The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree

A fluke?

An accident?

These were the thoughts swirling in everyone's heads as they looked at the five-year-old, who had returned to refill his glass with fruit juice.

Everyone was looking forward to an entertaining show, but what they saw wasn't what they wanted. 

It might be an accident, but the result was very disappointing, to say the least.

Lady Callista sighed after seeing that her grandson was safe. 

Hans, on the other hand, was looking at the five-year-old with a solemn expression on his face. 

Other people might have brushed it off as a coincidence, but not him.

He had interacted with Thirteen, so he understood how intelligent the boy was. 

'You handled that wonderfully, Young Master Zion,' Hans praised the boy in his heart.

However, he rejoiced too soon.

The eleven-year-old boy, Terence, who had sent his subordinate to deal with Thirteen, didn't like what happened.

Because of this, he personally walked toward the buffet area, followed by his subordinates.

When the Butler saw this, he groaned internally and desperately hoped that the older boy wouldn't make a scene that would humiliate his Mistress' grandson.

The expressions of the guests brightened after seeing this development.

For them, who were almost always risking their lives in Solterra to fight against Jinn and Majin, any form of entertainment, especially when it came in the form of family drama, was a very welcome distraction in their lives.

"You there. What's your name?" one of Terence's subordinates asked the moment they arrived a meter away from the boy.

"Me?" Thirteen asked back in confusion while holding a glass of fruit juice in each hand.

"Yes, you."

"Yes, me."

"Are you messing with me?" The chubby boy, who had asked a question earlier, glared at the five-year-old who was shorter than him.

"What's your name?" Thirteen asked.

"Cristopher Rotombus." the chubby boy replied. 

"My name is Zion Leventis," Thirteen replied. "Michael Leventis is my Uncle. You know that scary adult over there? He told me earlier that if someone were to harass me, he would make sure to feed that person to the fish. Big Brother, you look very healthy. I'm sure the fishes will love you."

The chubby boy couldn't help but glance at the Second-In-Command of the Leventis Family, who was looking at him with a calm expression on his face.

This scared the crap out of the chubby boy. Michael Leventis was known to be the perfect gentleman on the surface, but in truth, he was a sadist who liked to torture people!

Thinking that Thirteen was telling the truth, the chubby boy, unnerved, took a step back, his face pale from fright. 

"T-That's not true!" the chubby boy stuttered. "Just because I'm a little chubby doesn't mean I'm delicious. I don't taste good!"

"Really?" Thirteen asked back.

"Yes! In fact, I am very unhealthy. I-I'm not fit enough to be fed to the fish," the chubby boy answered desperately.

He wasn't born into a Prestigious Family, so he didn't have the right mental training to know when someone was lying or not. 

The chubby boy was just asked by his family to become one of Terence's subordinates, hoping that he would be able to hug the leg of a member of the Leventis Family.

"Okay, I will convince my Uncle to not feed you to the fishes." Thirteen nodded. "In return, can you bring these glasses of fruit juice to the table over there? That is my Aunt's table. As long as you do this, I will make sure you don't get fed to the fish."

"Right away, Young Master Zion!" the chubby boy didn't hesitate to grab the two glasses of fruit juices before hurrying to put them on the table where the Lockwood Family was.

The chubby boy even respectfully bowed before placing the glasses on top of the table and bowed a second time before returning to Terence's side.

Lady Callista couldn't help but smile after seeing this scene. Not only did her grandson manage to order someone else's subordinate, but he was also able to use her nephew, Michael, as a shield. 

Michael had a deadpan look on his face after seeing how the show progressed. Even so, he had to admit that his nephew's way of handling the situation got his approval.

Although no one was pointing it out, the fact that someone was able to order someone else's subordinate to do something meant that the five-year-old was able to dominate that person.

It meant that Terence wasn't capable enough to make his subordinates loyal only to him and not listen to anyone's orders aside from his.

The adults of the Leventis Family took note of this, and their impression of Thirteen was raised by a notch.

