Later at dinner time, Egon was called to the dining hall.
The dining table was massive. Approximately, 20 people were ready to dinner together.
Considering the old man had 4 sons and 3 daughters, it wasn't surprising.
Adults sat at one side and the young people at the opposite.
As the head of their branch, his grandfather and grandmother sat at two opposite ends of the table.
As soon as they noticed Egon's and Luminaire's figures, they paused.
Some sneered in contempt, while others raised curious eyebrows. Most of them focused on Egon, as they had heard the rumors of him possessing the A-Rank Blood Berserker Grimoire.
"Take your seat, Lumina."
The voice came from a powerful, dignified man, with facial features similar to Caius's.
"Thank you, brother," Luminaire said while still keeping her head low.
From the looks, the man was one of her elder brothers.
"You too, boy," the same man said to Egon.
Egon nodded and took his reserved seat among the younger generation, just beside his grandmother.
"Lumina, look how ugly and haggard you have become. I hope you sincerely lament over choosing that commoner as your husband and fleeing the house," one of the women with the same hair color commented sharply.
The woman's words were were only the beginning.
"And now this—" Another aunt sneered. "A boy who thinks he's special just because he has an A-Rank Soul Book. How naive, hmph!"
"Yes, an A-Rank, and yet he still carries the stench of his mother's poor choices," the third aunt chimed in, her smile venomous. "How do you even plan on restoring the Noiré name with that accused bloodline of yours? I doubt your 'Soul Book' will save you from the fact that you're nothing more than a mistake."
Ignoring the blatant hostility, Egon calmly settled into his seat. Strangely, he wasn't in rush to reply. This was typical aristocratic behavior, especially toward a "disgraced princess" and her black-haired anomaly of a son. Egon felt Luminaire flinch at the cruel words, but she remained silent, prioritizing the uneasy truce that kept Egon safe.
Egon knew he couldn't let his mother be repeatedly humiliated, but a direct confrontation would jeopardize his isolation and funding. He needed to use his influence strategically.
The speaker was Luminaire's sister-in-law, a woman whose pride was clearly tied to the Noiré status. Egon chose his words carefully, letting the "Egon Noiré" persona emerge as calm, superior, and focused only on power.
Before Luminaire could respond, Egon spoke,
"Aunt, I believe the purpose of today's dinner is to gauge the future potential of the Noiré lineage."
He paused, letting the implication settle in the air, then quietly summoned a faint, dark red aura around his hand as a controlled manifestation of the Blood Berserker soul book.
"I am currently the only one at this table, save perhaps for Grandfather, who has achieved an A-Rank affinity. Whether my mother chose a commoner or not is irrelevant to the Blood Emperor's path that lies before me."
He looked directly at his aunt, his black eyes holding the unnerving focus of the Superior Soul Book user.
"If the concern is the status of this family, perhaps it would be wiser to focus on how this branch will surpass the main family, rather than engaging in petty, distracting squabbles."
The hall fell into stunned silence. A ten-year-old child had just used his A-Rank status to silence a powerful, veteran family member and had challenged the entire Noiré hierarchy in one sentence.
One of his female cousins snorted in annoyance.
"Tch, grandpa, this guy is so disrespectful toward his elders. You should throw him out immediately."
"Yes, grandpa. He is so uncivilized," another young boy added.
"Silence!" their grandfather barked. "Egon is right. Our priority is to overtake the main branch, not engage in petty squabbles.
And I have an announcement to make. Considering Egon's A-Rank potential, I have decided to send him to the Imperial City of Beliath Empire for the Entrance test."
His announcement made his sons furrow their brows.
"Father, aren't you being a little too hasty to come to a conclusion? What's the guarantee this boy wouldn't fail and waste our resources?"
"Yes, Father. I agree with 2nd brother."
However, the eldest of the four brothers (Elision, Caius's father) had a different opinion.
"No. I think Father is making the right bet considering our situation. If the boy succeeds, our branch would gain a massive foothold in the Noiré house. The resource distribution will be increasing as well."
"Also, you all must not know, but Luminaire also had a daughter who is currently enrolling at Orion Academy. She has a B-Rank soul book like Caius. So to say, you should all stop belittling Luminaire, when your sons and daughters barely passed through C-Rank."
The sharp remark from the eldest brother, Aunts and Uncles, stunned them. They never thought Luminaire also had a daughter as well.
But Luminaire's face turned dark. She hadn't revealed anything about her daughter, Lucia, at all. She intended to keep her safe from the affairs of the Noiré house at the least.
But it had failed.
"How did you know about Lucia, brother Elision?"
Elision smiled, a calculated, cold expression that matched his political acumen. He was clearly the most dangerous and resourceful of Luminaire's brothers.
"My dear sister, did you truly believe that the Noiré House would not look into what you and that commoner had done all these years?"
"Lumina, you shouldn't have hidden about Lucia. She's our granddaughter, is she not?" the old man uttered with a frown.
Luminaire's lips trembled, knowing what was to come for her dear daughter. Once she comes of age, Lucia could be subject to political marriage. Something Luminaire hated from her deepest core.
But as she looked at her Son's face, she only saw a calm smile, as if saying "leave everything to me."
Despite him being just a 10-year-old, Luminaire felt a strange assurance in Egon's eyes.
In the end, she chose to believe her Son. She believed there would be a day when they wouldn't have to suffer like this.