"It's getting late. Let's eat."
Without waiting for Felyn's response, several male servants pushed in a dining cart.
The young lady's luxurious dinner.
The cart was filled with high-grade ingredients Felyn had only seen in magazines.
Speaking of which, this was his first time eating with Viloti.
Viloti sat at the other end of the dining table, elegantly unfolding her napkin.
But Felyn noticed her movements seemed somewhat stiff.
The usually composed young lady now seemed to be forcing herself to appear calm.
The bedroom was somewhat quiet, with only the sounds of knives and forks clinking against plates.
"This is really delicious."
Felyn cut a piece of steak with his knife and fork, putting it in his mouth and savoring how it melted on his tongue.
Viloti gave no response, still completing the dining process like a precise machine.
This was her first time dining alone with a male.
Her mind was blank, unable to understand any language.
"Is Lord Silafiel here tonight?"
Felyn said casually.
Though his heart was nervous as hell.
If that old man found out he'd actually come to the manor to have dinner with his daughter, he'd definitely skin him alive.
Hearing the familiar name, light finally appeared in Viloti's eyes.
"He's not here. He went to the Royal Capital."
Saved.
"Thank you for the hospitality."
Felyn wiped his mouth with a napkin, watching the male servants come to clear his dishes.
And then... there was no "and then."
Viloti and Felyn just sat at the dining table for a full hour with no communication whatsoever.
Conflicted. So conflicted.
How should I start a conversation?
Under the table where Felyn couldn't see, Viloti was about to tear the tablecloth apart.
Since childhood, she'd always been surrounded by a group of annoying boys—she'd never needed to actively find topics of conversation.
Usually Felyn would initiate conversations with her. Why wasn't he talking today?
Felyn looked at Viloti's increasingly gloomy face, not daring to speak at all.
With that murderous expression, he absolutely had to carefully analyze what he should and shouldn't say.
Before dinner, he'd given Viloti a hint to let her gracefully admit that everything she'd done for him was purely out of sympathy.
But she seemed very unhappy about it.
What should he say?
Damn it, he hadn't used the bathroom since noon and couldn't hold it anymore.
"Um, Miss Viloti. I'd like to use the restroom."
"Thank you."
The air felt frozen.
Felyn wondered if Viloti had misspoken, but seeing no expression suggesting she'd said something wrong, he began wondering if "thank you" was some special way the Silafiel family responded.
Of course, Felyn couldn't see that Viloti's ears hidden under her pink hair were burning hot.
Beneath Viloti's calm expression was a not-so-calm heart.
What am I saying?!
Help!
Why did I say thank you?
She'd thought Felyn was going to politely praise something in her house again and instinctively said thank you.
"Speaking of which, Miss Viloti's home is really beautiful. Haha, it's truly enviable."
For the sake of his lower body, Felyn had to work hard to say a few more words with Viloti to learn the Silafiel family language.
He didn't know whether "thank you" meant agreement or disagreement.
Viloti gently shook her head. "It's not as good as you'd imagine."
"Speaking of which, I haven't formally congratulated Miss Viloti on getting into the Royal Capital Academy yet. Unfortunately, I don't have any presentable gifts."
Felyn looked into Viloti's eyes, showing a gentle smile.
Her cold yet delicate face reflected in Felyn's pupils.
Viloti's fingers trembled slightly as she lowered her head.
"Thank you. No gifts are needed."
"Getting into the Royal Capital Academy is wonderful. You'll become a real clergy member, right? With Miss Viloti's talent, you'll surely achieve things beyond my imagination."
Viloti nodded with a thoughtful expression.
"I feel super lucky right now, like being classmates with a superstar before they became famous. Having this time together is enough for me."
Hearing Felyn say this, Viloti unconsciously fell into memories of this period.
To let her eat limited sweets, Felyn slept at the shop entrance the night before.
To deliver a scarf she'd left in the classroom, Felyn stood waiting for her in the pouring rain for two hours.
To cover for her being late, Felyn told the teacher in front of everyone that it was because he'd pestered her, causing her delay.
Wait, why were all my memories about Felyn?
Viloti tried to search for memories of other people, but unfortunately she had no friends. Besides Felyn, she really couldn't think of anyone else.
"After graduation, I plan to use the money I've saved from working these past few years to open a small shop. That's my current dream. When Miss Viloti becomes famous, you can visit me if you have time. By then I might have several children, hahaha."
Felyn kept talking, not giving Viloti any chance to refute.
By contrasting his future with Viloti's, she would realize their future lives had no intersection whatsoever.
