Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lorca Oliver, the eldest son of the Oliver Family, though deceased at the very beginning of the story, lived on in the cherished memories of his younger brother, Ludwig Oliver.

He was gentle and erudite, but born with a congenital toxin, he was physically frail and had difficulty walking, making him the quintessential "white moonlight" character. The only pity was that such "white moonlights" are often fleeting and die young.

The reason Eve still remembered this tragically deceased eldest son, who was only occasionally mentioned in the original story, was entirely thanks to his brother.

In the original plot, to win over Ludwig and the Oliver Family behind him, Eve collected a batch of precious ancient alchemy manuscripts from the family library and gifted them to him. Unlike the Medici family, which focused on spiritual cultivation, the Oliver Family was renowned for alchemy, and their spiritual lineage was mostly tied to voodoo and hidden arts. Eve's move was, in essence, precisely aimed flattery.

Unfortunately, the villainess's flattery was destined to backfire spectacularly. Among the gifted manuscripts, Ludwig unexpectedly discovered a solution to the very poison that had killed his brother. But by then, Lorca was already gone, and then—

Then this unhinged younger brother actually held a grudge against Eve for it, believing that her delayed delivery of the antidote was meant to twist the knife in his wounds!

...So much so that when Eve's plan to poison her fiancé was exposed, it was Ludwig who leaked the secret, and even the poison that ultimately killed her also came from the Oliver Family.

When the author wrote this part, due to the writing style and perspective, the comments section was flooded with reactions—some lamenting the twists of fate, some admiring Ludwig's deep affection for his brother, and others mocking Eve for suffering a double loss.

Now that she had transmigrated into this world herself, Eve just wanted to scream curses: It wasn't Eve who poisoned Lorca, nor did she prevent the antidote from being delivered, so why hate her?

When you're down on your luck, even drinking cold water can choke you; when a villain is unlucky, even giving a gift can accidentally make enemies.

Thanks to that damn brother, Eve couldn't help but feel some dislike for Lorca as well. How good could someone cherished by such a person really be?

Sandro led the three children out without any attendants. They headed to the south side of the starship. Since boarding, all the children had been told not to go there because an important figure, who had to return to the capital star on the Medici family's starship for unavoidable reasons, was resting there.

The entire way was quiet, and even the few maids working in the area moved softly and spoke little.

It seemed Lorca preferred tranquility. Eve had a wicked thought: if their relationship with the Oliver Family turned sour in the future, she would send people to make a racket with gongs and drums at the eldest young master's grave, disturbing both the living and the dead.

Thanks to her knowledge of the plot from transmigrating, Eve knew that the alchemy manuscript capable of curing Lorca was still gathering dust in the Medici family's possession. However, unsure of what kind of person he was, she hadn't decided whether to use it to save him.

After all, all positive descriptions of Lorca in the original story came from Ludwig's mouth, and Eve was truly afraid of that backstabbing, unhinged brother.

"Knock, knock," Sandro knocked on the door. A few coughs came from inside, followed by a husky yet melodious voice: "Please come in."

The voice-activated door recognized the owner's voiceprint and opened.

Completely different from the sterile metallic aesthetic outside, the room turned out to be a study. The brown color scheme gave a psychologically soothing feeling, and the air was faintly filled with the bitter scent of medicinal herbs.

Dick and Grace both looked somewhat ill at ease, but Eve, whose curiosity about Lorca—the original story's early-departed "white moonlight"—now overshadowed all other emotions, was first surprised by the stark contrast between the inside and outside. After her initial surprise passed, she actively followed Sandro into the room, taking the lead.

Seated in a soft chair behind the desk was Lorca Oliver. As soon as Eve peered around from behind Sandro and caught a glimpse, her eyes lit up.

Lorca appeared to be between boyhood and manhood, looking somewhat slim and frail. His long, black curly hair was tied up with a light purple ribbon, and he sat there quietly like an exquisite painting.

His mother came from one of the four great families, the Luo Family, and his father was the head of the Oliver Family. The Luo Family members had Eastern features with black hair and black eyes, while the Oliver Family had striking European features with blonde hair and green eyes. Thus, Lorca inherited the best of both parents: exquisite features, sculpted facial features, thick black hair from his mother, and beautiful green eyes from his father.

The physiology of people in the interstellar era somewhat defied modern science, and genetic inheritance was also quite unique. A child's genetic traits primarily depended on the stronger parent. To maintain their clan's distinctive traits, the four great families, if unwilling to marry someone with lower genetic rank, had no choice but to marry within their own surname.

The previous generation of the Oliver Family had experienced internal rebellion. To maintain power and order, the current head broke with tradition by marrying the eldest daughter of the Luo Family. Both had high genetic rank, so their first child, Lorca, exhibited the visible traits of both families.

Later, because Mrs. Luo was poisoned during her pregnancy with Lorca, her constitution was weakened, and their second child, Ludwig, fully inherited the Oliver Family's blonde hair and green eyes.

It was also due to the prenatal poisoning that Lorca was born with a weak constitution. Since he didn't inherit the Oliver Family's blonde hair, his chances of succeeding as family head were very slim. Because of this, his parents, out of guilt, doted on him, and his brother, having no competition, was willing to be close to him.

