My older sister is a villainous rich girl

Furthermore, Wayne noticed at first glance that their clothes were extremely plain.

Especially in public places where everyone is dressed to outdo each other, the differences in appearance become particularly obvious when compared.

At first, Wayne thought they were indeed low-ranking nobles from impoverished backgrounds, but now it seems there's more to the story.

Upon hearing Chris's question, the silly older brother named Roy stopped what he was doing, pondered for a long time, and then nodded.

It's as if he can't handle two things at the same time.

“Hmm…” Wayne pondered for a moment.

This may involve the private affairs of the O'Neal family. The news they heard was ultimately just a rumor that had been relayed several times.

—If you see Marquis O'Neill later, try to persuade him with a few words.

With that in mind, Wayne concealed the strange look in his eyes and generously recommended several delicacies that he thought tasted good to the brother and sister.

Perhaps because he and Chris were standing to the side, their imposing presence made them seem rather unapproachable, and no one came forward to disturb them until the King and Queen arrived at the banquet hall.

But now that the host of the banquet had appeared, they couldn't continue eating like this. They had to show up in the front hall to show their support, otherwise they would inevitably be suspected of disrespecting the king.

Why haven't the O'Neal family members shown up yet? Wayne looked up and around.

Just then, a slightly overweight middle-aged man in a black tuxedo rushed over.

Upon seeing Wayne and Chris sitting at the same table, he paused for a moment before speaking, "I am Mike O'Neill, the father of these two children. May I ask who you are...?"

Wayne also stood up and introduced himself and Chris.

Seeing his hesitant expression as if he wanted to continue the conversation, Wayne smiled and said, "Marquis O'Neill, let's talk about this later, there's no rush."

"Ah, yes, yes..."

O'Neill nodded, then gestured to the servants standing not far away, signaling them to come and clear the dishes.

Then, he rather unceremoniously led the two siblings, who were still reluctant to leave the food, to the front hall.

“He hasn’t even spoken to his two children,” Chris complained, somewhat disapprovingly.

In contrast, these two children were actually quite obedient; they didn't cry and make a fuss like other unruly children when they were told not to eat.

"...Prolonged care for patients can always lead to problems, even among family members."

Wayne offered a few words of casual comfort before pulling Chris back to Duke and Duchess Elliott's side.

Perhaps it was because the light in the front hall was exceptionally bright, but the king looked radiant and had a big smile on his face today.

"Gentlemen, let's relax a bit tonight. We've been busy with state affairs all year, so we should enjoy our rest time to the fullest..." the king began his routine address.

Although he displayed a very friendly attitude and did not deliberately put on airs of royalty when speaking, the central theme was not much different from that of previous banquets.

He summarized the achievements, praised the ministers, looked to the future, and that was it.

"—For Lornes!" The king raised his wine glass high as he finished speaking.

The fragrant and clear rice wine is gently swirled in a crystal glass.

"For Lornes!" The crowd below responded in unison, their voices powerful and resounding.

……

Although the king set a relatively relaxed tone, he was still, after all, the king.

Therefore, he certainly wouldn't wander around as freely as an ordinary nobleman, or simply sit in a corner chatting with old friends.

For the king, the banquet was also a very important social occasion. Families who needed his personal intervention to appease and demonstrate his trust had already gravitated towards him, waiting to be received one by one.

He skillfully exchanged pleasantries with the nobles in a predetermined order, according to their closeness to him and the importance he placed on them.

Of course, in addition to these important figures themselves, we should also take care of their families and children.

"Wayne and Chris have grown so much; they've become more and more handsome and beautiful," the king said kindly as he approached Duke Elliott.

"Hehe, the children have all grown up and are increasingly having their own ideas," Duke Elliott joked. "Sometimes even I think, if only I could leave everything to the children to handle sooner, and then take my wife and me to enjoy some time alone."

Hearing this, Mrs. Ashville, who was holding Elliott's arm, gave him a light tap with a shy smile.

Wayne felt his teeth ache, but he still tried his best to keep a calm demeanor.

His Majesty the King seemed taken aback by the couple's forced display of affection, remaining speechless for a moment before sighing helplessly, "You..."

The time allotted to each household was very limited. After only a few brief words with Elliott, the king turned and walked to the other side to continue receiving the other nobles.

The main tasks are complete, and there are no further procedures that require your cooperation.

So, after explaining the situation to their father, Wayne and Chris prepared to go see Marquis O'Neill again to check on the two children.

What they didn't expect was that O'Neill brought his children to the banquet so that they could meet the King.

"If anyone asks you anything later, just say you want to study at Qingxi Academy, understand?" Marquis O'Neill reminded him again in a corner of the banquet hall, still worried.

“Qing…Qingxi…” Brother Roy stammered as he repeated it.

But my sister still looked dazed and unresponsive.

Looking at his two children, Marquis O'Neill sighed deeply.

What crime had I committed to deserve such punishment? My children, one by one, all of them…

But now that the children are growing up, I can't keep them locked up at home any longer. Although I no longer expect these two siblings to be successful, it's time to put it on the agenda to let them meet some friends, or... find some marriage partners from poor families who can accept them.

After so many years of treatment, Marquis O'Neill has now completely given up hope of curing their intellect.

...But thankfully, at least physically they are still normal.

If they can produce the next generation sooner, perhaps they can still save the O'Neal family from its fate.

Chapter 486 News Brought by Lawrence

The interior lighting was so bright it was almost dazzling, making the jewelry worn by each guest shine.

On one side of the banquet hall, a well-known band played soothing music to set the mood.

Unfortunately, although no one was deliberately making a lot of noise, noise was inevitable in a large crowd, and such a noisy environment was not suitable for sitting quietly and listening to these people's hard work.