Though he didn't know what Viloti was thinking, Felyn wanted to kill all possibilities.
Felyn's voice was light, as if painting a picture.
Hearing these words, cracks finally appeared in Viloti's cold, refined mask.
"So I was too selfish. Someone like me wanting to establish connections with Miss Viloti is rather laughable, isn't it?"
Viloti bit her lip and turned her head slightly to one side.
So cunning.
Saying these things now was too cunning.
If you knew it was like this, why did you approach me in the first place?
What was wrong with me?
Seeing Felyn chatting and laughing with Adeline, she'd instinctively wanted to blow them up, and she really couldn't hold back from doing so.
Hearing Felyn describe how he'd disappear from her world in the future, why did her heart hurt so much?
Three years ago, the Silafiel family wasn't as glorious as it was now.
The destruction of the "Light of Seiwa" Sorester family shocked the noble circle and showed new aristocrats like the Silafiels an opportunity.
To compete for the vast market and resources left after the Sorester family's downfall, the Silafiel family engaged in fierce competition with other nobles.
The unscrupulous competition also affected Viloti.
Young ladies from other families spread rumors at school that Viloti was actually an arrogant young lady who looked down on others.
They even bribed Viloti's friends to trick her into attending a banquet specifically targeting her.
After attending that hostility-filled banquet, Viloti didn't leave her room for six months.
She could see those people's disdainful looks even with her eyes closed, afraid that people would still gossip about her behind her back if she went out.
It was Felyn. Felyn's appearance let Viloti, like a newborn kitten, gradually poke her head out to look at the world.
In him, Viloti could feel a sense of security.
He was like the sun—no matter what happened, he would always appear on time the next day.
Eventually, the Silafiel family won the hyena feeding frenzy, becoming an undeniable major family in Seiwa within a year.
Those who had humiliated her at the banquet all silently disappeared from Seiwa.
Felyn's appearance also shifted everyone's attention to him, making people somewhat sympathetic to her instead.
Everything gradually got better, and perhaps she was now excellent enough.
But the sun would never rise again.
"Miss Viloti, the clothes are ready."
"Mm."
The butler carried a bag and placed it on the bedside table.
"Miss Viloti, it's getting late, so I won't disturb you further. Thank you for doing so much for me today."
Felyn bowed his head in thanks, feeling somewhat nervous.
He was afraid Viloti was thinking strange thoughts.
Terrifyingly, Felyn had guessed correctly.
Hearing Felyn wanted to leave, countless possibilities floated through Viloti's mind.
Maybe the moment Felyn stepped out the door, he'd be kidnapped by other bad women again.
Outside was too dangerous—better to let him stay at the manor!
No worries about food or drink, with dedicated care every day, living like this until old age.
She didn't have the ability to keep the sun from setting, but she completely had the ability to keep this small fallen noble Felyn at the manor for life.
No, what was I'm thinking?
Viloti pinched her arm, pulling herself out of her fantasy.
"It's nothing."
A thousand thoughts converged into three light words.
Night fell.
Felyn walked home, street lamps casting warm light.
He took a deep breath, as if relieved of some burden.
He didn't know if his meaning had been conveyed, but intuition told him if he didn't leave now, he might never escape that manor.
Felyn had asked for his somewhat worn clothes back—they could still be worn after washing.
The clothes Viloti gave him were neatly placed in the bag he carried in his left hand.
Felyn fumbled for his communication seal from his pocket, wanting to see if he had any unread client messages.
"Eh?"
Opening the seal, Adeline's messages exploded toward him like confetti.
Felyn swallowed and typed to Adeline.
"Lady Adeline, I'm fine. I'm heading home now. Are you hurt?"
Less than five seconds after sending, while Felyn was still thinking about what to say next, Adeline's message arrived.
[Thank goodness.]
[I was really worried about you.]
This message was instantly recalled.
[I was somewhat worried about you too, since you got involved because of me.]
[I wasn't hurt. Uncle Ailo saved me. It's just that my father won't let me go out now—I'm confined at home.]
The Silafiel family's young lady had thrown a seventh-order seal at the Claude family's young lady.
Presumably both families' parents were now frantically busy.
Adeline being grounded was reasonable—who knew what the Silafiel family was thinking?
No one would imagine such a strange reason.
Felyn scratched his head. He'd actually caused conflict between two major families.
Apparently men could be troublemakers too.
[How did the formal wear selection go? At the banquet, I'm definitely going to make that Viloti pay!]
[Don't worry, Lady Adeline. I won't disappoint you.]
(End of Chapter)