Chapter 412: Settling Matters

[Ruvian’s POV]

However, before the tension between them could grow any worse, Lady Clarissa suddenly reached toward her husband and grabbed him by the ear.

Without any warning, she gave it a rather firm pull, causing Lord Evrard to turn his head toward her. The mana pressure filling the dining hall quickly disappeared as a surprised cry escaped his lips.

"Ow! Dear, what are you doing?"

Lord Evrard immediately turned toward his wife, his stern expression giving way to a rather helpless one.

Lady Clarissa, however, showed no intention of letting go of his ear. Instead, she narrowed her eyes at him, clearly displeased by his behavior.

"My dear, have you forgotten that we invited Ruvian here as our guest? Because from what I’ve just seen, you’ve been treating him as though he’s some kind of criminal being questioned in your office. Is that how you think a proper host should behave?"

"Dear, I was merely trying to understand how he could make such a ridiculous claim," Lord Evrard explained, trying to maintain what little dignity he had left.

"You heard what he said yourself, didn’t you? So you can’t expect me to simply accept such a thing without questioning it."

"And who said you weren’t allowed to question him?" Lady Clarissa replied, pulling his ear a little harder.

"You were the one who asked him about his abilities in the first place, and when he gave you an answer you didn’t like, you immediately lost your temper. Honestly, must you always behave like this whenever someone says something you find difficult to believe?"

Lord Evrard opened his mouth to respond, but Lady Clarissa continued before he could say anything.

"And even if the boy was joking, why shouldn’t he be allowed to joke with us? He’s having dinner with our family, not standing before you in some serious meeting. Do you expect him to spend the entire evening being careful about every little thing he says?"

Hearing that, Lord Evrard appeared to be considering another response. However, after looking at his wife’s expression, he seemed to think better of it.

"...Very well, dear, I understand what you’re trying to say. Perhaps I did get a little carried away with my questioning. Now, would you please let go of my ear?"

Lady Clarissa held on for another moment before finally releasing him.

Meanwhile, Ruvian, who had been watching the entire exchange from across the table, blinked several times in mild surprise.

He had honestly expected the situation to develop into something much more troublesome, perhaps even ending with Lord Evrard demanding a few rounds of sparring to prove his claims.

In fact, he had already been preparing himself for that possibility, figuring it would be the easiest way to settle the matter.

Yet, contrary to his expectations, Lady Clarissa had stepped in and brought the whole situation to an end before it could go any further.

Watching the mighty lord of Frostgrave being scolded by his own wife was certainly not something Ruvian had expected to witness tonight.

If anything, it was rather amusing, though he wisely decided to keep that thought to himself. However, just as he was beginning to relax, Ruvian suddenly felt a cold gaze coming from beside him.

Turning his head slightly, he found Calyra staring directly at him, her pale blue eyes carrying a rather unpleasant look.

She didn’t say a single word, but judging from her expression alone, he could practically tell what she was thinking.

’What the hell are you doing?’

Realizing this, Ruvian could only offer her an awkward smile.

’Okay, fine, maybe I went a little too far.’

Thinking about it again, Ruvian had to admit that he might have crossed the line as well.

Getting into an argument with her father during their first proper dinner together was probably not the smartest decision he could have made.

Still, it wasn’t as though Ruvian had deliberately intended to make things difficult in the first place.

It could get rather frustrating when someone continued to doubt your words, especially when you were actually telling the truth.

And in that moment, he supposed he had allowed his own annoyance to get the better of him.

’I should probably apologise...’

With that thought in mind, Ruvian turned his attention back toward Lord Evrard.

However, just as he was about to speak, the older man suddenly cleared his throat and addressed him first.

"Ruvian, I think I owe you an apology...for my earlier behavior," Lord Evrard said, his voice back to its normal calm tone.

"I let my temper get the better of me and I have to admit my reaction was pretty unwarranted. As the host of this dinner, I should have shown you greater respect."

Lord Evrard paused for a moment, looked thoughtfully at Ruvian, then went on.

"Besides, I can’t easily brush aside your words after seeing that sudden increase in your mana. I still have many questions about how you managed to do such a thing, but I must admit you do appear to be telling the truth. So I hope you will forgive my past behavior."

As those words were spoken, Ruvian’s gaze softened a little and a slight smile touched his lips.

He hadn’t thought a fellow of Lord Evrard’s stature would admit to his error so publicly, after what had just happened.

But he appreciated the gesture, and thought it only right that he should return the compliment.

"Please, no need to apologize my Lord... and I think I owe you an apology too." Ruvian replied, bowing his head slightly.

"In retrospect, I should have better explained myself than making such a bold claim without providing you with any proper explanation. I was a bit frustrated that I let it show in my voice, so I hope you will understand my rudeness."

*****

Lady Clarissa smiled in satisfaction at their apologies and quickly led the conversation to something more pleasant.

Before the servants brought the next course she had already begun several new topics for their discussion.

Gradually her efforts began to erase the awkwardness around the table.

This time their conversation was more about Ruvian himself, his background, upbringing and how he came to study in the academy.

Ruvian answered their questions as naturally as he could, giving a few things about his earlier years, but omitting certain details carefully.

Lady Clarissa listened with interest, asking questions, from time to time, if anything struck her as particular.

Even Lord Evrard would join in occasionally, though he was noticeably more cautious with his words now.

At the same time, whenever she felt Ruvian had left out an important detail, Calyra added something.

At one time Ruvian was amused to hear Lady Clarissa make a little laugh at a remark of hers. In no time at all Ruvian was feeling a lot more comfortable with the Arcanis family.

Of course, it wasn’t as though they had suddenly become close after sharing a single dinner. Still, compared to how things had started, Ruvian thought they were getting along rather well.

Eventually, after several more rounds of conversation, the final course was served and the dinner finally came to an end.

As the servants began clearing the table, Ruvian noticed Lord Evrard setting down his napkin. So, he had a feeling that they were finally about to discuss the main reason he had been invited here tonight.

And sure enough, after taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Lord Evrard turned his attention toward Ruvian.

"Well then, Ruvian, now that we’ve had the chance to get to know each other better, there are a few matters I would like to discuss with you," he began, his voice carrying its usual calm authority.

"First, I believe it’s only right that we discuss the rewards you and the Golden Fortune Corporation deserve for your contributions to the defense of Frostgrave."

He paused briefly, his gaze shifting toward Calyra before returning to Ruvian.

"And secondly, there’s also the matter of a certain bet you made with my daughter, which I believe it’s time we settled."

Hearing that, Ruvian straightened his posture a little, giving a polite nod. "Of course, my Lord. I’m ready to listen, so please feel free to begin."

Lord Evrard rested his hands on the table, then he began.

"Now, before we discuss the rewards, Lady Seraphine informed me that you’ve been given permission to represent the Golden Fortune Corporation in this matter. Is that correct?"

"Yes, my Lord," Ruvian confirmed. "Lady Seraphine has given me permission to negotiate on their behalf."

"Very well, then I shall treat you as their representative for this discussion."

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[Chapter 412: Settling Matters]

Plot Points = 287,500