“Daughter, since you care so much about that child, why not invite him over yourself?”
Earl Howard looked somewhat helplessly at his only daughter before him.
Vesilia said nothing, only staring blankly at her own fair wrist.
There had once been a red string left there by Leon, but one morning, it had vanished.
She searched for a long time, but could not find it.
“My precious daughter, don’t tell me you’ve really taken a liking to him?” Duke Howard probed cautiously, “He’s just a commoner, completely… unworthy of you…”
At this, Vesilia finally responded. She looked at her father coldly, her thin lips parting with indifference, “Is that why you abandoned my mother?”
“I…” Duke Howard opened his mouth, his gaze complex, but in the end said nothing.
He knew Vesilia had always resented him for her mother’s death. And he truly did owe her mother, especially after that kidnapping incident. His guilt only deepened, so he could only try to make it up to his daughter.
That was why he doted on her so much, doing his best to fulfill her every wish.
Duke Howard sighed. “I understand. So, what do you want me to say to that boy?”
Just thinking about it made his teeth itch in frustration, as if he could already see his precious cabbage being rooted by some wild boar from nowhere.
No, wait—wasn’t it more like his little cabbage had taken the initiative to lure the wild boar home? And worst of all, that wild boar was one he himself had adopted.
His precious daughter’s recent anxiety was probably all that boy’s fault.
If that boy really comes… Hmph! As a qualified father, he must teach that ungrateful brat a lesson!
Yet his daughter’s next words left him utterly speechless.
“Could you let Leon return to the manor for work?”
“Hmm?”
Duke Howard was stunned. “But didn’t you…”
Seeing Vesilia’s icy gaze, Duke Howard scratched his head, at a loss. “Alright, I’ll ask. But if the boy refuses, there’s nothing I can do.”
Vesilia frowned, wanting to say more, but her usually unserious father suddenly became earnest: “Daughter, sometimes people won’t walk the path you expect. In the end, you can only rely on yourself.”
So stop pining after that little wild boar, and just focus on inheriting his estate.
Hearing this, Vesilia fell into deep thought, a rare confusion surfacing in her eyes.
Is this why her little puppy rejected her? He… rebelled. But as his master, wasn’t it her duty to bring him back?
“I understand.”
Leaving those words behind, Vesilia returned to her room. She had to prepare the dress she would wear to dinner.
She was certain Leon would come—no one knew her little puppy better than she did.
Leon opened his eyes and stretched lazily. For the past two days, he had mostly stayed in his room running simulations, only occasionally checking on Sylph or going out to eat.
The Artifact Test arranged by the Church was tomorrow.
Today, Leon was preparing to head to Duke Howard’s manor as promised. After all, the Duke had helped him, and he didn’t want to owe him a favor.
Even though he knew it might be a Hongmen Banquet.
He was quite familiar with the location of the manor, having lived there for a long time, though he had rarely seen the Duke himself.
When he arrived at the gate, a maid was already there to greet him.
The maid’s eyes lit up upon seeing Leon and she hurried over to welcome him.
“Young Master Leon, you’re back?”
Leon wanted to say he was no longer their young master, but before he could, he was surrounded by a group of beautiful, youthful maids, ushering him into the courtyard.
All these years, thanks to his good looks and young age—not to mention his knack for charming people, especially women—Leon had always been very popular among the maids.
Upon entering, the first thing he noticed in the parlor was the long rectangular dining table. What surprised him was that Duke Howard was sitting at a side seat.
The seat of honor, however, belonged to his daughter Vesilia—a clear sign of his love for her.
Leon greeted Duke Howard, only to find that the Duke didn’t seem too pleased to see him.
He couldn’t figure out what he’d done to upset the Duke, but under the maid’s guidance, he took a seat on the other side of Vesilia.
This “family dinner” only began in earnest after Leon, the outsider, had arrived.
After a moment’s hesitation, Leon first thanked Duke Howard, “I heard that Your Grace spoke for me before His Majesty. I am very grateful.”
Duke Howard only gave a cold snort, but upon noticing his daughter’s frosty look, he quickly switched to a warm smile, filling Leon’s glass with wine.
“It’s nothing worth mentioning. Come, let’s have a drink first.”
Seeing this, Leon had no choice but to raise his glass. Watching the middle-aged man drain his in one gulp, Leon braced himself and did the same.
Immediately after, Duke Howard, under the pretext of Leon taking care of Vesilia, made him drink another glass.
From then on, the Duke found every excuse he could to get Leon drunk.
His plan was simple: get Leon drunk and leave him at the manor tonight. That way, he would have fulfilled his daughter’s request.
He noticed Vesilia had no intention of stopping him.
But just thinking that he might be helping his own daughter deliver herself to the wild boar made him furious.
Duke Howard gave Leon a fierce, almost beast-like smile, terrifyingly protective: “Come, let’s have another drink!”
Let’s see if he couldn’t get this brat to vomit!
Unexpectedly, Leon wasn’t the one who ended up drunk; it was Duke Howard who collapsed, drinking until he was doubting his very existence.
Leon glanced silently at the young woman in the seat of honor. She was still as cold and proud as ever, only giving him a silent look, as if this gathering had not been her idea at all.
Of course, Leon had cheated. Using the Rule Fragment of the Element of Wind, he evaporated the alcohol in his body. He certainly didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Vesilia.
One should always keep their dignity in front of a former employer, shouldn’t they?
Of course, if those Sixth Rank powerhouses knew he was using a Rule Fragment for something so trivial, they’d surely call him a wastrel.
“I… I’m full. I’ll be heading back now?”
Leon stood up, speaking hesitantly.
He still hadn’t figured out what Vesilia was thinking, but he could guess she still hadn’t found her true White Moonlight.
It definitely wasn’t Elvie.
So, who was it?
Leon remembered the simulation, when he waited there for a while, hoping to meet the White Moonlight who supposedly resembled him. In the end, after waiting in vain, he could only act himself.
Vesilia put down her cutlery, looked at Leon, seemed to hesitate, but ultimately just nodded indifferently.
Did nothing at all.
It seemed she had only invited him over for a meal.