Having a powerful lord as a father figure, what's wrong with just wanting to draw cards?

Listen to it slowly.

"Her name is Sophia. She saved my life just before I married Grace, but we made a small mistake by mistake..."

He sighed.

Carlos and Greta's marriage had elements of political alliance, and political alliances are usually forced. After he said that, Domi felt there was a bit of a melodramatic plot involved.

“Actually, you have a younger sister,” Carlos said, turning to a corner and calling out, “Rosa, come out and let everyone meet you.”

Domi and her two older brothers looked over almost simultaneously, and saw a petite figure emerge from the shadows:

She seemed to have inherited her mother's long, off-white hair, which she tied into an adorable bun. Unlike her three brothers, she had black pupils, a delicate nose, and a face as white and tender as a peeled egg, seemingly fragile and delicate. She had the appearance of a girl from a good family, as exquisite as a porcelain doll, and one glance was enough to evoke feelings of pity in one's heart.

She wore a pure white dress with lace trim on the sleeves and hem, which further accentuated her purity and innocence.

Carlos had Rosa and the three brothers sit on a sofa, right next to Domi.

At such close range, Domi could clearly see Rosa's nervousness and shyness out of the corner of his eye, as well as her tightly clenched hands, which were placed on her legs in small fists. Her helpless appearance was just like Domi's when he went to a class reunion but felt out of place among them.

Perhaps she also felt out of place with this family.

After all, her mother was just Carlos's...lover, not his legal wife, so the child born from her naturally wouldn't have any official status.

But Carlos's move seems to be aimed at bringing Rosa back into the family.

He continued, "Although Sophia got pregnant earlier, Rosa was born later than all of you. After being away for so long, I think it's time for you to accept her. So, Argyle, Edward, and Domi, you have to treat your little sister well."

This statement was not only addressed to the three brothers, but also to everyone else present. It meant that Rosa should be treated on the same level as Domi and the others, since she was also Carlos's biological child.

Everyone remained silent, because they had neither the need nor the right to refute.

"Grace and I have discussed this matter. Due to societal constraints, Rosa cannot legitimately live with us."

Therefore, I will have Lady Marianne act as Rosa's mother, publicly claiming that Rosa is Lady Marianne's child. Lady Marianne will also be promoted and move to the castle, thus achieving the same effect.

Marianne, one of only two maids in the room, has brown hair and black eyes, matching Rosa's eye color. Moreover, Ms. Marianne is completely invisible among the maids and keeps her mouth shut, making her a convenient scapegoat.

While it may be called exploitation, it's actually a mutually beneficial arrangement. After all, she can get promoted, move into the castle, and earn a higher salary as a result, so Marianne herself is quite happy about it.

He looked at Rosa:

"The only thing I'll have to do is make you go to school. There are a lot of people in the castle, and I can't guarantee that no one will reveal your identity. Of course, I'll arrange the best school and teachers for you, and you'll have no shortage of money. Is that alright?"

Rosa nodded gently. It was already good enough that Carlos hadn't turned his back on her, and he had treated her and her mother like family all these years. What could she possibly be dissatisfied with?

"That's good. In the future, when the time is right, I will definitely clear your name. Believe me."

Suddenly, Argyle raised his hand.

"Argyle, you speak."

"Where's Aunt Sophia? Isn't she coming along?"

Upon hearing this, both Carlos and Rosa's expressions dimmed slightly, and even Grace's eyes revealed a hint of sorrow.

Domi naturally noticed this expression. His mother and Aunt Sophia definitely knew each other and had a close relationship. There must be some hidden story behind it!

Even Carlos, unusually, paused for a long time before speaking:

“Sophia... passed away two years ago, when you were five years old.”

“Back then, you were all still young and naive. I was afraid that you would not like Rosa after you knew the truth, so I waited until now to let you recognize each other. Please understand my predicament.”

Their strict and domineering father actually showed such weakness?

Argyle was completely bewildered and didn't know what to do. He waved his hands frantically.

"...Uh...I didn't mean to offend you, really, Father, you don't need to apologize for this. We will definitely treat Rosa like our own sister! Please rest assured!"

Carlos was quite pleased to hear that his eldest son was so understanding.

Looking at his other two sons, Argyle immediately nudged Edward in the groin with his elbow. Edward and Domi instantly understood and nodded repeatedly like chicks pecking at rice.

"Yes, yes! Father, there's no need to worry!"

"That's right! From now on, Rosa is my sister, and my sister is Rosa. Anyone who dares to touch her, I'll smash their dog head in!"

At this moment, Grace also stood up, came to Rosa, hugged her small body, and whispered something in her ear...

Domi only saw that after Greta whispered, Rosa's eyes suddenly widened, and then she rushed into Greta's arms as if she were crying, burying her face in Greta's chest and sobbing.

As the lady of the house, Greta's actions were tantamount to accepting Rosa's presence, and immediately brought her closer to Rosa.

Now, Carlos is fine, Greta is fine, Domi's three rebellious sons are fine, and the others are even better off. Rosa has thus returned to Brofeld smoothly.