Unfortunately, even the combined efforts of the two great families couldn't save his life. Lorca ultimately passed away on the eve of his eighteenth birthday, beyond saving.

The Second Steward of the Medici family still loved to speak in that exaggerated tone, but his volume was much softer than usual: "Oh, my dear young master Lorca, the elegant and clever black cat of the Oliver Family, it's been a few days, and you look much better."

"Yes, I must thank the Medici family and the Second Steward for your careful care. When I return home, I will surely express my gratitude generously." Lorca smiled slightly, closing the book in his hands. His gentle and refined demeanor seemed every bit the scholar.

Noticing the three silver-haired children behind Sandro, he asked with understanding, "Are these the children brought back from the branch families this year?"

"Exactly," Sandro pulled the children from behind him to the front, introducing them to Lorca one by one, like a fruit vendor showcasing his brightest little fruits. "This is our little Grace, this is little Dick, and this is the most adorable Little Forbidden Fruit among them—all three are Class A Psychics, quite talented. I brought them along to let you meet them."

"...My name is Eve," Eve looked up, meeting Sandro's eyes, and asked seriously, "Why do you call them by their names, but call me Little Forbidden Fruit?"

Sandro's mustache twitched imperceptibly. He wondered why this child, usually quiet and submissive, suddenly had the energy to question him now?

Fortunately, he had prepared for this and was waiting for Eve to ask.

Unexpectedly, before the Second Steward could show off with an explanation, Lorca coughed twice and chuckled, saying, "The Steward probably gave you this nickname based on a religious story."

"In the myths of the Old Era civilization, in God's Garden of Eden, a human named Eve ate the forbidden fruit representing wisdom and from then on began to understand shame and right from wrong. The name 'Eve' sounds the same as 'Eve' in the story. His calling you that shows he has expectations for you."

Sandro subtly raised an eyebrow.

Lorca spoke at a measured pace, interspersed with coughs, yet carried an aura of cultured elegance. Knowledge of religion wasn't common among ordinary people. Hearing his explanation, Eve felt two admiring gazes from beside her—from Grace and Dick.

Dick whispered, "He knows so much."

Grace also whispered, "I never thought Lord Sandro could come up with such a cultured nickname. I thought he only knew how to say things like 'little bird' or 'little flower bud'—such corny and silly words."

Sandro: "...Little flower buds, I can hear what you're saying."

He pretended to be angry and gave Grace a light knock on the head. Eve then realized that Grace, who seemed gentle and soft, actually had a talent for sarcasm.

She turned her head again, carefully studying Lorca, wondering what kind of person he really was.

At first glance, it was hard for anyone to dislike someone like Lorca—polite, knowledgeable, beautiful, and with a sickly buff. Putting aside her issues with Ludwig, if she could befriend the Oliver Family directly by leveraging Lorca's illness, that would be the best arrangement possible.

The scales in Eve's heart gradually began to tip.

As if sensing Eve's scrutiny, Lorca turned his head and met her clear, thoughtful blue eyes. From Eve's perspective, this handsome black-haired, green-eyed boy, only a few years older than her, smiled at her with a gentle, encompassing expression, like an elder doting on a beloved child.

Eve felt a slight pain in her eyes and silently looked away.

She also felt strange inside, suspecting that she had just been attacked by his beauty.

Sandro brought the three children to Lorca not only to help them get acquainted early but also with some personal motives. Lorca was destined not to inherit the Oliver Family, but he carried the bloodline of two great families and held a noble status. If he could serve as a marriage candidate, that would be an excellent choice.

Of course, this was essentially still an investment in relationships.

Now that his goal was achieved, Sandro exchanged a few more pleasantries with Lorca and then very tactfully took the children back. On the way back, Grace and Dick whispered and giggled behind them. Eve heard they were still laughing about the "Little Forbidden Fruit" nickname. The two suddenly burst into laughter again and were rewarded with a knock on the head each from Sandro.

Eve was amused by the three of them and suddenly seemed to remember something, asking, "After we return to the main family, will the other stewards be as good-tempered as Lord Sandro?"

"Ah, your Uncle Sandro is the best among the eight stewards; otherwise, he wouldn't have been sent to take care of you kids," Sandro adjusted his top hat, too exasperated by the two little rascals to be angry, and said absently, "Although speaking ill of colleagues behind their backs isn't gentlemanly, you must show respect to the other stewards. Offending some of them might not matter, but offending others could bring big trouble."

"Especially the Third Steward and the Fourth Steward—they don't like little flower buds from branch families. But generally, you won't cross paths with them because they are dedicated to the main family's two noble young master and young mistress. They can't be bothered to look directly at you country bumpkins with lowly origins."

Eve nodded in deep agreement.

Sandro was amused by her approving expression, rubbed her head, and teased, "My Little Forbidden Fruit, do you actually know these two stewards? Why are you nodding along when I say they're not good?"

Eve didn't know them, but she knew of them unilaterally from the original story—especially the Third Steward, the most loyal servant by her fiancé's side in the book.

He had made things difficult for her countless times, trying to drive her out of the household, and in the end, he was the executioner who supervised Eve as she drank the poison.

If Eve were to make a list of enemies, the first place would undoubtedly go to her scumbag fiancé, the second to the landmine-like Ludwig, and the third to this accomplice—the Third Steward!