Chapter 376: Nothing Improper

Ruvian was still hoping to hear more, especially about what happened after Alizée launched her counteroffensive. Unfortunately, with their destination already right ahead, it looked like the story would have to stop there for now.

Staring at the building in front of him, Ruvian found himself slightly surprised, not quite expecting their lodging to be this grand.

It was a four-story inn with a neat stone front and large windows facing the road. It was taller, cleaner, and clearly better maintained than most of the places they had passed.

[The Silver Lantern]

Ruvian noticed the silver stag carved into the sign above the entrance. He could also see through the windows that the inn was already fairly busy, with servants going from table to table to clean them up.

Raising an eyebrow, Ruvian grew apprehensive as his gaze slowly shifted back toward the entrance.

’I don’t like this inn.’

"Come on," Calyra called from a few steps ahead, looking back at him. "I know someone who works here, so we should be able to get a room without much trouble."

’Someone she knows, huh?’

Ruvian repeated inwardly as he followed after her. Oddly enough, hearing those words from Calyra made him wonder exactly what kind of person they were about to meet.

Calyra pushed open one of the heavy wooden doors, causing a small brass bell above it to ring softly.

Ruvian stepped inside after her, and the warmth of the inn immediately greeted him.

The place was spacious, with a long counter ahead of them, several tables spread across the floor, and crystal lamps keeping the whole room brightly lit. Before Ruvian could take another proper look around, Calyra had already started walking toward the reception counter.

Behind it stood an elderly man who looked to be somewhere in his late sixties, perhaps even older.

His back had already begun to stoop slightly with age, while what little remained of his hair had long since turned completely white. A pair of thin spectacles rested low across the bridge of his nose as he quietly examined a ledger beneath the warm glow of a crystal lamp.

Despite his age, there was something remarkably neat and dignified about his appearance.

His dark vest was carefully buttoned, his sleeves neatly folded at the wrists, and even the silver chain of the pocket watch hanging from his breast pocket had been polished until it gleamed beneath the light.

At first, the old man did not seem to notice them approaching.

"Good evening," Calyra greeted politely.

The old man slowly lifted his head.

"Yes, welcome, and good even—"

His voice abruptly faltered.

For several seconds, he simply stared at Calyra from behind his spectacles, as though trying to make certain that the young woman standing before him was truly who he thought she was.

Then, his eyes widened.

The calm, professional expression he had worn only a moment earlier vanished almost immediately, replaced by unmistakable surprise.

"Oh my~"

The old man straightened himself as much as his aging back would allow before slowly removing his spectacles. Almost immediately, his expression softened with recognition.

"Lady Calyra."

Calyra gave him a small nod.

"Yes, it’s been a while, Mister Halven."

At the sound of his name, the elderly man’s smile widened until several deep wrinkles gathered around the corners of his eyes.

"Well, well, well... it truly has been quite some time haha." His gaze lingered on her for another moment. "What brings you all the way here?"

He glanced outside at the darkened street.

"And at such a late hour, no less."

Calyra responded with a faint, composed smile.

"The academy break concluded somewhat earlier than expected, so I decided to make a brief detour through Natoris Town before returning home. It would seem, however, that my little excursion delayed me more than I anticipated."

She paused briefly, her expression remaining calm.

"Since the hour has already grown rather late, I would prefer to spend the night here and return to my estate tomorrow morning, Mister Halven."

Then, as though she had nearly forgotten to mention it, Calyra added:

"Ah, and I will be staying with my friend as well."

She turned slightly and gestured toward Ruvian, who was standing a few paces behind her.

Having finally taken notice of him, Mister Halven gave Ruvian a closer look.

The young man possessed striking yet refined features, with a well-defined jaw, calm dark-blue eyes, and slightly tousled dark hair that framed his face rather naturally.

’Oh my...’

After quietly sizing Ruvian up for a moment, Mister Halven glanced back toward Calyra before returning his gaze to Ruvian once more.

Then, he gulped.

’Ah... young people these days.’

For some reason, the pleasant smile on the elderly man’s face suddenly became rather strained. He cleared his throat and carefully adjusted the spectacles in his hand before putting them back on.

"Lady Calyra..."

"Yes?"

Mister Halven hesitated.

"I am, of course, delighted that you chose to visit this humble establishment after so long," he began, speaking with the measured patience of an elderly man trying desperately not to say something improper. "And ordinarily, I would never dream of refusing you a room."

