NOVPUBThe Wilford family residence is located at No.25 of Nuosma Street, Northeast corner of Heartbeat Plaza in the region of Nanwantina.
At this very moment, as the clock strikes twelve, it is time for their midday meal.
In this spacious and well-lit dining room on the first floor, midday sunshine gently splay through the leafy shadows from the window, gently sprinkling every corner.
The occasional breeze from the courtyard carries in the faint fragrance of a distant garden.
Laid upon the long dining table is a fine piece of linen tablecloth, embroidered with beautifully intricate flowers. Silverware and stem glasses are arranged neatly and methodically, as dishes from the kitchen are gradually served onto the table.
Seated at the head of the table, family head Noe Wilford maintains his usual calm and dignified demeanor. However, when his gaze falls upon Lanci, his expression reveals a hint of complexity.
Tonight is different from usual, for besides Lanci, there are two additional silhouettes seated by the dinner table.
Miss Tata seats herself by his side, poise and serene, with her hands lightly clasped together on her lap.
And Miss Hyperion, evidently a born aristocrat, sits at a distance, appearing rather apprehensive, scarcely lifting her gaze.
The three sit side by side, hardly interacting with each other.
Noe cannot help but take a moment to scrutinize them.
This is too intriguing.
Noe confoundedly wonders, what could possibly have transpired in the morning that led the trio to end up in such an entangled state on the floor? It was as if they were engaged in some novel activity.
Noe acknowledges that there might be a bit of a generation gap between himself and the young crowd.
Both Lanci and Hyperion are seventeen, and Tata appears no more than twenty-five. It is common for young people to entertain novel, unconventional ideas. But to Noe, the trio’s relationship seems far too surreal.
But seeing as they are all silent at the moment, Noe does not feel it appropriate to inquire.
Pretend as if he knows nothing, perhaps.
It is not a big deal after all.
Steward Hans and maid Francine are very professional, ensuring that the affairs of the household are not leaked. It’s not as if tomorrow’s newspapers across the Hutton Kingdom will be plastered with hilariously absurd pictures of the trio entangled with each other.
As Noe ponders, the table is gradually laden with dishes specifically requested by Lanci for today’s menu.
In addition to the vibrantly colorful seafood platter — which includes fresh barnacles, bluefin tuna, and sweet shrimp from the Bibo Sea, all intricately arranged — there is risotto cooked with black truffle and wild mushrooms from Nanwantina, a juicy steak seared to a golden brown and served with roast vegetables and exquisite black garlic sauce, and even a hazelnut chocolate mousse lightly dusted with gold leaf, all served ahead of schedule. It seemed that Lanci had instructed the kitchen that they would be eating quickly.
Noe is perplexed, for Lanci’s regular meals are not typically quite so extensive; yet today, his enthusiasm is unprecedented.
"Welcome, Miss Tata and Miss Hyperion, to our home," he begins, as the food nears completion.
"I hope you enjoy your time in Nanwantina. If Lanci fails in any way in his hospitality, I extend my apologies in advance on behalf of the Wilford family," Noe, saturated with remorse, addresses the ladies along the far side of the table.
"We appreciate your hospitality, Mr Wilford," Tata responds, nodding her head in appreciation.
Her cool, elegant manner is decidedly regal — an image of a noble queen. No matter how one looks at her, she incites in Noe a suspicion that Lanci’s bedroom door may have been enchanted with a magic spell that manifests highly improbable scenarios once opened.
"Thank you, Uncle," Hyperion replies, having taken a moment to come back from her reverie and turning to address Noe.
The first time they met at the Ichrite Health Centre, she found Lanci’s father to be quite affable.
However, every encounter since then has filled her with awkwardness.
"Alright, let’s begin. Feel at home and help yourself," Lanci says in a gentle tone.
It appears as if he is trying to comfort Hyperion, whilst his gaze momentarily drifts to Tata, as he pronounces the last few words. Yet, he seems to have no other implied meanings.
"..."
Hyperion initially wanted to say something, but then decided against it.
It’s fortunate that Tata can’t read minds. Otherwise, if she occasionally perceived Lanci’s scattered thoughts yet pretend to be oblivious, that would be truly terrifying.
The conversation comes to a close, returning the dining table to its previous tranquility, punctuated by occasional sound of cutlery against fine porcelain, echoing in the dining room of the Wilford’s residence.
The butler stands quietly to one side, waiting for Lanci’s instructions. Maids in uniform black dresses with white aprons tied around their waists move swiftly and delicately, ensuring that every serving disrupts the guests as little as possible.
