“Yedi, you’re still too young to be receiving flowers as gifts.”

‘Me?’

“Are you serious?”

“Of course. Besides, soon the roses will be in full bloom in the rose garden, so why would you need to admire dead flowers? I wouldn’t put a sensitive young lady like you through such a sad and pitiful experience.”

Yelodia was certain that Hester was just spouting nonsense. Instead of arguing with Hester, she looked at Edward with a sullen expression.

“I’m sorry, Baron. My brother has once again been terribly rude.”

“I, uh, it’s fine.”

Strangely enough, Edward seemed to be suppressing a laugh from earlier. Even Yelodia found Hester’s childish antics amusing and absurd.

Yelodia felt so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to hide in.

“We’ll be late for dinner. Let’s hurry.”

Feigning urgency, Hester began to walk away. Yelodia, her gift snatched away, glared at Hester before following him.

The dining room was illuminated by the bright glow of chandeliers.

A long table, seating twenty, was neatly set with silver forks and knives, white plates, napkins, and crystal-clear glasses of various sizes.

In the center of the table, a grand candelabrum lit the scene, and lush peonies bloomed abundantly in a blue glass vase.

At that moment, Kias, seated at the head of the table, greeted Edward.

“Welcome, Baron. It must have been quite a journey.”

“Thank you for the invitation, My Lord.”

“Quite a journey? He didn’t cross the continent.”

Fabian, seated to Kias’s right, grumbled in displeasure, but no one paid him any attention. Edward gave Fabian a brief nod of greeting.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Sir Xavier.”

“I don’t quite feel the same, Baron Adrian.”

But before Fabian’s jibe could escalate, the butler intervened.

“Baron, please sit here.”

“Thank you.”

The butler seated Edward opposite Fabian and then guided Hester to Fabian’s right.

Finally, the butler led Yelodia to a seat opposite Kias, effectively placing her at the other head of the table.

‘I’ve been tricked…!’

Yelodia looked at her distant seat in dismay, then glared across the table.

Her brothers had planned all along to isolate her like an island at the far end of the table during the meal.

Since the seating arrangement in a formal dining setting was entirely at the host’s discretion, she couldn’t protest and had no choice but to sit down.

Kias spoke, as if he’d just remembered something.

“The Duke couldn’t join us today due to a prior engagement, so I hope you can forgive his absence, Baron.”

“Naturally, I understand his busy schedule.”

Edward removed his white suede gloves, placing them on the plate to his left, then unfolded his napkin and laid it on his lap.

A servant swiftly collected Edward’s gloves and poured an aperitif into his glass, placing cheese and crackers neatly by his plate to accompany the drink.

Kias, observing Edward, gave a slight nod and raised his own glass.

“Welcome to the estate.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, My Lord.”

The aperitif was a chilled limoncello, with a touch of bitterness and sourness to stimulate the appetite. Taking a small sip and setting the glass down, Edward let out a silent sigh.

If he hadn’t previously trained with his officers on noble dining etiquette, he would have felt quite out of place.

When Edward informed his officers of the invitation to dine at the Duke of Xavier’s estate, they had all cheered and eagerly insisted on teaching him proper noble dining manners.

“I managed just fine at the Emperor’s banquet, so just give me the basics.”

But Edward’s words only spurred them on.

“That time, sir, you attended unaware of the customs. I’ve heard the Emperor prefers not to stand on ceremony in private gatherings, whereas nobles are typically much more particular.”

“Exactly! The Xavier dukedom is one of the Empire’s four great noble houses. You’ll need to observe every detail of dining etiquette to avoid any missteps.”

Thus began the barrage of etiquette lessons.

“Be sure to wipe your hands with the napkin before touching any food.”

“Hold the wine glass in your right hand and the water glass in your left.”

“Wait, isn’t it the opposite?”

“No, they’re both left!”

“I swear by Zeus it’s the right hand!”

Amidst the chaotic and dubious advice, the most helpful guidance came from Second Lieutenant Walter, a noble himself.

“Typically, you hold glasses with your right hand. And remember, it’s bad manners to finish everything on your plate. Leave a bit behind.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, sir. Taste each dish, but don’t seem greedy. Once you’ve used a fork or knife, don’t reuse it; wait for the servants to clear it away.”

“…….”

“When eating ice cream or cake, you should use a fork instead of a spoon, and for fruits with seeds, you should discreetly bring them to your mouth, cover your lips with your hand, and remove the seeds and skins inconspicuously.”