Calyra gave a small nod.

"Then there should be no problem, right?"

"Ah... yes. Ordinarily."

Mister Halven coughed into his fist.

"But this circumstance does appear to be somewhat... unusual I’m afraid."

Calyra stared at him, confused.

Mister Halven continued with visible difficulty.

"You see, Lady Calyra, should Lord Evrard somehow learn that I personally provided his daughter and a young gentleman with accommodation beneath the same roof, at this particular hour—"

His voice gradually trailed off.

"—He... he might actually kill me."

A cold bead of sweat slowly formed near his temple. For a brief moment, the elderly innkeeper seemed to envision something truly dreadful.

"...Ahem. Forgive me, Lady Calyra, I have managed this inn for more years than I care to count," he muttered solemnly. "And dear Goddess, I would very much like to continue doing so!"

Hearing that, Ruvian immediately frowned before letting out a quiet sigh inwardly.

The old man swallowed again.

"And more importantly, I have grown rather attached to remaining alive. I mean... I still have a beautiful wife at home to take care of."

There was a brief silence between them.

Calyra’s expression remained almost perfectly emotionless, but the slight narrowing of her eyes revealed just how thoroughly bewildered she had become.

With the misunderstanding rapidly spiraling into something far more scandalous than it had any right to be, Ruvian finally stepped forward and decided to clear things up before the elderly man’s imagination wandered any further.

Wearing the most disarming smile he could muster, Ruvian gave Mister Halven a courteous nod.

"Please forgive the confusion, Mister Halven. We were intending to reserve two separate rooms for the night."

He briefly glanced toward Calyra before continuing in the same polite and composed manner.

"My friend here has always been somewhat unfortunate when it comes to phrasing matters clearly. I apologize for causing such an unnecessary misunderstanding."

"Ah."

"Oh."

Both Calyra and Mister Halven muttered almost simultaneously, finally realizing where the misunderstanding had come from.

Ruvian continued smiling pleasantly beside them, his expression carrying all the patience and courtesy expected of a perfectly well-mannered gentleman.

Internally, however, his thoughts were considerably less charitable.

’Damn you, Calyra.’

Mister Halven stared at the two of them for another second before letting out a warm, somewhat sheepish laugh. The tension that had gathered across his face quickly faded away, replaced by the same amiable smile he had worn earlier.

"Two separate rooms, two separate rooms. Yes, I understand now," he repeated with a small chuckle. "Please forgive this old man for making such an unfortunate assumption. How terribly improper of me."

He shook his head at his own mistake before reaching beneath the counter and pulling out a thick guest ledger. "Since I caused such an embarrassing misunderstanding, I suppose it is only fair that I offer both of you a discount for tonight."

Mister Halven then gave Calyra a playful wink as he opened the ledger to a fresh page.

"Consider it my apology, Lady Calyra, and perhaps also a small payment to make certain this unfortunate conversation never finds its way to Lord Evrard’s ears."

Calyra quietly stared at him for a moment before lowering her gaze toward the ledger. "I was not planning to tell my father about any of this in the first place, Mister Halven."

"Oh, wonderful. Then my remaining years are safe."

Mister Halven nodded several times with visible relief, though the amused curve lingering at the corner of his mouth made it rather difficult to tell just how serious he truly was.

He then shifted his attention toward Ruvian, studying his face once again.

"And forgive me as well, young man, but you must understand that arriving this late at night beside a young lady while carrying a face like yours is enough to make an old man draw certain conclusions."

Ruvian’s smile turned a little awkward.

Mister Halven leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice as though he were about to share some important secret.

"When I was your age, young men blessed with handsome faces like yours were usually troublesome womanizers."

The corner of Ruvian’s mouth twitched as Mister Halven gave him another knowing look. From the side, he could already feel Calyra’s gaze slowly drifting toward him.

’Don’t put that kind of idea in her head!’

"I assure you, Mister Halven, I am nothing of the sort. If anything, beautiful women are the ones I find most frightening," Ruvian replied, keeping his voice perfectly calm.

Mister Halven laughed heartily, clearly pleased by his response.

"Haha! That was a very good response. Spoken like a wise man. You’ve got a good sense of humor, young man. What’s your name again?"

"Ruvian Castelor," he answered with a small smile.

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[Chapter 376: Nothing Improper]