As they mingled with the Family, Ivan and Roman stayed close to Wolfe’s side, introducing him to the various important members of the family since the only adult other than Uncle Ivan that he already knew well was Johnny, his boss at the courier company.

His usually loud and crude boss was quite polite and subdued in the face of the two elders, and Wolfe noticed that he was one of the few wealthy men who weren’t wearing gloves, despite his age and the respect he got from the others.

“You know Johnny, yes? He married Roman’s daughter. June,” Uncle Ivan told Wolfe with a note of approval in his voice.

“Indeed I do. I have been a courier at his company for a number of years now.” Wolfe informed the two older men.

“Not a bad start. Couriers build a lot of muscle that will come in useful later in life. Especially a life like ours. But we can talk about fitness routines after dinner. It should be time for the ladies to return soon, and we can eat.” Roman commended him.

“Come sit by me so I can introduce you to everyone.” Uncle Ivan instructed Wolfe, cutting off their conversation without any hint of emotion on his face or in his voice. This was his business face, getting ready to flex his position as Family head in front of the assembled guests.

Wolfe was aware that the seat by the Patriarch was an honour, but the look on Johnny’s face said he underestimated just how much of an honour it was. The Courier company boss was almost green with envy, for in all the years since he had married into the family, he had never once been seated next to the Patriarch. Still, the boy who worked for him got the honour the first time he attended dinner after his eighteenth birthday.

Wolfe met a few of the ladies on his way to the head of the table, where he was seated between Ivan and Roman in clear sight of anyone who looked toward the Patriarch. There was a young woman beside Roman, next to Johnny, which must make her June, Roman’s daughter, but for the most part, Wolfe had already forgotten the other adults’ names and their relation to the family.

“Welcome again, Noxus Family. It is good to see so many of you could come this month, for we have a special event today.

Wolfe has just recently turned eighteen, and after some training, we have high hopes that he will be taking his place in the main family. Please treat him well and make him feel at home as the youngest of your peers.” Ivan greeted the assembled guests.

Wolfe could see a few jealous looks at the news, all from men without gloves, which Wolfe had just now realized were the mark of the Main Family’s men, the ones who could at least feel mana.

One look among the crowd was very different from the others and certainly not at all like the jealous ones he was getting from the men. A woman in a high-necked blouse that emphasized her neck and made her chubby cheeks look even larger than they should be was giving him a hungry look that made Wolfe’s skin crawl.

Not lust, though it was similar. The look on her face was pure greed like he was a prize to be claimed.

She was seated with an older woman who must be her mother and a man in an expensive suit who had arrived just in time for dinner. There was a much smaller woman beside him, one Wolfe would have called a teen girl had she not been here at the adults’ table.

That one stared directly at her plate, but Wolfe could see she was listening to the conversation. He hoped she learned some courage soon, the Noxus Family was no place for the cowardly.

ƥαṇdαηθνε|

When Witches had children with non-Witches, the offspring usually had weaker magic until they eventually weren’t Witches at all. Melody was one of those cases, but there was always a chance that a prodigy could be born of her and her future husband and catapult the family into Nobility.

That possibility alone would make her a highly desirable Bachelorette to advancement-minded young men, and it was clear from her haughty demeanour that she knew it.

Wolfe nodded politely, then looked to the younger sister, who had raised her head enough to look at him for a moment.

“It is a pleasure to meet you both. I don’t believe I caught the other sister’s name.” Wolfe told them.

“This is Cassandra, who prefers to go by Cassie. She doesn’t speak much, but she will be headed for training this semester as well.” Her father answered on her behalf, giving the silent daughter a gentle look.

“Since the two training academies share a campus, perhaps you can keep an eye out for her. I will give you the details after dinner.” Uncle Ivan announced, causing all eyes in the room to turn to Wolfe.

But the man in question didn’t have a single clue what was going on yet. Other than some altered videos of Witch Idols, he had never taken any interest in all in knowing about the lives and training of the Nobility. Until today, he hadn’t been overly concerned with the Noxus Family’s traditions for their core members either. What he did know was that Uncle Ivan was going to tell him something after dinner, and the family’s training must be part of it.

Melody looked more than a little sour at the news that Wolfe and Cassie were going to be trained together, but Wolfe couldn’t see what sort of training would have the two of them paired up in any meaningful way.

He knew that the Noxus Family men were trained to fight at various academies. That was no secret. Every Crime Family sent their youth out to be trained if they seemed promising enough to join the family business.

He had learned today that many of the Noxus Elders had an affinity for mana, but unless everything he knew about the Magi being totally exterminated during the great war was a lie, they couldn’t actually use magic. More importantly, it sounded like Cassie was going to be trying to challenge the Witch proficiency tests, and that certainly had nothing to do with him, as male witches couldn’t use magic either.

The dinner passed quickly, with everyone making small talk to catch up on the month’s news, and the end of the meal came much too suddenly when Uncle Ivan stood up from his chair and motioned for Wolfe and Roman to follow him out of the dining room.

The guests around the table all stood to bow as he left, then returned to their desserts and gossip, much more at ease now that the head of the family was gone.

Uncle Ivan led them to his personal study, then activated the white noise filter and locked the door, soundproofing the room to protect against any attempts at eavesdropping.

“What I need to tell you should not go beyond this room. In all the centuries that the Noxus Family has been in the City, working to regain what we lost during the war, only two men have been born with a strong enough Magi Bloodline to gather Mana.

The first was me. The second, I suspect, is you.”