The banquet used a system of separate dishes, with each person having a dish in front of them.

Liter stared at the plate in front of her, feeling at a loss.

She didn't know what to do.

She had used forks and knives before in the countryside, but this was her first time using silverware.

She had only seen porcelain plates like this when her foster parents took her to a restaurant for her tenth birthday, and they weren't as exquisite as the ones here, with patterns on them.

These plates that seemed like works of art were actually used to hold food...

As for the food on top, besides being able to recognize that one plate was probably bread, Liter hadn't seen any of the other foods before.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today is the first day my son Liter has returned to the family and recognized me," Lucius looked at the nobles at the table and raised his wine glass. "Let us toast to Liter on this joyous day!"

After saying that, the nobles below also raised their wine glasses.

Seeing this, Osen gestured to Liter to raise her glass, and she imitated Osen's actions, raising her glass in a proper manner.

Then, Lucius led the way by drinking a glass of wine.

The nobles at the table also followed Lucius's actions and drank the wine in their glasses.

Liter imitated Osen's actions, and then, with a furrowed brow, she drank a glass of bitter wine and choked on it.

Before this, Liter had never drunk wine, and after this, she probably wouldn't like it either.

"Cough...," she coughed.

As Liter coughed, everyone's gaze was drawn to her.

The nobles around her looked at Liter, all showing a hint of disdain.

Compared to when they first saw her in her ordinary clothes, Liter looked much more presentable in her formal attire.

They thought that this ugly duckling would transform into a swan so quickly.

But a country bumpkin was still a country bumpkin, even if he was the duke's son, and no matter how many years he had lived in the countryside, his actions still carried a hint of commoner habits that this group of nobles found displeasing.

How could he call himself a noble when he couldn't even understand wine?

They didn't express it directly out of consideration for Lucius's face.

Lucius remained expressionless, while Mary kept furrowing her brow.

Since the beginning of the banquet, her mood seemed to be far from good.

It was understandable, after all, her own child had made a fool of herself in the public eye, and for Mary, who valued her own reputation, it was definitely unacceptable.

Moreover, Mary was not Liter's birth mother. The previous duchess died in childbirth after giving birth to Liter, and Mary was Lucius's wife whom he married five years ago.

She was Osen and Liter's stepmother.

In the original book, the reason why Osen's relationship with Liter deteriorated rapidly was also due to Mary's meddling.

After all, among the four core members of the family, only Liter and Lucius had a blood relation.

Mary wasn't Liter's biological mother, and Osen wasn't Lucius's biological son.

So naturally, the two formed a small group, with Mary coming up with plans and Osen executing them.

In the end, after Osen was kicked out of the family, Mary no longer had her pawn and could only plan to get rid of Liter herself...

After that, Osen didn't remember the contents of the book.

On the other side, as Liter continued to cough, she felt self-blame.

Why was she so useless, clearly she had decided to live well in her new home, but she repeatedly embarrassed herself...

She thought about the expressions Lucius and Mary had when they looked at her.

Lucius seemed helpless, while Mary looked indifferent.

This didn't resemble the way parents looked at their children...

But it was also normal, as a country child like herself, how could she possibly gain the approval of the nobles...

Perhaps even Osen, her brother, would despise her now, especially since she had gotten his clothes dirty...With these thoughts, tears welled up in the corners of Liter's eyes.

At that moment, Osen took a napkin and tucked one corner into Liter's collar before spreading it out to cover Liter's chest.

"This way, you don't have to worry about getting dirty," Osen smiled, then cut his own steak into small pieces, forked one and placed it in front of Liter.

"Come, eat."

Lucius nodded approvingly as he saw Osen take care of Liter, and Mary's expression also softened a bit.

As long as Liter didn't cause any trouble again.

Other nobles, seeing Osen's gesture, lowered their heads in shame.

No wonder Osen was the most acclaimed young man in The Empire.

To be so kind and polite to a brother he barely knew, who just walked through the door, shows a level of generosity others cannot achieve.

If even Duke Osen, the son of a duke himself, doesn't despise Liter, what right do these minor nobles have to despise him?

Osen's actions quickly alleviated the awkward atmosphere in the room.

"Liter, with such a good older brother as Duke Osen, you are truly fortunate," a count spoke up at the dining table.

"Yes, indeed, Duke Osen is amazing," other nobles chimed in.

"Oh no, I should have done these things for Liter after he endured hardship in the countryside all these years. It's my duty as an older brother," Osen said, smiling in a standard and appropriate manner.

"And I can tell, Liter is a good child. Given time, he will definitely become a qualified noble and not disappoint you all," Osen said with a smile. "Alright, everyone, since you're here, please enjoy the fine wine and feast. I won't disturb you any longer."

A smile at the dining table was often the most effective way to liven up the atmosphere.

Indeed, after Osen finished speaking, the atmosphere instantly became livelier as many nobles began chatting with each other.

Many raised their glasses to toast Osen, and he returned the gesture one by one.

The awkward banquet, slightly tainted by Liter's coughing, returned to normal.

Lucius looked at Osen's composed demeanor and felt very satisfied with his non-blood related eldest son.

In his eyes, apart from Osen's extraordinarily talented abilities, Osen's character in how he handled himself pleasantly surprised Lucius.

It appeared that letting Osen inherit the family was the most correct decision.

However, the innate concept of blood lineage ingrained in the noble's hearts made Lucius instinctively resistant to this matter.

That's why he didn't explicitly designate Osen as his heir.

He wanted to see if Liter could inherit the family business once he grew up.

If Liter was still considered a useless waste incapable of leading the family in the future, then he would choose Osen as his heir against Osen's will.

Otherwise, even if Osen objected, he would convince Osen to assist Liter to the best of his abilities.

With these thoughts in mind, he looked at Liter, who sat silently next to Osen, eating his meal without saying a word.

Beside Liter was Osen, who faced the other nobles and interacted with them.

Although Lucius didn't understand why Osen's attitude towards Liter was unusually good, he didn't think it was a bad thing. On the contrary, the stronger their relationship, the more Osen would assist Liter once he became the Duke's heir.

Your brother has shouldered many tasks for you, but there are still some paths that you must walk on your own, Liter.

This is what Lucius silently thought as he observed Liter.