The restaurant fell silent.
There were no greetings between long-separated family members, no polite small talk, only the light, anxious footsteps of servants carrying silver platters in and out. The occasional clink of silverware against china sounded especially jarring in the cavernous room.
The silence did not last long. For Lucas, who was in the throes of restless adolescence, this oppressive atmosphere was even more unbearable than being confined to his room.
"Mother, how much longer do we have to wait?" Lucas slammed his hand on the table. The metallic bang against the china was especially grating. "The food's going cold. Why aren't we cutting into it?"
"Wait a little longer. Your father will be joining us shortly," Mrs. Elena replied coldly.
"That old—" Lucas nearly let the insult slip, but swallowed it under Elena's gaze and changed tack. "Father's able to come downstairs for dinner today? Didn't he still have trouble speaking the day before yesterday?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Elena's eyes too. She had no idea what had happened.
The restaurant's heavy double doors swung open again.
Speak of the devil, and he appears. Two knights carefully carried a high-backed chair downstairs, bringing the frail Baron Harandir with them.
"Father!"
"You're here."
"You look well."
The ice-cold dining table instantly "warmed up."
Mrs. Elena quickly put on the look of a worried, devoted wife and hurried over to help support him.
Lucas, too, turned into a well-behaved porcelain doll, standing quietly with his eyes downcast.
Ye Wei'an rose and bowed. At that moment, the family put on an absurd performance of "family togetherness."
With the head of the household seated, the welcoming banquet officially began.
The servants filed in and lifted the silver cloches.
The dinner had the flavor of the Cormyr countryside gentry, entirely unlike anything Ye Wei'an had seen in Suzar:
The main course was freshly hunted venison loin from the Cormyr woods, chargrilled and drizzled with a rich red wine and black pepper sauce. For sides, there were finely chopped mushrooms stewed in cream and mashed potatoes roasted with rosemary. To accommodate the baron's health, they had also prepared a small bowl of clear sea bass broth, simmered for hours.
As tradition dictated, the head of the household—in this case, Baron Harandir—was to give the toast first.
He raised his glass with a trembling hand and looked at Ye Wei'an.
"Ye Wei'an, your return has brought me an immense surprise," the baron said. Though his voice was hoarse, it held genuine relief. "Your four years in Suzar weren't wasted. The Summerstar Family has produced a true spellcaster once more. Sharess be praised. It's the only good news I've heard in a long while."
"Father, you flatter me," Ye Wei'an replied with a polite nod.
"Lord Baron's spirits have improved so much since Ye Wei'an came home," Mrs. Elena chimed in, clutching her handkerchief. Her smile didn't reach her eyes, and bitterness seeped through her words.
"Haha, that's all thanks to Ye Wei'an." Baron Harandir praised him freely in front of everyone. "He really learned something useful in Suzar. His magic has made me feel much better... His skill is a hundred times better than those idlers around the estate! Anyone who dares spread those rumors about him again will spend the rest of his life in the stables!"
At the words "thanks to Ye Wei'an" and "a hundred times better," the expressions on the two people across the table became quite a sight.
Mrs. Elena's smile froze. Her hands, their nails painted bright red, gripped her napkin tightly, and her strained composure was about to crack.
She had spent years making sure everyone thought Ye Wei'an was a useless bastard.
But the baron's words were an unmistakable public endorsement of that illegitimate son.
Lucas, sitting beside her, could hardly conceal what he was feeling. Jealousy blazed in his eyes. He was the legitimate son, the future lord. Why should that bastard get such high praise from his father the moment he returned?
Unfortunately for him, the baron was there. Whatever he was thinking, he had to keep it to himself.
For Baron Harandir, this was probably the most enjoyable meal he'd had in a long time.
His health had improved, and several of his closest family members were by his side. He was savoring the joys of family life.
All he had to do was start a topic, and Selina, Lucas, or Ye Wei'an would gladly respond. Every time, they managed to make him beam.
But apart from that, the people at either end of the long table didn't exchange so much as a glance.
Although magic had helped restore the old baron's health somewhat, Lesser Restoration was only a common spell. It could rouse a fading spirit, but it couldn't stop his life force from running out like sand in an hourglass.
The meal had lasted less than half an hour when the old baron began to flag.
