satisfying enough."
Everyone still felt guilty, but they seemed relieved by Al's calm attitude—as if his life outside had truly been safe enough.
Everyone except Sarah, of course, who felt Al was just putting on an act to look good.
"Good. Then finish your meal first. After this, there's something else we need to talk about," Edward said.
Sandra nodded gently.
"Yes, we need to discuss that."
"Hm?" Al looked at them, puzzled.
"Just finish your food," Edward replied calmly. "It's about how you'll be living here from now on."
Al paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Ah, that… fine then."
And so, dinner continued.
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