Chapter 246: Heehee, I Must Survive

At noon, inside a high-end restaurant in the Norvigel district.

The eyes of the dining customers frequently drifted toward the table by the window.

The reason was obvious: whether it was the exceptional looks of the party or the strange atmosphere shared by the one man and three women... they were particularly eye-catching.

Sitting by the window were Ansu and his party of four.

Bright sunlight streamed through the glass, casting luminous spots on the table. Celia sat with an elegant posture, slowly stirring her spoon as the rich aroma of coffee wafted through the air.

Her smiling gaze rested on Ansu most of the time.

However, whenever her eyes swept over Freya sitting across the table, the warmth in them gradually turned cold.

Freya sat directly opposite her, seemingly oblivious to such hostile stares.

Her expression remained calm, perfect without a single flaw.

Vera took small bites of an exquisite dessert, her gaze shifting between Freya beside her and the dangerously high-pressure aura emanating from Celia.

Finally, her eyes landed back on her older brother’s face, which was straining to maintain a smile, and she silently prayed for him in her heart.

As for Ansu...

He felt like the facial muscles he was using for his fake smile were already getting tired.

Yet, he still struggled to maintain this seemingly harmonious, but actually undercurrent-surging family outing.

(Heehee, I must survive.)

"Ansu, I want to eat that," Celia suddenly leaned in close, pointing toward a dish of herb-roasted ribs on Ansu’s side.

Ansu carefully cut a piece for her, dipped it in a bit of sauce, and held it to her lips.

Celia accepted the feeding with a beaming smile, chewing slowly for a moment.

"Is it good?"

"Mm, it’s delicious," Celia said with a twinkle in her eyes. "As long as Ansu is the one feeding me, it’s especially tasty~"

After speaking, her gaze fell upon Freya opposite her, carrying a sense of high-and-mighty triumph.

It was as if she were silently declaring her sovereignty: He can feed me like this, but can he do the same for you?

Freya’s fingertips tightened slightly around her silver fork, but she still fought to maintain a calm expression.

A moment later, Vera pointed to a sweet pastry nearby.

"Brother... I want to try that."

After speaking, she felt Celia’s gaze slowly shift toward her.

But she really wasn't trying to be provocative; she was just small and couldn't reach it at all...

Ansu forked a piece of the pastry and held it to his sister’s mouth.

Vera narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. "Mmm... so good~"

Seeing this, Celia only raised an eyebrow and said nothing, seemingly permitting this "sibling privilege."

Ansu silently breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that bringing Vera along today had been the right move.

"Lord Ansu has been busy for so long, he hasn't even eaten much himself..." Freya’s soft voice suddenly rang out.

Ansu looked down and found that a piece of soft, tender Vilanti Red Wine Beef Stew, glistening with an inviting dark red sheen, had been added to his plate.

"This... is what you like to eat," Freya added in a low voice, her pale gold eyes looking at him with gentle concern.

"Oh... thank you." Ansu paused for a moment, feeling a slight warmth in his heart.

He liked this dish mainly because it was strikingly similar to a certain dish from his homeland.

"Tsk, how very gentle and considerate..."

Celia narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at Freya with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Freya, aren't you going to eat anything yourself?"

Freya shook her head gently. "I’m not very hungry."

After she finished speaking...

Ansu felt his shin get kicked, not too hard but not too soft, coming from Celia’s direction.

Her gaze carried a clear warning: 'Don’t you dare feed her!'

Ansu blinked, sending her an innocent look. 'I wasn't planning on feeding her anyway?'

Celia glanced at the beef stew on his plate, and her eyes glared back. 'You’re not allowed to eat what she gave you either!'

After threatening Ansu with her eyes, Celia gave a light huff and suddenly tugged at his sleeve.

"Come closer, why are you sitting so far from me? Come, I’ll feed you too~"

Ansu could only silently move his chair closer to Celia’s side, and she leaned her body intimately against him.

Watching their intimate display of feeding each other as if no one else were there, the calm expression Freya had been struggling to maintain finally showed a crack.

Her lips pressed thin, and in her downcast eyes, a momentary dimness could not be suppressed.

"Ah, open wide~"

Celia used a fork to pick up a cut piece of steak, offering it to Ansu’s mouth with a smile. "You love meat the most, right?"

