The Morey Family Estate is located in a valley far from the hustle and bustle. The ancient architecture exudes a strong supernatural aura, and subtle energy fluctuations seem to be Floating in the air.

Mingxi, currently sporting a slightly ordinary face, was wearing a well-fitting maid uniform.

She was struggling to move down the corridor, carrying a stack of expensive bedsheets waiting to be ironed that was taller than her line of sight.

Her current identity was Xiao Mi, a maid recently hired by the Morey Estate, responsible for the most basic chores within the manor.

"Hey! You, the new one! What are you dawdling for?"

A sharp voice rang out. A middle-aged woman in a housekeeper's uniform, with high cheekbones, stood in front of her, hands on her hips.

"Hurry up and take these to the laundry room on the third floor, and then immediately go to the kitchen to help clean the silver utensils needed for tonight's banquet!"

"Remember, be quick about it! The Morey Family doesn't keep idlers!"

"Yes, Madam Martha."

Mingxi lowered her head, her voice timid.

She could feel the scrutiny and disdain in Martha's eyes, and she could also sense an invisible tension pervading the estate.

After finally finding the laundry room, she put down the sheets and handed them over to Dilinhua, who was responsible for the washing.

She then rushed to the kitchen without stopping.

The kitchen was bustling. In preparation for an important guest who was about to arrive, the kitchen was in full swing,

getting ready for the evening banquet.

"You're the new Xiao Mi?"

The fat head chef glanced at her, pointing casually at the mountain of silver cutlery piled up in the corner.

"Clean and polish all of those. It must be done before the banquet starts! If there's even a speck of dirt, don't expect to get paid this month!"

"Yes."

Mingxi did not argue.

She silently rolled her eyes.

ʘᴗʘ

Although she wasn't here to earn money, she believed in doing a job well.

She could handle it.

(She clenched her fist.)

She silently walked to the corner and began cleaning the silver utensils.

The scent of cold water and lime-scented detergent permeated the air.

While diligently scrubbing the plates, she quietly spread her spiritual power out like a spiderweb, collecting information.

The Morey Estate was huge.

Including the main family and the servants, there were thousands of people.

But the current Mingxi was no longer the inexperienced person she once was. After her spiritual power materialized, projecting it outward was more natural and effortless. It could merge into any object, attach itself to any creature, and cover an area of a thousand square meters without issue.

Moreover, she didn't have to worry about being detected by people or Pet Beasts,

unless that person could also materialize their spiritual power.

The surrounding servants were whispering:

"Did you hear? Young Master Ryan was injured again at the training ground a few days ago..."

"Ah, what a string of misfortunes. Since the Old Patriarch fell seriously ill, Young Master Ryan's life has gotten harder and harder..."

"Shh! Quiet down! Young Master Kyle's people are everywhere in this estate."

"Tonight's banquet, they say, is for the Patriarch to publicly announce Young Master Kyle as the Morey Family heir. The Patriarch and the Madam Patriarch truly dote on Young Master Kyle."

"Young Master Ryan seems to be attending too. He's quite pitiful."

"Pitiful? Whose fault is it that his talent and aptitude aren't as good as Young Master Kyle's, and he can't win the favor of the Patriarch and his wife? In today's society, blood ties really can't compare to self-interest."

"Sigh, let's just hope nothing else goes wrong."

Ryan Morey and Kyle Morey are the two sons of the current Morey Family Patriarch. However, the former is the true young master who was just recently found, while the latter is the fake young master who usurped his place.

The backgrounds of both were exposed many years ago, and the true young master, Ryan Morey, was brought back to the family early on.

But the fake young master was not sent away because the current Madam Patriarch couldn't bear to part with him.

Thus, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) the true and fake young masters ended up living together in the same household, letting the mistake stand.

The Patriarch and his wife, as if they had lost their minds, only doted on the fake young master and completely ignored Ryan, the true young master. Fortunately, the Old Patriarch was sane, and after repeatedly failing to persuade the couple, he simply raised Ryan by his side.

But a year ago, the Old Patriarch, Haende Morey, was inexplicably attacked by an Anonymous Drowning Finch and has been comatose ever since. Since then, Ryan Morey's life has become increasingly difficult... Mingxi captured a large number of keywords one by one.

Just then, a gentle but slightly weak voice sounded at the kitchen entrance.

"Mr. Chef, is the Moomoo Fresh Milk I asked you to warm ready? My Ralts isn't feeling well."

