Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

"You've come to the right place! Quickly set up the camera!"

On the extraordinary side, only members of the Shaniat family can be prefixed with "Saint" in their names, because they are baptized by saints at birth and are living patron saints. However, this title is generally not used, and it is usually only bestowed upon those whose strength is rated S-class. Before the ignorant Middle Ages, members of the Shaniat family were even expected to undertake the responsibility of being manifested by papal angels.

"Is Pandora's brother here too?" Anna asked politely.

“They’re in the car,” Maria nodded.

Anna smiled slightly and walked around to the other side. Unlike sedans, sports cars only have two seats, so she wasn't worried about the awkwardness of encountering Night Owl.

She opened the passenger door, her small hand in a white silk glove reached out and grasped the boy's equally small hand inside, then lifted her skirt, bowed gently, and smiled sweetly.

Shen Liang had no choice but to jump out of the car, and even wanted to cover his face.

"It's Pandora!" The reporter, who was broadcasting live, was so excited he was practically going crazy. He raised the camera almost instantly to the sky, not wanting to miss a single detail!

"It really is Pandora!"

"The Shaniat family has released Pandora!"

"Let me see! My goodness, he looks even better than in the photos! Can he hear us? Look here, look here!" Some girls even started waving and jumping up and down, trying to get his attention.

"Lady Pandora! Oh, it's Lady Pandora! So cute and tiny! He's not even as tall as Anna, he looks so amazing! Mommy loves... cough cough, sister loves you! Turn your head so sister can see your face, okay! Lady Pandora!"

The moment the fair-skinned boy with a high black ponytail, wearing a gothic equestrian suit, a black top paired with shorts and ankle boots stepped onto the ground, the already lively atmosphere became uncontrollable.

Fortunately, the Shaniat family had anticipated this, and the family members who had arrived beforehand immediately and quietly blocked the exit of the lobby to prevent a large group of people from rushing out of the hotel, which would look... very tacky.

Shen Liang, on the other hand, was in a very awkward position.

He whispered to Maria and Anna, "I'm a man, so why was it Anna who opened the door for me?"

“Because I’m the driver,” Maria said calmly. “Normally, the man should greet the woman and open the door for her, but I’m the driver. You can’t open the door for the driver’s side; that would be too embarrassing. I’d rather get out myself.”

"Then I can get down by myself."

“It’s your fault for being a step slow in getting down. It gives the impression that you expect others to serve you.” Maria glanced at him and said with a slightly serious expression, “But it doesn’t matter. There are far more strong women than weak women on the supernatural side. We are egalitarians. It’s normal for anyone to bow and open the door for anyone else.”

“Besides, you are Lady Maria’s son, so it’s normal for you to have a bit of a young master’s arrogance,” Anna chuckled softly. “If an adult male did this, it might seem arrogant, but Pandora is very cute, so it’s fine.”

"But this makes me feel really bad. I feel like these photos are going to get leaked again," Shen Liang muttered.

"Doesn't that prove you're a big star? It was supposed to be my engagement party, but you completely stole the spotlight from me." Anna touched his face, then whispered in his ear, "We agreed that you'd listen to me today. You need to behave well, be sweet, and ideally look like an innocent young man who matches your appearance... Tone down your coldness towards strangers."

Shen Liang asked, somewhat puzzled, "A little sweeter? Why?"

"Don't ask. You promised Anna you would obey unconditionally."

Shen Liang pondered for a moment, then nodded.

He's long been an expert at disguise. He's a master at using his harmless appearance. Even Anna, Maria, or some of the people around him who know his true nature are often fooled by his disguise.

It's so easy to pretend to be sweet and obedient.

“I understand, Sister Anna.” Shen Liang turned to look at Maria, who was frowning, smiled, and took her hand.

Maria paused, glanced between him and Anna, but said nothing.

Anna turned and linked arms with Kiana, gracefully entering the hotel. She didn't greet Night Owl, so the latter followed Kiana and her somewhat awkwardly inside.

He had a strange feeling in his heart.

It's like... I'm an outsider.

Kiana, Anna, Pandora, Maria...

Watching Kiana and Anna's retreating figures, he realized that his mindset was off. Anna hadn't done anything wrong, yet he was now feeling a little jealous... jealous of the intimacy Kiana was showing with her.

Anna could never be a lesbian, he knew that better than anyone... but he was still jealous.

That's strange. Holding hands doesn't mean anything. Between girls, holding hands, or even showering together, doesn't mean anything. He has no reason to be jealous...

but……

Night Owl closed his eyes, recalling the image of Anna holding the hand of the dark-haired boy named Pandora.

"He's just my brother, I must be out of my mind..." Night Owl chuckled self-deprecatingly, shaking his head to banish some inappropriate emotions.

