The Herb King

Dinner soon arrived and the members of the Lassiter Household gathered in the dining area. They kept on looking at the veiled beauty who was dining together with them.

"Miss Julie, why is Grace not with you? Where is she?" Janrose asked curiously. The two sisters were inseparable, but Grace was not with her this time.

Julie Irish glanced at her and replied. "She is preparing for the entrance exam of the academy. She is aiming to ace the test in the Esper Department."

"Is that so? Too bad. I won't allow her though." Janrose chuckled.

Pak!

Janeth smacked the back of her head. "You arrogant child! How could you say something like that to our guest?!" She scolded her daughter. She then turned her gaze to Julie Irish and smiled apologetically at her. "Please don't mind her, Miss Julie. She is just speaking nonsense."

"You also plan to enroll in the Esper Department?" Julie Irish stared at her in surprise. Janrose was a student of a Level 4 Alchemist and it was said that her talent in Alchemy was not beneath that of the crown prince.

Janrose rubbed the back of her head as she nodded. "Yes! I don't need to learn Alchemy in the academy since I already have Sir Aethelwolf. He will teach me Alchemy and I will learn how to fight in the academy." She said while smiling brightly.

Julie Irish sighed upon hearing this. Janrose was already a great talent. Now that he has Aethelwolf backing her up, she would soon become a central figure in the Leone Empire.

"Sir Aethelwolf said that he will let Leric join the Alchemy Department to further his study. He is much more talented than me." Janrose said while looking at the little boy who was sitting beside Melissa.

Hearing this, Julie Irish turned her head at Leric. From what she knew, this little guy was the son of Anton Lassiter and Melissa Lassiter. He is also Aethelwolf's first student. Leric is only three years old, but he is already a Level 1 Esper and a Level 1 Alchemist! His talent was even more monstrous than Janrose's!

"I will also study in the academy. Tee-hee!" Olivia giggled. "Papa said that he will let me enroll in the Esper Department." She added.

"Eh? You too?" Julie Irish stared at the little girl suspiciously. She couldn't sense any power from her and she was no different from a normal human. Why would Aethelwolf let her enroll in the Esper Department?

Olivia eagerly nodded her head. "Mn."

"I figured that it would be a great opportunity for the kids to meet new friends. It would be better for them to go out and meet new people while they are still young." Aethelwolf said as he rubbed Olivia's head.

"But isn't she just a normal human? How could she pass the entrance exam in the Esper Department? Don't tell me that you plan to pull some strings..." Julie Irish stared at him speechlessly.

Aethelwolf chuckled at her words. "You underestimate her too much. I've been hiding it from everyone, but since you are that curious, I will tell you a secret." He paused and scanned everyone. His gaze then rested on Olivia who was eating cookies. "My daughter is an Esper." He said.

His words shocked everyone. No one knew that Olivia was an Esper.

"How come I can't sense her power? The young miss is actually an Esper?" Albert stared at Olivia in utter disbelief. He was a Level 4 Esper, but he didn't sense any world essence from Olivia's body.

Aethelwolf smiled as he patted Olivia's head. "Well, I gave her a gift that can conceal her power..."

Everyone became even more shocked when they heard this. An item that could hide under the detection of Level 4 Espers was at least a Level 4 rune or a Unique-Rated artifact! Aethelwolf actually gave such a precious gift to a child.

'He is spoiling her too much!' They all thought.

"Didn't you want to taste my cooking? Try it." Aethelwolf diverted the topic. He didn't want them to ask more questions about the matter.

"Ah- okay." Julie Irish muttered with a blank look. Even her father didn't give her such a valuable gift when she was still a child, but this guy didn't even hesitate to give one to his adopted daughter... 'Perhaps Olivia is truly his real daughter. That must be it...' this was the only explanation she could think of.

Suddenly, Julie's body jolted when the food entered her mouth. The meat was tender and it almost felt like it was melting in her mouth. The creamy sauce blended perfectly with the taste of the meat, greatly enhancing its flavor. "This... What kind of meat is this?" She asked.

"Oh, that? It's just a slice of meat from a Level 2 magical beast." Aethelwolf casually said.

"Yummy, right? I told you that papa's food is much better than the food in your store. Hehe." Olivia giggled.

Julie Irish couldn't even utter a single word of disagreement. Just one bite from the piece of meat was enough to make her believe that the food in their store was rubbish in comparison. It was like the difference between heaven and earth.

She remained silent as she ate the food on her plate. She vowed in her heart that she wouldn't return home without asking Aethelwolf the secret of his food.

Julie Irish moved closer to Aethelwolf and whispered. "Can you tell me how you did this?"

"Why should I tell you? You should be satisfied with the information in the book." Aethelwolf answered.

"How about I let you see what I truly look like?" She whispered.

Aethelwolf's eyes narrowed upon hearing this. "That is an attractive offer. I'm also curious about what you look like behind that veil, but are you sure about that?" He said as he looked at her.

Julie Irish shrugged. "You already know a lot of things about me. It wouldn't harm me if you knew one more thing."

Aethelwolf smiled at her.