I Am a Villain, So What?-Chapter 190: An awkward dinner

"Clara, I appreciate the concern, but my shoulder is still a bit tender," I said smoothly, taking a deliberate step back to put a safe physical distance between us.

Before Clara could pout and launch into another volley of rapid-fire questions, the sharp, deliberate clicking of heels echoed against the wooden floorboards of the staircase.

Ariana descended the final step.

The sweet, vulnerable girl who had just been crying into my chest minutes ago had vanished entirely. In her place was the second daughter of the Solmere Duchy. Her posture was immaculate, her golden hair perfectly framed her face, and her violet eyes were narrowed into freezing, calculating slits behind her glasses.

"Lady Clara," Ariana said, her voice perfectly melodic but carrying the ambient temperature of a northern blizzard. "And Lady Elisha. What an... unexpected surprise. To what do we owe the pleasure of your unannounced visit at this hour?"

Clara, completely immune to the killing intent suffocating the room, beamed brightly. "Ariana! You’re here too? I heard that Lucien was rushed to the hospital after a demonic encounter! I was so worried, so I came to check on him. Imagine my surprise when I found Cadet Elisha just pacing outside the front gate! It seems she was too hesitant to ring the bell, so I dragged her in with me!"

Ariana’s smile didn’t waver. "Is that so? You should have followed her example and simply stood outside the door."

"How can that be?" Clara gasped, entirely missing the hostility. "We were so considerate to come check on Cadet Lucien! Who knows how long Lady Elisha had been standing out there in the cold? I couldn’t just leave her!" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"I didn’t need to be dragged," Elisha interjected quietly, her sharp gaze shifting nervously from me to Ariana.

Unlike Clara, Elisha was acutely aware of the territorial, bloodthirsty aura Ariana was radiating. The master archer straightened her posture, offering a polite but incredibly stiff nod. "I came to formally check on Cadet Lucien’s condition, and to ensure the Association hasn’t troubled him further regarding the ruins. That is all."

"He is perfectly fine," Ariana replied immediately, stepping smoothly to my side.

Without breaking eye contact with Elisha, Ariana reached out and intertwined her fingers with mine, resting her other hand lightly against my arm. It was a flawless, undeniable physical claim.

"As his personal healer, I have already tended to all his needs," Ariana stated, her voice dripping with possessive finality. "There is no reason for anyone else to worry about him."

Clara blinked, her gaze dropping to our intertwined hands. "Oh, right! You two are dating! I keep forgetting!" Clara giggled, waving her hand dismissively as if it were a trivial detail. "But that doesn’t mean I can’t worry about my savior, right? Lucien is my hero too!"

My left eye twitched. Clara was playing with fire, and she didn’t even realize the alchemical cauldron was about to explode.

Ariana’s smile widened by a fraction of an inch, which only made it exponentially more terrifying. "A hero, yes. But he is resting tonight. And as you can smell from the dining room, we were just about to have a private dinner."

Elisha, catching the blatant dismissal, lowered her gaze. I could see the intense conflict in her eyes—the lingering gratitude from the ruins, the complex, newfound respect she held for me, and the stinging realization that she was intruding on a space she absolutely did not belong in.

"We understand, Lady Ariana," Elisha said, her voice carrying a quiet dignity. She turned to Clara, placing a firm hand on the pink-haired girl’s shoulder. "Clara, we have confirmed he is safe. We should not impose on them any longer."

"Aww, already?" Clara pouted, looking at me with big, pleading eyes. She peeked past my shoulder into the dining room, where Lily was setting down a massive platter of roasted meat. "But I haven’t even told Lucien about the new cake shop in the central plaza! And look at those dishes... they smell so tasty. Cadet Lucien, are you really going to send your guests away without offering them food? Isn’t that against noble etiquette?"

Why are you dragging me into this? I thought, mentally groaning.

I looked at Clara’s expectant face, then at the massive spread Lily had prepared. Kicking them out when the food was literally on the table would cross the line from ’setting boundaries’ into ’open hostility,’ which would only cause more annoying rumors at the Academy.

I let out a long, defeated sigh. "Since you guys are already here... it’s no problem if you join us."

