Lunch at the Wilfort Residence

In South Vantina, at the Wilfort residence located at 25 Northmar Street, on the northwest corner of Heart Pulse Plaza. It was twelve noon, their family's customary mealtime. In the spacious, bright dining room on the first floor, the midday sun filtered gently through the shadows of leaves outside the window, splashing softly across every corner. In the courtyard beyond, an occasional breeze drifted past, carrying the faint fragrance of the distant garden. Upon the long dining table inside was spread a fine linen cloth bordered by delicately embroidered floral petals. Silver cutlery and stemware were arranged in impeccable order, and dishes from the kitchen were steadily being brought out. Seated at the head of the table, Noe Wilfort, head of the household, wore his usual calm and dignified expression, though a flicker of complex emotion surfaced in his eyes whenever his gaze fell on Lanqi. What differed from usual today was that, beside Lanqi along the flank of the table, two extra figures were seated. Next to him sat Miss Tata, poised and quiet, her hands lightly folded over her lap. Further down sat Hyperion. Though clearly a noble lady at a glance, she seemed extremely self-conscious at the moment, hardly willing to raise her head. The three of them sat side by side in a row, barely speaking to one another for quite some time. Noe could not help studying them for a while. This was truly thought-provoking. Noe had spent the whole morning wondering how in the world the three of them had ended up tangled in a heap on the floor. He could only conclude that the youth of today were into something very avant-garde. Noe recognized there might be a generation gap between himself and young people. Lanqi and Hyperion were both seventeen, while Tata looked no older than twenty-five. It was only natural for youths to harbor eccentric ideas, but Noe could not shake the feeling that the relationship among the three was simply too surreal. Still, since none of them were uttering a word, Noe felt it improper to pry. He decided to pretend he knew nothing. It was not that big of a deal anyway. Butler Hans and maid Francine were consummate professionals who would never leak household matters outside. It was virtually impossible that tomorrow's newspapers across the entire Hutton Kingdom would run a farcical photograph of the three of them tangled together. As Noe pondered this, the long table was being filled with the dishes Lanqi had personally ordered from the kitchen earlier. Aside from a colorful seafood platter featuring fresh goose barnacles, yellowtail, and Blue Wave Sea sweet shrimp—each arranged with exquisite precision—there was baked rice prepared with black truffles and South Vantina wild mushrooms; steak seared to a golden brown on the outside while remaining tender and juicy within, accompanied by roasted seasonal vegetables and a refined black garlic sauce; and even hazelnut chocolate mousse dusted with gold leaf, which was being served ahead of schedule, likely because Lanqi had warned the kitchen they would eat very fast. Noe mused that Lanqi normally had an ordinary appetite, so why was he being so enthusiastic today? "In any case, welcome to our home, Miss Tata and Miss Hyperion." Seeing that it was about time to begin lunch, Noe addressed the two ladies on the side of the table with heartfelt courtesy. "I hope you will enjoy your stay in South Vantina. If Lanqi has fallen short in his hospitality, I apologize on behalf of the Wilfort family in advance." "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Wilfort," Tata said, nodding in greeting. With her cool, elegant poise, she resembled a noble empress in every respect, leaving Noe to wonder for a second whether Lanqi's bedroom door had actually been enchanted that morning with an illusion spell that made anyone opening it witness an impossibility. "Thank you, Uncle," Hyperion replied half a beat late, snapping out of her daze to look at Noe. Back at the Ikerite Health Center, she had already found Lanqi's father very easy to talk to. It was just that seeing him always proved rather awkward. "All right, let's eat. Make yourselves at home and eat plenty," Lanqi said gently. He seemed to be reassuring Hyperion, yet as he spoke those last few words, he happened to cast a glance at Talia beside him, apparently with no hidden meaning. "..." Hyperion had wanted to say something, but ultimately held her tongue. Fortunately, Tata could not read minds. If she happened to catch Lanqi's stray thoughts while pretending not to notice, that would be genuinely terrifying. Once their brief exchange ended, peace returned to the dining table. Only the faint clink of spoons against porcelain resonated from time to time through the Wilfort dining room. The steward stood quietly off to the side awaiting Lanqi's bidding, while maids clad in matching black dresses with white aprons at their waists moved nimbly and softly, ensuring that every course was served without disturbing the guests. Unlike on ordinary days, Lanqi displayed impeccable grace as a host throughout the meal. His gaze was attentive without being overbearing, always mindful of the two ladies' needs. Whenever the attendants brought out a new dish, he would signal with a subtle gesture, directing them to place the