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

The teacher put all the oil paintings back on the table, then sat cross-legged in front of the three children so that they could see more and more clearly.

She opened her hands, and as her lips moved, the incantation was already complete:

"Sincerity, warmth, and flame are like my heart, burning fiercely..."

Then, without any warning, a bright red flame suddenly rose in her palm.

Without any magical behind-the-scenes tricks or technological devices operating in secret, such methods are nothing short of miraculous in the eyes of modern people like Domi!

The little flame flickered, and every time Domi thought it was about to go out, it would stubbornly hold on, as if it were just like the incantation the teacher had recited, the flame burning as hot as her heart.

"Magical Girl... Magical Girl?!"

Domi stared dumbfounded at the ball of flame, his face displaying a richer expression than he had in the previous hour combined. He finally understood what the [Shadow Talent] he had drawn at birth actually meant.

Chapter 4, Section 4: Execution on the Spot

As evening approached, the kitchen at Brofell Castle became busy.

A professional team of nearly 100 people and precious ingredients from all over the world have gathered here, driven by their financial power, to serve the Bloomfield family. At this moment, they are preparing a rich and varied dinner.

Head Chef Michelson brandished a large ladle and shouted, causing his upturned mustache to tremble violently.

"Hurry up! The young masters' teachers have been invited to stay for dinner today, so give it your all! Anyone who slacks off will lose their bonus this month!"

"Ow!!"

Under the head chef's coercion and enticement, every chef seemed to be unleashing their full power, tossing the woks with incredible speed and energy, and one exquisite dish after another was continuously delivered to the restaurant.

The kitchen and dining room are about half a kilometer apart. The sight of dozens of maids lined up to serve meals is quite spectacular, and the castle, which was originally a bit deserted, has become lively as a result.

Next to the largest reception room in the castle is the family dining room used by the owners. It is a little smaller, but still about the size of four basketball courts put together. Countless bright candles hang from the high arched dome, illuminating the entire dining room warmly and brightly.

It has to be said that the world of the rich is really extravagant. A single restaurant there is bigger than some detached houses, and in such a large space there is only a long table and a few chairs. This can't even be described as luxurious.

Domi's parents were already seated at their seats when it was time to eat.

Carlos undoubtedly took the top seat; he was the head of the entire Broadfield family, and this position was rightfully his.

The first seat on the left was occupied by his wife, Grace, but the first seat on the right was empty, and even Becky, a guest, could only take the second seat on the right.

Many people in the castle had questions about the first seat on the right, a seat that was always empty and not allowed to be occupied by others. However, Carlos was the head of the family, so no one dared to ask, not even Greta.

It's important to understand that the seating arrangement at the dinner table for nobles is a very ceremonial and solemn matter. Therefore, the two seats next to the head of the family must be occupied by the most important people to him, people of equal status to his wife. Domi has never seen such people before.

At this moment, the three personal maids led the three brothers and Grace to sit down side by side, and no one else would sit down besides them.

Normally, the head maid, the head butler, the head chef, and the head guard would dine with them at the same table. Carlos didn't have that much of aristocratic airs. In his words, it would be strange and lonely if such a large table were all empty.

However, now that guests have arrived, we should act normally in front of them, otherwise it would be bad to ruin our reputation.

Before all the dishes were served, Carlos smiled and looked at Teacher Becky:

"Thank you so much, Chef Becky. I've already told the head chef to prepare something special for you today. I hope it will suit your taste."

Becky responded with a smile, but despite her seemingly calm demeanor, she was actually quite flustered.

The person speaking to her now is one of the most prestigious nobles in the entire Lionheart Empire, a rare and exceptional Grand Mage. Her father is the only remaining Forbidden Magic Mage in the country, and her grandfather even accompanied the Emperor into the Central Plains.

In front of such a person, it's already a sign of her restraint that she didn't kneel down and beg for his leg.

Becky slowly shook her head, speaking somewhat rapidly:

"It's not hard work at all. It's already an honor that His Highness the Duke allowed me, a commoner, to teach the three young masters. How could I dare to complain about being tired?"

"Haha, teacher is being modest. Although those senior teachers are knowledgeable and capable, most of them are arrogant and look down on the wisdom from the common people. That will only lead my child astray and make him narrow-minded."

Speaking of children, Carlos looked at his three children with eyes full of affection, then asked Becky:

"Oh, by the way, teacher, how did my three rascals behave today? Did they cause any trouble?"

I'm coming!

Becky had long anticipated this situation. Whether commoners or nobles, parents would always ask this age-old question whenever they met a teacher.

Although a minor mishap occurred during the teaching process, she had already thought of a solution.

"The three young masters all performed exceptionally well today. If they have a few more days, they'll probably be able to say 'Papa' and 'Mama' fluently. They truly are descendants of adults; even their children are so intelligent!"

A perfect answer!

She flattered Carlos from every angle! Typical of her!

But the moment she finished speaking, Duchess Greta, sitting opposite her, covered her mouth and burst out laughing.

Although her voice was soft, everyone heard it. Realizing she had been impolite, she coughed twice and immediately straightened her expression and sat up straight.

“Uh…” Carlos glanced helplessly at his wife, then apologized to Becky, “Please forgive my wife’s rudeness, but teacher, I heard from some of the maids that you called out ‘Mama’ more than sixty times in your room…”

At this point, Domi, who was passionately interacting with Kelsey, suddenly fell silent, shrinking into Kelsey's arms like a wilted leek. Becky's expression also stiffened, and an extremely awkward situation fell at the table.

