Chapter 9
Ch.9 Yes, I Have a Sister
Under the attentive service of several maidservants, Luo Nan donned an elegant formal suit.
The form-fitting suit, black as its base, allowed indigo hues to subtly bloom under the lamplight. Gilded ornamental patterns emerged along the cuffs and buttons—neither overpowering nor ostentatious, yet exquisitely conveying an aura of luxury and grace.
“Isn’t it just a meal with Father, who barely ever comes home? Is such formality really necessary?”
Luo Nan carefully examined himself in the full-length mirror, gazing at the handsome, noble young gentleman reflected within. His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the plot of ‘The Shining Myriad Trails’.
In the original plot, although the villainous young master Luo Nan von Medillion featured in numerous storylines, the Medillion family behind him—and the current patriarch, Duke Medillion—were never depicted in detail.
In short, the illustrious and noble surname ‘Medillion’ served merely as background scenery.
But as the living, breathing Luo Nan von Medillion, he naturally understood the exalted status and immense power of the Medillion family.
The Medillion family was one of the Four Great Duke Houses of the Osoke Empire—a super-noble lineage personally acknowledged by the founding emperor at the empire’s inception as ‘sharing eternal rest with the nation’.
The family’s titles were ‘Guardian of Linxia Bay’ and ‘The Empire’s Iron Hand’.
The current Duke Medillion, Hermann von Medillion, bore the honorary epithet ‘Ironheart Duke’.
Although Luo Nan was a debauched young master, he still knew the basic information about his own family.
Recalling the details of the Medillion family, Luo Nan took a deep breath. “My cheap old man is a strongman with an iron fist… I hope I can withstand the pressure.”
“Young Master, His Grace is already waiting for you in the small dining room.”
“Just Father and me?”
“Yes.”
“Huh…”
Luo Nan inhaled deeply once more, fastened the cufflink on his sleeve, and strode toward the small dining room.
…
Though the Duke’s manor was vast, few bore the surname ‘Medillion’.
Luo Nan pushed open the door to the small dining room and quickly walked toward one end of the square table.
“Father.”
Luo Nan respectfully greeted the middle-aged man seated at the head of the table.
“Sit down, Luo Nan.”
Despite his overwhelming political power, Duke Medillion Hermann von Medillion was not one to indulge in extravagance or waste.
Whenever he was present, family meals for the Medillions were always held in the small dining room. Even the dishes—though made from the highest-grade and healthiest ingredients—never featured excessive luxury or waste.
Luo Nan pulled out a chair and sat down, carefully observing the man seated across from him.
His black hair, streaked with a few strands of silver, was impeccably groomed. His figure remained tall and well-proportioned; even in middle age, one could still discern the bone structure he shared with Luo Nan.
Yes, his father must have been quite the handsome man in his youth.
Truly, the genes of a super-noble lineage!
Luo Nan adjusted his napkin and glanced at the family crest on the wall behind him.
Against a shield-shaped background of blue above and black below, a golden falcon in mid-dive dominated the center of the crest, its sharp talons gripping an ancient longsword.
Beneath the crest was engraved a short phrase—the Medillion family motto:
‘Sword forges order, iron casts the future.’
“Father, regarding yesterday’s homecoming banquet for Her Highness Serela…”
After eating several slices of aged Illysian ham, Luo Nan set down his knife and fork and proactively broke the silence between father and son.
He recounted to the ‘Ironheart Duke’ seated before him every detail of yesterday’s banquet—the assassination attempt, the drugging, his near-false accusation, and the subsequent handover of the investigation to Serela.
Of course, he did not mention his additional memories of the future.
Duke Medillion ate silently throughout Luo Nan’s narration, uttering not a word until Luo Nan had finished recounting everything.
Luo Nan watched his father, whose expression remained unchanged and devoid of any emotional fluctuation, and inwardly felt uneasy.
According to his established persona, he seemingly shouldn’t have handled matters so… methodically and orderly?
Would his abnormal behavior arouse Duke Medillion’s suspicion?
After all, in this fantasy world setting, soul-related arcane arts truly existed.
As a top-tier imperial noble, he must have at least heard rumors of the legendary ‘body-snatching’.
Subconsciously, Luo Nan picked up his knife and fork and forcefully stabbed them into the Doran snowflake steak beside his right hand, taking a large bite of the top-grade steak dripping with rich fat—to mask his inner tension.
“Luo Nan, don’t eat so hastily during meals—no one is rushing you.” Duke Medillion seemed to recall something. He set down his utensils and offered Luo Nan a smile—the smile of a father.
“How have you been recently? Encountered any other troubles?”
The man did not continue Luo Nan’s topic; instead, he inquired about his daily life.
“…Fine.”
Speak more, err more; speak less, err less. In Luo Nan’s memories, his impression of Duke Medillion had always been that of a ‘strict father’.
But because his father had always been preoccupied with state affairs and family business, rarely returning home—and compounded by the occurrence of that incident—Luo Nan had degenerated into the ‘Capital’s debauched scoundrel’.
