Upon hearing the sound, the two young men who were practicing their staff techniques on the lawn stopped.
They all turned to look at the parasol, their smiles gradually fading.
The two took out handkerchiefs to wipe their sweat and looked at each other.
"Is he Father's illegitimate son?" the third son, Joann, asked.
"Ha, just a country bumpkin from a remote town."
The eldest son, Prince, smiled, casually tossed aside his wooden cane, and patted his younger brother on the shoulder. "Let's go, go say hello, don't make Father angry."
The two walked side by side and soon arrived under the parasol.
They first called him "Father," then turned their heads to look at their "elder brother," whom they had never met before.
The older brother was a little shorter than his two brothers, but he inherited his father's good looks and was very handsome. In particular, his eyes were a deep blue, just like his father's, unlike their light brown eyes.
The other person was dressed in a decent outfit, but it was clearly a ready-made item bought from a department store.
Both of them harbored a certain, unconscious contempt for each other.
"Hello, Brother Gilan." The short-haired young man chuckled. "I'm Joann Farhan."
The long-haired young man beside him then extended his hand and said, " Prince Farhan."
Gilan glanced at the two of them and reached out to shake their hands.
He looked at the fake smiles on their faces, his heart unmoved, and simply said:
Hello.
"Come, everyone, please sit down."
Father Ramon pulled out a chair and sat down, then pointed to the other chairs.
"Yes, Father." The Prince brothers sat down obediently.
Gilan turned her head to look at Miss Sparrow and noticed that Xenia was chatting with her and her two daughters.
The noblewoman and the two young ladies both wore expressions of surprise, covering their mouths as if they were saying something.
Gilan withdrew her gaze and sat down at the carved small round table.
Old Charles then dutifully picked up the exquisite coffee pot and poured a cup of hot coffee for the four gentlemen present.
" Gilan is new here; take him out for a stroll sometime."
Ramon picked up his coffee, took a sip, and gave instructions to his two sons.
"Don't you guys usually like going to the ' Silver Lizard Club '? Why don't we get him a membership card too?"
"It's nothing, Father."
Prince laughed.
"However, the ' Silver Lizard Club ' is one of the top fighting clubs in North Muse, with a high level of members and coaches. Will you be able to adapt if you go there, brother?"
"Yes," the third son Joann, chimed in. "We're only going to the club for the ' Monthly Salon,' to participate in staff fighting and combat exchanges. Brother Gilan will get bored sitting there."
Upon hearing this, Ramon's eyes deepened, and he said:
"I know you two have excellent grades at the academy, especially in staff fighting and combat, where you have considerable talent. But don't let the praise and flattery from your classmates and friends go to your heads... A true master should always maintain the mindset of a student."
"Put away that arrogant attitude! This is not the character befitting the Fahan Family!"
He slammed his coffee cup down with a thud.
Seeing that their father was unhappy, Prince and Joann quickly agreed.
At this moment, Ramon turned to look at Gilan and smiled:
"I heard from Charles that you're quite skilled."
He patted the illegitimate child on the shoulder.
"I'm proud of you for having the skills to make it on your own in a small place like Black City."
"After a while, you can apply for the assessment at the military headquarters... Although the Instructor- level fighter certificate is not uncommon in the capital, it still represents a certain status and will earn you more respect in social situations."
Prince and Joann exchanged a surprised glance.
Is this guy from the countryside also Instructor -level fighter, just like them?
A sense of disbelief arose in both of their hearts.
And imbalance.
They received relevant training from a young age, and even their staff fighting instructors and combat instructors were senior Emblem -level fighters that their fathers specially hired at great expense and through connections.
In addition, the two were exceptionally talented and worked very hard, which is why they obtained Instructor- level martial arts qualification certificates before they were even twenty years old.
Such achievements are extremely rare even within the " Rudao Court Academy." How could a lowly boy from a remote town possibly reach the same level as the two of them?!
"Yes, I'll consider it."
Gilan nodded.
In fact, he hadn't even considered Lord Ramon's suggestion.
Rather than wasting time on obtaining a so-called "prestige" certificate, he preferred to watch more movies and quietly build up his skills.
"Since you're quite skilled, how about we have a spar?"
Prince suddenly suggested.
"The banquet hasn't even started yet; sitting here like this is boring."
Gilan remained silent, thinking to herself:
'This guy is hostile towards me... Well, as the eldest son, he's bound to dislike me, the illegitimate child.'
