Exiled from the Start and Dominating the Wasteland with an Intelligence System Chapter 113 : Chapter 113

Chapter 113. Family Banquet

Inside the elegantly decorated little dining room, the atmosphere was completely different from the solemn tension that had filled the study earlier.

The long table, draped in a spotless white tablecloth, was covered with a lavish spread of exquisitely prepared dishes, all rich with enticing aromas.

There was roasted poultry baked to a crisp golden brown, tender cuts of at smothered in thick sauce, and soft pastries...

Compared to the black bread, dried at, and vegetable soup of everyday life in Obsidian Territory, it was like the difference between heaven and earth.

The two of them had long since grown used to simple als, and now they were finally able to enjoy such long-forgotten delicacies again.

Lynn still maintained a certain degree of restraint, eating in small bites.

Eli, on the other hand, appeared far more relaxed. The delicious food had greatly whetted his appetite, and as he sampled one dish after another, it was almost as if he had truly treated this place like a ho where he could be entirely at ease.

Seeing this, Lynn could not help gently kicking his foot beneath the table, signaling with her eyes for him to pay attention to the occasion.

Receiving the warning, Eli paused, then turned his head with a respectful expression on his face.

“What are your orders, Your Highness the Princess?”

Naturally, Lynn knew he was teasing her on purpose again, and she could not help rolling her eyes at him.

She leaned closer, and in a low voice that only the two of them could hear, she whispered with a trace of reproach and seriousness,

“No matter who I am... I will always be your Aila.”

That simple and heartfelt sentence made even Eli, whose skin was usually far from thin, flush red. A warm current surged through his heart, along with an indescribable flutter.

He rubbed his nose and let out a foolish grin, though his behavior did beco a good deal more restrained.

Just then, the dining room door opened, and Sir Lucius walked in carrying several bottles of red wine that looked valuable at a glance.

He was clearly intending to celebrate this unexpected reunion properly.

The mont the two of them saw Lucius enter, they imdiately stopped their little exchange and rose to salute him.

“Sir Lucius.”

“Granduncle!”

Lucius motioned for them not to stand on ceremony and told them to sit and continue eating.

Then he extended one of the bottles in his hand toward Eli.

Eli accepted it with resignation. He knew very well that his status was the lowest here, and so he consciously took up the role of pouring the wine.

He filled the delicate stemd glasses before Lucius and Lynn with appropriate amounts.

Seeing how obediently he was behaving, Lynn could not help covering her mouth and laughing to herself.

Sir Lucius lifted his glass and gently swirled it, observing the way the wine clung to the side.

Then he took his ti savoring the aroma before finally taking a small sip.

He looked at the two young people and introduced it. “This is a rare vintage from the Midsumr Isles. Its yield is small, and its flavor is quite distinctive. You may try it.”

Hearing that, both of them obediently took a sip.

The mont the wine entered their mouths, the first thing they tasted was a clear tartness and slight bitterness. It was not nearly as sweet and pleasant as one might have imagined.

But after swallowing, a very peculiar sweetness and fruit fragrance lingered in the throat.

Lynn’s reaction was the more direct one. Her delicate little face imdiately scrunched up.

“It doesn’t taste good... It’s a little bitter.”

Under normal circumstances, no one would ever dare evaluate a fine wine presented by Sir Lucius in such a way.

But at that mont, not only was Lucius not displeased, he was instead amused by her frankness and burst into hearty laughter.

“Haha, you don’t like it? Then don’t drink it. It’s fine. A taste is enough.”

And so, a family banquet with a warmth and harmony rare indeed began.

During the al, Lucius asked about fragnts of Lynn’s life over the past few years.

He also briefly introduced so matters concerning the Western Frontier and the royal capital, though he carefully avoided the heavier topics.

He did not even ntion the earlier marriage alliance at all, as though that proposal had never existed.

Eli understood perfectly well that, for both sides, the present outco was probably the best one possible.

There was no need to force a marriage alliance. Eli had already established the first possible tie with the La Roche Family.

That carried far more weight than any written marriage contract, and it was far more natural as well.

After the al, the attendants cleared away the tableware and brought in lighter drinks.

Sir Lucius set down his utensils and turned his gaze toward the two of them.

Both Eli and Lynn wisely set down their cups as well, knowing that the elder had sothing important to say.

“Child,” Lucius said, his gaze resting mainly on Lynn.

“Your return is a blessing beyond asure. But you must understand that the Kingdom of Orlando is far from peaceful right now, and the royal capital is even more full of dangerous undercurrents.”

He let out a faint sigh. “So much so that, for a ti, even I do not know how to handle your return properly.

“If your identity is made public too hastily, it may place you squarely in the eye of the storm and bring calamities that are difficult to foresee.

