A beautiful lady with long black hair and blue eyes looked at the five-year-old in surprise.
She was Gerald's older sister, Sandra. Seeing her nephew, Zion, at the party was unexpected for her.
Unlike her parents, Sandra had many opportunities to visit Gerald and his family. She was even there to congratulate Alessia on the day Remi was born.
She loved her young brother, and despite the fact that he had been kicked out of the family, she would always be on his side to give him her unconditional support.
Sandra gave her father a side-long glance, watching his reaction. She knew that her brother and father had separated on bad terms, so she was worried that Arthur would order the guards of the family to kick the child out of the house.
Thirteen had also thought of this possibility, which was one of the reasons why he decided to visit his Grandma first. This way, he would have a strong backer that could contend with his Grandpa's temper.
Just as he expected, Arthur didn't say anything and simply stared at him from afar.
Hans, who was standing behind Lady Callista, wanted to wipe the non-existent sweat from his forehead because of Thirteen's antics.
When the young man said that timing was important, he didn't expect that he would time their entrance to be while Arthur was making his speech.
'This little devil sure knows how to make an entrance,' Hans thought in his heart.
Lady Callista, on the other hand, only found this scene amusing. Perhaps because of her bias towards her grandson, she didn't think that Thirteen had done something wrong.
Also, she still carried a grudge because her husband had kicked Gerald out of the house. In her eyes, this simple matter was simply a little payback for the hardship she had endured over the years.
Perhaps, knowing this as well, Arthur sighed in his heart and told everyone to enjoy the party before standing up and approaching his wife, who was looking at him with a rare smile of mischief on her face.
The Patriarch of the Leventis Family glanced at Hans' direction, making the latter bow his head in respect.
Trisha did the same and kept this posture until Arthur told them to raise their heads.
"Are you my son's brat?" Arthur asked in a calm tone.
Thirteen ignored Arthur's question, making Hans, who still had his head bowed, start to sweat for real.
"The Patriarch has asked you a question," one of Arthur's sons, Michael, said.
He usually acted as his Father's right-hand man and handled the affairs of the Leventis Family.
A glance was enough to tell him that the boy was his nephew. After all, the little boy had a striking resemblance to the black sheep of their family.
"When asking for someone's name, usually the person who asks introduces themselves first," Thirteen replied with a confused look on his face. "Isn't that common etiquette?"
A pin-drop silence descended upon the Main Hall of the Leventis Residence.
If someone were to reply in this manner to the Patriarch, as well as to his son, that person would usually be punished or, worse, executed on the spot.
But since Lady Callista was present, such a thing didn't happen, forcing Michael to fix the glasses on his face and deal with the youngster, who seemed to not understand his place.
"I am Michael Leventis, your uncle," Michael stated. "Now, what's your name?"
"Zion Leventis," Thirteen replied. "Your nephew."
Lady Callista couldn't stop herself from giggling after hearing her grandson's reply. She, however, gave Michael a look of apology, which the latter returned with a bitter smile on his face.
Arthur didn't say anything else as he moved behind his wife's wheelchair and gave it a gentle push, leaving the five-year-old behind.
Lady Callista knew that this was her husband's way of saying that he had already agreed to let Zion stay for the party, but she must not coddle her grandson any longer and let him fend for himself from this moment onward.
Lady Callista frowned, but she didn't say anything else.
She knew that Arthur had already given her enough face by not lashing out at her grandson, so she decided to meet with the other members of their family, as well as the guests whom she was acquainted with.
Also, Hans was there to keep an eye on Zion, so she felt more at ease.
After being left behind by his Grandma, the first thing that Thirteen did was walk towards one of the buffet tables in order to get some food.
The gazes of people followed him, watching his every move.
This was exactly what Zion wanted. With this, he had plenty of opportunities to see how the people would react to his presence.
Just as he was about to reach the table, a beautiful lady with long black hair and blue eyes blocked his path.
"Zion!" Sandra said as she lovingly gave her nephew a hug. "I was surprised to see you here. How is your father?"
"Father is doing well, Auntie," Thirteen replied.
Although this was his first time meeting Sandra, he had seen her pictures in their family photos, so he was able to recognize her right away.
"Is he?" Sandra smiled after hearing Zion's reply. "Well then, what do you want to eat? I'll help you get it."
Since Zion could not reach far into the table, Sandra decided to help him get some food, as well as drag him to their family's table, where her husband, Gideon, was waiting for her.
Gideon Lockwood, one of the promising talents of the Lockwood Family, which was part of the Ten Prestigious Families.
Sitting at the table with them was Gideon's oldest son, Logan, who had just turned eleven this year.
The handsome boy had short brown hair and green eyes. He gave Thirteen a brief nod before returning to his meal.
"Sandra, I didn't know that your nephew has nerves of steel," Gideon commented in a sarcastic tone. "He's either very brave or raised in a very safe environment."
"Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers," Logan commented without raising his head. "The ignorant are fearless."
Sandra gave her husband and son a disapproving look, but she didn't say anything to correct them.
She knew that her nephew was lucky because her mother was there. If Thirteen had been alone when he said those words, he would have been immediately expelled from the house without another word.
"Zion, next time, when someone asks you a question here, just answer, okay?" Sandra said with a smile. "Also, make sure to answer in a polite manner."
"Yes, Aunt," Thirteen answered as he ate the food on his plate.
The five-year-old observed the Lockwood Family, especially her Aunt's son, Logan, who would soon start his First Wandering.
'I don't sense anything special about this guy,' Thirteen thought as he gave Logan a side-long glance. 'He might just be Villager-A.'
Logan, who had no idea that he was just branded as an extra by Thirteen, continued to eat without a care in the world.
After that brief moment of being in the spotlight, the party resumed its usual liveliness.
Somewhere in the corner of the hall, an eleven-year-old boy with black hair and blue eyes looked at Thirteen with contempt.
He then motioned for a boy, who was a little older than him, to come closer and whispered something in his ear.
The older boy glanced at Thirteen before nodding his head. Since his Young Master had given an order, he would execute it without fail so that he could continue receiving the grace and backing of one of the young geniuses within the Leventis Family.
