The long table was covered with a pristine lace tablecloth, and the silver candlesticks, though unlit, were polished to a spotless shine.
To entertain this guest from the main family, Chef Carter had put in twelve times the effort, meticulously preparing an extremely lavish feast.
Cedric had changed into a light, well-tailored formal suit and elegantly took his seat as a guest.
Madame Elsa sat at the head of the table, with Leo sitting directly opposite Cedric.
Standing not far behind Leo, Ailiya stood with her hands clasped in front of her, perfectly playing the part of a background prop ready to serve at any moment.
“Leo, it’s been a while. You look much more spirited.”
Cedric picked up his napkin, gently dabbed the corner of his mouth, and looked across the long table at Leo, his tone carrying a brotherly warmth and concern.
“I heard from Aunt Elsa that you’ve been diligently studying magic lately?”
Leo, who had been named, was currently wrestling with a piece of roast meat on his plate using a fork. Hearing Cedric’s question, he looked up and naturally put on an impatient, playboy demeanor.
“Diligent, my foot. It’s just so I can look cool when I go out to have fun.”
Leo tossed his fork onto the plate with a careless clang, showing no noble etiquette whatsoever.
“That tutor named Ian is annoyingly long-winded, making me memorize those nonsensical spells every day. It’s so irritating. Now that I’ve finally endured until he left, this young master just wants to rest properly.”
Madame Elsa timely furrowed her brow and softly chided, “Leo, how are you speaking to your elder brother? Mind your posture.”
“It’s the truth,” Leo retorted, sticking out his lower lip with righteous indignation. “I don’t want to go fight at the border. What’s the point of learning such advanced magic?”
“Being able to light a fire, cast a water ball, show off a bit when playing outside, or conveniently teach a lesson to those clueless street thugs is enough. I can’t be bothered with anything else.”
Cedric gave a gentle smile.
Seeing Leo’s utterly unambitious, hopelessly useless attitude, the sense of lofty contempt in his heart grew even stronger.
This illegitimate son, exiled to the fringes, was indeed a waste now. He didn’t even have value for a family alliance marriage and posed absolutely no threat.
“It’s alright. Leo is still young. There’s no hurry. It’s normal for boys to be playful.”
As he spoke, Cedric’s gaze fell on the plate of exquisitely presented truffle bisque in front of him.
Out of caution, he didn’t immediately pick up his spoon. Instead, under the guise of adjusting his cuff, he subtly passed the ring with a purple gemstone on his right index finger over the food.
Confirming the gemstone remained its original pure color, Cedric then felt at ease to pick up his soup spoon and take an elegant sip.
“The flavor is excellent. The chef of the Kastian manor is truly remarkable,” Cedric praised generously.
Then, he smoothly shifted the topic, his gaze naturally landing on Ailiya standing to the side, his eyes revealing an unconcealed look of frivolity and possessiveness.
“However, what impresses me even more is the service in this manor.”
A smile that he considered charming curled at the corner of Cedric’s mouth. His slender fingers lightly tapped the empty wine glass.
“The beautiful Miss Ailiya, could I trouble you to pour me another glass of red wine?”
“Of course, one moment, please.”
Ailiya showed no extra reaction.
She turned and walked to the side, picked up the red wine, and returned to stand beside Cedric, maintaining a distance appropriate for etiquette.
Just as she was about to pour, Cedric deliberately propped his elbow on the edge of the table and leaned back slightly, cunningly blocking most of the angle for pouring.
If Ailiya wanted to pour wine into the glass, she would have to bend over significantly, inevitably leaning her body toward him, with her chest or arm potentially brushing directly against his shoulder.
This was a common little trick used by the flirtatious young nobles in the royal capital to test boundaries and cop a feel.
Seeing this scene, Leo, sitting across the table, froze, his knife and fork stopping mid-air.
He wasn’t stupid. He saw through Cedric’s little scheme at a glance.