As Carlos said, Rosa could move around the castle almost freely, except for attending classes with them.

Marianne was promoted to deputy head maid, second only to Catherine in rank. It was perfectly acceptable for her to bring her daughter to live with them, and it was even fine for her to eat at the table with everyone like Catherine.

The Bloomfield family was known in aristocratic circles for its inclusiveness and relative equality, so there would be no problem with doing so.

And this was put into practice at dinner tonight.

Although the maid who came to serve the food was curious about the new little girl, no one doubted her identity.

Rosa thus appeared in the public eye openly as Marianne's daughter.

Chapter 38, Section 37: Merging into the Darkness

After dinner, it was free time for each child, except for one unlucky kid who had to go to the library.

Actually, he really wanted to chat with his adopted sister, since they would be living together for quite some time to come.

He hoped Rosa could have fun with the three of them; how could they do that without getting to know each other?

Unfortunately, circumstances did not allow it, and Domi had no choice but to leave in resentment.

However, just as he turned to leave, he didn't notice that Rosa was also secretly watching him.

To be precise, Rosa had observed each of her brothers, and she wanted to fit into their circle.

However, the relationship between brother and sister, and between man and woman, is inherently a difficult barrier to overcome. Rosa's desire to close the distance is undoubtedly challenging, but she still wants to give it a try!

Her first target was the somewhat goofy Domi, since he was the one who had just said he was going to smash someone's head in. Rosa subconsciously felt that such a person would be easier to get along with.

And Domi's looks are... well, Rosa couldn't think of a suitable adjective, but in short, his slightly wicked charm was very attractive to her.

Unfortunately, Domi seemed to have some urgent business to attend to. He left the restaurant immediately after finishing his meal, and no one knew where he went.

Just as she was about to follow, she heard someone calling her from behind. When she turned around, she saw Argyle and Edward.

"Rosa, do you want to go see a stage play together? Mom said she can take us."

Argyle extended the invitation very warmly.

Rosa nodded without hesitation, but upon closer inspection, something seemed amiss:

"Then... what about Dominic?" Rosa's voice was soft and gentle, so soft that it was hard to hear unless you listened carefully.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I haven't seen him since."

“I guess something’s up,” Edward said. “Domi has been really busy lately. I don’t know what he’s been up to. When I asked Dad, he just gave me a vague answer. He’s definitely hiding something from us.”

"Alright, let's give others some privacy. Since Domi can't come, let's go together, what do you say, Rosa?"

After watching the stage play, we can stroll through the market and buy some things. Oh, and we can also try some street food. There's one place I've been wanting to try for ages…

Rosa herself didn't realize that while Argyle was making empty promises, she had already followed the two of them away.

Looking back, I realized we were almost on the horse-drawn carriage!

Unfortunately, due to her sensitive identity, she rarely interacted with other children her age when she was young, let alone went out to play with them.

Being able to watch a stage play with her two older brothers was like a dream come true for her.

"Let's go!"

Argyle reached out and gentlemanly helped Rosa into the carriage.

"Opera House, let's go!!" Edward yelled.

The entire carriage was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, which contrasted sharply with the lifeless library.

What kind of situation is most likely to break a person's defenses?

That Domi would answer without hesitation: When others are having fun while I have to study miserably!

"Weren't you paying attention in class? Why are you so distracted now?"

Connor put down his book and asked.

"Huh?" Domi just came to his senses: "Sorry, teacher, I was thinking about something else just now."

He's thinking about not only Kelsey, but also Rosa now.

What an adorable little boy! How exciting! He's never been a big brother before, so it's all so new and exciting for him.

Connor didn't pursue the matter further; children's minds are naturally complex, and it's easy to bring them back on track. He picked up the thick magic book and continued explaining:

"Listen carefully, we'll be putting it into practice soon."

"Let's start with the principles of how magic is cast..."

"To cast a spell, having the corresponding magical power is fundamental. Then, you need to arrange the magical power in a specific way."

For example, a small fire spell requires chanting the incantation: "Sincerity, warmth, the flame burns as fiercely as my heart."

After chanting the incantation, a small flame appeared in Connor's palm, and Domi also became serious.

“Each word in the spell represents a magical sequence. Because these sequences are difficult to remember, we first mark each sequence with a musical note.”

Each long sequence, when strung together, forms a melody. Then, by finding a similar word based on that melody, a spell is created.

"The process of using magic is to memorize the sequence of incantations while releasing magic power in that sequence."

"Of course, if you have a deeper understanding of magic and can arrange the sequence more accurately and quickly, you can skip this step and arrange the entire sequence in your mind directly, and you can cast it instantly, like this."

Without saying a word, Connor opened his hand and a small flame appeared.

The instant-cast magic surprised Domi greatly.

He always felt that having to chant before casting a spell was troublesome, not only because the pre-cast animation was long, but also because it was easy for the sixth brother to steal it.

However, if it's instantaneous, then it's a different story.