Chapter 300: Gathering Together

Chapter 300

Gathering Together

Hearing Wint’s response, Ellie felt somewhat reassured. It turned out Wint wasn’t as clueless as she had feared. Those around her seemed to be aware of the situation and weren’t blindly falling into the traps set by others. This included Professor Lucien, Wint, and important figures like Eldest Young Lord Owen. As for Aman, there was no need to mention—if his older brother disliked someone, Ellie doubted he would dare go against his brother. Besides, Aman wasn’t foolish. Compared to everyone, including Eldest Young Lord Owen...she trusted Aman the most.

"She’s dangerous," Wint reiterated his statement, leaving Zoey confused.

"Why do you say that about the new student, Mentor?"

"And why do you think she’s good, even though you’ve never spoken to her?"

"Uh, but many people think so, don’t they?"

"So, if she’s good, then what does it say about Duchess Ellie, who quarreled with such a good person?"

"Eh, well...That..." Zoey had never thought about this question, so it wasn’t strange that she was unable to answer.

"It’s not wrong to think someone is good or bad. However, our duty is to protect Duchess Ellie. As her knight, anyone who causes trouble for her must be watched carefully. So what if they’re good? Can’t a good person be an enemy to our duchess?"

"I-I understand. I’ll be more careful."

"That’s good, but you still have much to learn. You’re a knightess, and while I acknowledge that you have some skill in protecting Duchess Ellie, your ability to read situations is still very poor," Wint took the opportunity to teach her. However, Ellie wanted to turn these words back on Wint himself.

Don’t think she hadn’t noticed. Ever since meeting the young lady from the Fronda family, Wint had been sticking to her closely. From the village to the institute, he’d been under Professor Regan’s tutelage from morning till evening, leaving no time for the new student. Otherwise, he’d probably be chasing after Lady Grace by now.

Ellie understood that Wint wanted to do everything for his family, and that wasn’t wrong. From the moment Wint started following her, it was only to gain the power of the Setter family. If it weren’t her, but someone else in her position, Wint would have done the same thing.

Chasing after the young lady from the Fronda family to benefit the Femon family was understandable, and Ellie thought Wint was the least trustworthy among everyone she knew. She wouldn’t be surprised if he went after benefits from the other side.

Even though he acted as her knight now, if a better offer came along, would he not leave? Despite this...Ellie still nodded approvingly at his lesson to Zoey.

For Wint, his movements were dictated by the benefits he could gain, but Zoey was different. The young girl might leave at any time, but it wouldn’t be because of personal gain. Ellie wasn’t worried about Zoey leaving. If she was happy with what she was doing, that was her own business. As a senior, Ellie just feared Zoey might be deceived, as she had once been...

“Alright, so you both came here for this trivial matter? If that’s all, you can go back now. I still need to rest,” Ellie waved them off. However, Wint and Zoey didn’t rush to leave.

“Since we already got permission from our professors, and it’s been a while...why don’t we take this chance to have a meal together? My treat this time. After my last visit to the family, I received quite a reward,” Wint suggested. They hadn’t eaten together in a long time.

“I-I’d like to join too, but I still have some money Duchess Ellie gave me, so I can pay for a nice meal this time.”

“Hmph, save your money. I’ll treat you at a place on the 2nd floor. Isn’t the money you have meant to be saved for use at your village?”

“B-But...” Zoey began to protest. Wint had treated her to meals often before, but now she had enough money to treat him back. Would she have to wait for another opportunity?

“Let’s go. Just let Wint pay,” Ellie thought to herself. Today, she didn’t have any pressing tasks. Her potion concocting was long finished, and she could work on stratagems at the branch later. Taking a break occasionally might be a good idea.

Zoey’s mouth agape, thinking Ellie wouldn’t want to join. Hearing this...she looked at her mentor again and then could only nod, accepting the kind offer.

Ellie booked a private room for them since her status was higher than the others. If she left it to Wint, they might not get a room. So, Ellie paid for the private dining room herself. The ten gold coins weren’t a significant amount for her. When she paid...little Zoey nearly cried but managed to hold back her feelings of regret, not wanting to embarrass her duchess by appearing miserly.

Somehow, the news of Ellie’s meal outing reached the ears of the two young men of the Setter family. Not long after, before the food was even served, the two young men arrived and entered the room without needing an invitation, led by Second Young Lord Aman. As for Koross, he probably had no choice but to follow.

“How dare you all sneak out for a meal without inviting me? Leaving me to train hard without rest while you indulge in a luxurious feast?” Aman’s reproachful tone made Zoey purse her lips in guilt.

However, Ellie and Wint knew that the second young lord didn’t mean it seriously. He was merely looking for an excuse to skip training or perhaps was just jealous that he wasn’t getting attention from his "future sister-in-law."

“Even without an invitation, you still managed to show up,” Ellie pouted slightly when she said, which made Aman laugh in delight.

“Haha. I heard you had an issue with a new student. I wondered how that would turn out. It’s rare for someone to have a direct problem with you. At first, I thought you’d be crying in your room. I even planned to come see you after my training. It’s a pity I found you still as sharp-tongued as ever. Otherwise, I could have earned some points with my brother by consoling you.”

Aman grinned, his words clearly aimed at provoking Wint. Aman had heard the same news that his brother’s little sweetheart had a conflict with someone. He was surprised to hear someone dared to have a problem with her. But knowing it was a new student made it clearer. Apparently, the new student was too ignorant to fear the intimidating reaper with the demonic sword behind Ellie...

