“Cough, cough!…”

Having not returned for so long—and with no servants having cleaned in ages—the house was thick with dust. Back when Vinny still lived here, he had only tidied his room when in Vanessa state; the rest of the house had been left untouched. Now, as Shicodale entered, he was choked into a fit of coughing.

“Ah, the place is even dirtier than I imagined.” Vinny covered his nose. Even though this was his own home, it felt as if there wasn’t a single place he could set his foot down.

“Come on in. Don’t bother taking off your shoes.” The house was already so filthy that it didn’t matter if you walked around with shoes on.

How did it get this dirty? Staring at the worn-out living room, Vinny couldn’t help thinking—he didn’t remember it being this bad before he left. Had just a few months’ time caused such a drastic change? Or was it that after spending so long in the clean and comfortable dorms of Carillian Academy, he had grown unused to rough conditions?

“Vinny, this is your home?” Shicodale gazed at the shabby furniture and furnishings. To someone who didn’t know better, it would look like she had walked into some old mansion filled with antiques.

“Yeah, this is the place I grew up.” Vinny said. “After my parents passed away, I still had a few servants for a while. But since I couldn’t afford to pay them, they all left quickly. Only one remained, and even that last one left not long ago. Since then, nobody’s kept the place in order. That’s why it’s become like this.”

“I see… Vinny, is that your storage room over there?” Shicodale walked toward a sealed-off room at the side of the living room. But before she could even approach, a pungent, stinging stench of cheap alcohol hit her like a wall, taking her by surprise.

“Cough! This smell—is it alcohol? Vinny, do you… have a drinking habit?”

“No, no, not me. That’s from someone else who used to store it here.” Vinny broke into a cold sweat. For some reason, admitting his past black history felt shameful, so he answered a little sheepishly.

Thankfully, Shicodale was a little fool who wouldn’t suspect him. If it had been Aesphyra, that little demoness would’ve mocked and teased him to no end.

“The storage room’s up there.” Vinny pointed at the door opposite the stairs on the second floor.

Shicodale pushed the door open and, with surprising ease, brought out a mop, bucket, and broom.

As the Moon Elf princess, she had once been the type whose ten fingers never touched spring water—but reality had forced her to learn everything she had once been unskilled at.

Reality didn’t soften just because you weren’t strong. The fists that fell on you didn’t lessen in the slightest.

At Carillian Academy, unable to bear being a freeloader after Vinny was feeding her, Shicodale had taken up the daily cooking and chores. Since she studied on purpose, by the end of the semester she had become rather proficient at all sorts of housework.

Of course, Vinny wasn’t going to just let Shicodale do the cleaning alone. After dropping his luggage at the entrance, he joined in on the cleaning effort.

After spending an entire afternoon, the two finally had the place looking halfway decent. While some corners had been left untouched, the house looked much cleaner overall.

Vinny wiped his brow. Cleaning the house had taken far less time than he’d imagined.

“You worked hard, Dale. Thanks to you.” Vinny poured Shicodale a glass of water, steeped with some old tea leaves from the house—an unknown variety, black and crumbly like coal slag.

Tea was something only nobles and the wealthy could usually afford. No matter the quality, this was tea, and it was the most valuable thing left in Vinny’s home.

Shicodale took a sip—and nearly spat it out from the bitterness. Out of courtesy, she forced herself to swallow, eyes watering as she held it down.

“Ugh, sorry. This is the only tea I have left here. If it’s unbearable, spit it out—I’ll get you clean water.” Vinny said, embarrassed.

Shicodale said nothing. After several hard gulps, she managed to swallow the bitterness, then quietly set down the cup, lips sealed, as if she were still digesting it.

Truthfully, even after the fall of her elven kingdom and all her time spent fleeing, this was the worst meal she had ever tasted. That single cup of tea nearly sent her to the afterlife.

But she didn’t feel wronged. On the contrary, that bitter tea gave her a real sense of Vinny’s life. Words hadn’t been enough to understand; now, she finally did.

And she realized—Vinny’s home was this impoverished, and yet at the Academy, despite having no one else to rely on, he had still worked part-time jobs to feed her, a stranger. His own situation was far more difficult, yet he had looked after her.

Her heart filled with even greater gratitude and affection toward him.

[Virtue +100]

[Current Virtue: 5334]

Vinny could see it clearly—that tea had been so bad it had caused Shicodale’s emotions to fluctuate. He quickly dumped out her cup and poured fresh well water instead.

Was it really that bad?

He poured himself a cup, took a sip, and his brows twitched violently. But he forced himself to keep drinking, swallowing it slowly.

The bitterness was so extreme, it felt like pure liquid suffering.

Yes—true, literal bitterness.

Well, tea was tea. To waste it would be a shame. Compared to the hardships he had endured, what was this tiny taste of bitterness?

“Sorry, Dale. I shouldn’t have even suggested bringing you here.” Vinny said apologetically.

“It’s alright. This was my choice too. I wanted to experience what your life was like before. If anything, I should be thanking you for taking me here despite the trouble.” Shicodale shook her head.

“Then, Dale, you can stay in the room next to mine. That was my parents’ room—it’s been empty for years. Their belongings were all moved to storage long ago. No problem, right?”

“Mm, no problem.”

“Then I’ll help move your things there later. Let’s see… tonight, how about we go eat—” Vinny was pondering where to take ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Shicodale for dinner when suddenly a bell rang from the courtyard outside.

Hearing it, Vinny told Shicodale to wait inside, then stepped out into the courtyard. At his gate stood a Dragon-Knight.

A rare guest.

