Chapter 81 - Dinner

Chapter 81: 81 - Dinner

"Adrien Clairmont," Adrien answered.

He was already expecting the polite expression on the man’s face to disappear. The Clairmont name carried more weight again than it had a few months ago, but Alaric was still officially remembered as a traitor to the Crown. Depending on who heard the surname, respect could turn into discomfort remarkably quickly.

Instead, the man’s expression brightened.

"A Clairmont? Then it’s a pleasure to have you here, my lord." He stepped aside and gestured toward the staircase. "Please, follow me. I’m certain we can arrange something. We have an excellent table available upstairs."

Adrien remained still for half a second.

The man had already started walking when he looked back. "Please, my lord. Don’t leave me walking up there alone."

Amelia waited until Adrien caught up before glancing sideways at him. "You really weren’t expecting that, were you?"

"Not even slightly." Adrien lowered his voice as they followed their host upstairs. "My father is still technically remembered as a traitor to the kingdom. I was expecting him to hear Clairmont and suddenly discover that every table in the building had been reserved."

Amelia’s expression softened. "Apparently not everyone believes those lies."

The comment hit differently than Adrien expected. Something warm soothed in his chest as he followed her up the final staircase. Whatever the Crown’s official records still said about Alaric, hearing Amelia dismiss it so naturally felt better than it probably should have.

The upper terrace made the interruption worthwhile.

It overlooked one of the capital’s main avenues, high enough that the noise below became a distant murmur rather than a constant roar. Mana lamps had begun illuminating the streets as darkness settled over the city, while children still ran between their parents and couples wandered beneath the warm lights.

Amelia paused beside the railing before they sat, her attention drifting over the street below. Adrien watched her for a moment, though this time he made sure she didn’t catch him doing it.

Their host returned with menus and left them to decide. Neither spent particularly long pretending to care about the more elaborate options. They both ordered thick cuts of roasted meat with vegetables and potatoes, though Amelia added something Adrien hadn’t expected.

"And bring us your best wine," she said, handing the menu back. "A bottle."

Adrien raised an eyebrow after the man left. "Celebrating something?"

Amelia rested her chin lightly against one hand. "Hm. Who knows?"

"That’s suspicious."

The food arrived soon afterward, followed by a dark bottle with enough age written on the label that Adrien suspected it cost considerably more than the meal itself.

Amelia filled both glasses.

One became two.

Then three.

The food was excellent, and the conversation wandered everywhere except politics. They talked about the capital, Elyndor, Lucien’s habit of disappearing during training, and the growing number of people living around Greymoor.

Adrien’s Dragonic Physique gave him better resistance than Amelia seemed to have, but apparently Stage One didn’t include immunity to alcohol. By the time the bottle was nearly empty, warmth had spread through his body and the usual careful filter between his thoughts and his mouth had become noticeably thinner.

Amelia wasn’t doing much better.

She finished what remained in her glass in one long drink, set it down and looked directly at him.

"You know something?" she asked.

Adrien leaned back slightly. "That usually means I’m about to hear something dangerous."

"It might." Amelia turned the empty glass slowly between her fingers. "It’s been a while since I told you how I felt."

Adrien’s amusement faded.

Amelia continued before he could respond. "And you’ve gotten closer to me since then. We spend more time together. You come to Elyndor, I come to Greymoor, we train together, we talk..." She paused, searching for the right words. "But sometimes it still feels like there’s a wall around you."

Adrien hadn’t expected that.

Not because she was wrong.

Because she had noticed.

He looked toward the street below for a moment. Normally this was exactly where he would have made some joke, changed the subject or given an answer vague enough to satisfy most people.

The alcohol probably helped.

So did the fact that it was Amelia asking.

"I’ve spent a long time keeping people at a distance," Adrien said eventually. "Not just you. Everyone."

Amelia stayed quiet, letting him continue.

"I’m used to keeping things to myself. Not relying on people too much. Not letting them know everything I’m thinking or doing." He ran a thumb along the edge of his glass. "When you live like that long enough, it stops feeling like something you’re choosing. It just becomes normal."

That was as close as he could get to explaining his previous life without explaining something he wasn’t ready to tell her.

"Most people eventually stopped trying to get closer," he continued. "And honestly, I made that easy for them."

Amelia’s expression changed slightly.

Adrien met her eyes again. "You haven’t."

"No," she said quietly.

"I noticed." A faint smile appeared on his face, but he didn’t use it to escape the conversation. "I’m not keeping you away because I don’t want this, Amelia. It’s probably the opposite. I just don’t know how to suddenly stop doing something I’ve done for most of my life."

She looked genuinely surprised by how direct he’d been.

Maybe he was too.

Adrien continued before he could reconsider it. "But I’m trying. And I don’t want you standing outside that wall forever."

For several seconds, Amelia simply looked at him.

Then she smiled, slower and more genuine than before. "That’s probably the most honest thing you’ve said to me."

"Blame the wine."

"I might order another bottle, then."

Adrien laughed and shook his head. "Absolutely not."

They stayed until the plates were empty and the streets below had grown quieter. When Adrien finally asked for the bill, the amount made him pause for exactly one second before he placed several crown notes on the tray, adding another as a generous tip.

The man who had seated them looked considerably happier when he collected it.

Adrien and Amelia left the restaurant together, stepping back into the cool night air. The alcohol hadn’t disappeared, and Amelia walked slightly closer to him than she had earlier.

After only a few steps, she leaned toward him and lowered her voice.

"I hope what you said upstairs was true," Amelia whispered. "Because I don’t want tonight to end this early."