Carlo listened with his heart trembling: “This is a matter between them, so let’s just leave it for them to resolve themselves.”
Cynthia blamed him: “Why are you so careless about your own fiancée’s social circle? Once you become the head of the Doyle family in the future, all your socialization will have to rely on Lilica for help.”
Carlo wore a pained expression: “I have no engagement with her! We will not marry in the future!”
“Such an irresponsible statement,” Cynthia frowned. “Carlo, you have been corrupted by Mita.”
Carlo had grievances he could not voice, and he glared fiercely at Lilica: “Kelly, you know the situation, say something too!”
Lilica tried to explain: “Well, I, I think Lilica and Carlo probably won’t marry, they don’t love each other.”
Cynthia instantly jumped to her own conclusion: “Carlo, you heartless man.”
Carlo felt that he was wronged enough to die, and he stood up: “I am going to the restroom, otherwise if I keep sitting here, I am afraid you will forcefully press me into an engagement.”
“Sounds like something Cynthia would do,” Antcana chimed in. “Go ahead, and by the way, have them change the table wine to the fruit brew that just arrived recently. That flavor is very good.”
After Carlo left the table, Antcana asked Lilica again: “Do you still have plans today?”
Lilica shook her head.
“Then don’t rush to leave, let’s chat more later,” Cynthia suggested. “The fact that Carlo was able to drag you here to save the day today shows his trust in you, and we trust Carlo’s judgment.”
Lilica’s eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly.
Next, Cynthia asked about some details regarding Kelly, such as what aspects he excelled at, whether he liked to read, and how he met Carlo.
“He used to go play at the Doyle family mansion, and we met then,” Lilica said while reminiscing. “He was very mischievous when he was little, and I didn’t have many friends back then. At first, he took me out to run around in the wilds, and we got scolded a lot by our families. Later on, he took me to the training grounds to practice swordsmanship, and since I didn’t have suitable clothes, he even lent me his.”
“An enviable friendship,” Cynthia praised, then asked, “Why did you start using a greatsword? You don’t look particularly strong.”
“Because I hate losing.” Lilica answered with some hesitation. “I was very frail back then, and everyone thought I was close to dying, so they all thought I was just going to the training grounds to cause trouble. I thought to myself, I cannot lose to them, so when others used ten pounds of weights, I used twenty, and eventually, I could lift a greatsword.”
Antcana joined the conversation as well: “How heavy is your sword?”
“Over fifty pounds.”
“Half my weight,” Antcana clicked her tongue in amazement. “You certainly don’t look like you could lift me up.”
“Probably because my face looks too delicate.” With only girls at the table and nothing to worry about, Lilica unbuttoned her cuffs, revealing a section of firmly muscled forearm. “But I am actually very strong.”
Antcana curiously poked her arm and gave a professional evaluation: “Indeed very healthy and powerful.”
They chatted for a little longer before Carlo finally returned right before meal service began. He frowned, looking as though he didn’t quite understand the situation: “Antcana, that fruit brew you had me order…”
“It’s delicious,” Antcana interrupted Carlo, blinking at him. “And it isn’t intoxicating. I suggest you guys can drink a bit more of it later.”
Carlo gave Cynthia a look that spoke volumes of his unspoken words, but in the end, he closed his mouth.
When the dishes were served, Lilica, who had grown up in the countryside, received quite a shock.
“Such a tiny thing, what is it even good for?!” Lilica looked in disbelief at the freshly served appetizer. “It isn’t even half the size of my palm, yet it’s served on a plate bigger than my face!”
The nearby waiter smiled without saying a word.
“But it is delicious,” Antcana said matter-of-factly. “The ingredients used here are the most exquisite.”
Cynthia could not agree with this: “I suddenly worry a bit about whether Kelly will be able to eat his fill.”
Carlo, speaking as someone who had been through this before, replied: “The set meal alone is indeed not enough, so every time we come here, we have to supplement it with quite a few oat doughnuts.”
Lilica asked: “What is the price of the doughnuts here?”
Carlo looked toward the nearby waiter.
The waiter smiled and answered: “Each doughnut costs five gold coins, sir.”
“Outside, it’s probably worth about one silver coin,” Cynthia commented. “Are your doughnuts made of gold?”
“Obviously not, but this is Chercat,” Antcana ended the topic. “Friends, we are here to enjoy good food, not to settle accounts. Leaving Kelly aside for a moment, Cynthia, how come I haven’t seen you care so much about prices before?”
“Probably because I was hungry,” Cynthia brushed it off vaguely, then raised her filled wine glass: “Let us celebrate today’s victory, cheers!”
“Cheers!”
After they began eating, the atmosphere remained pleasant and everyone was happy, especially Antcana.
