Jake and the other Lord’s children were rendered speechless by the newcomer’s poisonous tongue.

They had thought Jake held the upper hand.

But in the blink of an eye, the tables had been reversed.

Now it was Jake who was caught in an absolute dilemma.

’This adopted son isn’t easy.’

That was what they all concluded after this short confrontation.

Not only did Ray easily deflect Jake’s accusation, but he even shifted the crime back to him.

"What nonsense!" Ultimately, Jake snorted coldly and explained, "I obviously only have loyalty to Father and nobody else. I don’t need an outsider to tell me that."

Jake’s mother, Michelle Carrion, quickly frowned upon hearing her son’s words.

Without realizing it, Jake had fallen to the adopted son’s trap not once, but twice.

Why did he have to claim he had loyalty to her husband again?

Wasn’t that exactly what the adopted son said earlier?

To express loyalty so openly and repeatedly was equivalent to the treacherous and lowest scum!

Even Robert was slightly annoyed by his eldest son’s behavior, which was unbefitting of a member of the Carrion Household.

"Since you’re here, take a seat for yourself." Robert finally spoke up to end the farce. Nevertheless, the wives and other children could discern his disappointment at Jake’s.

Of course, a grin or smirk from the others was noticeable too. Only Michelle’s face was slightly darkened as she gestured for Jake to sit down.

As for her daughter, Jeanette, she remained aloof and unbothered by Jake’s behavior. Despite being siblings and blood-related, they weren’t that close.

"Take a seat, Ray." Once the commotion dwindled, Robert finally told him to sit.

Within the large dining table, only the furthest chair away from Robert was empty.

’So a hierarchy in the seating arrangement, huh.’ Ray thought to himself.

It was quite obvious that the most favored one got to sit closer to the ruler of the household, whereas the less favored or those without any contribution had to sit at the farthest.

One might think in such an oppressive atmosphere, the more one should behave maturely and eloquently, right?

However, that would not be his style!

"What’s for lunch?" Ray smirked and sat in his seat. One of his legs was propped up as he used his hand to grab a piece of meat and ate it.

His demeanor and actions were completely unbefitting of a proper noble.

"What kind of table manners is that?" One of the children, Skyler, stared at him in disbelief.

At first glance, it seemed he was disdainful of his behavior. But upon closer inspection, one could discern a slight jealousy and a tinge of admiration from him.

Without a doubt, the latter was jealous and admired Ray’s bold action.

The nearby servants also gasped in disbelief at Ray’s uncouth mannerisms.

Meanwhile, Ray ignored Skyler’s question. He continued to chew his meat and ignored their glances.

Once he was done, he exhaled loudly. "Ahh, the food here is indeed superior to the one outside."

While everyone was speechless by his behavior, nobody actually dared to criticize him because the Lord had yet to say anything about it.

"Did something happen on your way here?" Robert used a knife to cut his steak and asked.

"Mhmm, a few robbers tried to ambush me." Ray nodded and proceeded to grab another handful of fried potato wedges.

"Oh, how did you encounter them?"

"In the forest."

"Forest?" Chloe, the eldest daughter, suddenly raised an eyebrow and inquired. "Why would you cross through the forest when there’s an official route available?"

She had been inspecting Ray since the moment he entered. And all she could think of was how unsightly and unbefitting he was to be an addition in the Carrion Household.

"Well, I wanted to eradicate some robbers on behalf of the Carrion Household." Ray snickered and grabbed a beverage to drink.

"Robbers running rampant, and the benevolent Carrion Household couldn’t stand their arrogance. Isn’t that a good story?"

"..."

Chloe was rendered speechless by his explanation.

It sounded wrong yet logical at the same time, making it hard for her to pinpoint how to tackle the issue.

"That’s enough of the topic." Robert placed his fork and knife down.

"Raymond will be your younger sibling from now on, and he will also have the chance to inherit my nobility. That is a fact, and you either do better or stay away from the inheritance war."

As soon as his statement dropped, his eyes shifted to his wives. After all, these children were technically speaking on their mother’s behalf.

Even if some of them harbored his position, he didn’t care much.

He got this position through the same thing, so only the most competent could lead the Carrion Household to a new height.

However, he refused to allow interference from their mothers.

Want his position and approval?

Go ahead and compete for it!

But you must do it with your own ability! Otherwise, one doesn’t deserve to hold the surname, Carrion.

Everyone at the diner table remained silent. There was no need to acknowledge everything because answering meant that they had such intent.

Or at least that was what they all perceived.

All of them except for one person.

"Relax, Father, I’ll gladly fight for that inheritance and make sure my other siblings will start working hard." Ray laughed heartily as he wiped his oily mouth with a napkin.

"Haha, good good!" Contrary to many people’s astonishment, Robert nodded and praised Ray for having such courage.

If one didn’t even have the courage to declare such intent under everyone’s present, then how were they supposed to lead the Carrion Household?

Upon thinking so, he glanced at his other children, his expression noticeably showing hints of disappointment.

All they could do was give random jabs, but they got debunked by the adopted son in the snap of a finger.

Moreover, Robert didn’t think Ray’s behavior was uncouth. From the moment he entered, he could tell the latter was clever and controlled the scene.

’What a pity...’ Robert shook his head and stood up.

"The rest of you can continue the meal. By the way, he’s now Raymond Carrion, not some outsider. I don’t wish to hear such words again."

The last statement was directed at Jake, who had addressed Ray earlier as an outsider.