Seeing her sister's puzzled expression, Caine suddenly felt this was an opportunity. He studied her carefully, then spoke seriously: "Melissa, you're not showing enough respect for tonight's dinner." "What?" Melissa looked completely confused. Caine pointed to her neck. "As a lady, you're still missing a necklace to complement the setting." Before his sister could speak, he smiled and pulled out from his pocket a silver amulet adorned with angel feathers: "Good thing I had it ready for you." "..." Melissa was first taken aback, then asked immediately, "How much is it?" Sister, you're focusing on the wrong thing... Caine silently remarked, then smiled and explained, "Actually, it's not expensive—originally it was just a half-finished piece. I carved the blessing inscription and elegant patterns based on ancient artifacts I've seen before." "You carved it yourself?" Melissa had indeed been diverted. "How does it look?" "How do you think my craftsmanship turned out?" Kline casually offered the amulet to his sister. Melissa studied it repeatedly, then gently bit her lower lip. "I like the angel feathers around the edges." She paused. "You could have just said the carvings and symbols looked unattractive—there was no need to hide it. After all, the amulet's main purpose is the effect!." Kline gave a slight draw of the corners of his mouth, just about to persuade his sister to accept it, when he noticed Melissa wearing the silver necklace with a look of reluctant determination, carefully positioning the amulet. "Perfect," Kline said, offering an overly enthusiastic compliment. Melissa glanced at him, then looked down at the amulet, and murmured, "Kline, you weren't like this before. Not like this..." "Maybe it's because I've landed a good job and have a steady income—perhaps that's made me more confident," Kline interrupted, offering an explanation before she could continue. Well, although I've inherited fragments of the original owner's memories and there are no major issues overall, some details still reflect my genuine personality—especially as I grow more natural in my interactions with Bensen and Melissa. He sighed quietly to himself. Melissa seemed to agree with his reasoning, and with a slight nod, said, "You're doing wonderfully now—truly wonderful." After a while of casual conversation between the siblings, Bensen changed into his attire and descended the stairs. In a white shirt, black jacket, tailcoat, black tie, and straight-cut trousers, he looked completely refreshed, like a successful professional who has finally achieved his own career after years of hard work. His hairline was also quite similar—Clay smiled to himself. "Excellent, Bensen—you look perfectly suited in this outfit," he said, spreading his hands with a bright smile. Melissa nodded seriously beside him as well. "It turns out, clothes matter more than the person themselves," Bensen quipped to himself. Klein took out the remaining amulet at the opportune moment, repeated his earlier explanation, and finally said, "I've also made one for you." "Good— I'll keep it with me," Bassen accepted calmly, adding with a light touch, "Klein, even if one day you suddenly start cutting hair, tailoring clothes, repairing clocks, or feeding the long-haired baboons, I won't find it at all strange." "Life is always full of surprises and unexpected events," Klein replied with a smile. The girl with her wine-red hair gave Melissa a warm embrace: "I really like your dress—it makes you look especially beautiful." At her side stood her father, Mr. Wood, a senior employee at the Tingen branch of the Bank of Beckett. "Welcome, our most esteemed brother! Welcome, our young historian!" he greeted Benson and Klein with a touch of theatrical flair. Young historian... why not add "with integrity"? Klein murmured a quiet critique to himself, removed his hat, and smiled in response: "Mr. Wood, you're far more energetic and youthful than I imagined." His praise had, unconsciously, taken on the tone of the great gastronomic empire. Benson reached out to shake Mr. Wood's hand: "I've met many bank employees, but they all share the same stiffness and pride—like the most advanced machines. None of them have your grace." "If you'd met me at the bank, your assessment might have been quite different," Wood smiled warmly. After a few pleasantries, Silena, now wearing her new dress, led the siblings inside with a lively gait, occasionally speaking normally, "Elizabeth has arrived," and at other moments lowering her voice to Melissa, "Your two brothers are more handsome than I imagined." Hey, my hearing's quite good... though you're clearly saying nice things... Caine watched the two sixteen-year-old girls walking side by side ahead, feeling a bit exasperated. Actually, I'm still quite a ways from being considered handsome... Ugh, Miss Silena, how exactly did you imagine me and Bensen as unattractive? One reserved, unassuming, pale-faced, with dull eyes, and the other with thinning hair and premature signs of aging? Caine gently pressed his fingers against his brow, diligently practicing his "clairvoyance." Miss Selena is in excellent health, cheerful, and very happy... Mr. Wood has a slight