Antcana was naturally someone skilled in conversation, and today she seemed exceptionally joyful, raising her glass frequently. She even used reasons like “this fish is very expensive but tastes good” as an excuse to toast.
Because dining naturally makes the body slightly warm, by the time Cynthia noticed she was beginning to feel dizzy, she had already drunk quite a bit.
She realized something was wrong: “Carlo, what is up with the fruit brew you ordered?”
Carlo stammered: “I asked about it, for ordinary people this doesn’t cause intoxication, but, Cynthia, you drank a bit too much today.”
Cynthia glanced at Antcana, who showed no signs of intoxication, and realized she had been tricked. She stood up wobbling: “I am going back.”
“Sit back down,” Antcana ruthlessly pushed her back into her seat. “You are the one treating us, how can you run away early?”
Cynthia’s dizziness grew increasingly severe, and she pleaded pitifully: “Please, Antcana, stop this.”
“From our conversation last time, I guessed that it wasn’t that you didn’t want to tell me, but simply that you were afraid we wouldn’t believe it.” Antcana motioned with her eyes for the waiter by the table to leave first. “Is that right, Cynthia?”
Cynthia’s consciousness grew increasingly blurred: “Yes, but.”
“It’s good that today, aside from Lilica, everyone else is here, and Kelly being able to be dragged here to save the day under these circumstances is proof enough of his reliability.” Antcana raised a hand to cast a barrier magic, then turned to look at Cynthia: “I swear, no matter what you say next, I will not doubt it.”
Cynthia’s consciousness descended into complete chaos, and reason vanished entirely.
When Cynthia sobered up, it was already the morning of the next day.
She lay in her own bed, feeling as bewildered as if she had been tossed through a whirlwind spell three hundred times.
Ayla stood by the bedside, asking softly: “My lady, are you alright? Are you feeling dizzy?”
“I am fine.” Cynthia stared at the bed curtains, her tone steady yet dazed. “Ayla, what happened to me?”
“Yesterday you went out to eat with Princess Ant and Lord Carlo, and you drank a little wine.”
“I actually drank wine.” Cynthia raised her left hand to press against her brow bone. “It must have been Antcana playing tricks again, especially since there was even a new friend there yesterday.”
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered what Antcana had said when she still retained a shred of final consciousness.
“!!!” Cynthia instantly woke up and sat bolt upright in bed.
Ayla was startled by her sudden action: “My lady?”
It’s over, what have I done?
I rambled nonsense to my two good friends and one new friend, telling them about how miserably I would be framed by Mita in the future, telling them how the haughty Saintess would ruin my life.
They must think I am crazy.
Cynthia threw herself straight back down onto the pillow and pulled the quilt up to cover her face.
Knowing that her lady was just feeling embarrassed over losing her composure after drinking again, Ayla smiled through her restraint and said: “My lady, you don’t need to mind these things. I think Princess Ant and the others should be used to it by now.”
“There’s no getting used to this,” Cynthia muttered muffledly from beneath the quilt. “Ayla, I don’t want to go to school today.”
Is it this serious this time? She doesn’t even want to see people.
Ayla couldn’t help feeling a bit curious about what happened last night, and she tried to recall: “Well, last night when Princess Ant brought you back, her mood was actually okay. If I had to say there was anything, it was probably a bit helpless.”
“She must have thought I was crazy and talking nonsense!” Cynthia reached a hand out from under the quilt, grabbed another pillow to cover her head, and shouted through a layer of quilt and a layer of pillow: “I would rather die at home than go to the academy and act like a madman!”
Ayla remained quite calm. Cynthia always made these little petty complaints whenever she felt embarrassed, and she was long used to it. Come to think of it, it was actually the recent period where her lady demanded strict perfection in everything that had felt unnatural to her instead.
The loyal female official coaxed her patiently for a while, finally persuading Cynthia to at least get out of bed and eat breakfast first.
However, after washing up, changing clothes, and eating breakfast, without needing anyone to persuade her, Cynthia decided to face the rainstorm-like mockery at the academy on her own.
Arriving at the school by carriage, Cynthia couldn’t wait until lunchtime and went straight to the healing department to find Antcana.
Upon seeing Cynthia, Antcana’s expression instantly turned peculiar.
Suppressing the urge to turn tail and run, Cynthia forced herself to remain calm as she walked over: “Antcana, good day.”
“Good day.” Antcana’s expression grew even more peculiar. “Are you here to ask me what you said yesterday?”
Cynthia controlled her expression, preventing herself from putting on a crying face in public: “Obviously yes.”
Antcana wore a look of not knowing where to begin.
Cynthia’s heart sank even further.
Finally, Antcana managed to squeeze out: “Cynthia, do you hold this much resentment in your heart?”
Cynthia, who had already mentally prepared herself to become an enemy of the world: “Ah???”