CHAPTER 23: DINNER AND A PLAYDATE

(A/N Big thanks to

Talvin_Shiji

For the power stones, they mean a lot. As usual, please don’t hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)

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At the dinner table, the Ivory family had gathered, all waiting for the duke to arrive.

"It’s quite a shame, Dennis would miss the duke’s visit," Evan said with a hint of regret.

"Serves him right. I can’t believe he’d choose to miss my wedding," Marcus muttered with a faint sneer.

"I’m sure he had something important coming up," Tyla said, trying to console her fiancée.

"Oh, please, we both know he’s still holding a grudge," Marcus said, rolling his eyes.

"It’s hard to believe the duke I’ve read so much about would be attending brother’s wedding," Young Alice stated, changing the topic.

"I know, right? It feels so surreal. I can’t wait to tell those smug bastards about this," Marcus replied, with a wide grin.

"Why do you think he came father?" Marcus asked, still curious why, despite his happiness.

The Marquis had a complicated expression on his face. "I really have no idea. I mainly sent an invite out of courtesy; I fully expected it to be declined. He normally is never social, I really can’t imagine why-"

The Marquis fell silent, an unreadable expression appearing on his face. ’It can’t be right,’ he thought.

"He brought his son; it should have something to do with that, maybe he has hopes of his son growing close to Alice, our little Alice is the cutest after all," Tyla said with a smile, causing Alice to blush.

"I highly doubt that, I’m sure his son his numerous options," Marcus said, dousing Alice’s excitement, causing her to pout.

Throughout the discussion, numerous dishes had been placed on the table, and maids came and went. The sight was enough to make any mouth water.

Luckily, they didn’t have to wait long. The group of four soon walked in, causing the Ivory family to stand up in deference.

"My lord, it’s a privilege to have you join us for this feast tonight. Please have your seat, I hope the food will be to your liking," Evan quickly said with a small laugh.

"You don’t have to be so formal, Evan. We’re simply having dinner. I appreciate the gesture, though," Erevan replied, taking his seat at the head of the table.

Orion noticed they had left the head seat unoccupied, four of them seated at one side of the table.

He took a seat on the other side with Isolde and Zurvan standing behind him and Erevan respectively.

"Shall we?" Erevan asked with a small smile.

"Of course," Evan replied.

The maids quickly got busy serving, with Isolde taking responsibility for Erevan and Orion.

Before long, everyone was eating with gusto, with small conversations flowing and a lively atmosphere.

Orion did his best to interact and speak when needed, while observing the dynamics of the family. There had to be a reason his father was interested in this family, and so far, apart from the absence of a Marquess and any other family member, nothing seemed unusual.

He noticed Alice smiling in his direction whenever she had the chance. He also smiled back. He could tell she was probably curious about him, and though he couldn’t say it was mutual, he had nothing against her.

Although it seemed absurd, a part of him was wondering if Alice was the reason Erevan brought him here, but he really hadn’t seen anything to prove such a claim.

He tried checking her stats and was faintly impressed.

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STATUS

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NAME: Alice Ivory

AGE: 7

GENDER: female

RACE: HUMAN

ATTRIBUTES:

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STRENGTH:10

AGILITY: 9

ENDURANCE: 12

VITALITY: 10

INTELLIGENCE: 20

MANA: 20

CHARM: 30

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RANK: (High) ACOLYTE RANK

TALENT: HIGH

BLOODLINE: Mystic Marrow

AFFINITY: FIRE

ABILITIES:

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Innate Skills:-

*Hemocraft (Low proficiency)

-Converts mana into living blood, increasing vitality and regeneration.

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Acquired skills:-

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He didn’t know the average standard for children her age, but considering she was at a high acolyte rank at seven, he could tell she was talented; her talent literally said high; her bloodline and skill also looked unique.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Tyla calling for him.

"Young lord, if you don’t mind, Alice here has something she’d like to show you tomorrow, though she’s shy to say it. I’m sure she’d love to take you on a tour around the estate," Tyla said with a smile, encouraging her young sister-in-law.

Orion was just about to find an excuse when he heard his father, "Why not? I’m sure he’d love that," Erevan said with a smile.

Orion was internally screaming. He had proficiencies to grind and mana to absorb; he hadn’t had time to do that these past few days, and now his father was setting him up on some mundane playdate.

Alice looked at him with an eager gaze. "I’m looking forward to it," he said with a smile.

The Marquis looked at this exchange with a wide grin, pleased with his daughter-in-law, although deep down he was still wary of the Duke’s true purpose.

The rest of the dinner passed, after which everyone dispersed to their respective rooms.

The next morning, Orion woke up to Isolde watching him as usual. It seemed she had taken her bath, had breakfast, and was simply waiting for Orion to awaken.

She took care of all his needs before they both headed out of his room, where he saw his father and Zurvan playing a board game.

"Good morning, Father," Orion greeted.

"Morning, Orion, you slept in today," Erevan replied, not taking his eyes off the board.

"Thanks to that, I feel much better now," Orion said, watching Zurvan’s frowning face.

"Perfect, you should be well rested for your date," Erevan said with a small smile while taking another of Zurvan’s pieces.

"I still do not understand the point of all this," Orion said with visible frustration.

"Check... Take it as another lesson, not everything can be under your control or knowledge," Erevan said, increasing the pressure on Zurvan.

"I know that already, but forcing me to go on a random tour is-"

"Do you not like the girl?" Erevan asked.

"I have nothing against her, I just feel my time could be better spent."

"No, you see, relating to her as some elaborate plan I’m drawing, and you’re hesitant to comply. Checkmate," Erevan said, smiling at Zurvan’s helpless face.

Orion went silent, pondering his father’s words.

"Care to join?" Erevan asked, facing Orion.

"I invented the game, Father," Orion replied.

"Understanding the game doesn’t guarantee victory," Erevan said with a smile.

Zurvan stood up from his seat, allowing Orion to replace him, curious about this father-son dynamic.

"You’ve been smiling way too often lately, far more than you normally do," Orion said, taking the first move.

"Is that so?" Erevan asked with the same smile.

"And no, I don’t care anymore about your elaborate scheme. I genuinely see this as a waste of time," Orion said.

"The journey or the tour?" Erevan asked, picking up a knight.

"While I have the urge to say both, it’s the tour," Orion replied truthfully.

"Socialising is one of a noble’s most useful traits, it’s not a waste of time"

"With a seven-year-old, it is."

"You speak like she isn’t older than you are," Erevan chuckled.

Orion just rolled his eyes.

Isolde soon walked in with breakfast for the group, both of them halting their game.

"Young master, your playdate has been set for noon. I was told to ask if the time is suitable for you," Isolde said while serving them.

Erevan laughed.

"Playdate?" Orion asked, exasperated.

"Isn’t that what this is?" Isolde replied with a smile.