After that, the endless stream of advice disguised as nagging continued.

The Duke’s servants began serving the meal in the order of soup, appetizers, entrées, releves, sweets, and desserts. Fascinatingly, the accompanying drinks changed with each course.

Recalling Second Lieutenant Walter’s words, Edward sampled each dish a little.

He enjoyed the mild turkey and pheasant dishes, but the strongly flavored lamb and oyster appetizers were less to his liking. Even so, he made an effort to appreciate the natural flavors of the ingredients, slowly tasting each dish and chewing thoughtfully.

Yet, to Edward’s surprise, the table manners of Fabian and Hester were rather disappointing, unbefitting of high nobility.

Fabian greedily finished his meat dishes and ordered more, while Hester selectively ate only light and easy-to-digest dishes, picking and choosing. They even frequently reused utensils they’d already used.

Only Kias, the eldest among the brothers, upheld the dignity of a great noble as he finished his plate, though he didn’t seem overly strict about table etiquette either. Unfortunately, Yelodia was seated too far away for Edward to observe her dining manner.

Despite their unbalanced eating habits, Fabian and Hester eagerly drank, never missing a chance to offer Edward more with each sip.

“About last time—I went too far. Allow me to apologize with a drink.”

When Fabian offered, Edward accepted and emptied his glass. Hester, as if waiting for his turn, added, “Please accept mine as well.”

Edward didn’t refuse the drinks his two companions were offering one after another.

As befits a naval officer, Edward wasn’t picky about alcohol. Moreover, the wines served by the House of Xavier were exquisitely fragrant and flavorful, so he soon found himself drinking as if it were water.

“Impressive, very impressive indeed.”

Perhaps spurred by an odd sense of competitiveness, Fabian’s eyes gleamed as he matched Edward’s drinking pace, downing his own glass each time Edward emptied his.

Hester, too, drained his glass every other round, flashing an unsettling, scheming glint in his eyes.

“I’ve been curious about you ever since I heard of your victory at the Battle of Phoenician.”

With the drinking came appropriate conversation, as Fabian clinked his glass down and posed a question.

“Did you always want to become a naval officer since you were young?”

“Maybe. I suppose it was due to my father’s influence.”

“Was your father also a naval officer?”

Fabian adeptly steered the conversation to draw out stories of Edward’s childhood, hoping he would make a drunken blunder.

‘Surely, there must be something in his past that would disappoint Yelodia. A breakup is easy enough to arrange with the right reason.’

Edward, newly ennobled, seemed like an easy target to manipulate.

However, contrary to his expectations, Fabian gradually sensed that something was off.

He learned that Edward’s father, Colonel Renders, was a straightforward and frugal man who loved his only son, though somewhat gruffly. Colonel Renders had taught Edward swordsmanship from a young age.

Fabian also discovered that after Edward’s mother passed away, the Colonel took eight-year-old Edward to the battlefield, until his sister, unable to bear it, took Edward to raise him in a secluded mountain villa.

“Life at my aunt’s country estate was enjoyable in its own way. But I seemed to enjoy my time with my father more. Eventually, I defied my aunt’s objections and entered the military academy.”

“How old were you then?”

“Sixteen.”

“Sixteen? So, you passed the academy’s entrance exam on your first try?”

“I was fortunate.”

Edward replied without a hint of arrogance, his tone calm.

‘That’s not something you just say so casually…’

Knowing how challenging the naval academy entrance process was—on par with the knight academy’s selection—Fabian suddenly felt a weight in his chest.

Particularly as he understood how nearly impossible it was for someone of common birth to enter the academy, he couldn’t fathom Edward’s composed demeanor.

Gradually, the brothers became fully engaged in conversation with Edward as they drank.

Among them, Fabian, a knight himself, looked at Edward with newfound respect after hearing he had graduated from the academy in two years rather than the usual four.

“Your rank was major during the final Battle of Phoenician, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. Although wartime promotions tend to be quick, it still took me five years to advance three ranks, making me one of the slower to rise among my peers.”

“Then, your victory at the Battle of Phoenician led to your promotion to Vice Admiral, correct? A naval Vice Admiral is equivalent to an Army Lieutenant General, isn’t it?”

“All thanks to the Emperor’s grace.”

“Indeed.”

Fabian nodded, his eyes shining with admiration. As a knight, he couldn’t help but be impressed.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Fabian asked the question he’d been burning to ask.