021
No parent would dislike seeing their child excel.
However, in this generation, the competition for the position of vice-class representative has been fiercer than ever.
The reason? It’s because of Violet.
The current deputy family head, Violet, was the only unmarried one among Galizard’s four children and stated that she had no intention of getting married in the future.
If that’s the case… could it be possible that an exceptional child might later be adopted as Violet’s daughter or son and take the position of the family head?
Whether it’s for emotional reasons, like feeling lonely in old age, or for creating a power base within the family, it’s not an entirely unreasonable speculation.
The children born to or adopted by Galizard’s siblings, known as the collateral branches, dreamed of such a possibility.
Becoming the family head’s child would drastically change their financial status.
The quality of life they enjoy would reach a whole new level, and such benefits would extend to their biological parents as well.
Thus, everyone hoped their child would wear the badge of vice-class representative.
Although Violet never explicitly stated she would adopt anyone, she also never dismissed the idea outright, fully aware of the atmosphere within the family.
Instead, she seemed to adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach.
By not marrying, she left a vacancy in the lineage and used that to control the ambitions of the collateral branches.
On the surface, it appeared mild, but in reality, it was a highly calculated psychological tactic. It involved manipulating people’s desires.
And Cecilia detested Violet with all her being.
“When it comes down to it, once Leviwood becomes the family head, everything will belong to me.”
In a bedroom mostly decorated in shades of blue, giving it a pale, almost ghostly appearance, Cecilia instructed a maid to sharpen her nails to pointed ends, grinding her teeth in frustration.
“Still, I can’t stand the idea of such a hypocrite becoming the head of the family. I wish I could just overthrow the current deputy family head!”
“Or maybe if the current deputy family head were to die.”
A soft response came from behind her. It was her husband, Bernstein Crighton, speaking as he gently massaged her shoulders, careful not to upset her mood.
“Have you thought about what I suggested before?”
“That won’t do. The only one I want to get rid of is Violet. Are you planning to throw all of Pashayen into chaos?”
Cecilia snapped her eyes wide open at his suggestion, prompting Bernstein to immediately retreat.
“That’s right. So, what do we do now?”
“First, Leviwood needs to return.”
Meanwhile, Mikard, Diegon’s son, was tasked with defense operations.
In the mountains of Radum, far across the river from Pashayen’s capital, his mission was to identify and eliminate ‘shadow men’ disguised as villagers in nearby towns, as well as to take down spies from Velarion.
On the other hand, Cecilia’s son Leviwood received a riskier and more covert mission.
Taking advantage of his young appearance, Leviwood disguised himself and infiltrated Velarion’s territory to gather intelligence. He was due to return soon.
The amount of merit Leviwood accumulated would greatly determine Cecilia’s standing in the family.
‘Then I might be able to talk to Father and ask for an important mission for myself.’
That sly Violet kept intercepting missions midway.
Because of that, Cecilia hadn’t been assigned any meaningful tasks for the past three years. Naturally, there was no way for her to earn credit either.
‘Bernstein isn’t from Pashayen. That’s why he keeps suggesting nonsense like staging a territorial war to assassinate Violet.’
Truthfully, that would be the easiest route.
Cecilia knew this as well. The power she wielded was only useful in large-scale battles like territorial wars.
‘But the risks are too high. The damage to the territory… Honestly, fine, let’s set that aside. If Father finds out the truth, I’m done for.’
At that moment, a maid accidentally pricked Cecilia’s finger.
Infuriated, Cecilia swung her hand and slapped the maid across the cheek.
“Get out! You useless thing!”
“I-I apologize.”
“I said, get out right now!”
Apart from Leviwood, there wasn’t a single person in this house who satisfied her.
After fuming for a while, Cecilia locked eyes with Bernstein, who was kneeling on one knee before her.
“What? What is it?”
“Nothing. I just thought even when you’re angry, you’re beautiful.”
“What nonsense are you spouting now?”
“You’re so lovely I could die.”
Bernstein knew exactly how to calm Cecilia’s fiery temper.
Gently coaxing and appeasing her, he finally managed to settle her nerves.
