After a 10-minute walk, a maid in a black maid outfit is waiting at the front mansion gate, awaiting their arrival.
"Welcome back, master and madam, young miss and young master. And also, welcome Count Cross and family. Please come inside, young master Kyle is inside the office and will be joining soon. The maids will be awaiting at the entrance for you to hand over the coats."
"As for the Cross family servants, can eat at our table with us. We will also help you move the language to the villa and provide sustenance to the tamed beast." The maid bows and inform the help they will provide.
The Cross family received a warm welcome and went inside, following Count Shields and handing over their coats. After ever one is seated, the door of the dining room opened. It is Kyle who just entered the room.
"Apologies for my late arrival, I'm Kyle Shields, the eldest son of the Shields family. Welcome to the Cross family. Thank you for dining lunch with us. Please enjoy the food. Excuse and pardon me to seat down as well." Kyle bows respectfully while greeting the guest and seat down.
"Oh, young Kyle. Come and join us as well. I will make a toast for the moment. If you will?" Malcom is pleased with Kyle's attitude and he returns the respect to the youth.
"Thank you, Count Cross. It's an honor to have a toast with you." Kyle lifts up his glass that the maid just delivered to him.
"Might as well everyone join in, right?" Count Shields also raised his glass. Everyone raised a toast then proceed to enjoy the luxurious lunch. Adrian, Marylyn and Scott join in the toast as well but with juice of course. The legal drinking age is when one reached adulthood, that is 15 years old.
After finishing up desert, the two families are socializing. The parents are chatting with each other. Katie approach Marylyn and starts poking her cheeks. Marylyn is already used to the cheek attacks. She pouts making her cheeks puffed up more and made Katie's eyes shines. The servants are having lunch together. Only Adrian, Scott and Kyle are left out.
The three stares at each other for a moment, until Kyle takes initiative to speak first.
"How about the three of us have a chat at the office?" Kyle invites the two to the office.
"Why the office though? Aren't you afraid I get a look at your documents?" Adrian is a bit confused about the invite.
"Hahaha… Don't worry. We have nothing to hide anyway. Plus, I have some work to do but I also want to chat with you. Didn't you owe me a talk 5 years ago?" Kyle said earnestly while reminding Adrian of what he owes.
"Ugh… that time. Sure. Lead the way." Adrian remembers 5 years ago at the inn in the capital.
The three boys left the dining room and move to the office.
"Please seat down on the sofa, you two. I will make a pot of tea." Kyle shows hospitality to Adrian and his little brother, Scott. As he was just about to go to the refreshment station at the corner of the office, Scott stops his brother.
"Let me do it eldest brother. I want to practice my Fire spell control. You can seat down with Adrian first and chat with him first." Scott volunteered to make the tea.
"Really? Can you do it? I don't want any accidents like last time?" Kyle doubting Scott as his little brother cause a fire at the garden last time.
"Sigh… How about both of you go? Scott can practice control and Kyle can watch over him. Easy solution. Benefits both of you as well. As for me, don't worry too much. You two are just going to the corner of the room anyways. I wait here." Adrian sighs at the sibling's discussion and immediately gives a solution.
"Oh, right. We will be with you in a moment. Show me what you got Scott." Kyle accepts the solution and made tea with Scott.
"It seems like Kyle improve to Half Moon stage. That is good. What kind of an heir become stagnate at 26 years old? Everyone from the Shields family had affinity towards the Earth element. That's what Count Shields rant about 'protecting the town' earlier." Adrian impression of the Shields family improves in a positive light.
"Ahem… Aren't you forgetting about the volcano earlier?" Cassie's voice chimes inside his thoughts.
"I didn't forget about it. I'm about to collect information here." Adrian replies back while thinking to ask Kyle about the history of Silver Ash town.
"Why don't you just ask Aria for it? She seems to be all knowing. She only responds to you." Cassie turns to Aria's knowledge.
"Aria, do you have any idea about it?" Adrian also finally turns to Aria.
[Responding. ARIA had no conclusive results but there are records that a dragon made its habitat somewhere in the south of the West continent. The southern region is full of mountains and active volcanoes. The dragon's presences halted the eruptions.]
"So, based on this information… the dragon is hibernating in the winter close to the southern border. That is why ashes spew out the volcano when winter arrive. What is the threat level?" Adrian is shocked to hear a genuine dragon exist near the borders.
[Responding. The stats are unknown but dragons are one of the Primordial beginnings. ARIA categorize as it as 'Extremely Dangerous' but not threatening as of now as it is hidden and hibernating.]
"See. She did have an answer. Why didn't you ask her that earlier?" Cassie is actually curious of Aria's existence.
"Aria is supposed to function like that. It only voiced out a definitive and absolute answers. If it is not, it won't voice it out and just gather bits that it has so I can make a deduction myself. I made it like that. No need to call it 'her'. It is true that it's inside me but it is not 'alive'." Adrian explains how Aria works to Cassie.
"But… I see. I understand now." Cassie nods in understanding on how Aria works.
After the discussion in Adrian's head is done, the Shields brothers came back with a pot of tea and 3 porcelain cups. Just in time.
"Sorry for the wait, Adrian." Scott apologizes while holding the teapot.
"No need to apologize. Let's seat down and enjoy ourselves." Adrian stands up upholding manners to invite Scott to seat next to him. Kyle sits across the two of them.
The three chat together merrily. Talking about magic, Kyle's duty as an heir and the academy. Finally, Kyle introduces the topic of 'girls'.
"So, do you two have any interest in women? Both of you are growing, and five years left until both of you will be adults. If both of you tell your interest first. I will tell mine. How about it?" Kyle offers a proposal. Scott becomes red after hearing it and looked at Adrian.
Adrian is fine with it while thinking back all the beauties that he met and mingle, in his present and past life. A familiar face of a woman that he hated so much resurface in his thoughts, Yoo Iseul the traitorous succubus. The room suddenly becomes cold making Kyle and Scott to looked at the windows wondering if it is the cause of the temperature drop.
"Okay I will go first as I have no interest in relationships as of right now. No women had yet made me fall for them as of now." Adrian said in an emotionless expression and stern tone then took a sip of tea.
"Oh? You seem to be distrustful of women. That is fine for now but you are an heir so you should think about it more." Kyle understands but leaves an advice as someone with the same position. Adrian nods and enjoying the tea but he is thinking on a way to leave the county to Marylyn after hearing that.
"Sigh… it is my turn now huh? Will anything we say here will stay here? Also, no violence is allowed in this men's talk. Can you two promise that?" Scott asking for assurance.
"We promise." Kyle and Adrian said in sync as that is logic in a gentlemen's talk. Scott nodded.
"I… have interest in Prin… Princess Chelsea." Scott announces shyly.
"Okay." Adrian just nods in understanding and sips his tea.
"That is normal to have a crush on a princess, Scott. The princess is a beautiful girl. But she is a part of the royal family so just work hard for it." Kyle cheers on his little brother.
"I know I'm not good enough like both of you. After thinking back about it… I saw a cute girl today so…" Scott looks at Adrian who is sipping his tea.
"You mean Marylyn?" Kyle asked for the specific while Adrian spits his tea towards Kyle in surprise hearing his little sister's name. Luckily, Kyle managed to block the spitted tea or he will get soak.
"I have heard a phrase 'crazy in love' but you must be stupid to say you fall in love a friend's little sister in front of her big brother. Sorry about that Kyle." Adrian looked at the fidgeting Scott and apologize to Kyle.
"No harm done. Well technically, I'm the one who said it. Hahaha…" Kyle shrugs it off and started to act like an idiot for the first time in front of Adrian.