I clearly felt a sub-zero glare burning into the side of my face, but I absolutely refused to look in Ariana’s direction.

"Yay! Cadet Lucien, you are the best!" Clara cheered, as if a genie had just granted her wish. She hopped past us, pulled out a chair at the dining table, and patted the seat next to her. "Cadet Elisha, come join us!"

Elisha looked like she would rather be back in the quicksand trap, but she awkwardly shuffled to the table and sat stiffly beside Clara.

Within minutes, Clara was happily chatting away, completely oblivious to the room’s freezing temperature. She even dragged a deeply unbothered Irina into the conversation, asking the silver-haired girl about her favorite types of stew.

I took my seat at the head of the table. Ariana sat directly to my right.

Underneath the heavy oak table, hidden from the guests, Ariana’s grip on my hand tightened just enough to momentarily cut off my blood circulation.

Despite the crushing grip on my left hand, I managed to use my right hand to pick up my fork, acting as if I wasn’t currently being held hostage in my own dining room.

The awkward tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a combat knife, but thankfully, Lily’s cooking was the ultimate equalizer.

The heavy wooden doors to the kitchen swung open, and Lily, assisted by Alicia, brought out the remaining dishes. Massive platters of thick-cut roasted beef, steaming garlic potatoes, rich mushroom gravies, and freshly baked bread were set across the long dining table.

Irina, who had been quietly enduring Clara’s endless, high-pitched chatter, instantly laser-focused on the roasted meat, her silver eyes practically glowing. Merle silently passed his granddaughter a heavily loaded plate, well accustomed to her ferocious eating habits.

"Wow! This looks absolutely incredible!" Clara gasped, taking a large, enthusiastic bite of the beef. "Oh my gods, this is better than the food at the Marigold estate! Lily, you are a genius!"

"Thank you, Lady Clara," Lily smiled warmly, walking around the table pouring wine and water for the guests. "But the recipes are mostly the Boss’s. I just follow his instructions."

Elisha took a polite, aristocratic bite. Her eyes widened slightly in genuine surprise at the quality, before she quickly composed herself. "It is truly excellent. Thank you for the hospitality, Cadet Lucien. And Lady Ariana."

"Of course," Ariana replied smoothly. Her vice-like grip on my hand beneath the table finally loosened as she picked up her own fork with elegant poise. "Lucien’s household always welcomes guests with proper etiquette."

The subtle, possessive emphasis on ’Lucien’s household’ wasn’t lost on Elisha. The archer gave another incredibly stiff nod, looking down at her plate.

But the tension slowly began to thaw as everyone dug into the meal. It’s hard to maintain an atmosphere of absolute hostility when sharing a warm, genuinely delicious dinner.

"So, Boss," Lily said, wiping her hands on her apron as she sat down next to Alicia. "What actually happened out there in the sand? The Association broadcast was super vague. They just said a ’high-threat entity’ was neutralized by Academy cadets."

"It was incredible!" Clara beamed, answering before I could even open my mouth. "I heard from the senior guards outside the hospital! Lucien and Lady Elisha fought an entire undead army and an ancient demon!"

"It wasn’t an entire army," I corrected, taking a sip of water. "Just a localized ruin defense system. And the demon was a High-Ranking contractor."

"He is being unnecessarily modest," Elisha spoke up quietly, setting her fork down. Her gaze shifted to Merle and Lily, carrying genuine, unfiltered respect. "If it weren’t for Cadet Lucien’s tactical commands, his cover fire, and his raw physical strength, the expedition would have been entirely wiped out. I owe him my life. Again."

Ariana’s smile tightened just a fraction of an inch, though she hummed in polite acknowledgement. "Well, I am just glad my potions were put to good use. You did very well, Lucien."

Merle grunted around a mouthful of beef, leaning back in his chair. "Sounds like you stirred up another hornets’ nest, kid. But hey, we got some solid materials and data out of it. So, what’s the plan now? The Academy doesn’t resume for another two weeks. You planning on raiding another dungeon, or are you finally going to take a break?"

"I’m taking a break," I said, putting my fork down. "I’m leaving the Capital for a few days. I’m going back to Ashborne County."