Recalling that memory, Luo Nan compared it with the description of himself in ‘The Shining Myriad Trails’.
“The game truly can’t compare to reality. Such crucial information… they never told me.”
As a villain in the original work, his sole purpose was to be trampled by the protagonist, occupy the joker’s ecological niche, and, to a certain extent, drive the plot forward.
The villain’s past, experiences—none of these mattered, and no one cared.
But Luo Nan was now a living, breathing person. Whenever he recalled that memory, the wound in his heart would bleed anew.
“I truly am Luo Nan.”
Feeling that unmistakably genuine emotion, Luo Nan once again confirmed his identity.
He was Luo Nan. He was Luo Nan von Medillion.
“Mm, I see. Luo Nan, ever since your mother…”
Duke Medillion abruptly paused here. He suddenly remembered he shouldn’t mention Luo Nan’s mother in front of him.
Realizing this, Duke Medillion somewhat awkwardly added: “Luo Nan, I’ve found another item that might resolve your ‘supernatural insulator’ issue. I’ve already had it delivered to your room—you can try it after the meal.”
“By the way, regarding yesterday’s assassination incident—I’m already aware. I’ll assign you stronger bodyguards afterward. Yesterday’s guards will also receive appropriate punishment.”
“Good.”
Luo Nan looked at the man before him, who had long shed his official facade and now appeared merely as an aging father, unsure how to respond.
He could sense the genuine concern in the man’s words, but… because of that incident, he still harbored a trace of resentment toward the man across from him.
“Father, I’ve finished eating. Allow me to take my leave.”
Luo Nan was intensely curious about the item Duke Medillion mentioned—the one supposedly capable of resolving his ‘supernatural insulator’ condition—and intended to inspect it immediately.
Because he recalled what his ‘worldline announcer’ had said last night: [The world will grant you a certain reward, opening new possibilities for you, Luo Nan.]
He had a premonition—that item was his ‘reward’.
Seeing his son so eager to leave, Duke Medillion sighed almost imperceptibly and added:
“Go ahead. Oh, and one more thing.”
“What?”
“Your sister will return home soon. She’ll enroll with you in September.”
Sister?
Hearing this word from his father, Luo Nan instinctively responded: “I don’t even…”
But halfway through, he forcibly swallowed the rest of the sentence.
The reason? Memories from his previous life playing ‘The Shining Myriad Trails’ suddenly surfaced in his mind—
Qili von Medillion, second daughter of Duke Medillion, Luo Nan’s only sister, hailed as a ‘once-in-a-century prodigy in both magic and martial arts’. Her talent in magic and swordsmanship was astonishing; moreover, she had already entered the second tier of the supernatural realm a year ago.
One could say that describing his sister as a ‘daughter favored by heaven’ was actually underselling her caliber.
But none of that was the main point.
The main point was—
Qili von Medillion was one of the heroines of ‘The Shining Myriad Trails’.
In the original work, although Qili hailed from the Medillion family, she shared not a single interaction with Luo Nan throughout the plot. Their relationship appeared only in this heroine’s character profile—and even then, merely mentioned in passing.
In Luo Nan’s memories, his relationship with Qili was also practically irreconcilable.
Ever since she defied the family’s objections a year ago to embark on a ‘world-circling journey of cultivation’, she had never returned home.
The relationship between the two, already shattered by that incident, had only worsened since.
Luo Nan felt that if Qili returned, it would be a miracle if she didn’t immediately draw her sword to slash him.
Moreover, the reason he so detested this sister—aside from that incident—was another crucial factor:
Her values were completely incompatible with his, a fallen noble scoundrel.
As the saying goes, ‘When words don’t match, even half a sentence is too much’. Ever since that incident, every meeting, every conversation between them inevitably ended in quarrels.
In the plot of ‘The Shining Myriad Trails’, Qili von Medillion later even severed ties with her family and voluntarily renounced the surname ‘Medillion’.
But now, having merged with his previous-life memories, Luo Nan felt neither hatred nor approval toward his sister’s choices.
“Sigh, this is troublesome.”
“Father, you know Qili’s personality. Given our relationship… never mind, I’ll do my best to avoid conflict with her afterward.”
Although Luo Nan felt his words were perfectly normal—befitting a brother with a terrible relationship with his sister—in Duke Medillion’s eyes, they appeared like a ray of dawn piercing through dark clouds.
Nothing complicated—based on Duke Medillion’s understanding of Luo Nan, the mere fact that he could utter such a compromising statement already qualified as the prodigal son returning.
“This… is enough. No matter what, we are still a family.”
“Of course, Father,” Luo Nan paused, seeing Duke Medillion had nothing further to add, and bid farewell: “If there’s nothing else, I shall take my leave. I know Father is busy with state affairs, but please… take care of your health.”
Having said that, Luo Nan bowed respectfully to Duke Medillion and turned to leave.
“Has my son… finally emerged from the shadow of that incident?”
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