However, William Lane did not get angry. On the contrary, the eagle-like eyes that had been blazing with anger paused, staring intently at Henry Lane for a long moment. His clenched fist slowly relaxed, and finally, a trace of fatigue appeared on his face as he waved his hand. “He is your brother, after all. I don’t expect you to rely on each other, but you must show humility and mutual trust. I don’t want to see something like this happen a second time… Go back now.”

Henry Lane turned, opened the door, and left. The study behind him was like a painting in shades of gray. William Lane sat in that large leather chair, looking weary, like an old man at the end of his days who did not know how to repent. Watching Henry Lane’s departing figure, he felt a sense of loss and confusion.

Chapter Two: Beautiful Women Are All Dangerous

“Is a child born of passionate adultery really inferior to those fools produced with a joyless wife, half-asleep and half-awake?” — “King Lear”

……

To make Henry Lane, who had spent the first twenty years of his life growing up in the slums of Trash Planet, understand and accept what it meant to live as a modern aristocrat was, without a doubt, an immensely difficult and monumental task.

There’s a saying in the Empire: even if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run. For Henry Lane, this didn’t quite fit. Growing up glued to that broken crystal-screen TV, Henry Lane had always thought that so-called aristocrats simply drove luxury land cruisers, could afford exquisite food, used mechas, lived in mansions, and could settle down on a place like Riverside Star—a world infinitely better than Trash Planet, free from natural storms—find a woman with a round, perky backside, and raise a family.

But now, Henry Lane understood that it wasn’t so simple.

After spending a few days at the Lin family estate, he finally confirmed his current situation—and his true family background.

He really was a descendant of the most famous “Lily Aristocrat” branch in the Great Eagle Empire, the son of Lord William Lane of Riverside Star.

His mother had told him these things many times before, but he had always thought of them as nothing more than fairy tales she spun for him. Often, under the dim light of the slums, that dignified woman would speak, he would listen, and then fall asleep with a smile. She knew he never truly believed in such fairy tales. But she never tried to argue otherwise.

Now, Henry Lane knew it was all true.

A poor child from Trash Planet with a noble lineage. When such a dreamlike fact, the kind that countless slum dwellers could only fantasize about, happened to him, of course Henry Lane couldn’t remain indifferent. To say he didn’t care would be a lie.

But the events of his very first day here left him feeling uncomfortable, dampening the excitement and hope he’d felt for the future.

Strictly speaking, he didn’t have much affection for this aristocratic family. Though they were related by blood, he had never spent any time with them before.

The word “father” was foreign to him. Because it was unfamiliar, he felt distant—there was no hatred, but no warmth either. What he couldn’t understand was, if this father didn’t care for him, why bring him from a place like Trash Planet to the prosperous Riverside Star?

Was it just a sense of guilt over his mother’s death?

And then there was the boy at William Lane’s side, the one who could be called his brother—Howard Lane. He was the son born to his father after abandoning his mother, marrying Ning Qing, a noblewoman of equal status, as the head of the Wayne Group and an imperial lord.

Compared to the poorly dressed and frail Henry Lane, Howard Lane was much more like the typical scion of a wealthy family. Though only seventeen, he already had a certain maturity and the proud, furrowed brow that resembled their father. What left the deepest impression was the look in his eyes when he saw Henry Lane—an unshakable disdain and loathing, like a crayon stain on white paper.

Almost overnight, news of Henry Lane’s arrival at the Lin estate spread through the circles of Riverside Star. Naturally, Howard Lane couldn’t stand being the subject of gossip because of this suddenly appeared “bargain” older brother.

So his attitude was clear—cold. On the day Henry Lane arrived, he had planned to put him in his place. Who could have guessed things would turn out as they did? Now the rumors outside were even more lively, and who knew how many people were waiting to see the Lin family’s next drama.

In the days that followed, perhaps out of respect for Lord William Lane’s authority, or because of a warning from his father not to cause trouble, Howard Lane didn’t bother him again.

Perhaps it was also because Henry Lane’s actions that day were so unprecedented in the Lin estate that, for the next few days, the stewards and servants treated him politely, and he wasn’t ostracized. Everyone in the estate was probably quietly observing what kind of person he really was.

Still, when the staff occasionally faced him, their expressions would show a hint of strangeness and awkwardness. Sensitive to such things, Henry Lane couldn’t shake a vague sense of foreboding.

Andrew Thompson was the steward who had led him into the estate that day.

He had accompanied him all the way from Trash Planet to Riverside Star, so all aspects of Henry Lane’s life in the estate were managed by Andrew Thompson.

For someone like Henry Lane, who grew up in the slums, making small talk with all sorts of people was a basic survival skill.

So Andrew Thompson quickly became a friend he could talk to about anything.

……