Mingxi looked up. It was a pale, thin young man dressed simply but in good quality white clothes. His eyes were pure but held a lingering sadness.

Judging by his demeanor, he somewhat resembled Xinglan Bei Yi.

The true young master, poor thing.

He was holding a Ralts in his arms that also looked listless.

This was Ryan Morey.

The fat head chef immediately put on a perfunctory smile: "Oh, Young Master Ryan, the warm Moomoo Milk in the kitchen has already been taken by the Young Master's side. The kitchen is busy right now, so... how about I send someone to deliver it to you later?"

"..."

Ryan Morey lowered his head and murmured, "It's alright, I'll warm it myself."

His voice was very soft, like a small white flower swaying in the cold wind.

"Little Brother Ryan, no matter what, you are still a young master of the Morey Family. How can you do the work of a low-class person?!"

An ostentatious voice cut in.

A similarly young man, dressed lavishly with meticulously combed hair, walked in. Beside him followed a Gothitelle with equally arrogant eyes.

He glanced at Ryan, his tone filled with undisguised mockery. "My dear brother, I'm sorry, I didn't know the BoBo Fresh Milk was for you. So, all the warm BoBo Fresh Milk in the kitchen was used for my Miss Gothitelle's bath."

"And speaking of which, why is Ralts unwell again?

Are you spoiling it too much? As a Beastmaster of our Morey Family, how can a Pet Beast be so fragile?"

Ryan pressed his lips together, not refuting, only holding the Ralts tighter in his arms.

The reason Ralts was frequently 'unwell' was all because of him!

He clenched his fist, suppressing the urge to tear the person in front of him into one hundred and eight pieces!

But he couldn't do anything.

Seeing him silent and looking like a poor, submissive victim, Kyle curled his lip in boredom.

He turned to the head chef and instructed, "Tonight's banquet is very important. All ingredients and utensils must be the best quality. Once the riff-raff are done cleaning, make sure they get out of here and stop getting in the way."

He pointedly swept his gaze towards Ryan.

"Yes, yes, Young Master Kyle, please rest assured!"

The head chef quickly bowed.

Kyle nodded in satisfaction and swaggered away with his Gothitelle.

Ryan stood silently where he was until the head chef impatiently grabbed a bottle of ice-cold Moomoo Fresh Milk and handed it to him.

"Young Master Ryan, look, the kitchen really is busy. Just take this milk. Anyway, Ralts is just a Transcendent creature; it's not that delicate. It's not like it can't drink cold milk."

His attitude was atrocious.

Ryan said nothing. In the year since his grandfather fell into a coma, he had encountered similar situations too many times and had grown accustomed to it.

He whispered a thank you, took the cold bottle of Moomoo Milk, and silently left, holding Ralts.

Mingxi watched his retreating figure, then looked in the direction Kyle had left, forming a preliminary judgment in her heart.

The ambitious fake young master.

The restrained and patient true young master.

The Patriarch and his wife, who were utterly clueless and favored outsiders over family.

And the Old Patriarch, who knew right from wrong but had been harmed and put into a coma.

This Morey Family sure was lively.

This investigation mission was getting interesting.

In the evening, the banquet was about to begin.

After washing silver utensils all afternoon, Mingxi was assigned to the banquet hall for final tidying work.

Inside the luxurious banquet hall, people were dressed in their finest.

Kyle Morey was mingling among the guests like a fish in water, chatting and laughing freely.

Ryan, however, sat alone in a corner, looking somewhat out of place, his Ralts quietly staying by his feet.

Mingxi held an empty tray, pretending to wipe a decorative vase nearby, while her spiritual power was highly concentrated.

Suddenly, an almost imperceptible flash of blue light flickered in the eyes of the Gothitelle beside Kyle.

The next moment, the tray in the hands of a waiter standing near Ryan suddenly tilted, and the champagne glasses on it were about to spill onto Ryan and the Ralts at his feet!

If they were drenched, not only would Ryan be humiliated, but the cold liquid could also irritate the already unwell Ralts!

In the nick of time, Mingxi's eyes flickered slightly.

An invisible force quietly intervened.

The waiter seemed to trip over something beneath his feet, causing his body to stumble.

The champagne glasses, which were meant for Ryan, shifted their trajectory strangely and, with a 'crash,' spilled entirely onto Gothitelle.

"?!"

The smile on Kyle's face froze.

Gothitelle blinked in confusion.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

The waiter's face turned white with fright as he profusely apologized.

