Paul, Zenith, and Lilia had already hurried out to the courtyard gate. Paul stood there with his mouth agape, staring in shock at the spectacle of Philip and Allen facing each other. Several times he seemed about to speak but quickly clamped his mouth shut again, as if terrified of saying the wrong thing.
Zenith and Lilia, meanwhile, looked at Allen with deep worry in their eyes.
This scene reflected in Rudy's pupils, and he felt the blood in his whole body run cold.
After Allen's identity had become clear to them, everyone in the household had come to a single understanding:
Allen must not be recognized by his father.
His lineage was… complicated.As the eldest son of Roa City's lord, Philip, he had been sent to the royal capital as a child to be raised as the next heir of James Boreas. Now he had fled from the capital and was carrying a warrant for his arrest.
If he acknowledged his biological father now, his identity would be exposed, violating the family's traditions of inheritance. He'd be sent back to the capital.
And James—widely suspected of having issued the warrant—was clearly aiming to eliminate Allen, the Philip heir who had already awakened to his true origins.
That couldn't be allowed.
We have to protect Allen.
Had he never known family before?
Then they would be his family now.
That was the unspoken but unanimous resolve of everyone in the Greyrat household since last winter.
And now, at this very moment, Philip stood not three meters away.
What do we do?This is too sudden.Why is Allen's father here all of a sudden? Did his identity get exposed?!
Rudy glanced at Paul and Zenith and found their faces showing that same tension—a sort of helplessness that came from knowing the reason Philip was here but being caught unprepared. If they spoke up now, they risked drawing Philip's attention directly to Allen.
The situation was already bad enough.
Rudy swallowed hard and stiffly turned to look at Allen—only to find him wearing his usual smiling expression, showing not the slightest concern about his identity being exposed.
Allen was still gazing at Philip, completely relaxed.
In his vision, the smoky letters of the system were already dancing and entwined with his inner voice:
So tell me, just from this encounter—how memorable do I have to be to Philip to earn interaction points right away? Or… was that 2-point score already accumulated earlier and only displayed now when the kateikyō arc formally began?
[You really don't know? You've already run through all the possibilities in your head, haven't you?]
…That's true. I've already predicted and accounted for just about everything.
But what I care about now is…
Are there any missions? Or is it just like with Paul and Zenith, earning points passively?
The smoky letters danced before his face, almost as if chuckling.
[Immediate mission issued: Philip's Test and Expectation.]
[Half a year earlier than the original timeline, the host now meets his biological father. As a shrewd politician, he lost the royal capital power struggle over a decade ago only because James had two more years to build his influence.]
[What is his true purpose here?]
[Complete the tests, respond to his expectations, and choose your own path amid diverging futures.]
[Tests (0/2), countdown: 24:00:00. Reward: 10 interaction points.][Expectations (0/2), countdown: 48:00:00. Reward: 10 interaction points.]
[Mission start.]
Under Sylphy and Rudy's nervous gazes, Allen didn't show even a trace of the crisis they feared. He merely watched the text fade, let his gaze drift from the carriage back to Philip, and thought:
Just when I was worrying about how to get to Roa and kick off the kateikyō arc… and here Philip comes delivering it on a silver platter.
Tests, huh? Interesting.
Not far away, Philip nodded slightly back at him, as if to acknowledge his thought: "Interesting indeed."
But to everyone else, the Greyrats were frozen stiff.
The whole scene fell into a strange silence.
Allen, seemingly oblivious to the heavy atmosphere, lowered his eyes, took Sylphy's hand, and started walking toward the gate. But after just one step, he felt resistance.
Her palm was slick with sweat.
??
Surprised, he looked down at Sylphy.
Her red-brown eyes darted around nervously, her fingers subconsciously smoothing her white hair, her gaze flitting over her spotless white dress as though she saw dirt that wasn't there.
Allen blinked in confusion, then glanced at Rudy.
He wore the same expression.
Allen immediately understood what they were worried about and simply said:
"It's fine. Let's go."
Only then did Rudy and Sylphy exchange glances, finally moving their feet to follow him.
Step by step.
Three meters was a short distance.
Different thoughts churned in each of their heads as they reached the gate.
Paul was pulling every facial expression he could think of, trying to catch Allen's attention.
Allen just kept smiling leisurely at Philip.
Philip cast a glance at Paul, his eyes flashing with understanding before narrowing again as he looked back at Allen.
No one spoke.
Finally, Sylphy broke the silence.
She blinked, took a subtle cue from Rudy, drew a deep breath, and spoke nervously:
"Are you… a guest of the knight's household? Hello!"
Philip blinked, finally breaking his gaze from Allen and looking at Sylphy.
In an instant, the strange tension melted away.
Rudy clenched his fist.
Well done, Sylphy! Now just let Allen completely blend in, let him act invisible, and his identity won't be exposed. This man shouldn't recognize him—Allen said Philip never really saw him! And now, with his changed appearance, there's no way!
Everyone turned their attention to Sylphy. She shrank a little, her white hair swaying against her neck, looking up at Philip with a timid expression.
Philip tilted his head, his eyes briefly resting on the joined hands of Allen and Sylphy before he crouched slightly and patted her head.
"Yes. And your hair color is lovely. What's your name?"
"Thank you… My name is Sylphyiette."
"Sylphyiette? A fine name. Very pretty. I'm Philip Boreas Greyrat. You can just call me Philip."
"…Thank you, Uncle Philip."
Rudy exhaled in relief.
His attention is off Allen. Perfect. We can just find an opportunity later to coordinate with Paul and Zenith…
But just then, while Rudy's relieved smile was still forming, Philip suddenly spoke.
"You… are Allen, aren't you?"
He turned his gaze squarely back to Allen, his eyes boring straight into his soul.
(End of Chapter)
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