"Wayne! Chris!"

Suddenly hearing someone call their names from behind, Wayne and Chris stopped in their tracks.

The one who called out to the two of them was Lawrence, who was also dressed very formally.

He strode over, and while delighted to see his friend, he couldn't help but complain, "There are just too many guests invited today. Many nobles who wouldn't normally be eligible for a seat have been invited as an exception."

After saying that, he glanced disapprovingly at the band playing nearby. "The band, too, shouldn't be in such a frivolous place..."

It was easy to tell from his muttering that he had strong opinions about some of the arrangements for the dinner.

Wayne smiled. "Perhaps next time something like this happens, Lawrence, you could offer His Majesty a better suggestion?"

"Forget it," Lawrence said without hesitation.

"That person won't listen to anyone's advice."

Wayne pretended not to hear his undisguised resentment toward the king.

Compared to the busy Prince Richard, Lawrence was subject to much less control. Unlike Richard, he didn't have to follow the king around like a mere accessory. Instead, he was free to wander around at his own pace.

However, seeing that Wayne was unwilling to comment on his words, Lawrence seemed to realize that he had misspoke.

He quickly changed the subject, exclaiming, "Thinking about it carefully, you should really be the one to host this kind of event. The Lily Society's masquerade ball is much more interesting than this utterly boring banquet."

“That won’t do,” Wayne replied, half-jokingly and half-seriously. “I don’t have the money to feed so many people.”

Lawrence was very skeptical of this.

"Don't try to fool me! I've heard that your family's Leaf Publishing House has made a fortune."

Good grief... could it be that you've already secretly set your sights on my wallet?

Upon hearing this, Wayne looked at Chris and said, feigning grievance, "Since Leaf Publishing House was founded by Chris, the money she earns is naturally all her own private savings."

“Hmm~” Wayne nodded in self-affirmation, “Her money is hers, and my money is hers.”

He deliberately said that to please Chris, thinking she would be pleased with such typical loyal dog talk, but Chris became embarrassed instead.

"When did I say that?" she said coquettishly. "I've never been so clear about who I am with!"

"Would you be willing to let me spend money to invite a whole bunch of my cronies to eat, drink, and dance around?"

"No."

—Answered instantly.

Wayne immediately revealed a "I knew this would happen" smile.

Lawrence realized what was happening and complained, quite annoyed, "Wait, don't automatically assume all your friends are scoundrels!"

"Besides, if you were planning the banquet for the sake of the royal family, my father would definitely reimburse the expenses." For some reason, the last sentence sounded like he was feeling guilty.

If you're so sure, then why don't you turn down the volume?

"Ahem... Let's not discuss things that don't even exist," Wayne said.

He originally planned to deal with Lawrence first before going to Marquis O'Neill's place, but he didn't expect that Lawrence didn't seem to want to leave at all for the time being.

So he had no choice but to ask, "We're planning to go and say hello to Marquis O'Neill, would you like to come along?"

"Marquis O'Neill, who?" Lawrence looked blank.

Wayne then remembered that Lawrence had been fostered abroad for a long time and was not familiar with most of the nobles in the country.

He glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to their conversation before quietly giving Lawrence a brief overview of the O'Neill family's situation.

"Ah! Now that you mention the family whose children are all mentally challenged, I remember them. I've heard of them before, but I didn't remember their names." Lawrence suddenly realized.

“We already met Roy O’Neill and Vivian O’Neill at the banquet, but we had to stop talking because His Majesty the King appeared, so we’d like to go see them again now,” Wayne explained.

Upon hearing this, Lawrence hesitated.

"...Is it okay to get along with those two children?"

"The problem? What do you mean?" Wayne didn't know what he was talking about.

Lawrence took a deep breath before whispering, "Some people say that the two children were cursed to be like this."

“A curse?” Wayne repeated in confusion.

Is it the "curse" that I understand it to be? If I remember correctly, I've only heard this particular word once.

“It can be described as a… distorted magical formula, a secret passed down through generations of monarchs of the Duchy of Milistan, seemingly intricately connected to dark magic,” Lawrence described abstractly. “But with the fall of the Duchy of Milistan, these past secrets were all buried by time.”

"Who told you that?" Wayne suddenly asked him.

“Uh…” Lawrence paused, “I saw it by chance in a book I borrowed from the Kingdom of Stuart.”

At this point, his expression became somewhat conflicted. "As for Lornes... it seems they deliberately erased records about that duchy; we can't find any documents that relate to its internal affairs."

indeed.

Although the "Battle of Fog Moon" and the deeds of those meritorious generals have been widely publicized throughout the kingdom, the destroyed duchy has remained merely a background element throughout the story.

It seemed as if its existence was merely to highlight the unparalleled achievements of the king and his ministers of the Kingdom of Lornes.

“After all, we are the victors,” Wayne couldn’t help but sigh softly. “History is written by us.”

"Wow, that's a very philosophical statement..." Lawrence seemed amazed by his description.

“Chris told me,” Wayne immediately shifted the blame.

"Huh?" Chris didn't even react.

When she remembered that it was a famous line from the previous world, a strange sense of shame welled up inside her, making her feel a little embarrassed. "—Ahahaha, I probably said it a long time ago."

Chapter 487 Let's explain this to him properly.

In short, Lawrence seems to be somewhat bothered by the "curse".

However, after Wayne still expressed his desire to speak with Marquis O'Neill, Lawrence became curious and went with the two of them.

The three of them talked for a little while.

When they arrived before Marquis O'Neill, they happened to see him making a request to His Majesty the King.

"Your Majesty, as you know, my children have never received a proper education..."