Minhyun froze in trepidation as he walked inside the opulent dining hall. It had been a while since he last attended an event like this, and with all the people around him, he felt his brain start to shut down. He didn't know if he had to sit next to them, away from them, or if there was a specific spot he was assigned to. It was his first time here, and without the knowledge to back him up, all he could do was ask the person in his head.

"Hey, where should I sit?"

Julius' eyes snapped open. He monotonously groaned before saying.

"Just sit wherever you want... does it really matter."

Not wanting to stand out, Minhyun chose to sit at the far edge of the table. He didn't want to get close, lest he risk drawing the suspicions of others. Though, doing so only made Julius shake his head.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing? I'm playing it safe."

"Why?"

…

Minhyun wanted to retort, but after thinking about it, he realized that there was nothing for him to say. It wasn't like he was a criminal, and with the big boss sitting right next to him, it wasn't like they would arrest their own family. It actually made a lot of sense for him to put it that way, and without the risk of dying, he felt like he could now focus his attention on the real issue at hand… The food.

Wtf is this…

In front of him was a plate of moving black sludge. It was dark, with wriggling grey tendrils grasping at the edges of the plate. A continuous low belching sound erupted from its mouth, and for some reason it was slowly eating parts of itself.

Grasping a fork with his hands, Minhyun cautiously uttered himself a prayer before scooping some up.

You can do this. You've eaten worse.

However, after tasting it, he was surprised by the flavor it had. It was spicy and salty, with a hint of sweetness hidden inside. To be honest, although it looked unappetizing as fuck, it was sure as hell tasty.

Why is this actually the best thing I've ever eaten?

Now excited to try out the new dishes, his attention was immediately caught by a plate of floating white rocks. They were small, around the size of pebbles, and they radiated around a long golden pillar in the center.

While he struggled to grasp one, a slim hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere and helped push one onto his plate. Surprised, Minhyun looked over to see a mature woman with purple eyes staring at his face. She had long, flowy black hair that curled down to the sides of her hips and wore a dark dress with purple frills that encapsulated her slightly plump body.

Then, with his attention now drawn on her, she spoke.

"Is everything alright? It's been a while since you've dined with us, and Mommy's heart hurts from how cold you've been."

Huh?

A question rang in Minhyun's mind as he stared directly at her large breasts.

Is she talking to me?

Worried about what he should do next, he whispered.

"Pssst, Julius, I think there's an issue."

A brief pause sounded before a listless voice answered back.

"What is it..."

"I can't understand what they're saying."

Julius stood there thinking. Then he sighed.

"Haa, switch spots with me."

Relinquishing control of his body, Minhyun felt his soul start to shift as the mythical out of body experience returned to greet him for a third time.

I will never get used to that.

However, now that he was free from the nerve-racking position of the driver's seat, he felt like he could now get a better look at the people around him. With how Julius behaved, he was slightly curious about the family who had raised him.

"Hey, shouldn't you introduce them to me?"

Julius just stared at him before putting his fork back down. Then, using his fingers, he pointed towards the girl wearing a white shirt.

"The girl on the right is Emily, my little sister... You should remember her. She's the one that knocked on the door."

Then, as if contemplating his words, he added.

"But you shouldn't get too close to her. She's a pain in the ass."

Minhyun's face scrunched from Julius' description. He remembered the terror she had caused him, but after looking at her appearance, he was stunned. Before his eyes was a short little girl. Although she was slightly taller than Julius, the innocent aura oozing out of her body made her seem smaller than she actually was. She had red hair and red eyes, the same as her brother's, and she even seemed to be wearing the same clothes as him, just in a different size.

Honestly, he couldn't believe the words Julius had said. Nothing about her screamed annoying. And if anything, he was the pain in the ass to deal with.

Therefore, with the moral high ground, he condescendingly said.

"Hey, I think you're overreacting. There's no way your little sister's like that. Just look at her."

Julius just shook his head at Minhyun's words. He knew it'd only be a matter of time before he'd find out how much of a nuisance she truly was. With that thought, he pointed his finger towards the man sitting on the left.

"The man in the brown suit is my elder brother, Lawrence. He's the current head of the Mondeau family and the one in charge of managing the city, Yerim."

Looking over, Minhyun saw a larger man with a gentle face. Though, unlike the brother and sister duo, he had deep purple eyes and short black hair that was tied at the back. It was obvious that he had taken more aspects from his mother.

Done with the two on the side, Julius then moved on to the people at the center.

"As for the two seated in the middle, the man is my father, Heinrich."

…

"And the woman is my mother… Evelyn."

In the middle, Minhyun saw the woman that had helped him before. And as for the man, he looked like a middle aged version of Julius. More mature, taller, and bigger. Basically a full on upgrade compared to the short and skinny rat that he was next to.

Finished with his introductions, Julius then took a bite of his food before quietly spitting it back into his napkin.

Minhyun paused when he saw this. After a couple of seconds, he tentatively asked.

"Hey, if you don't want to eat that, then let's switch spots. I can eat it for you."

Julius wiped his mouth.

"They say good food develops a good mind. You must've starved as a child."

Hearing the sarcasm in his voice, Minhyun quipped.

"Have you seen how I look? I clearly eat well."

Then, to further emphasize his point, he grabbed his belly before jiggling it around.

"You clearly don't eat. Does that mean that you're stupid?"

"No, it means that even with such a disadvantage, I'm inherently superior to you."

...

Get me out. I don't want to be here anymore.

Julius chuckled. However, after a bit of time, a sinking feeling crept up inside of him. He didn't want to praise the man, but he knew he had to give credit where credit was due.

"I'm not saying it's a good idea, but it's not a bad one. Truthfully, I'm surprised you can think of that."

Minhyun smiled. Peeking over his shoulder, he cheekily said.

"Ohhh... I didn't expect the great and mighty Julius to say something like that. Who knew you could actually complement people."

Julius turned away before muttering.

"Shut up. Even an idiot can come up with a good idea every once in a while."

Minhyun froze. His fingers quivered as he thought.

There's no way he's one of those… right?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, the family of four plus one butler were currently huddled together, having a private meeting. A short little girl was leading it with gusto.

"See, I told you I wasn't lying."

Nodding his head in agreement, an older male responded with terror in his voice.

"It seems Emily really was telling the truth. Isolation truly is a terrifying thing."

Scared of what Julius would turn into, Emily then shook her older brother's shoulder and said.

"What do we do, Lawrence? He's been talking to himself for the past minute now. If we don't do anything, then he'll be like this forever."

A deep and mature voice cut into the conversation.

"Leave him be, just let him do whatever he wants. He's old enough to decide for himself."

After saying that, the man then turned towards his wife and said.

"Isn't that right, honey?"

The woman, still in a daze, woke up from her thoughts, and with melancholy in her eyes, she said.

"Yeah, he's old enough to decide for himself. But we should still give him options to pick from."

She then turned towards the old man patiently waiting by the side.

"Marus, there should be a registration form for Verus Academy sitting on my desk. As the closest one to Julius, would you mind sending it to him."

Marus bowed before saying.

"Not at all."

…

Walking out of the window and into the empty hall, Julius rubbed his eyes in drowsiness. Dinner had ended. And other than a couple of pleasantries, only a few minor topics hit the table. It was awkward, like really awkward. But he understood why that was the case. It had been a while since he'd last seen his family, let alone talk to them, so they probably didn't know what to say to him.

With time quickly running out, and sleeplessness catching up to him, he posed a question that had been bothering him for a while now.

"You clearly have the power to control my body. So why do you keep listening to my orders?"

Minhyun looked at Julius dead in the eyes. After wriggling his fingers like a creep, he blankly said.

"Oh… I'm just waiting for you to go to sleep. Once you do, then that's when I'll strike."

"..."

Julius just stared at him with an unamused look.

Wow… what a tough crowd.

With his joke falling flat, Minhyun answered truthfully.

"I just don't want to. It'd feel wrong for me to take advantage of you. It's your body after all. Plus, I wouldn't want anyone else doing that to me."

He smiled after saying that.

A strange emotion rose in Julius. It just didn't make any sense to him. He could never imagine himself being content with living under someone else's rule. Nevertheless, a part of him still felt comforted by his words. With that thought, he felt his eyes slowly start to shut, and after a bit of time, he fell asleep.

"Julius… Hey, Julius!"

Minhyun tried calling out to him, but after looking at his sleeping soul, he just shook his head.

Haaa... Couldn't you have waited ten more seconds?

I don't know where to go.

Now lost, Minhyun started to wander around the halls like a lost child looking for his mother. Everything here looked the same to him. Long, dimly lit halls with doors as far as the eye could see, and with no one there to keep him company, he started to talk to himself.

Should I open them all like I did last time?

No, don't be stupid. Without Julius, who knows what will happen to you?

However, while he was busy talking to himself, a speeding body suddenly slammed into him.

"I'm happy that you decided to join us this time. I knew you'd come around."

A little girl latched onto his back as he fell face first into the hard, solid floor. His entire body crumbled, and he suddenly recalled the description Julius had given him.

"But you shouldn't get too close to her. She's a pain in the ass."

In the end, blood slowly spilled from Minhyun's face. With the last bit of consciousness he had left, he apologized.

Julius, I'm sorry.

I shouldn't have doubted you.

You were right.

Then, with a fractured skull and a broken nose, he passed out on the cold hard floor.