Matteo Solcren Ferreira was sitting down, watching his wife as she slowly drank her wine. Titanza Solcren Ferreira had a beautiful appearance, with silver eyes and black hair adorned with golden streaks. She maintained a calm expression, as if reflecting on something she had kept to herself for a long time.
"Do you know why I was so disappointed in Enrico, to the point that I felt ashamed of him?"
"Because he was a disappointment. At least, that's my reason."
Matteo's expression remained neutral as he answered his wife.
Their marriage had been nothing more than an arrangement between families, without any romantic feelings involved. Each of them took care of the children they favored most, helping them develop their potential. After all, they both wanted to strengthen their own families and expand the influence of their territories.
Without paying any attention to her husband's response, Titanza continued speaking.
"He was born with completely golden hair."
"And what does that have to do with your disappointment in him?"
"Many years ago, a member of our family was born with golden hair and turned the Solcren Ferreira family, which had already existed for seven hundred years, into one of the most powerful families in Floravita."
Matteo didn't understand where she was going with this. Having a different hair color didn't necessarily mean possessing great strength, at least not in this world. The only explanation that came to mind was that it must have some particular significance in Floravita. However, learning about his wife's territory wasn't something that interested him. Just like her, he only cared about Vesparello, his homeland.
Titanza's eyes turned toward the wine in front of her.
"In our family, the more golden someone's hair was, the greater their potential tended to be... at least most of the time."
Matteo raised an eyebrow.
"You said that happened most of the time. So there were also weak people, weren't there?"
"Yes, there were. But since that ancestor, no other member of the family has been born with completely golden hair."
Now Matteo finally understood why Titanza's eyes had lit up so much when she first saw Enrico's golden hair. She had probably believed that her son carried the same potential as that legendary ancestor. However, as the years passed without him meeting her expectations, the sparkle in her eyes had been replaced by contempt.
"I see. Your disappointment must have been great."
"Yes, it was... But it seems I expected too much from him without giving him time to develop. I thought he should break every rule and achieve extraordinary results at the youngest possible age. I even went so far as to stop teaching him during the first few weeks without even giving him a chance."
Matteo didn't care much about these things. He himself had been disappointed in Enrico because he considered him the child with the least potential among his descendants. Therefore, he had simply focused his attention on those who demonstrated results first.
"But it seems he really does have potential. It just took longer to manifest. So, as much as I hate to admit it, I was wrong to dismiss him so quickly."
"You're right about that. However, I don't think we would have cared about what happened to him even if we had given him more time."
"You're right about that too."
If Enrico had taken so long to awaken his potential, then, in his parents' eyes, the blame could still be placed on him for not having worked hard enough to meet their expectations. Yes, they hadn't been good parents, and both were capable of admitting it.
"From what I've heard from our parents, he really has become stronger. Platinum, are you sure about that?"
The question came from the family's eldest son, who had just arrived. Valerio Solcren Ferreira stood there without showing any expression, accompanied by two smaller figures: his two sisters. He wasn't someone who usually asked unnecessary questions, which made that curiosity even more unusual. His hair was the same color as Matteo's.
"Yes, Brother Valerio. I saw with my own eyes how much he has changed."
"Interesting..."
"Why are you suddenly so interested in that idiot?"
The two turned around upon hearing their youngest sister's voice. Taíra Solcren Ferreira stared at them with an expression of disbelief, as if she couldn't believe a single word she had just heard. Her appearance resembled their father's, but her hair had even more noticeable golden streaks than their mother's.
Valerio and Platinum knew very well that, among the three siblings, Taíra was the one who despised Enrico the most. She had grown up watching their own parents ignore his existence and treat him like a good-for-nothing. To her, that was the only reality she knew, and there was no reason to believe things could be different.
"That's precisely why we want to see with our own eyes how much he has changed, Taíra."
Platinum answered her sister quite calmly and continued looking at their parents.
"You don't believe me?"
"Of course we do. Especially after discovering that he reached Rank 7."
The two had also learned about everything Enrico had done at the academy. He had survived a dangerous dungeon that had killed several students, risen through the ranks at an impressive pace, defeated Lan Arvok, and even fought against Princess Elowyn. There were too many events for someone who, until recently, had been considered a disappointment by his own family.
All of this had happened within a relatively short period, leaving his siblings surprised by Enrico's transformation.
"If he managed to reach Rank 7 with that kind of potential, then taking first place won't be a big deal for me."
Taíra declared, crossing her arms while Platinum simply sighed.
"He might have simply awakened his potential later, little sister. That has already happened to members of other families."
"I doubt it. And why are you defending him, big sister? You know how useless he is!"
"Because I saw his transformation with my own eyes."
Taíra sat down, looking sulky at Platinum's words. She didn't want to believe that possibility. If Enrico really had potential and had only needed more time to demonstrate it, that would mean their parents had made a mistake. And for Taíra, accepting that they could be wrong was almost impossible.
"Well, we'll see..."
Platinum sat down beside her, remaining calm. Valerio, meanwhile, continued standing, looking at the door with the same expressionless face as always. His mother often said that his face looked dead, but what could he do? His father had raised him that way.
Seeing her eldest son's expression, Titanza looked at Matteo.
"See? You can't even tell what your son is thinking from the way you raised him."
"First of all, you're not much different from me. Second, it's better this way. Thinking too much only gets in the way."
"You were wrong about the first part. The difference is that I prefer to understand my daughter's emotions, so she doesn't have to hide anything from me."
The two began arguing again in a fairly civilized manner. This was practically routine: even their family conversations seemed like negotiations, and the way they raised their children was just another subject on which they disagreed.
Despite their differences, both siblings felt somewhat envious of Taíra. Among the children, she had been raised better, receiving more attention and care. Even so, the two were certain that this was mainly due to the potential she had demonstrated from an early age.
Before their parents' minor disagreement could continue, the living room door opened.
One of the guards entered, accompanied by two people. His expression was visibly surprised, as if he still couldn't believe who he had just escorted there.
"The young master has returned home, my lords."
Enrico entered the room and found four of his five family members looking at him with expressions of surprise. The difference between his current appearance and the one they all remembered was so great that none of them could hide their reaction.
'This is going to be troublesome.'