"Now that it is settled, my dear wife, please take care of Sylas. He is now family."
"..."
Seeing her husband speaking affectionately without understanding her inner thoughts, Helena could only nod reluctantly, unaware of the slight smile that crept onto Sylas's face as he leaned against the Count.
"Ahhh!"
Crash!
Returning to her room, Helena threw anything she could grab in anger. The surrounding servants trembled as they watched her outburst.
"L-Lady, please calm down..."
"Do I look like I can calm down?!"
Helena could not contain her fury, even at the words of the maid who had served her for many years.
"That lowly creature dares to engrave his name into our family? How could such a thing happen!"
Having a name added to the family lineage wasn't a huge deal. If you really want to break it down, it's simply a proper acknowledgment of noble status. While he may gain succession rights, in the case of inheriting the headship of the family, legitimate children take precedence over illegitimate ones.
Unless both legitimate children get struck by lightning, there was no way Sylas would inherit the family.
However, the very idea of that illegitimate child obtaining a title as an "equal member of the family" was an intolerable humiliation for Helena.
"Where is Lord Gaiden?! Didn't he come with you? Why can't I see him?!"
"W-Well… he said he's been feeling unwell lately…"
Even at Helena's call, Gaiden pretended to be sick and did not respond. He had already taken a lot of money from her, and failing the request made it obvious that he didn't want to be a scapegoat for her anger.
Whether he met her or not, their connection was already severed, so there was no reason to face humiliation by coming.
"That incompetent fool until the very end!"
Having no one left to vent her anger on, Helena gritted her teeth. Another piece of pottery in her hand was about to shatter.
A maid outside, having received something, cautiously opened her mouth.
"Lady, a letter has arrived."
"A letter? From whom?"
"It's from Lady Martina."
Helena furrowed her brow. Martina Valente. A widow she met during her visit to the old capital. In the social world, she was quite well-known as a teacher of etiquette for noble youths.
They weren't exactly friends, but whenever Helena had business in the capital, she would meet and converse with her once.
'Why is Lady Martina suddenly sending a letter?'
With that question in mind, Helena took the letter and unfolded it. It stated that she had gone to the capital to pay her respects to a deceased acquaintance and wanted to pass through the Corleone territory on her way back. The letter also had a light tone, suggesting that they catch up after a long time.
Just as Helena sighed and was about to write a reply of agreement, a thought struck her.
'Wait, Lady Martina? Etiquette training?'
Suddenly, Martina's reputation came to mind. The results of her teaching were nothing short of perfect, but to the students, she was an iron-willed woman who was far too harsh.
And it just so happened that there was someone in the Corleone family who desperately needed noble etiquette training.
A sharp smile graced Helena's lips.
The Count of Corleone was bustling with chatter about Sylas. It was already astonishing that Count Bill, a symbol of sincerity, had fathered a child outside of marriage. But now, to bring that illegitimate son into the fold and publicly acknowledge him as his own?
"Oh my, at first I thought it was just a rumor," one servant remarked.
"Indeed, even the lord was not immune to youthful indiscretions," another replied.
Most discussions ended with mere gossip about the count's past romance. However, some among the servants broached a more sensitive topic.
"So does this mean we now have another young master to serve?"
How should they treat Sylas, who was now recognized as a child of the count? The situation was too complicated to simply treat him as the count's new offspring.
"Young master? He's just a half-breed with commoner blood in him," one scoffed.
"I've worked in other noble houses, and the treatment for illegitimate children is always the same," another added.
"It's best to ignore him rather than risk incurring the lady's ire," one concluded.
The consensus among the servants was similar: since Sylas shared commoner heritage, they had no reason to treat him with deference. Unless he could offer them some advantage, it was better to avoid the risk of drawing the countess's wrath.
Moreover, the treatment of illegitimate children in other noble families was not particularly favorable. The conclusion was clear.
"Let's treat him like he doesn't exist," one servant suggested.
"That sounds good. After all, he probably has no authority to punish us anyway," another agreed.
"Honestly, it's annoying to think that a commoner might assume a position of power," someone added.
The servants chuckled lightly, trying to wrap up the conversation. But before they could, an elderly servant clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk. You youngsters are just begging for trouble," he said.
"Why are you suddenly cursing at us, old man?" one servant replied.
"Did you not hear the lord's warning? He said that if anyone disrespected the young master, they would not be forgiven."
"What? Is that really true?"
"It is! You might not know it, but if you act up, your heads might roll!"
"Oh, come on..."
When the elderly servant first spoke, the others found it hard to believe. Would the count really go that far for just an illegitimate child? No matter how esteemed Count Bill was, it seemed excessive. The servants found it more believable that the old man had misunderstood.
Their doubts were dispelled following Gordon's announcement.
"I believe many of you are unsure how to treat the new young master."
"W-well..."
"Listen. The only thing I want to say is to serve him just like any other young master. If you show any disrespect, I won't forgive you."
The servants looked at each other in shock. Did that mean they were really expected to treat him like a legitimate heir?