But Aman wasn’t worried about Ellie being troubled by the quarrel. If a girl who could spar verbally with him couldn’t handle the new student, he would be disappointed.

“Young Lord Aman is as inconsiderate as ever,” Wint retorted. Accusing him of visiting Ellie just to earn favor with the eldest young lord was partly true, but his concern for the girl was genuine as well.

Seeing the two young men bicker, Ellie lost interest and turned her attention to Koross, who remained quietly at the back.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Yes, my lady,” Koross responded obediently, quickly choosing his seat, leaving Aman feeling irritated.

“When I arrived, you treated me coldly, but when Koross shows up, you’re all kind to him. You seem to misunderstand something. I’m the one who will be your brother-in-law,” Aman said sarcastically, choosing a seat for himself. There was no way he would stand there alone.

Seeing the young man’s somewhat theatrical behavior, Ellie shook her head in exasperation. This guy could be really annoying. His presence didn’t make Ellie feel bad, though; she was just playing along. She knew Aman understood this too. Seeing everyone gathered, Ellie smiled faintly.

Unfortunately, her smile lasted less than 3 seconds before there was another knock on the dining room door.

“Duchess Ellie, we’re coming in,” Aria’s voice rang out from the front, causing Ellie’s eyebrows to twitch. She immediately sensed through her spores that the people outside included some she could talk to and others she preferred not to meet.

Aria, Duchess Vida, Prince Jason, and his personal guard, Ryker, were all present. As the 4 entered, the spacious lounge seemed to shrink instantly.

“Duchess Vida, Your Highness,” Ellie reluctantly stood to greet them. Everyone else did the same, even Aman, who stood with a look of irritation like a frustrated mad dog.

“Make yourselves comfortable,” Prince Jason smiled. It seemed his decision to come here was indeed the right one. Seeing Aman’s and Ellie’s expressions, it would be strange if he didn’t find it amusing.

Though he secretly felt grateful to both for their reminders, their sharp tongues were something else. Each word they threw at him was cutting. Returning the annoyance in kind felt like a satisfying revenge.

“What wind brings Your Highness, who should be training harder than anyone else in the kingdom, here today?” Aman was the first to speak, his words as biting as ever. He dared to suggest the prince was slacking off, even though his duties were the most important. If these words reached the Emperor, he might indeed scold his underperforming son a word or two.

“Much like how you can idle here while the Setter family members are diligently training to increase their power. Perhaps soon...someone else might surpass you as the second strongest.”

“Heh, heh, heh, no matter how many stronger members our Setter family gains, it still strengthens the family. But for you, Your Highness... if you get overtaken, you might miss something crucial,” Aman sneered, causing Jason to pause.

Aman hinted that the prince’s idleness could result in losing the throne to someone else. Jason couldn’t know if the Setter family had any other secrets about his brother. Like last time, they moved too slowly, and their hidden cards were wasted, benefiting the Fernal family and his brother instead.

Of course, Jason wasn’t without resentment! His brother had turned a kingdom traitor into a celebrated hero. If his brother became emperor, wouldn’t the Fernal family always have the upper hand? With such a selfish villain...Jason would rather die than let his brother have it all!

Seeing the prince’s serious expression, Aman stopped teasing. Continuing such pointless talk would only ruin the atmosphere. Moreover...it was clear he had won this verbal sparring match. There was no need to prolong it.

“What have you ordered so far? I’ll add to it. Who’s paying for this meal?” Aman looked around. He said this because he had overheard that Wint might be treating, but with so many people, Wint probably couldn’t cover it.

Ellie looked at the mad dog who had just lashed out at everyone and decided to settle the matter herself.

“Since the Second Young Lord is here, could you cover the bill? I’ll make sure Brother Owen reimburses you later.”

“Haha, sure, sure. No need for brother to pay me back. Just talk about my generosity this time is enough,” Aman laughed heartily, thus ending the debate about who would pay for the meal.

Wint felt a bit grateful to Ellie for helping him out, though he also wanted to kick the second young lord who liked making things difficult. Only Prince Jason had secretly sighed in relief, realizing that the only one who could handle Aman was his future sister-in-law.

“In that case, I suppose you wouldn’t mind adding meals for the four of us.”

“Hmph, since His Highness himself is asking, I suppose I can treat you all,” Aman pouted slightly, acting as if the prince had begged him.

Duchess Vida glanced at Ellie for help, but Ellie, who already disliked the prince, simply sipped her tea to hide her smile.

The atmosphere in the dining room was slightly tense, but it wasn’t long before they all started chatting amicably, as if they hadn’t just been competing to outwit each other. Or perhaps...it had become a custom for them to spar verbally before eating.

“I heard you had an issue with the new student?” Prince Jason asked.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“She doesn’t seem like the type to cause trouble. I didn’t expect that within a few days she would make you take action.”

“You don’t understand, Your Highness. Women who act like they have no issues often have the most problems!”

“Aria,” Vida cautioned, warning Aria not to accuse others so hastily.

However, Aria’s words rang true, and Ellie didn’t deny it. Who would have thought that a simple shared meal would end up blocking Lady Grace’s path entirely?From the sharp-witted Aman, who was ready to stand against anyone who opposed Ellie, to Prince Jason, who was becoming more skeptical and distrustful of anyone, especially the foreigners who he already had prejudice, even Wint, who prioritized his family’s interests, saw little reason to align with someone who seemed useful but was merely a creator of magical devices. If he thought of siding with such a person, it meant becoming an enemy of Ares’s powerful figures, then how could he take this risk?...