"Take... me back," he mumbled. "You... enjoy your meal!"
"Of course, Father!"
"Don't worry, Harandir. I'll take good care of Ye Wei'an."
"Good night, Father!"
The two knights lifted the armchair steadily and carried him back to his bedroom.
The moment the baron disappeared through the doorway, the last trace of warmth in the restaurant vanished.
Mrs. Elena slowly set down her silver fork. Her gaze, so gentle only moments ago, turned as cold as an icicle.
Lucas seemed like a different person now, his face dark as he stared fixedly at Ye Wei'an.
Ye Wei'an paid them no mind.
Now that the only real elder had left, he no longer needed to play the dutiful son.
Under the hostile gazes of Elena and Lucas, he focused on the food in front of him.
His movements remained elegant, but he ate at an astonishing pace, making the food disappear from his plate with remarkable efficiency.
Soon, Ye Wei'an was full and satisfied.
After swallowing the last of his wine, he elegantly dabbed the corner of his mouth with his napkin. Without even saying goodbye, he rose and headed for the restaurant doors.
"Ye Wei'an, stop."
Before he could leave the restaurant, Mrs. Selina called out to him.
"What can I do for you, ma'am?" Ye Wei'an stopped and turned to look at her. "If you're waiting for my verdict, I have to say, dinner was lavish. I'm certainly full."
"Ye Wei'an, there's no one else here. You don't need to put on an act for me." Selina's face darkened. She dismissed the nervous servants, leaving only a few trusted retainers stationed at a distance.
She stared at Ye Wei'an and got straight to the point. "What exactly are you after, coming back this time?"
"That's an interesting question, ma'am." Ye Wei'an looked suitably confused. "Wasn't it Father who called me home?"
"Besides, Father is gravely ill. Isn't it only right for his eldest son to come home and visit him...?"
"Enough! Stop pretending you don't understand." Selina slapped the table, rattling the cutlery.
Lucas jumped and shrank his neck, not daring to make a sound.
"You brought Finn of the Gray Crow and that fool Grumman all this way, locked them in the family dungeon, and made sure everyone saw them. You did it to send me a message, didn't you?"
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "Name your price, Ye Wei'an. Waukeen be praised, everything has a price. What will it take for you to hand those two over to me?"
Lucas listened in confusion, having no idea what was going on.
Ye Wei'an seemed to have heard something utterly absurd and laughed out loud.
"What are you laughing at?" Selina's eyelid twitched as a sense of foreboding crept over her.
"I'm laughing because you're too naive, ma'am." Ye Wei'an turned around, his gaze now cold. "You think that if they die, your rotten books will disappear without a trace? Your bribes, smuggling, embezzlement of the estate's assets, collusion with bandits, and slaughter of innocents—then you'll be safe?"
At the word "smuggling," Selina's breath caught.
"You—" She glared at Ye Wei'an.
That was exactly what she feared most.
Finn was a greedy bastard. He must have kept letters and accounts from all these years of dealing with her. If they fell into Ye Wei'an's hands, she wouldn't just lose control of Firefall Valley; she might even end up facing the noose before the royal court.
"Don't get too greedy." Selina's voice sounded as if she were forcing the words through clenched teeth. "This is Firefall Fortress, the Summerstar family's home. As long as I'm the lady of this house, your fantasies will never come true. Take the wealth you want and go back to Suzar. It's better for everyone."
Seeing his mother threatened like this, Lucas could no longer hold back.
"What gives you the right to threaten my mother? You're nothing but a bastard with the blood of a filthy Oriental in your veins! You should get down on your knees and thank her for making you an offer, then crawl back to Suzar!"
Ye Wei'an had been willing to negotiate calmly. He'd even planned to ignore Lucas as an incompetent fool.
But at the insult to his heritage and mother, his face turned cold.
"Sharess won't punish fools, but I will."
He wasted no words and pointed into the air with his right hand.
Fwoosh!
Without warning, an eerie blue-white flame spread across Lucas's ornate silk robe, covering him in the blink of an eye.
"Ah! Fire! Help!"
His arrogant curses cut off abruptly, replaced by a bloodcurdling scream.
Lucas became a ball of blue-white fire, rolling frantically across the floor.
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