Warm rays of the afternoon sun filtered through the glass windows of the Silverleaf restaurant, creating an aura of natural tranquility for those dining in this high-end establishment.
The dim chatter of the diners filled the hall. The volume was low enough that individual conversations were indistinct, yet high enough to prevent the place from feeling empty.
Beautiful gardens surrounded the main building of the restaurant, allowing diners to admire the exotic decorative plants if they looked outside. The restaurant's elevated structure also provided a decent view of the surrounding parts of Wintram City.
Waiters moved around gracefully, serving plates of food to the customers. Their movements were quick, yet they did not appear rushed.
However, this tranquil atmosphere was suddenly disrupted by raucous laughter coming from a particular table, prompting other customers to glance toward the source of the disturbance.
At the table where the noise originated, some young people were smiling, others chuckling. Some of their mocking gazes were fixed in one direction.
Naturally, this was Astarion and his group's table.
The onlookers followed their stares to discover that Astarion's group was glancing at Caelum and Lyra's table. Many of the customers, being relatively wealthy cultivators, had heard some rumors—rumors about Caelum's miraculous awakening from his coma and his subsequent actions.
Lyra's school incident was less widely known, but a few particularly gossipy diners were aware of it as well.
Some customers were visibly annoyed, feeling that Astarion's group was disrupting the serene atmosphere and spoiling their dining experience.
Others, however, were intrigued. Clearly, the Goldheart siblings were being mocked in a public setting.
How would they react?
The onlookers couldn't help but anticipate a good show.
At Caelum's table, Lyra sat stiffly, her unease palpable. Even without looking, she could feel the stares and hear the jeers directed at them.
She glanced at Caelum, who remained calm and unbothered, nonchalantly enjoying his meal. His composure stood in stark contrast to her own discomfort, which only deepened her frustration.
A feeling of helplessness and irritation welled within her.
She wanted to question Caelum, to ask him if he wasn't going to do anything about the rowdy group. But she held back.
What could Caelum possibly do? She didn't want to put her big brother in an awkward spot.
It was best to quicken her eating pace and leave the restaurant as quickly as possible.
Just as she was thinking so, however, Caelum put down his eating utensils. They clanked against the plate, making a slightly louder noise than usual.
He looked at a waiter standing nearby. Noticing his gaze, the waiter approached their table.
Caelum whispered something to the waiter. Even Lyra, sitting close by, couldn't clearly hear what he said.
You see, Caelum already knew the identities of most people at Astarion's table. Every major family had a book comprising information about prominent individuals from other powerful families.
The younger generation of these families were made to study this book and memorize the faces and names of important figures. This way, they would know who they could offend and who they could not.
Caelum had already read this book during his time at the estate.
He had been discreetly observing Astarion's table for a while now, which led him to make an important observation.
'Not everyone at that table is a close friend of Astarion. Many of them are only smiling politely at his silly jokes, and some aren't even sparing him the polite smile,' Caelum noted.
There were only two people truly laughing out loud. Caelum didn't recognize their names or faces.
'They must be from the Olof family or from some minor family under the Olof family's thumb,' he deduced.
The fact that not everyone at the table was a close friend of Astarion was a good thing from Caelum's perspective.
Frankly speaking, even if all of them were close friends, Caelum's plan wouldn't change much. But the present situation was far more convenient for him.
As Caelum mulled over his thoughts, people watched in confusion as the waiter he had whispered to earlier went inside the staff area.
Next, a man emerged from the staff area. His uniform was more elaborate than that of the waiter, indicating that he held a higher position within the restaurant. Judging by his attire, he appeared to be at least a manager-level figure.
The man approached Astarion's table with steady steps. Astarion regarded him with a relaxed gaze, his expression bordering on smugness as he wondered what the man would say.
However, the man's first words caused Astarion's smug demeanor to vanish, replaced by an ugly scowl.