issue with his lungs, yes, I saw his pipe... Clarence looked around the room with a pleasant expression. "Elizabeth, Melissa has arrived," said Miss Selena lightly, calling out toward the front. A young girl in a blue lace dress approached. She had naturally wavy brown hair and a charming baby-faced appearance. Clarence was momentarily taken aback, as he recognized her. He had even helped her choose an amulet at the underground market! Elizabeth first exchanged greetings with Melissa, then turned toward Benson and Clarence. She paused, her brows slightly furrowed, as though pondering something. Soon, she smiled warmly and greeted them with composed politeness. Klein also feigned not recognizing his guest, following old Wood to the sofa area of the living room, where he was introduced to Chris, Selena's brother, and other guests. Watching Bensen engage pleasantly with Chris and the other transactional lawyers, discussing matters related to his neighbor,肖德, Klein found himself increasingly envious. I simply lack such social grace... He picked up a glass of aperitif from a table in the corner, listened quietly, occasionally nodding and offering a few polite chuckles. Not long after, all the guests had arrived, and the dinner officially began. Due to the large number of guests, the Wood family's dining table could not accommodate everyone, so the dinner was served buffet-style. The maids brought plates of steaks, roasted chicken, fried fish, and mashed potatoes to various tables, while the footmen cut the portions to ensure they were conveniently sized for serving. Klein was struck by the elegant porcelain plates and silver cutlery, finding the Wood household—already a middle-class family—remarkably lavish. "Since he's so well-off, why does Chris still need to plan several more years for the wedding?" he thought of something his sister had once mentioned. "Ah—perhaps it's all about accumulating such fine tableware. For a family like this, dignity truly matters!" As his thoughts flowed, Cline picked up a porcelain plate and went to the table, forked a piece of honey-glazed roast meat. At that moment, Elizabeth, with her endearing baby-faced charm, approached, gazing at the food and softly said, "I didn't know you were Melissa's brother. Thank you—I'm so glad赛琳娜 likes the amulet I gave her. She said she feels healthier already just after putting it on." Cline suddenly remembered the reason the young woman had chosen the amulet back then: to give as a birthday gift to a friend who loved the esoteric arts! Was that friend actually Selina? Did Selina have a special affinity for the mystical realm? Cline furrowed his brow slightly, politely remarked, "That might simply be a placebo effect." As soon as he said this, he began waiting for Elizabeth to praise Emperor Rosel. But Elizabeth's reaction was one of genuine confusion: "What is a placebo?" "It's purely psychological—sometimes, when we firmly believe we'll improve, we actually do improve," Cline explained briefly. "No, she says it feels different from the amulets she's bought before—different in a way." Elizabeth emphasized this point. She glanced at Cline curiously, saying, "I didn't expect Melissa's brother to be a specialist in esoteric studies." "You know, I study history, so I naturally encounter such things often," Cline smoothly shifted the topic, then asked, "Did you also attend Tinggen's Technical School?" "No—I used to be classmates with Celine and Melissa. After they moved to the Technical School, I went to the Ivos Public School nearby." "Elizabeth explained seriously. The public school was not a state-funded institution but a school open to the public, evolving from excellent grammar schools with the goal of preparing graduates for university entrance. It was quite expensive, and applicants were assessed based on their family background—even the average middle class often found it difficult to afford. She didn't linger, simply selected the food and returned to Serina. After celebrating the birthday of the evening's featured guest, the dinner gradually wound down. Kline and Bensen were invited to join the Texas hold'em game, with small and big blinds set at halfpenny and one penny, respectively. Meanwhile, Melissa, along with Elizabeth and Serina, went up to the second floor, either chatting or playing another game. Kline had been unlucky today, playing over twenty hands without securing a single strong hand, constantly checking his cards and folding, acting as a passive observer. He once again lifted a corner of his card, revealing the two of hearts and the five of spades. "Shall we bluff?" Klein considered it for a moment, but still couldn't summon the courage, and restrained himself from cheating through divination. He covered the cards, tapped the table to indicate he wouldn't call, then rose and walked away from the long table toward the restroom. Rousseau, too, was someone with obsessive tendencies—strangely enough, he had come up with an odd reason to continue calling this game "Texas Hold'em." Klein shook his head as he walked. At that moment, however, he suddenly stopped, his eyes narrowing. His intuition told him there was something unusual happening upstairs!