An indescribable feeling of irritation welled up in his heart.
Even though Ailiya had a sharp tongue, hit hard, and didn’t even show much respect for him, the young master, she was still their Kastian manor’s person.
When did it become an outsider’s turn to stare at her with that kind of look, and even dare to get handsy?
Leo swallowed hard with difficulty, sweat nearly breaking out on his forehead.
If Cedric really dared to touch her, given this woman’s hidden strength and temperament, what if she couldn’t hold back and flipped the table on the spot? The Kastian manor would truly be in big trouble then.
“Ahem! Ahem! Wait!”
Leo suddenly started coughing loudly and exaggeratedly. His knife and fork clattered heavily onto his plate, directly interrupting Ailiya’s pouring motion.
Cedric frowned slightly, displeased at having his fun interrupted. “Leo, what’s wrong? Is the food not to your taste?”
“N-No!”
Leo stood up abruptly, pointing at Ailiya and shouting, “Ailiya, I just remembered! My room is a complete mess from practicing water magic this morning! Water got everywhere, and I haven’t cleaned anything up yet!”
“You need to go clean it up right away. Please, make sure you clean it thoroughly.”
A shadow flickered in Cedric’s eyes, but he forcibly maintained his surface composure. “Leo, cleaning the room isn’t that urgent. My glass is empty. Why not let this head maid pour me a glass of wine first…”
But Leo had no intention of backing down.
“No, no, no! Third Brother, a room dirtied by water magic must be cleaned promptly, or the floor will get moldy.”
Leo raised his chin with righteous indignation, directly turning to look at the butler standing not far away and putting on his young master’s airs to loudly order, “Butler! What are you doing?”
“Isn’t pouring wine usually your responsibility? How could you let the head maid do such menial work? Hurry up and come fill Third Brother’s glass!”
The old butler was stunned for less than half a second before quickly stepping forward.
“My sincere apologies, Young Master Leo. My old eyes failed me, and I was negligent.”
The butler smoothly took over the task from Ailiya, walked to Cedric’s side, and respectfully bent over to pour the wine. “Young Master Cedric, please enjoy.”
Cedric looked at the white-haired butler standing extremely close to pour his wine, and the smile on his face completely froze.
This damn brat. He had to throw a tantrum and put on young master airs right at this moment.
Who wants an old man like you to pour wine?!
But he couldn’t afford to lose his composure.
After all, Leo had already put it that way. If he insisted on having a maid pour the wine, it would seem too deliberate, too undignified, and a loss of face.
Meanwhile, Madame Elsa, sitting at the head of the table, took a light sip from her teacup. Using the rim of the cup as cover, she hid the approving smile in her eyes.
She was aware of Cedric’s behavior in the royal capital.
She had just been about to remind this young man to rein it in, but she didn’t expect Leo to cleverly step up to defuse the situation on his own, and he had even worded it flawlessly.
It seemed this boy had indeed matured quite a bit.
On the other side, Ailiya stood in place, taking in the undercurrents of ulterior motives swirling around the table.
In truth, she didn’t need this kind of rescue.
If Cedric had really dared to get handsy with her just now, she guaranteed that in the next second, this blond young master’s head would be shoved into the truffle bisque.
At worst, she could just kill this guy full of trashy thoughts, flee overnight, and find another place to grind experience and level up.
However, she was naturally happy to cooperate with this time and effort-saving approach.
Ailiya clasped her hands, gave a slight bow, and performed an impeccable farewell curtsy.
“Madame, Young Master Cedric, please enjoy your meal. I will go attend to the chores in Young Master Leo’s room.”
After saying that, without a half-second of hesitation, she turned and walked out of the dining room.
That crisp, decisive silver-haired back ruthlessly left Cedric’s slightly gloomy and resentful gaze completely behind.
Only when Ailiya’s footsteps had completely faded into the depths of the corridor did Leo finally let out a long, relieved sigh, picking up the juice by his hand and taking a large gulp.