Paul, Senis, and Lilia had already run to the gate of the courtyard in a panic. Paul opened his mouth in astonishment and looked at the "grand occasion" of Philip and Allen staring at each other. He wanted to speak several times but immediately closed his mouth, as if afraid of saying something wrong.
Senis and Lilia on the side looked at Allen with great concern.
This scene was reflected in Rudy's eyes, and he felt that his blood ran cold.
After Allen's identity was confirmed, everyone had a consensus:
Allen could not recognize his father.
His life experience was very complicated. As the eldest son of Philip, the mayor of Roya, he was sent to the capital by his family since childhood as the "son" of James, the next head of Boreas. At this time, he had escaped from the capital and still had a wanted order on his back.
If he recognized his biological father, his identity would be exposed. That would violate the tradition of family power inheritance and lead to him being sent back to the capital.
James in the capital had basically confirmed that he was the one who issued the wanted order. His purpose was to root out the bloodline and kill Allen, the descendant of Philip who had realized his identity.
This must never happen.
We must protect Allen.
Has he never felt the love of his family?
Then we are his family.
This had been the consensus of the entire Greyrat family since last winter.
And now, Philip stood in front of him, less than three meters away.
What should we do?
It's too sudden.
How could Allen's father suddenly appear here??
Has Allen's identity been exposed?
Rudy looked at Paul and Senis and saw the two of them wearing helpless expressions, as if they wanted to speak but were afraid that doing so would expose Allen's identity.
Clearly, they knew the reason why Philip had come, but they too had been caught off guard. Speaking now would be difficult; a careless word could lead Philip to notice something.
Although the current situation was already very bad.
Rudy swallowed and turned his head stiffly to look at Allen beside him—only to find that the other party was still smiling, as if he wasn't worried at all.
He looked back at Philip, his expression relaxed.
In Allen's vision, smoke coiled with emotions.
You say, just this meeting—how deep an impression must I, a mere passerby, make on Philip to instantly gain a participation score?
Or… did the 2-point score already count beforehand, and now it's only showing up because the tutoring period has officially begun?
[Don't you already have the answer in your mind? I see you've thought through every possibility along the way.]
...Indeed. I've pretty much considered all the possibilities.
But what I'm more interested in now is...
Will there be a task? Or is it like with Paul, Senis, and the others—will I have to earn the score myself?
The system's smoky text appeared in front of Allen's face, as if laughing.
[Instant Task Release: Philip's Assessment and Expectations.]
[Half a year early, the host has met this body's biological father. As a cunning politician, he once lost the competition for power in the capital more than ten years ago because James was older and had two more years of networking in the capital.]
[What is the purpose of this visit?]
[Complete the assessment, respond to expectations, and choose your own path among vastly different futures.]
[Assessment (0/2), countdown: 24:00:00. Task Reward: Participation Score +10]
[Expectation (0/2), countdown: 48:00:00. Task Reward: Participation Score +10]
[Task has begun.]
Under Sylphy and Rudy's nervous stares, Allen had none of the sense of crisis Rudy imagined. He simply watched the text disappear, glanced at the carriage beside him, and then looked back at Philip.
Just when I was worried about not being able to go to Roya and start the tutoring period, Philip came delivering a pillow.
"Assessment? Interesting."
Not far away, Philip smiled and nodded in response, as if acknowledging his "interesting" remark.
But aside from the father and son, the entire Greyrat family stood frozen.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Allen, standing at the center of the storm, seemed completely unaware. He simply looked away from Philip, lowered his eyes, gently took Sylphy's hand, and walked toward the house.
But the next second, he felt a faint "resistance" in his hand.
In that instant, her palm was drenched with sweat.
??
He looked down at Sylphy in surprise.
Her reddish-brown pupils flickered left and right in panic. She fussed with her smooth white hair and her gaze drifted to her white dress, as if she suddenly noticed it was stained with mud.
But—it was a white dress. How could it be dirty?
Allen blinked, confused, and turned to Rudy beside him.
Rudy's expression was much the same.
Allen instantly understood what they were worried about, and softly said:
"It's okay, let's go."
Rudy and Sylphy looked at him, and finally moved to follow.
Step by step.
The distance of just over three meters was so close.
Those with different thoughts had already come to stand before the door.
Paul made all kinds of expressions to try to catch Allen's attention;
Allen wore a calm smile as he faced Philip;
Philip glanced at Paul—understanding flickered in his eyes—then turned his gaze back to Allen, squinting.
No one spoke.
Finally, it was Sylphy who broke the silence.
She blinked, and at Rudy's signal, quietly took a deep breath and spoke nervously:
"Excuse me, are you a guest of the Knight's family? Hello!"
Philip blinked, took his eyes off Allen, and looked at Sylphy.
Instantly, the strange atmosphere among the group melted away.
Rudy clenched his fist slightly.
Well done, Sylphy! Now we can shift the attention. As long as Allen becomes transparent, his identity won't be exposed. And that man won't recognize Allen. According to Allen, Philip has never even seen him! And his appearance has changed!
Everyone turned to look at Sylphy beside Allen. She shrank her neck, white hair flowing across the back of her neck, and nervously looked up at Philip.
Philip tilted his head, his eyes lingering for a moment on Allen and Sylphy's joined hands, then bent down and patted Sylphy's head.
"Yes. Your hair color is very cute. What's your name?"
"Thank you. My name is Sylphyet."
"Sylphyet? Lovely name. Very nice. My name is Philip Boreas Greyrat, you can call me Philip."
"Thank you, Uncle Philip."
Rudy finally relaxed.
The attention has been shifted. Great. Now I just need to find a chance to talk to Paul and Senis about my concerns.
Just as he thought this, Philip suddenly spoke again—shattering Rudy's smile.
"Is your name... Allen?"
He turned and looked directly at Allen, as though peering into his soul.