At this moment, the other party's younger brother, Joann, chuckled and chimed in:
"Brother, don't misunderstand. My brother and I often spar, and over time, it's become a routine activity during family gatherings."
The father Ramon, did not speak up to stop it.
Before Gilan could refuse, Xenia strolled in with her three daughters. She frowned and admonished:
" Prince, where did your manners go? Gilan is your older brother and just arrived at the manor. Don't cause trouble!"
Gilan turned her head to look.
He noticed that his two younger sisters, Nancy and Milinda, had strange expressions on their faces.
Looking at Miss Sparrow again, she was looking down, seemingly depressed.
Gilan immediately guessed what was going on and stood up abruptly.
" Aurora?" He pulled Miss Sparrow to his side and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
"No, it's nothing," Miss Sparrow said softly. "Perhaps my appearance frightened the two ladies."
Gilan's face immediately darkened.
He looked up and coldly stared at his two younger sisters.
Were you laughing at her?
"Brother, how could this be..." The youngest sister, Milinda, covered her mouth, her eyes showing surprise. "Such rude behavior is something neither Nancy nor I would do."
Nancy remained silent, her face expressionless; perhaps that was just her personality.
At this moment, Miss Sparrow quickly tugged at Gilan's sleeve and explained:
"Mr. Gilan, you've misunderstood..."
After listening to her stammering words, Gilan realized that they had been inquiring about the two men's previous situation in Black City.
She was shocked when Miss Sparrow told her that her house had been bombed and that although she had survived the fire, her appearance had been burned.
Gilan's expression softened somewhat.
He looked up and addressed the two noble ladies:
"I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."
"It's alright," Milinda chuckled, her bright eyes sparkling with interest. "But I just heard Prince say he wanted to spar with you, Gilan. Is that true?"
Gilan glanced at Miss Sparrow and, seeing her sullen expression, felt a pang of regret for bringing her along to the manor.
He glanced at the nobles present and simply said:
"Um."
Prince and Joann's eyes lit up.
Xenia, however, frowned and began to persuade her husband, Ramon:
"The banquet is about to begin. What if the children get hurt?"
" Charles, go and fetch Mr. Danilo and Ms. Xizi."
Ramon turned and gave the order.
"Yes, sir."
Old Charles turned and walked away quickly.
Before long, he arrived with a man and a woman dressed in suits.
The two men walked with imposing strides, their brows furrowed with a hint of coldness.
"Mr. Ramon, don't worry, we've got your back, nothing will happen."
The man with the buzz cut chuckled lightly.
This man was 1.9 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a burly build; his hands were larger than those of a normal adult man.
The woman beside him, with her hair tied in a single ponytail, was expressionless and had indifferent eyes.
Old Charles then quietly explained things to Gilan.
It turns out that the man and woman were both newly promoted martial arts masters in recent years, and were hired by the Fahan Family at great expense to serve as Mr. Ramon's personal bodyguards.
"Thank you both for your help."
Ramon then turned to Prince and said calmly:
"Go ahead. It's just a friendly spar, don't take it too seriously."
"Don't worry, Father." Prince stood up eagerly, a bright smile spreading across his face. "I know my limits."
"Big brother probably hasn't learned any staff techniques, has he?"
Joann sat to the side, watching Gilan and chuckling.
"I don't think that's fair to you, so let's fight hand-to-hand."
"Agreed!" Milinda chimed in. "Hand-to-hand combat is even more interesting!"
She turned to look at her sister Nancy, whose pretty eyebrows twitched.
Besides learning basic knowledge at the aristocratic academy, the two ladies mainly focused on archery and horsemanship. However, at home, they would occasionally practice martial arts with their two brothers.
Therefore, compared to the staff fighting techniques they were almost tired of seeing, they were more interested in unarmed combat.
"I'm fine."
Prince stretched out his five fingers, clenched his fist, spread his hands, and stood on tiptoe.
"Big brother, what about you?"
"Bring it on."
Gilan didn't waste any words. He took off his coat and top hat, handed them to Miss Sparrow, and walked to the lawn in front of him.
His expression was indifferent, but his mind was as clear as a mirror.
This group of "family members" appears friendly, but deep down they harbor an arrogance rooted in the bones of the nobility, which inadvertently reveals their disdain for him and Miss Sparrow.
Gilan just wanted to teach this arrogant younger brother a lesson.