Fortunately, at that moment, the head maid brought the final main course to the table and told Carlos that all the dishes had been served.

good chance!

Carlos clapped his hands, still with his usual smile, and said, "Now that all the dishes are served, let's eat first, so they don't get cold. We can talk about some things later."

Becky breathed a sigh of relief. This was undoubtedly a chance for her to think. The situation just now was too urgent, and the strong sense of pressure even made her brain freeze for a moment, and she couldn't think of anything at all. Now she could think of an excuse.

However, just as Becky was in the midst of a mental storm and deep turmoil, a completely different scene unfolded on the other side.

Domi will not miss any opportunity to earn villain points, and bullying (scratch that) his two older brothers is the quickest and most stable source of income.

"Hoo hoo~ hoo hoo~ open your mouth, ah~~"

Kelsey scooped up a spoonful of corn chowder with a small spoon, blew on it until it was almost dry, and then fed it to Domi.

Such a simple operation made the second brother next door and his personal maid extremely nervous.

This little guy manages to accidentally eat food onto his brother every time he eats, and his methods are endless and impossible to guard against. However, Kal'tsit, the person involved, doesn't seem to care at all.

The kid was just kidding, he was just spraying it for fun.

Domi opened her little mouth and bit the silver soup spoon. Then, seizing the opportunity, she twisted her face and mouth, and the thick yellow soup drew a beautiful parabola in mid-air, accurately splattering Edward's face.

Wow!! Wow wow!!

Edward's cries immediately echoed throughout the dining room. The maids standing in a row around him turned their heads and chuckled. It was a regular occurrence at every meal, but it was still as funny as ever.

[Playing tricks on the Duke's second son, villain value +100]

He was very happy to receive the villain points, but Domi still wants to apologize to him:

"Hehehehe, my stupid and weak Onii-chan, for the sake of my villain value, I'll have to make you suffer a little. I'm really sorry, I'll make it up to you when I grow up."

Even apologies must be laced with sarcasm; that's a necessary condition for developing a villain.

Chapter 5.5 Talent Test

While Domi was making a fuss, the adults had finished their dinner, and Becky, under Carlos's pressure, told him everything.

She discovered that no matter how many excuses she came up with, she would forget them all the moment she stood in front of Carlos. Once again, her mind went blank, and she had no choice but to tell him everything.

But the truth is what Carlos wants to know.

"Is Domi really that slow-witted?"

Carlos was somewhat incredulous as he turned to look at the row of women in the family, where Domi was still spraying corn chowder at his brother.

Last time it was spitting out peas, the time before that it was scattering breadcrumbs, and the time before that it was climbing directly onto the table and smearing cake all over Edward's face...

Each time it's a different story, how could such a child be slow-witted? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he's the most intelligent of the three sons.

“Carlos,” Grace suddenly spoke up, “is it possible that Domi deliberately didn’t say it? The third son has always been lively and active since he was a child, and he must be very smart. It’s not impossible that he is.”

"Besides, they are so young, you can't draw any conclusions from just one thing. You're being a bit biased."

Grace's words seemed to have enlightened Carlos.

The Brofeld family has been passed down for generations, and he did not want the family to decline in his next generation, so he placed too much expectation on his children, wishing they could use forbidden magic from birth.

Carlos chuckled self-deprecatingly: "It seems that's indeed the case."

Then he looked at Becky and said, "Teacher, you don't need to feel any pressure. Just teach the same way you taught before. It's okay if they can't speak yet. They will naturally learn to speak as they grow up."

Grisa looked at him with satisfaction, which was what she admired most about Carlos: he was never arrogant because of his status and abilities, and he was always willing to listen to advice.

However, there is something that needs to be discussed immediately.

Teachers who teach culture and provide early education are only one part of the equation; the other part is assessing a child's magical talent.

If conditions permit, immersing oneself in an environment that corresponds to one's talent from a young age can raise the upper limit of one's talent later in life, or at the very least, accelerate the learning speed of magic.

The effects of cultural influence are obvious to all.

The former was mostly optional for aristocratic families, while the latter was mandatory. Even some ordinary families would send their newborn children to the church to test their talents and then do their best to nurture them.

Relying on magical talent to transcend social classes and reach the pinnacle of life is the lifelong dream of most ordinary people.

"A magical talent test... A week is definitely the time."

Carlos calculated the time: "In that case, I will call one mage of each attribute tomorrow, and after the tests are done, we can start the atmosphere training directly."

clam?

Domi seemed to have heard something incredible.

He's only seven days old! All this early childhood education and talent testing? Won't enrolling him in so many classes exhaust him?

Unfortunately, reality has never taught us compassion.

The mages Carlos summoned arrived early the next morning, not daring to be a second late, all arriving an hour in advance.

Kelsey placed Domi alone in front of the magic ball and then left the room. The fewer people around during a talent test, the more accurate the result.

The person in charge of the inspection was the head of the household's guards—Osmond. The burly head of guards was not only muscular, but also had first-rate magical talent. It was said that he had once served as the captain of a certain knightly order.

His smile was chilling; a scar ran across his entire face, giving him a menacing look, as if he might pick up a large cleaver and hack you to pieces at any moment. However, his words were surprisingly gentle.

"Come, young master, put your little hands on the magic ball~"