At this moment, Maria led Shen Liang and strode into the chanting hall.

Maria was about seven or eight centimeters taller than Shen Liang, which wasn't a huge difference, but with the high heels she wore with her evening gown, Shen Liang inexplicably appeared a head shorter than her, only reaching her shoulder.

Because of his height, although he was holding Maria's arm, it looked to others as if Maria was holding his arm. To those around them, it was like an arrogant and aloof young mother taking her handsome son out to see the world.

However, upon closer examination, this is indeed the case.

Chapter 222 Intertwined Fingers

The hall was already bustling with guests.

Looking through the arched French doors, the interior of the hall was resplendent in gold. This tourist hotel, owned by the Shaniat family, was reserved exclusively for Valkyries of the transcendental side to host various banquets and festivals. The floor was covered with a bright red wool carpet that stretched from the entrance to the stage, while pale gold Victorian-style wainscoting lined both sides. Each wall was adorned with intricately carved angel images, all of them fierce women, some wielding longswords, others wielding fire.

The guests were roughly divided into two groups of men and women. The men were all dressed in black suits with white handkerchiefs or bright red roses draped over their shirts, while the women flaunted their perfect Valkyrie figures, their shapely legs and delicate Mary Jane heels peeking out from under their well-tailored skirts.

"I smell the decay of capitalism," Shen Liang said softly, arm in arm with Maria, as they admired the magnificent choir hall.

“Strictly speaking, this is feudalism. Capitalism doesn’t really like these traditional, tedious rituals,” Maria said calmly. “Families on the supernatural side often last for hundreds or thousands of years. Our worldview is actually quite traditional, or even decadent. In fact, the Shaniat family doesn’t like to communicate with the outside world. For a long time in the past, we were coveted by many people.”

"Who dares to covet you?"

“Men,” Maria replied. “The Shaniat family is a rare family that can produce Valkyries generation after generation. This means that as long as you marry a member of the Shaniat family, you can increase the possibility of your bloodline. Although the Shaniat bloodline will gradually become thinner with such reproduction, no one can guarantee that an A-level or S-level genius will suddenly emerge from those thinned bloodlines and purify the bloodline again.”

"What does it matter, Mom?"

"What do you think would happen to the Shaniat family if Saintess Shaniat were born to someone outside the family?" Maria asked casually. "This has happened once or twice in history, almost leading to the family's demise. Later, the Shaniat family became more conservative, and we stopped having much contact with the outside world. Gradually, we only accepted men marrying into the family and not women marrying outside. No matter how a child is born, they belong to the Shaniat family, not the paternal family."

"Won't others be unhappy with what you're doing?"

"Who would be dissatisfied? The children of the Shaniat family are all daughters. When they grow up, they will naturally understand the benefits of bloodline convergence. Only when the Shaniat family is united can the interests of each family member be guaranteed. As for those men who have ulterior motives and want to use our genes to establish new families... can they really control their daughters who are superhumans? It's too difficult for ordinary people to control superhumans."

“Then…” Shen Liang suddenly remembered this matter concerning himself.

“If you don’t have the surname Schariac, you’ll have to marry into the family anyway.” Maria glanced at him. “But you’re my child now. Whether you marry into the family or marry into the family, it’s all just a matter of the Schariacs’ family exchanging assets, so it doesn’t matter. After all, your daughter will have to have the surname Schariac in the future.”

"Can't she have the surname Shen?" Shen Liang complained.

Maria surprisingly nodded generously, "Of course, Germany supports dual surnames, and you can fill in two on your household registration."

"Depend on."

At this moment, the cameras next to them started flashing wildly. Shen Liang subconsciously looked away, and then Maria hugged his arm even tighter.

Maria always maintained the aloof and arrogant demeanor of a noble lady, even now that she was a mother. "Straighten your back. This is your first appearance in the Extraordinary Side since the Aisha incident. You need to give everyone the image of 'as expected of the son of the Shaniat family,' and make everyone believe that you are the 'Son of the White Flower' that we are protecting and that no one is allowed to covet!"

Shen Liang could only think to himself, "If that's the case, then don't wear high heels." His height was not a match for Maria's, making walking quite awkward.

But he also knew Maria's intentions. She didn't originally need to come; her high-profile appearance was to enhance his standing in the eyes of various factions on the supernatural side and solidify his identity as "the son of the S-class Valkyrie Maria." After all, some astute individuals believed that the Shaniat family's protection of him was merely a temporary measure, and that even his identity might be fake.

Cecilia's initial declaration was rather vague, and Maria, lacking her sister's authority, demonstrated through her actions how much she valued and loved her son. See, even a single outing was personally overseen by his mother, with constant care, proving that the Shaniat family's declaration was not empty rhetoric.