“I have already sent an encrypted letter by raven to your grandfather, the Pri Minister.

“I inford him of your existence and your safety. Now, I want to hear your own thoughts.”

He looked directly into Lynn’s eyes. “Lynn, are you... willing to return to the royal capital?”

Lynn did not hesitate. She gently shook her head.

“Granduncle... thank you.

“But I do not want to go back. At least, not right now.

“To , the royal capital... is nothing more than a few vague mories. I think... things are fine as they are now.”

Lucius seed to have expected her answer all along and nodded.

“I respect your wishes.

“That may be for the best as well. I fear... your younger brother Aiden, and those ministers in the royal capital...

“Quite a few of them may not wish for your return at this mont.”

He let the thought stop there.

Hearing that, a trace of sadness and dimness flashed through Lynn’s eyes.

Though she had lost her mory, she could still sense the complexity that lay behind those ties of blood.

Seeing this, Eli rose to his feet and faced Lucius, his voice steady as he made his promise.

“Sir Lucius, please rest assured.

“I will protect Lynn. I will never allow any harm to co to her.”

Lucius cast him a sidelong glance, his gaze deep.

He did not respond to Eli’s vow, but instead continued, “Before the situation in the royal capital becos clear, Lynn will remain in Thorne City for the ti being.

“To the outside world, I will claim that she is a collateral bloodline descendant of my La Roche Family who was left stranded beyond our reach.

“She was separated from the family during the chaos of war and was only recently found again by good fortune.”

Then his gaze turned toward Eli once more.

“As for you, Eli Pendragon, your rits this ti, together with your relationship with Lynn, will be taken into consideration.

“If you continue to handle matters well and prove both your value and your loyalty,

“I will naturally step forward and properly settle the matter of your... marriage, and grant it the recognition and standing it deserves.”

Eli smiled inwardly with helpless resignation. As expected, this sir had once again fallen back on his instinct for political calculation and careful weighing of interests.

Even his grandniece’s happiness had to be placed on the scales and asured.

At once, Lynn called out with so displeasure, “Granduncle!”

She felt this was unfair to Eli.

Lucius smiled gently at Lynn and explained, “I am also thinking of your long-term future.

“His baronial title was already the result of my deliberate support.

“Although he has indeed rendered rit recently, he still cannot truly stand among the highest circles.

“If I were to force too high a status upon him without sufficient rit and weight to support it,

“it would not be a good thing for him, for you, or for the entire Western Frontier.”

Eli understood that Lucius was speaking the truth and could only nod helplessly.

“I understand. Thank you for thinking highly of , Sir Lucius. I will prove it through my actions.”

At that mont, Lucius suddenly seed to rember sothing, and his expression grew sowhat strange.

He looked at Lynn and asked in a tone tinged with hesitation, “Lynn... between the two of you... there should not yet be... any children, correct?”

The question was far too sudden and far too private. Lynn’s face instantly turned scarlet.

She lowered her head so much it seed she wanted to bury it beneath the table, and in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum, she answered,

“N-no...”

Hearing that, Lucius let out a distinctly relieved breath.

When he noticed the looks on their faces, he explained, “Pay it no mind. This is not directed at you.

“It is only that the La Roche Family, for certain... ancient reasons...

“has always had great difficulty continuing its bloodline. Direct descendants are exceedingly few and precious...

“Every child carrying La Roche blood is of the utmost importance. I was only confirming the situation.”

As he finished speaking, he cast Eli a aningful glance.

The corners of Eli’s mouth twitched slightly. Naturally, he understood the warning implied in Lucius’s words.

Do not let this matter create estrangent between you and Lynn. And do not go producing so... illegitimate child elsewhere, causing inheritance disputes.

He imdiately straightened his expression and replied with complete frankness.

“Sir Lucius,

“I will love only Lynn for the rest of my life, and I will have no wife but her. There will never be any illegitimate child.

“Our heir will only ever be our child.”

That answer surprised Lucius sowhat with its directness, but it also pleased him. He nodded and was just about to say sothing more when—

Knock, knock, knock!

The dining room door was struck with urgent, forceful knocks.

From outside ca the familiar booming voice of Marquess Marcus, but that voice was now filled with an unprecedented urgency.

“Sir! Sir Lucius! Are you there? Sothing enormous has happened! An urgent dispatch from the royal capital!”

The warmth and ease on Lucius’s face vanished without a trace.

In an instant, he returned to the cold bearing of the Governor of the Western Frontier, his expression turning icy.

He sprang to his feet and, without the slightest hesitation, said in a grave voice to Eli, “Eli, co with .”

With that, he strode toward the door at once.

Eli’s heart tightened. Realizing that so earthshaking upheaval had likely occurred, he imdiately rose and followed close behind.