Different from usual.
Lanci, at meal times today, is very welcoming to his guests. His gaze is just right, always attentive to the needs of the two ladies. Whenever the attendant serves a new dish, he gestures subtly, arranging for the dish to be placed close to Hyperion and Talia, ensuring they can conveniently enjoy each delicacy.
The dining room thus continues in harmony for nearly an hour.
The Wilford family’s meal concludes, and the servants begin to clear the table, while Noe, seated at the head of the table, sips his tea.
He watches the two women to Lanci’s right with a puzzled expression.
Seems like Lanci was right, they did finish all the food served today.
Noe hadn’t been watching closely, but according to the principle of conservation of matter, there might be someone among them who appears to eat slowly and gracefully, but is actually eating quite fast.
Who could it be?
Noe is mystified, but feels it is inappropriate to ask.
If Lanci marries the girl who eats a lot, the family will have to stock up on more food.
"Their family is rather of value," Noe muses to himself.
In fact, Noe always felt that Lanci had some possible connections with these two girls.
What he didn’t expect was that Miss Hyperion and Miss Tata already knew each other.
What’s even stranger was that there was no sense of jealousy when these two were together… Exactly who didn’t want to win?
It wouldn’t make sense if both of them were losers, so who was the main partner.
However, Noe could see that all the girls Lanci knew were nice girls. Compared with Lanci, they were all respectful, and there was nothing to worry about.
Finally.
"How are you planning to spend the afternoon?"
Noe no longer worried about it, he put down his teacup and asked the three of them.
The current atmosphere was a bit better than before the meal, but Noe felt that the three of them sitting together still had little communication, as if they had knots in their hearts that couldn’t be untied.
"I will check the progress of Lanci’s card making, and then teach Miss Hyperion some new magic."
Talia looked at Noe and answered seriously.
"Oh, okay, thank you, Miss Tata."
Noe was stunned for a moment and quickly thanked her.
He knew that the card making teacher Lanci hired with his money a long time ago was this Miss Tata.
Less than half a year later, Noe went to the Royal Capital and found out that Lanci had become a semi-Platinum Level Card Maker. Noe was flabbergasted.
On one hand, Lanci himself had a strange talent. On the other, it was because Tata was a good teacher.
Setting aside the exaggerated achievements, the mere fact that she could discipline the prodigal son of his family proved that Miss Tata was born to be a great teacher.
"It’s what I should do."
Tata responded politely.
From this point.
Noe roughly understood the relationship between Tata, Hyperion, and Lanci in the Capital City Ekrite.
Presumably they were always together, with Tata teaching Lanci card making and Hyperion magic.
However, since the three of them were in a master-student relationship, why could they benefit from such tangled interactions on the ground? Could they really learn anything?
While Noe was thinking in a daze, because his puzzled gaze was too obvious, the three people across the table understood what he was thinking.
Hyperion’s cheeks suddenly turned red and she lowered her head.
Although Tata’s expression remained cold, her hand on her leg was tightly clenched.
Lanci, who was trying to order the attendant to bring more snacks, just in case Tata was not yet half-full, suddenly felt a chill in the air and sat upright without moving.
Once again, there was an awkward silence around the dining table. Although nothing was mentioned about the incident in the morning, it was clear that everyone was thinking about it.
After a long silence.
"Let’s go to Nanwantina for a stroll."
Lanci suggested,
"Tata, you teach us card making and magic, after we return to Ekrite, it’s back to the daily lessons. These few rare days in the Nanwantina region, let’s just enjoy ourselves without any distractions."
He added.
If they stayed in the house any longer, not to mention Tata, Hyperion might really not be able to stand it, and they needed to go out to relax.
Having spent more than half a year together, spending almost half the day together every day, Lanci understood Tata and Hyperion well. Unlike Tata, who could recover her mood just by eating, Hyperion was more delicate in her thoughts.
Before Talia and Hyperion could express their opinions.
"Who do you want to go with?"
Noe took another sip of tea and asked Lanci.
In his opinion, when going on a date with a girl, one should be dedicated.
Despite feeling that he might be too direct in his questioning, he believed both girls wanted to make this clear.
Talia was looking at Lanci.
Hyperion was a little nervous too.
"I want to go with both of them."
Lanci answered nonchalantly.
There is innocence in his eyes.
As though it’s just an ordinary family trip.
"?"
The teacup in Noe’s hand froze midway, he was kind of perplexed.
At this moment, if he asked more, it may appear that he is overthinking.
But Lanci, he remained as pure as ever.
How does the lad have a tea scent on him?