The guests, attracted by the commotion, looked over.

Kyle frowned slightly and glared fiercely at the waiter.

Restricted by the presence of the guests, he couldn't erupt in anger. He suppressed his rage, forced a gentle expression, and said, "It's fine. Just have someone come and clean this up quickly."

"Yes, yes."

He immediately turned to Ryan with a look of concern: "Little Brother, are you alright? Honestly, these servants are so clumsy. Did they scare you or Ralts?"

Ryan shook his head, his face paler than before. He instinctively shielded Ralts: "I'm fine."

Although he didn't know what happened, it was clear that the wine had originally been aimed at Ralts and him.

Was someone helping him?

But how could that be possible?

In this family, besides his grandfather, who would help him?

If it weren't for his grandfather, he would have left this home long ago!

Although there was a brief, unpleasant interlude, the banquet continued.

Not long after, the current Morey Family Patriarch, Carven, and Madam Patriarch, Lydia, finally appeared.

Both wore elegant and composed smiles.

The beautiful, noble woman held the arm of the handsome, tall man with her right hand and led Kyle with her left. The three walked together to the main seating area in the center of the banquet hall.

Madam Lydia cleared her throat, her face bearing a reserved yet proud smile:

"Distinguished guests, thank you for attending tonight. Carven and I have an important announcement to make on this occasion."

The entire hall quieted down, and all eyes focused on them.

"Our Morey Family has a long and storied history. The choice of an heir concerns the future of the family."

Carven's voice was loud. He glanced approvingly at Kyle beside him. "Over the years, this child, Kyle—his talent, his hard work, and his sense of responsibility to the family—we have all witnessed it.

Furthermore, his strength has been unanimously recognized by everyone in the family!"

Affirmations immediately rose from the guests:

"Young Master Kyle is already General-level with his Gothitelle at such a young age! His future is limitless!"

"That's right, compared to certain others... *cough*, Young Master Kyle is certainly more suited to lead the Morey Family."

"Congratulations, Patriarch Carven and Madam Lydia."

These comments pierced Ryan's heart like needles in his corner. He lowered his head, his lips bitten white.

Carven's voice was steady and undeniable: "Therefore, after careful consideration and obtaining the approval of the family's Council of Elders, we have decided—to formally establish Kyle Morey as the next heir of the Morey Family! Effective immediately, he will gradually take over family affairs!"

"Congratulations, Young Master Kyle!"

"Young Master Kyle has a promising future!"

Applause and congratulations sounded. Kyle beamed with self-satisfaction, bowing slightly to accept the well wishes.

Madam Lydia looked at her son with a proud expression, her eyes full of gratification and triumph.

Patriarch Carven also patted Kyle's shoulder, seemingly very pleased with the decision he had made.

In the corner, Ryan's body trembled slightly, as if abandoned by the entire world.

Just at this joyous moment—

"I! Do! Not! Agree!"

An aged voice, yet one containing undeniable authority and towering rage, suddenly exploded like thunder at the entrance of the banquet hall!

Everyone was stunned by the sudden sound and turned to look.

At the banquet hall entrance, a middle-aged man, sitting in a wheelchair, his face still pale and haggard, was being pushed by a servant, slowly coming into view.

It was none other than the previous generation's Patriarch of the Morey Family—Haende Morey!—who everyone thought was near death after being comatose for a full year!

Ryan's biological grandfather!

"Fa... Father?!"

"Grandpa?!"

Carven, Ryan, and Kyle exclaimed simultaneously, but the former two were shocked yet pleasantly surprised, while the latter was filled with unbelievable panic.

Kyle's face instantly turned ashen, his eyes full of terror. He instinctively took half a step back, and Gothitelle also let out an anxious whimper.

Old Patriarch Haende's deep yet sharp gaze swept over the entire hall, finally settling on Carven and Lydia. His voice was laced with suppressed fury.

"Carven, Lydia! You truly are my good son and good daughter-in-law! I'm not dead yet! And you're rushing to kick out my biological grandson and install an outsider as the heir?! Who gave you that right!"

"Father, please let me explain!"

Carven rushed forward, trying to placate him.

"Kyle is exceptionally talented and far surpasses Ryan in strength. It's for the prosperity of the family—"

"Bullshit!"

Old Patriarch Haende swore outright, his chest heaving with anger.

"Strength? Family prosperity? Is that your excuse for mistreating my biological grandson, and even allowing an outsider to bully him?!"