Given that he still spoke with clumsy pronunciation despite being seven, his intelligence seemed a bit lacking, too.
Of course, since he came from an inferior beta background, being stupid and physically stunted was only natural.
In any case, if he was treated as a five-year-old, this level of linguistic immaturity could be overlooked, so the fact that he was a fake probably wouldn’t be found out.
“In that case, listen to my explanation while looking at the pictures.”
Until the Grand Duke arrived, Joseph conducted lessons for the fake young master regarding the Vesper family.
The Vesper family’s founder was Roxanne, the younger sister of Emperor Helios.
Unsure whether his sister was friend or foe, the Emperor granted her the title of Duke and essentially exiled her to the freezing northernmost reaches of the Adamantia Empire.
The twilight period just after the sun sets, when it is neither bright nor dark, is called the “hour between dog and wolf.”
This meant that one could not distinguish whether the silhouette across the sunset hill was a pet dog or a wolf coming to harm you.
Thus, Roxanne—who had been viewed with suspicion by Emperor Helios—was given the surname Vesper, meaning “twilight.”
Even now, should something befall the Emperor and princes in the imperial capital, a member of the Vesper family, being next in line to the throne, could become emperor.
Consequently, the imperial family and the Vesper family maintained a precarious relationship, walking a tightrope high in the air while constantly alternating between coexistence and containment.
“Your father, the Duke’s name, is Maldini Vesper. You won’t have any occasion to say his name, but commit it to memory. Also, the young Duke’s name is Callix, and he is currently fifteen years old. Young master Damian is five, so make sure you don’t slip up and give the wrong age if anyone asks.”
Shushu listened to Joseph brief him on the personal details of the Grand Duke and the young Duke.
Since these were all plot points he had seen in the novel, it was information he already knew.
“Never speak to the two of them first, and don’t try to approach them acting familiar. Just stay quietly, like a ghost, until they leave for the battlefield again. Understood?”
After learning what the family crest looked like, he received brief posture training.
Then they headed to the dining hall. Joseph pointed to the very end of a dining table large enough for ten grown men to lie down on.
“The Grand Duke will sit at the very head. The heir, the young Duke, will sit right beside him. Lady Meiyou, the concubine, will sit somewhere near the middle of the table. You, as the young master with the lowest rank, should sit right here.”
Shushu pulled out a chair as big as his own frame and sat down.
The legs of the chair scraped harshly against the marble floor.
“A noble does not pull out their own chair. Wait until a servant pulls the chair out for you.”
‘What a bunch of ridiculous theatrics.’
Standing back up, Shushu sat down again in the chair Joseph slid into place. Joseph brought out a set of silver cutlery and several plates.
“There is a proper sequence to follow when dining. First, you must wet your palate with an aperitif. Given the young master’s age, fruit juice will be served. You may only begin eating and drinking after the person of highest rank gives the signal.”
The rules of etiquette to observe even just for a single meal stretched on like a string of Vienna sausages.
Use the cutlery starting from the outermost ones; never eat meat with a salad fork; never use the soup spoon for dessert—and so on.
For a Korean accustomed only to spoons and chopsticks, it was asking far too much.
Yet Shushu managed Joseph’s crash-course table etiquette surprisingly well.
Had he genuinely been a seven-year-old child, he probably would have flustered and failed to use the multiple forks, spoons, and knives correctly.
Having even learned how to gracefully put down his napkin after finishing a meal, Shushu felt a tiny wave of liberation.
‘It’s finally over!’
Joseph, having gathered up the utensils used for the lesson, checked his pocket watch.
“It’s about time for the Grand Duke to arrive. Let’s go out to greet them.”
The plan to run away before the Grand Duke and Callix arrived had been brutally crushed.
It was all because he had been knocked out by Meiyou and remained unconscious for days.
Leaving behind the lingering regret that he definitely could have escaped if not for that, he stepped out of the dining hall.
A red carpet was rolled out in front of the main building of the castle.
From the butler down to the administrative officials assisting the Grand Duke, maids, manservants, and attendants—everyone had lined up to welcome Grand Duke Maldini and the young Duke upon their long-awaited return.
Meiyou stood at the very front, extravagantly adorned with all sorts of jewelry.
Shushu was dragged to stand right beside her.
Glancing down at Shushu, she twisted her red lips into a strange, grotesque shape.
Even though her face was pretty, she looked as terrifying as an evil witch in a fairytale.
The soldiers stationed atop the fortress walls struck the bell.
‘Clang, clang, clang, clang.’
Hearing the bell, soldiers turned the pulleys to pull open the massive castle gates.
No sooner had the gates opened than two horses galloped through at high speed.
Shushu froze as he watched the alphas approaching with thick cloaks billowing behind them.
The horse that pulled the carriage he and his mother had ridden in was nothing more than a pony compared to the mounts they rode.
Warhorses were significantly larger than ordinary horses.
Their coats gleamed with luster, and with every stride, their large, solid thigh muscles bulged as ruggedly as a stubborn man’s brow.
When Callix pulled back on the reins, his horse reared up, lifting its front hooves high.
Shushu thought the horse was so massive it blocked out the sun.
Callix, who handled such a beast with absolute ease, was so huge that it was hard to believe he was a middle schooler.
In a word, he was utterly overwhelmed by him.
Leaping lightly down from his horse, Callix looked down at Shushu.
Underneath his chilling gaze, Shushu shivered as if feeling a sudden chill.
Even though Callix didn’t know he was a fake younger brother, the way he looked at him like a complete stranger—or worse than that—made Shushu’s hands and feet go cold.
The servants simultaneously bowed at the waist toward Callix, who exuded an extraordinary majesty.
“Glory to the great Vesper!”
Standing there dumbfounded, Shushu was able to bow his waist a beat late only because Meiyou pressed down on his back.
The Duke, who had arrived just after Callix, dismounted his horse.
Using the riding crop in his hand, he hooked Shushu’s chin upward to lift his face.
“Is this Damian?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Putting on a soft voice that would have won her an acting award, she completely transformed.
“Damian, greet your father.”
“……Hell-lo.” (Baby talk)
His tongue felt stiffer than usual, and the words wouldn’t come out properly.
After staring hard at Shushu for a good long while, the Duke flicked his cloak and strode rapidly down the red carpet into the main building.
Callix, too, moved his combat-booted feet and followed closely in his father’s footsteps.
The moment they passed, the welcoming servants let out a massive sigh of relief, their tense shoulders slumping.
“Haa, as expected, ultra-dominant alphas are just on another level.”
“It feels like I just had an audience with a god.”
“Not like a god. He is a living god. He’s a grand archmage wielding the power of the gods, after all.”
“Quiet. Quiet. While the Grand Duke and the young Duke are staying, let’s serve them impeccably. Everyone, back to your posts.”
The butler clapped his hands to end the servants’ chatter.
As the gathered servants scattered in all directions, Callix—whom Shushu had thought had already left—used his long legs to stride right up to him.
Pulling off his leather gloves, he poked Shushu’s cheek with his bare hand.
‘What is this?’
“Don’t go getting any delusional ideas just because I poked your cheek and thought you were cute.”