He might have used a dirty trick to overcome the situation, but they knew that not everyone would have that kind of presence of mind when faced with the situation the five-year-old child was in.

Terence gave the chubby boy a sidelong glance, making the latter shudder.

In that brief exchange, he understood that his Master wasn't very happy with what he did, making him dread what might happen to him after the party.

Suddenly, Thirteen chuckled, making the chubby boy glare in his direction.

"Big Brother, I like you!" Thirteen replied. "Would you like to serve under me? I am also a member of the Leventis Family. Work for me, and I'll take you flying."

"N-No! I am Master Terence's subordinate!" the chubby boy replied. "I am loyal only to him. He is the best Master in the world!"

Terence, who was disappointed with the chubby boy earlier, felt that he had recovered some face after his subordinate declined Thirteen's offer. Because of this, he decided to decrease the severity of his punishment compared to what he intended to do earlier.

Thirteen clapped his hand as he looked at the chubby boy, whose name was Cristopher Rotombus.

"Cristopher, I wish I had a subordinate like you," Thirteen said. "If my cousin ever throws you away, you can come and join me, okay?"

"That's not going to happen!" Cristopher stated. "My loyalty is only for Master Terence."

"Hah… understood." Thirteen sighed bitterly. "You're lucky to have someone like him, cousin. Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to talk to Grandma. She said she wanted to talk to me after I finished eating. Isn't that right, Grandma?"

Thirteen looked at this Grandma with an affectionate gaze, making the old lady smile sweetly. 

"Come, Zion," Lady Callista said as she gestured for her grandson to come to her. "Grandma wants to talk to you."

"I'm coming, Grandma," Zion replied before giving Terence a brief nod.

He then walked confidently towards his loving grandmother, while Terence, as well as the other guests in the party, looked at his small back.

From start to finish, the one who had complete control of the conversation was none other than the five-year-old boy.

He expertly created a scene that would avoid a direct confrontation with Terence, allowing him to settle the matter peacefully.

The children might've not noticed, but the adults certainly did. That child had handed Christopher an opportunity to redeem himself in Terence's eyes, making him swear his loyalty to him.

Although he obeyed Thirteen's order earlier, making Terence lose face, his firm and unyielding stance to remain as his subordinate made the eleven-year-old genius of the Leventis Family forgive him for his earlier mistake, which saved the chubby boy from a pitiful ending.

Thirteen was the System of Cannon Fodders, so he knew that the two boys who tried to harass him were only forced to do what they did.

Because of this, he made sure to give them a way out, with neither of them getting seriously hurt.

Although the first boy suffered from his machinations, his injuries could easily be healed by the powerful healers of the Leventis Family.

In short, he might have suffered physically, but he would not receive any further repercussions because Terence would pity him.

Only when Thirteen had arrived in front of Lady Callista did Terence remember what he was planning to do to the five-year-old.

Due to how the younger boy took the initiative to lead the conversation, he didn't have the time to execute his revenge for his subordinate.

This was also noticed by the adults, making them re-evaluate the five-year-old boy, who was now happily chatting with one of the most powerful ladies of the Leventis Household.

Hans, who had become Thirteen's collaborator in order to help cure Lady Callista's current condition, couldn't help but be impressed with how things turned out.

'It seems that I have still underestimated you, Young Master Zion,' Hans thought. 'Maybe My Lady will really have a chance to be cured after all.'

While Hans was feeling hopeful that Thirteen really had the ability to cure his grandma, Michael, who served as his Father's right-hand man, looked at his nephew with a faint smile on his face.

'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree,' Michael thought. 'He is really your son, Gerald. Both of you and your son are wolves in sheep's clothing.'

Arthur didn't make any comments after everything that happened earlier. 

However, his earlier annoyance with the boy, who had gatecrashed his birthday celebration, decreased after seeing his wife's smile.

It had been a while since he had seen Lady Callista smile from her heart, and it made him remember how he fell in love with her the first time he saw her smile.

As long as he could see his wife's happy face, he was willing to tolerate Zion's existence—at least for the time being.