…No, maybe not that rare. Even before his Academy days, Dragon-Knights had once come to this house—to deliver him compensation.

So what now?

Curious, Vinny opened the rusty iron gate.

“What business brings you here, Sir Knight?” Vinny asked.

“Sir Vinny, tonight marks the return of Carillian Academy’s kingdom students. His Majesty the King is hosting a banquet at the palace, and he hopes that you, along with the classmate lodging at your home, will attend.” The Dragon-Knight’s tone was precise and respectful.

A classmate lodging at his house? The King even knew about that?

Vinny quickly realized—this must’ve been Mirexia’s doing. She had likely mentioned it before the invitations were issued. Otherwise, Vinny going alone and leaving Shicodale behind would’ve been too discourteous.

Silently appreciating Mirexia’s thoughtfulness, Vinny accepted the two invitations from the knight.

“I understand. We’ll attend. Thank you for personally delivering them.” The Dragon-Knights were the royal family’s own guard. Having one deliver invitations personally was a great show of respect.

This knight was polite as well—nothing like the contempt the two young Dragon-Knights had shown him last time.

Was that Mirexia’s arrangement? Likely so. After all, she had been present at that provocation.

Yes, and so had Aesphyra. Though that little white-haired nut had since gone back to the Galathus household—she wasn’t in the capital now.

Thinking back was strange. At their first meeting, he and Aesphyra had shared a life-and-death bond, brimming with hostility, both watching each other like thieves.

“Dale, we’re going to dine at the royal palace tonight.” Back inside, Vinny waved the two invitations.

“Huh? The palace?” Shicodale blinked, wide-eyed. “The Camella royal palace?”

“Of course. Whose palace else? Today all Camella Kingdom students return home, so His Majesty is hosting a banquet for all the young nobles. You’re invited too.” He handed her the second invitation.

Shicodale, fluent in the kingdom’s tongue, studied the human-style card with her assumed name written on it. She seemed fascinated—whether by the royal design or the materials used for the writing, Vinny couldn’t tell.

“Let’s go. The timing’s just right if we walk.” Vinny checked the clock on the wall. Still working—probably not broken.

“Oh…” Shicodale glanced at her own clothes, uneasy. “Vinny, are we really going like this? Shouldn’t we change into formal attire?”

“True… but I don’t have any formal clothes in your size. It’s fine. His Majesty isn’t unreasonable. Wearing our Academy uniforms will do. In past banquets, plenty of Carillian students attended in uniform.”

At any other academy, it might’ve been considered improper. But the Carillian Academy uniform itself was a badge of talent and ability. People excused much from those who had true ability.

Vinny himself did own a noble suit—the one Aesphyra had given him. But, not wanting Shicodale to feel awkward as the only one in uniform, he chose to accompany her in uniform as well.

After stowing their luggage in their rooms, the two locked the gate and set off toward the palace.

On the way, Shicodale shrank behind Vinny.

Vinny noticed. The streets were crowded now, and countless eyes turned toward Shicodale—drawn not only by her stunning beauty but also by her pointed elven ears.

Many recognized her as an elf. Even those who had never seen one before knew human ears never looked like that.

Vinny knew she was frightened by the stares. Without a word, he shielded her behind him, blocking as much as he could.

The merely curious, he ignored. But those staring too long, rudely, or with ill intent—Vinny glared back, full of Camella’s infamous delinquent aura. What are you looking at? You dare stare? Lock eyes with this young master for five seconds if you’ve got the guts!

Maybe it was because of his Academy training, but his aura now carried weight. People flinched, breaking eye contact, sneaking only quick glances as they slipped away.

By dusk, the two reached the palace gates.

Shicodale’s mouth formed a perfect “o,” filled with awe. Though she had grown up in an elven palace, she had never seen a human one. It was far grander than she had imagined.

They arrived just on time. Dozens of other noble youths were also entering—many were Carillian students Vinny recognized.

Too bad his old card-buddy Vordi wasn’t from the capital, nor the others. They were scattered across their own territories.

At the gate, Vinny and Shicodale presented their invitations to the Dragon-Knights. After a routine inspection, the two were allowed entry.

Shicodale still seemed worried about not wearing formal attire. Vinny understood. In a foreign land, being stared at as different was torture—especially for someone as soft-hearted as her.

But once inside, she felt better. Plenty of other youths wore Academy uniforms too. That familiar sight calmed her.

To them, though, it was the opposite. Wearing the Carillian uniform was an honor to show off at home. It screamed prestige—proof of talent.

Of course, not everyone here was a Carillian student. Some were former students.

And among them—Vinny’s eyes landed on a familiar face. That person had already noticed him, and now strode over without hesitation.

“Long time no see, Vinny.”

“Yeah, long time indeed. I remember the last time we met was… the last time.” Vinny grinned at his old rival—Byrne, the one he had personally eliminated during the entrance exam trial.

Vinny’s joke was pure Vinny: nonsense, delivered with a bright smile. There was no enmity, no gloating over Byrne’s failure, no trace of the insecure bravado Vinny had once carried.

He seemed at ease, calm, even playful.

“…You’ve changed.” Byrne, dressed in formal attire, studied Vinny’s uniform, then finally looked straight into his eyes.

“Oh? I’ve changed? Hoho, you think so too? That I’ve gotten more handsome? Sharp eyes.” Vinny ran a hand through his hair, radiating self-confidence.

“The you now… is far more deserving of the title ‘Descendant of the Goddess’ than the you of the past.” Byrne said earnestly. He seemed to bear no grudge over losing his chance at Carillian Academy.

In his view, if he lacked skill, then there was nothing to complain about. He would simply train harder. There would always be another chance.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep