Chapter 2

As for why it ended up being nine sons… The master had just stroked his beard and said it was a secret.

With so many "real heirs" and a bunch of impostors claiming to be the real deal popping up so often, it only made me, the fake heir who'd grown up by Mother and Father's side, all the more precious.

On top of that, I had a sweet tongue and said all the right things. It was only natural that I was favored.

While Mother and I spoke, Jean returned with the bowl.

Yes, Isaac didn't even get the chance to meet Mother. The household already had a fully streamlined process to test kinship now.

Mother looked at the two drops of blood fusing in the bowl and shed tears of relief. Then, she said, "Hurry up and arrange a courtyard for Isaac, my ninth son! Pass down the order—if anyone else comes claiming to be my son in the future, chase them all away!"

…

Isaac was brought to Mother's courtyard after being cleaned and made presentable.

Why just the courtyard and not a room, where it was more private? Mainly because there were too many people. A small room really couldn't fit them all.

After Isaac was led to the courtyard in a daze, his "brothers" swarmed him, talking over one another.

"How old are you this year, Isaac?"

"You moron. He's obviously the same age as the rest of us!"

"Where have you been all these years? Why are you only coming home now?"

"Have you had any schooling?"

"You look pale. Are you on some kind of medicine?"

"What are you good at? We can learn from each other."

Mother watched her nine sons with deep satisfaction. They were rowdy, sure, but every one of them was a fine young man.

Ashton Reed was the first one "reunited" with the family. He had both brains and brawn.

Bernard Reed was the second one "reunited", but he had zero interest in books or calligraphy. He was now a junior general in the Reaper Battalion and was often away from home.

Corey Reed was the third one "reunited". He'd grown up dirt poor and was terrified of being broke again. The moment he joined the family, he threw himself into learning how to make money. Now, most of the household's income depended on him.

Damien, Edmund, Fred, Gareth, and Harry Reed—the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth to be "reunited" with the family—had all returned relatively late, but they had each thrown themselves into learning a useful skill.

Damien, despite his rough, burly looks, was especially gifted at embroidery. During the years when Mother's hands were "punished" due to all the pricking for kinship tests and she couldn't sew, all the embroidered gifts sent from our household to curry favor with the consorts in the palace had actually been made by Damien.

Edmund excelled at painting. Fred excelled at medicine. Gareth was smooth and silver-tongued; he excelled at dealing with people. Harry had come late, but he was sharp and quick on the uptake. He was now serving as the crown prince's study companion.

And me?

I was a master at modern cuisine and had a firm hold on everyone's stomachs.

What about Isaac?

As far as I knew, he wasn't good at anything. After that peasant woman swapped me with him, he actually hadn't suffered that much. But her family had been strapped for cash, so there was no way they could have afforded to let him pick up this skill or that.

"Who… Who are they?" Isaac finally asked, his voice shaking.

"Isaac, these are all your brothers. Now, come on and meet them," Mother said, her expression warm and kind.

Isaac looked like he was about to pass out. He had never imagined that after traveling all this way to be reunited with his real family, he would be greeted by eight brothers who had come before him.

"No, this can't be true! Only I'm the real deal! I'm your only son! Mother, they're lying to you!" he cried.

The entire courtyard instantly fell silent.

The smile on Mother's face faded, and her brow furrowed ever so slightly. She said coolly, "Isaac, don't be silly. These are all your real brothers. Just like you, they share blood ties with me. How can that be faked?"

"Blood ties? What are you even talking about?" Isaac shouted. "These people have to be fakes! This is part of someone's scheme! Mother, you have to believe me. I'm your only son!"

He shook all over, his gaze sweeping across the brothers' varied expressions. In the end, his eyes landed on me, standing by Mother's side. It was like he had suddenly found proof. His hand trembled as he pointed straight at me.

He yelled, "Him! It has to be him! Jared Reed, you did this, didn't you? You're back again, aren't you? You knew I was coming back, so you rounded up these fakes to go against me, didn't you?"

I stood right next to Mother, still holding a pine nut I'd been shelling for her. At Isaac's outburst, I let an appropriate hint of confusion show on my face.