Victor Caden was a man of average height with a slightly broad build. His dark hair was touched with streaks of gray, complementing his sharp dark eyes, fair complexion, and neatly trimmed beard.
His features were unmistakably Western, yet what truly set him apart was the quiet air of authority and refinement that seemed to surround him wherever he went.
Seated beside him was his mother, Isolde Caden.
Unlike her son, the resemblance between them was minimal.
She was a woman in her sixties with neatly styled white hair and a face marked by stern yet dignified features. Despite her age, she carried herself with remarkable elegance, her graceful bearing commanding as much respect as her silence.
Once they had taken their seats, Victor exchanged a few words with his family, asking about their well-being and listening to their brief replies.
Only then did dinner finally begin.
Stella and Evelyn watched the scene from the doorway leading to the dining room.
Having been sent there by the personal attendants, they were kept at a distance, making it impossible to hear the family's conversation clearly.
From the outside, it looked like an ordinary family dinner.
Yet the atmosphere suggested otherwise.
To Stella, this wasn't anything like her own family, or even the Loran family. Whatever their flaws, those families had at least felt like families.
The Cadens were different.
For most of the meal, Victor and his mother were the ones speaking, while everyone else simply listened, pretending to be interested. Every now and then, Cecilia or her daughter would join the conversation.
As for Marion and her two sons, they mostly remained silent, offering only the occasional nod. It was usually her eldest son who spoke from time to time.
His features bore a slight resemblance to his father's, unlike his younger brother, who looked almost exactly like their mother, and whenever he smiled while speaking with Victor, there was a faint trace of pride on his face.
Although Evelyn couldn't hear the conversation clearly, she was still satisfied.
At the very least, she had finally learned the identities of all the members of the Caden family and gotten a glimpse of how they treated one another.
For someone who had only known them through rumors before, this was more than enough for the time being.
As dinner continued, the family was soon presented with the dessert prepared for an important occasion, the celebration of the eldest son's promotion to a significant position.
Two maids carefully carried the dessert into the dining room, while Stella and Evelyn followed behind them, carrying the drinks.
However, just as one of the maids was placing the drinks on the table, her hand trembled.
A small amount of a drink spilled onto the dessert, ruining part of the carefully arranged decoration.
The maid's face immediately turned pale.
"Please forgive me, Madam!"
Isolde Caden's expression darkened.
"Do you understand what you have done?"
Her cold voice made the maid lower her head even further.
"Such an important celebration, yet you ruined the dessert at the most crucial moment. This is an extremely bad sign."
The maid immediately fell to her knees, trembling,
"Please, Madam! It was an accident! Please don't dismiss me!"
The atmosphere around the table changed instantly.
Victor Caden's expression also turned serious, and even William, who had remained calm throughout the dinner, frowned slightly.
Evelyn stood quietly at the side, not knowing what to do, but Stella had already started thinking.
If this maid was really dismissed because of such a ridiculous reason, then what about them?
They were also servants who had only just arrived.
Would they all be blamed? And if they were thrown out now...
Stella's expression remained calm, but her thoughts became slightly desperate.
"Great... Just great! If we get kicked out too, I'll have to wander around with that group of lunatics again. My money isn't even enough for me to leave on my own right now."
She really did not want to return to that situation.
After a brief hesitation, Stella stepped forward.
"Please forgive me for speaking out of turn, Madam."
Her quite voice attracted everyone's attention.She lowered her head slightly before continuing.
"But... perhaps this is not necessarily a bad sign."
The room fell silent.
Stella glanced at the dessert before speaking carefully.
"The shape has changed, but perhaps it has become even more meaningful."
She paused, recalling the strange things her grandmother used to watch on television when she was a child. Those fortune-telling programs had always seemed ridiculous to her. But at this moment, they were surprisingly useful.
"My grandmother once said that when something spreads instead of remaining in one place, it can represent blessings spreading outward and good fortune reaching more people."
No one spoke for a moment.
Isolde Caden looked at the dessert again.
The spilled drink had indeed changed the original design, but the new pattern did not look unpleasant. In fact, it gave the decoration a strange yet unexpected elegance.
Her stern eyes returned to Stella.
"So... that is your interpretation?"
Stella lowered her head slightly.
"Yes, Madam. It may only be a simple coincidence, but perhaps there is no need to see it as a bad luck immediately."
Isolde remained silent for a few seconds, studying Stella carefully. Most servants would have lowered their heads and apologized. They would not dare interfere.
"Interesting," Isolde finally said. Her expression softened only slightly.
"Perhaps you are right."
The tension in the room gradually faded.
Victor's expression relaxed, and William's frown disappeared as well.
The maid remained kneeling for a few seconds before finally lowering her head in relief, tears of gratitude gathering in her eyes, and the servants quickly adjusted the dessert's arrangement, making small changes to complement the unexpected pattern rather than hide the accident.
Soon, the dining room returned to its former calm.
The soft conversations resumed, the elegant atmosphere was restored, and the faint sound of silverware once again echoed across the table.
Stella quietly stepped back beside Evelyn, letting out a small breath of relief.
The rest of the dinner continued without any further incidents.