Ansu nodded vaguely while chewing.

"Hmm? Doesn't Lord Ansu prefer this?" Freya was taken aback, her gaze falling on the Vilanti Red Wine Beef Stew as she couldn't help but speak softly.

"Is that so?" Celia looked at the beef stew on Freya’s side, then at the seared steak on her own, frowning slightly.

"Ansu," she leaned close to his ear, her tone playful but carrying a faint, undeniable threat. "Which one do you actually prefer? Choose one!"

For some reason, Ansu felt those words were loaded with deep meaning...

He looked down, glancing at both delicacies.

Should he choose the beef stew or the seared steak?

Can I just say I don’t eat beef...?

As if sensing that Ansu was taking too long to think, Celia sneered in his ear, "Why are you so indecisive? It’s just choosing a dish, my dear Ansu~"

"I’m not choosing," Ansu said, a bright, sunny smile appearing on his face. "Because I love them both!"

Seeing Celia’s expression instantly become dangerous, Ansu continued to explain with a laugh.

"First of all, I love meat. As a carnivore, it would break my heart to give up either one. Naturally, I choose both!"

"Secondly," his gaze drifted casually toward Vera, seeking a lifeline. "The weather is so nice today, and it’s rare for everyone to be together. I’m in a great mood, so I have a great appetite! That’s why everything looks delicious! Right... Vera?"

Suddenly being put on the spot, Vera paused, not expecting the crossfire to reach her.

"Uh... right, right," she gave a forced laugh. "When my brother has a good appetite, he loves everything..."

Celia gave Ansu a meaningful look. "You’re quite greedy..."

"I thought that since the weather was nice today, I could finally go for a walk with you alone..." she sighed, her tone becoming increasingly resentful. "But it turns out you all made plans first, hmph! Bringing outsiders everywhere we go, it’s such a nuisance..."

Though her voice was low, it still drifted into the ears of the others.

Vera curled her lip in dissatisfaction, muttering softly as she feigned sadness.

"Miss Celia, I heard that! So I’m an outsider too..."

Clearly, only she and her brother were a pair...

Celia gave Vera an annoyed look, but her words still carried a hint of awkward tolerance.

"You... you’re his sister, so you don’t count."

Thus, the implication was that the "nuisance" and the "outsider" referred to only one person among the four.

It would be better if Freya weren't here.

Vera smiled, though her heart felt complicated.

While she felt her "family status" was quite high—to the point where Celia didn't even consider her a love rival but rather a "sister"—a sister was, in the end, just a sister...

...

At one o'clock in the afternoon.

This lunch, filled with surging undercurrents that made Ansu feel as if he were being interrogated, finally drew to a close.

Celia set down her napkin and suddenly asked, "We’ve finished eating. Where are we going next?"

Ansu thought for a moment. "How about... we go visit the academy?"

"The academy?" Vera looked completely opposed. "Brother, it’s finally the weekend, and you want to go back to school!"

"The scenery at the academy is quite nice, and..." Ansu added with a smile, trying to make the suggestion sound more reasonable. "I should take you to see Professor Duncan’s new office and lab. Since he was hired as a distinguished professor by the united academy, the resources he has are far superior to what he had at the royal academy."

Thanks to the precious research materials brought back from the ancient demon ruins, Professor Duncan had published several heavyweight papers recently, and his reputation was skyrocketing in the field of magitech.

Not only was his old stomping grounds, the Benalu Royal Academy, trying to recruit him back, but the Norvigel United Academy had also extended an extremely sincere olive branch.

Professor Duncan’s choice was obvious. For a dwarven scholar who had once been on the verge of being kicked out by the royal academy, he would never return to his old ways.

Of course, the main reason Ansu chose to visit the office now was simple:

Talking about work was much easier than staying in this field of carnage!

He just wanted to get through the day quickly...

Vera sighed helplessly. "So it’s still about work in the end. Fine..."

"Then let’s go!" Celia seemed quite interested, a flash of expectation in her eyes. "I actually do want to see the research conditions at the united academy..."

Ansu looked at Freya.

She nodded gently, her voice still soft. "Sure."

As long as she was with Lord Ansu, she could go anywhere.

Of course, it would be even better if Celia weren't there.