“But the problem is that I’m a bit socially awkward, just like you and Mom from the Shaniat family. Everyone else at the event was wearing Armani and Givenchy, and their jewelry was either Patek Philippe or Cartier. The men were all at least 1.8 meters tall, and the women had slim waists and long legs.” Shen Liang complained in a low voice, “In comparison, I’m even wearing some weird children’s clothes. I look like Ciel Phantomhive who just came out of a Black Butler cosplay set.”

“This isn’t children’s clothing. It’s a knight’s uniform that only noble families with a history of over a thousand years can wear. It’s in the Victorian style.” Maria didn’t understand what he was saying in the second half of his sentence, but she still replied, “Besides, you look great in it. These reporters are all taking pictures of you, so don’t show too many flaws in your expression.”

Shen Liang was taken aback.

"This is the first time you've praised me, Mom."

Maria paused for a moment, then stopped replying and continued forward, pulling his hand. Shen Liang looked up and saw a faint blush appear beneath the fair cheeks of this temperamental young lady.

“I never imagined that the child would actually be Santa Maria’s son.” Raven touched his mouth next to the buffet and said to Night Owl, “Plan B can be abandoned. Maria takes such good care of her child, there’s no way we can avoid her.”

“We don’t seem to have a Plan B.” Night Owl didn’t pay any attention to Shen Liang. His mind was on Anna. However, as the groom at the engagement ceremony, he had to deal with many guests who were interested in the World Serpent. After all, the World Serpent’s influence was not much less than that of the Shaniat family.

Then he saw the girl he had been watching leave the reception area and go to find the boy who was the center of attention.

Night Owl frowned. As the woman, Anna was also very busy, but she didn't come to see him when she finally had some free time. Instead, she continued to chat with her relatives and friends.

This disappointed Night Owl a little. He thought Anna would be very enthusiastic and excited after meeting her, but Anna seemed to be different from his excitement.

"Hey, junior brother!" Kiana, pulling her fiancée along, ran up to Shen Liang, tilting her head and grinning at him. "Aren't you bored?"

"It's quite tiring." Shen Liang used an impeccable smile to deal with another pair of Valkyries who came to get close to him. He was used to this approach. As long as he adopted the posture of "Hey, hello sister," "Hey, sister, I don't understand," or "Hey, sister, what are you saying?" he could persuade them to back off without spending too much time talking, and without making them feel offended.

His current persona is that of the innocent and harmless youngest brother of the Shaniat family, a genius and handsome boy who hasn't grown up yet. These Valkyries who lust after his body or his status have no way to make a move on him. You can't exactly use your charm or offer benefits to a young boy who hasn't fully grown up. If he responds with a blank but polite smile, you can only leave with regret.

Kiana gracefully sat down on the sofa to Shen Liang's left, then asked him with a smile, "Do I look good today, Senior Sister?"

Shen Liang glanced at her. The white fluffy girl was wearing a pure white lace evening dress today, with a white lily pinned to her chest. Under the skirt, her long legs were covered only by a white, sheer over-the-knee stocking on her left leg, exuding an infinitely pure white innocence with a hint of sexiness.

"I've never seen you wear this before, but it's very beautiful." Shen Liang nodded. "In our land, this kind of outfit, if it were a bit more elaborate, would be like a wedding dress. But...aren't you stealing Anna's thunder?"

He had actually wanted to ask this a long time ago, but he didn't have the chance.

Anna sat to his right. It was actually a two-seater sofa, but because Kiana and Anna were both petite, and he wasn't very big either, the three of them didn't feel crowded.

At this moment, Anna was chuckling softly, and Shen Liang wanted to ask because Anna's attire was almost identical to Kiana's. They were both wearing the same style of evening gown, the only difference being that Anna's white stockings covered her right leg, echoing Kiana's style.

People who don't know the situation might mistake these for two female protagonists.

"Compared to your appearance, we're hardly stealing the spotlight. Junior brother, you've completely steered the conversation away from the engagement ceremony. Look, how many people are paying attention to the engagement? They're all looking at you," Kiana laughed, then gently pulled Shen Liang's left hand, her tone seductive, "I look just as good as Mom in all white, don't I? How about it? Don't you want to marry me just by looking at me?"

Shen Liang rolled her eyes at her. "Is it okay to say something like that?"

"So what? Now a lot of people misunderstand that we're in a relationship. I think it's fine if we take our fake relationship for real, since you're not married and I'm not married either." Kiana shrugged. "I'm not just joking to say what I really mean. I'm serious. I don't care... Junior brother, do you think I'm ugly? Do you think I'm not as pretty as my mom? Hey, you won't find anyone in the whole world prettier than my mom."

"How could I possibly dislike you for being ugly, Senior Sister..." Shen Liang said half a sentence, which made Kiana proudly puff out her little nose, then she chuckled, "I just think you're stupid..."