plates closer to Hyperion and Talia so that both could easily sample every delicacy. In this harmonious fashion, several dozen minutes slipped by. When the Wilfort family's lunch came to an end, the servants began clearing the table while Noe sat at the head, sipping black tea. He looked with lingering confusion at the two ladies to Lanqi's right. Lanqi had not been mistaken today: every single dish brought out had been completely polished off. Noe had not been watching closely, but by the principle of conservation of mass, one of them must have appeared to eat slowly and elegantly while actually consuming food at astonishing speed. Just who was it? Noe was baffled, yet too embarrassed to ask. If Lanqi were to marry that hearty-eating young lady, the household would need to stock significantly more groceries in the future. Fortunately, their family was quite well-off, Noe reflected. In truth, Noe sensed that Lanqi had potential prospects with both young women. What he had not anticipated was that Miss Hyperion and Miss Tata already knew each other. Stranger still, there was not the slightest hint of jealousy or rivalry between them... Did neither of them want to win? They couldn't both be the losing heroines, so who was the primary wife supposed to be? Still, Noe could tell that the girls Lanqi knew were fine young ladies. Compared to Lanqi, they acted like perfectly sensible human beings, so there was little cause for worry. Eventually, Noe set down his teacup and stopped agonizing over it, turning his gaze toward the three of them. "What are your plans for this afternoon?" Though the atmosphere was somewhat better than before the meal, Noe could still feel that, sitting together, they barely spoke, as if some unresolved knot weighed upon their hearts. "I will check on Lanqi's progress as a card maker, and then teach Hyperion some new magic," Talia answered, looking at Noe with a solemn expression. "Oh, wonderful. Thank you for your trouble, Miss Tata." Noe blinked in surprise, then quickly offered his thanks. He knew that the card-making instructor Lanqi had asked him for funds to hire a long time ago was this very Miss Tata. Less than half a year later, Noe had traveled to the royal capital and discovered Lanqi had become a semi-Platinum-rank card maker, which had dumbfounded him completely. On one hand, Lanqi possessed bizarre innate talent, but on the other, Tata was evidently an exceptional teacher. Exaggerated results aside, the sheer fact that she could keep his rebellious son in line was proof enough that Miss Tata was a natural-born master educator. "It is only what I ought to do," Tata replied courteously. With that, Noe roughly grasped the dynamic among Tata, Hyperion, and Lanqi in the royal capital of Ikerite. Presumably, they spent most of their time together, with Tata instructing Lanqi in card crafting while teaching Hyperion magic. Yet, if they were in a mentor-disciple relationship, why on earth had they been tangled together on the floor? Could anyone actually study like that? As Noe zoned out in contemplation, his bewildered expression was apparently so obvious that all three across the table read his thoughts at once. Hyperion's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and she hung her head. Though Tata's face remained chilly, the hand resting on her lap clenched tightly into a fist. Lanqi had been about to instruct the servants to bring out more pastries to prevent Tata from remaining less than half-full, but upon feeling the sudden chill in the air, he sat obediently upright and dared not move again. Awkwardness descended over the dining table once more. Even though not a single word had been uttered regarding the morning's incident, everyone knew that everyone was thinking about it. After an extended silence, Lanqi spoke up. "Why don't we go out for a walk in South Vantina?" He added, "Tata, teaching us card crafting and magic is part of our everyday routine once we're back in Ikerite. It's rare for us to be in South Vantina, so we should take the opportunity to sightsee without distractions." If they remained in this house, to say nothing of Tata, Hyperion might truly reach her breaking point. He needed to take them out to clear their heads. Having spent the better part of a year together, sharing nearly half of every day, Lanqi knew Tata and Hyperion very well. Unlike Tata, whose mood improved the moment she was well-fed, Hyperion had far more delicate sensibilities. Before Talia and Hyperion could voice their opinions, Noe took a sip of tea and asked Lanqi, "Which one do you want to go with?" To his mind, a young man taking a girl on a date ought to be devoted to one person. Though he felt his question might be a bit too direct, he believed both girls would want a clear answer. Talia fixed her gaze on Lanqi. Hyperion grew somewhat tense as well. "I want to go with both of them, of course," Lanqi answered without hesitation. His eyes were remarkably pure and innocent. It was as if he merely wanted an ordinary family outing. "?" Noe froze, his teacup suspended in midair, thoroughly bewildered. At this point, if Noe probed any further, it would only look like he was overthinking things. Lanqi, meanwhile, remained as saintly and blameless as ever. Why on earth did this little brat reek so strongly of green tea?