"Who do you think you are!? Do you even know who I am?" Astarion barked loudly, his voice attracting the attention of everyone in the dining hall.
Unfortunately for him, the man remained unphased. What Astarion failed to realize was that he had no idea who this man truly was. The uniform was merely a disguise. Beneath it was the face of Caelum's carriage driver.
The man released a small fraction of his energy, enough to make his intentions clear.
"Please don't make this difficult. Otherwise, I will not hesitate to use force," he said, his tone calm and matter-of-fact. There was no hint of respect in his voice, only the detached professionalism of someone who couldn't be bothered to entertain Astarion's indignation.
Astarion's teeth clenched in frustration. The blatant disregard for his status was infuriating, and the expressions of the people at his table, who now looked at him with strange expressions, only added salt to the wound.
Realization dawned on Astarion. His eyes snapped toward Caelum, who was still seated at his table, casually enjoying his meal.
Rising from his chair, Astarion began briskly walking toward Caelum.
Lyra noticed her brother's demeanor. To her, he seemed entirely unaware of the charged atmosphere in the restaurant.
Meanwhile, the disguised carriage driver sent a mental transmission to Caelum. "Should I stop him, Young Master?"
In response, Caelum shook his head ever so slightly. The subtle gesture was enough for the driver, whose high cultivation allowed him to understand the instruction without issue. He made no move to intervene.
"What is the meaning of this, Caelum?" Astarion demanded loudly as he reached Caelum's table. "As a cultivator of the same generation, if you have an issue with me, you should settle it directly with me. Why are you involving people from the older generations in this dispute?"
His voice carried through the dining hall, ensuring everyone could hear him. The people who had been seated with Astarion also got up from their seats and began moving toward Caelum's table, curious to see where all of this was headed.
Had Caelum really resorted to using the restaurant staff to drive them out, simply because he couldn't handle being the target of a few of Astarion's silly jokes?
Several diners felt a twinge of disappointment. Was this really how the son of the Goldheart family chose to handle matters?
Caelum finally responded, his quiet voice only loud enough for Astarion and a few high-level cultivators who were eavesdropping. "That's quite rich coming from you."
Astarion's face momentarily burned with embarrassment. He knew that Caelum was referring to the incident with Lyra and how he had gotten her teacher to cooperate with him.
He understood his own hypocrisy, but there was no way he was going to admit it in front of anyone. As far as he knew, there was no solid proof linking the teacher to him.
"I have no idea what you're referring to. I suggest you refrain from making baseless accusations," he said, regaining his composure.
By this point, Astarion's friends had also gathered closer. His two loudest cronies wasted no time questioning Caelum.
"What is the meaning of this, Young Master Caelum?" one of them demanded.
"Do you think it's right to use adults to prevent us from peacefully enjoying our meals?" the other chimed in.
Hearing their words, Caelum simply smiled and replied, "I think you're misunderstanding me, Brother Astarion."
"What do you mean?" Astarion asked, a note of caution in his voice. Caelum's suspiciously gentle tone set off alarm bells in his mind.
Instead of answering directly, Caelum turned his gaze to the glass window beside him.
"It's quite beautiful, isn't it? The weather, the view of this magnificent city, the elegant surroundings, and the tranquil atmosphere. That's what people come here to enjoy," he said.
Everyone, including Lyra, was puzzled. What was Caelum trying to say? Could it be that his mind wasn't entirely right after his coma?
"What are you trying to say? Speak plainly!" Astarion snapped.
Caelum turned back to him with an air of calm.
"Brother Astarion, I do have a problem with you, but it's not a personal one. Your presence here disrupts the tranquil atmosphere of this restaurant. Your raucous laughter grates on the ears, and your ugly appearance diminishes the beauty of this place," he said matter-of-factly.
"This isn't my personal opinion; it's just an objective truth," he continued shamelessly. "That's why I asked the restaurant staff to deal with you. After all, it's their responsibility to keep the place clean of filth."