“Well, anyway, things have gotten messy. Who would’ve thought that commoner would go ahead and summon the Spirit King?”
“We should’ve brought them into our family.”
“Exactly. Ricardo… That boy was just envious of his brother and amounted to nothing.”
The exceptional Leviwood and Angela, who doesn’t even have a place to stand.*
Still, Angela was beautiful, and Cecilia planned to use her for an arranged marriage to expand her influence.
With this in mind, Cecilia didn’t hold back in supporting Angela either.
But Ricardo? He was a complete failure.
Better than nothing, sure, but if she had known how useless he would be, she wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of adopting him!
If she hadn’t, she could’ve brought that commoner into the family this time around.
“Speaking of Ricardo, Ceci, the family from that side keeps lodging complaints.”
“What?”
“They can’t seem to tolerate how the commoner’s adoption has tainted their position. They’re asking us to intervene.”
Cecilia frowned deeply at her husband’s words.
Her desire was burning.
If she couldn’t make it hers, she’d rather see it destroyed.
But ‘Shupetty Pashaye’ was the asset her father currently valued the most.
If she mishandled it, she’d face severe repercussions instead.
“No, ignore it.”
“Hmm.”
“If it’s not allowed, then accept it’s not allowed. At least until there’s proof it’s useless.”
“But from what I heard… Angela cried because of that child.”
Bernstein had a silver tongue.
With squinting eyes and a high nose, his sharp lower face gave him a rodent-like appearance, a look befitting his cunning nature.
He pretended otherwise in his daily life.
Bernstein carefully chose his words to only say things that would provoke Cecilia’s anger.
“Angela was the first to wear twin braids. As the older sister, wouldn’t it have been better if the younger one conceded? But that commoner insisted on keeping them.”
“What?”
“On top of that, her new dress got completely ruined, covered in flour everywhere. She was crying as she told me, and as a father, it really broke my heart.”
Bernstein never outright commanded Cecilia to do something.
He merely circled around with his words until she acted on her own.
“But since the head of the family directly instructed us to ‘take care of it,’ we have no other option.”
Crrrk.
Before he even finished speaking, Cecilia scratched the armrest of the sofa with her nails.
Her navy blue hair, which carried the Medusa’s bloodline from her great-grandmother, stood on end strand by strand.
In an instant, the strands intertwined and twisted into the shapes of snakes.
“A mere commoner dares challenge me in a battle of pride?”
“Don’t get too angry, Ceci. They probably just ‘don’t know’ better yet. If we ‘teach them,’ they’ll understand.”
As Bernstein whispered calmly with his eyes closed, the snakes hissed menacingly, their mouths open in threat.
Cecilia’s eyes turned black, the whites replaced by dark voids, while her pupils turned pale. She trembled with fury.
‘I can’t let this go. I must teach them a lesson.’
Already, her pride was wounded because Angela couldn’t attend the successor’s training grounds. And now this trivial nonsense?
“Call Angela! It’s important to set boundaries while they’re still young. Even if they’re an awakened one, there must be a sense of hierarchy. How dare a commoner…!”
Ironically, Cecilia herself was the one showing no respect to her sister, Violet, the deputy family head.
But she was generous and lenient with herself, so such a thought never crossed her mind.
“As you command, my lady.”
Bernstein, still with his eyes shut, quietly rose and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Only then did he open his eyes—but with his habitual squint, it wasn’t much different.
That was the reason he had been chosen as Cecilia’s husband.
The two weren’t bonded by love; theirs was an arranged marriage for political reasons.
‘Or perhaps not even that anymore.’
As Bernstein walked down the hallway, his shadow stretched long.
Sometimes it was a person’s shadow, and sometimes it wasn’t.
It shifted back and forth, unnoticed by anyone.
🍓;
*This highlights Leviwood as someone remarkable, talented, or outstanding in some way and suggests Angela is in a low or powerless position, possibly lacking recognition, status, or opportunities.
*Silver tongue refers to someone who is exceptionally persuasive or eloquent in their speech. A person with a silver tongue can use words effectively to charm, convince, or influence others, often with ease.
