Chapter 41: A Quiet Evening with Craig and Yuri

“Sit down.”

As I entered the dining room, I immediately noticed Craig Marquis, who had already taken the seat at the head of the table.

He didn’t seem to mind that I had arrived later, and with a calm demeanor, he simply invited me to take a seat.

Since this meal was only for his daughter and her friend, there were no comments about the dress code, as Yuri had mentioned.

Once Yuri and I sat down side by side, the servants began bringing in the food, one by one. The dishes were placed on the table in no particular order, creating a steady stream of food.

There wasn’t an overwhelming amount, but it was enough to cover the table, and as everything was placed down, Craig spoke up.

“Serve it.”

Craig began helping himself to the food, and Yuri and I followed suit, starting to eat. Yuri’s mother had passed away, and there were no other relatives in the mansion, so it was just the three of us at the table.

With so much space, the table felt empty with just three people sitting there, and the sound of cutlery clinking only added to the cold atmosphere.

As a guest, I couldn’t bring myself to speak first, and the meal felt awkward enough to the point where I wasn’t even sure if the food was entering my mouth or my nose.

I felt like I might choke on the tension. Thankfully, Craig broke the silence.

“I’ve heard your grades.”

I wanted to apologize for complaining, but at this point, I thought it might be better to just keep eating in silence. …No, please, let me continue eating quietly.

“Out of the 30 people in your class, you’re ranked 20th.”

I desperately wished for him to stop, but of course, my silent wishes wouldn’t reach him, and his words kept coming.

I wasn’t sure why Craig had to bring up his daughter’s grades in front of her friend. Without knowing exactly what he wanted to say, he briefly mentioned Yuri’s grades and then closed his mouth.

Once again, the sound of clinking cutlery filled the air.

“By the way, Yuri’s written exam score was second, right? Second in the whole school! The professors praised her a lot!”

In an attempt to lift the mood a little, I brought up Yuri’s written exam results. Yuri’s low rank was due to her practical exam score, which had a higher weight, but in terms of written exams, she was at the top of the class.

The professors who taught the theoretical courses always spoke highly of Yuri, calling her smart and exemplary. Of course, the top scorer was Celian, but she was essentially an exception.

Whether in theory or practice, Celian was overwhelmingly number one.

“Still, your swordsmanship skills remain lacking. Don’t worry, though. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be giving you one-on-one training every day.”

Listening to how intensely Craig was pushing Yuri to give up on swordsmanship, even from a third-party perspective, it was unsettling.

“So, what have you been studying at the academy?”

Craig seemed displeased not just with Yuri holding a sword, but with her attending the academy in general, as he began probing about everything that had happened there.

He asked about her professors, her academy life, the time we spent together, her studies, and even the other students. Yuri had no choice but to recount everything that had happened during her time at the academy as Craig questioned her relentlessly.

“Sorry. Did my father make you uncomfortable?”

Yuri apologized with a bitter smile, as if understanding my position.

“No, it’s fine. The food is so good, I didn’t even notice the time passing while eating.”

“I’m glad you liked the food. I specifically asked for dishes you liked when you were younger.”

“Haha…”

To be honest, I couldn’t even remember the taste. I had only realized how heavy the atmosphere was. Only after finishing the meal and returning to Yuri’s room could I finally relax my tense body.

“Would you like a cup of tea afterward?”

Knock knock.

Just as Yuri was about to grab the teapot, a knock echoed through the room. Yuri set the teapot down and opened the door, where Craig Marquis stood.

What they spoke about while standing in the doorway, I didn’t know, but after a brief conversation, Craig came into the room with Yuri. He then took a seat at one end of the round table where Yuri and I had been sitting.

Yuri silently set another teacup and poured tea into each cup in front of us from the teapot she had placed earlier.

Slurp.

Yuri and I stayed still, while only Craig picked up his teacup and savored his tea.

If this continued, I felt like the food we had eaten earlier might end up sitting in my stomach awkwardly, and I wished someone would speak up.

“I didn’t get a chance to hear your story earlier because I was listening to Yuri. Count Frentz was someone I cared about. I should have asked how his daughter was doing and how she’s been, but I made a mistake.”

He talked like this, but I was sure he still doubted whether I was truly Count Frentz’s daughter.

After over ten years of no news, suddenly appearing and claiming to be the last surviving member of the Frentz family, especially being so close to his daughter, it was understandable.

In fact, his doubts weren’t entirely wrong.

“…Thankfully, I escaped with the maid who had been taking care of me at the time, and I received a lot of help.”

I cautiously shared my past, trying not to arouse suspicion.

Of course, it wasn’t really Elysia’s story, but I adapted my own experiences to make it sound as plausible as possible.

The guild master who raised me as an assassin became the maid who took care of me, the guild hideout located in a secluded area was transformed into a dilapidated cottage on the outskirts of the village, and the assassin training I had received was portrayed as a random swordsman I happened to encounter.

Since the assassin guild had been destroyed, I worried that someone might get curious about my past, so I had come up with this backstory after much thought. I even wondered if I might have a talent for storytelling, as it sounded convincing enough.

“The tea is good. Could you pour me another cup, Yuri?”

“Sure.”

Since it was the same mansion, the same servants, the same store, and the same tea leaves, Craig’s tea wouldn’t be any different from mine, yet he praised it and emptied his teacup several times.

Each time, Yuri filled his empty teacup with more tea from the teapot.

Thankfully, Craig didn’t seem suspicious while listening to my story.

He just nodded a few times, occasionally swallowing the tea. It seemed like he wasn’t really paying much attention to what I was saying.

“Yes. It must have been tough. I would like to hear more, but it’s already this late. Let’s meet tomorrow morning at the training grounds.”

In the end, after over an hour of me talking non-stop, it finally ended.

I had reached for my teacup so many times during the conversation that, without realizing it, I had emptied it, and Craig had emptied his even more, requiring Yuri to pour more tea multiple times.

As Craig was about to leave after the meal, he stopped at the door, turning to look at us, or rather, at Yuri. It seemed like he had something he wanted to say, but his mouth remained shut.

“Good night, Father.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, Marquis.”

Although I would have greeted him as soon as he left the room, Yuri took the initiative to greet him silently, as we couldn’t just stand there in silence. I followed her lead and greeted Craig as well.

“…Right. Sleep well.”

Finally, Craig left the room. However, when Yuri greeted him, I noticed Craig’s lips twitch. Or rather, was it a subtle smile? He raised his hand slightly, then stopped.

Having seen Craig’s stern expression all day, I wondered if I had misinterpreted it, but after thinking about it, that brief twitch of his face was definitely an attempt to hold back a smile.

Once again, I remembered Professor Selene’s words. Craig was said to be very protective of his daughter, Yuri. I couldn’t tell which of Craig’s faces was the true one.

As I was pondering this, Yuri spoke to me.

“Alright! Now that your father is gone, would you like to change into your pajamas?”

“It’s already this late, and we’ll be staying here for a few more days, so wouldn’t it be better to just sleep and talk tomorrow?”

“Huh? Are we not going to talk in bed tonight?”

I realized it wasn’t the time to be thinking about anything else. What was I even worrying about? I should have expected a situation like this after the time I had spent with Yuri before.

Given that she had already made her move, it was clear I wouldn’t be sleeping in my own room. If the best option was no longer available, I needed to at least try for a secondary option.

“…Should I just spread a blanket on the floor like last time?”

“Hehe.”

Why is she just laughing and not answering, Yuri?