A Smokescreen Called a Three-Way Meeting

I never knew a person’s gaze could feel this scorching until today.

Eleanor-buin, sitting across from me, wasn’t exactly glaring, but she kept scanning me up and down as if appraising me, and making ‘Hhmm’ sounds.

I’m not exactly known for my good temper, so in front of anyone else, I would’ve flat-out asked, ‘Is there something you don’t like?’ But not today. I just couldn’t.

No, to be precise, I knew I was in a position where I had to endure that gaze, so I silently bore it. That’s probably more accurate.

After all, some no-name punk who doesn’t know his place supposedly took her precious daughter away. Wouldn’t it be weirder if the mother *didn’t* keep a close eye on him?

“Mother, if you stare at him like that, Lierad-gongja might feel uncomfortable.”

“Oh my, I’m sorry. He’s my daughter’s lover, so I couldn’t help but….”

“It’s nothing.”

Thankfully, Silvia couldn’t stand it and stepped in first, so I was quickly able to escape from the gaze that was binding me.

It feels like I’m at some kind of formal meeting between families before a marriage.

“I’ve heard the stories. They say a remarkable young master has appeared in the Lierad family recently….”

“Just baseless rumors.”

“Hehe, at least to me, they don’t seem baseless at all. It’s my first time seeing a man who looks so solid at such a young age.”

Looks solid, huh?

It’s an abstract expression, but I could roughly understand what Eleanor-buin meant.

Generally, men of this age have a unique aura about them, unable to control their youthful energy even when they’re still.

In a way, it might be an expression that I seem like an old man.

In reality, my mental age is well past twenty, so it’s not wrong.

She’s got a good eye for people.

“By the way, I heard you wanted to see me today. Is there some business you have?”

“There’s nothing in particular. I simply wanted to see the mother of my lover, that’s all.”

“Lo, lover….”

I couldn’t be honest in this situation, so I threw out a lame excuse, but for some reason, the reaction came from Silvia, not Eleanor-buin.

I was dumbfounded by Silvia’s appearance, as she cupped her cheeks with her hands, blushing and wriggling her body.

She’s usually the one lecturing me, saying that even though it’s a contractual relationship, we’re still lovers. But she’s reacting like this to my words?

Still, I’m glad she doesn’t seem displeased.

“More than anything, I heard you weren’t feeling well….”

“Thank you for your concern. But thankfully, I’m much better than before, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

I hesitated to continue, sensing it was a slightly heavy topic, and watched the buin’s reaction. She smiled as if to say it was okay, and replied.

But considering that she had quite a hard time walking just a little while ago, and needed me and Silvia to support her, I knew it wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

It must be a combination of chronic illnesses, and her health rapidly declining after giving birth to Silvia’s younger sister.

It’s not just a matter of curing some disease and getting better.

“Mother, tea….”

We were talking just the two of us, when Silvia quietly interjected, showing a kettle filled with warm water from the side.

Normally, this would be the job of a servant, but since there are only three of us here, it naturally became her job.

Seeing this, Eleanor-buin reached out and stopped Silvia.

“Leave it, Silvia. I’ll pour the tea myself.”

“No, you’re not feeling well, so I’ll….”

“It’s okay. Even if I’m not feeling well, can’t I pour a cup of tea for my daughter and future son-in-law?”

Then, she practically snatched the kettle from Silvia, who was showing reluctance, and began to brew the tea with remarkably fluid movements, pouring an appropriate amount of warm water into the tea set.

The grace in every action is the same for both the daughter and the mother.

It’s like watching a fragile glasswork move with its own will right in front of my eyes.

“I’ve always been terrible at everything else, but I’m amazing at brewing tea. Even after I became ill, I couldn’t leave this to a maid, so I’ve always brewed my own tea.”

As she brewed the tea and told a short story about herself, there was a hint of sadness in the buin’s eyes.

She’s trying to act like it’s nothing, but this small act of brewing tea might be the last lifeline for the buin to maintain her dignity.

If she left even this to someone else, it would be like there’s nothing else she can do, so she did it herself.

It’s quite similar to how I used to insist on making and taking care of wooden swords myself, after realizing I had no talent for swordsmanship.

“Here, try it.”

“Thank you for the tea.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

Hureup.

After going through such a delicate process, I took a sip of the tea that Eleanor-buin had personally made, and my eyes widened for a moment.

Even I, who have no particular interest or knowledge in the taste of tea, could tell that this was definitely different.

I could speculate that the tea leaves were simply good, but the tea leaves used in the Lierad family and the ones here shouldn’t be that different.

“It’s delicious. You have great skill.”

“Yes, it’s very delicious, Mother.”

“Hehe, really? I’m glad. It seems I haven’t gotten rusty yet.”

The buin, who placed her hand on her cheek and smiled demurely, seemed genuinely pleased by our praise. She was Silvia herself.

They’re mother and daughter, so it’s understandable that their faces are similar, but how can their gestures and actions be so alike?

The only difference is that Silvia is still young, so you can feel her unique innocence and playfulness, while the other one feels like the lady of a noble family drawn in a painting.

Of course, if you only look at her face, she’s closer to a young lady than the lady of the house, but anyway, that’s what I mean.

“…So, I said in a way that she would hear, ‘There are so many beautiful young ladies here that I feel intimidated.’ And Lierad-gongja said, ‘Is that so?’ Don’t you think that’s too much, Mother?”

“Puhehe…. So you were sulking, Silvia?”

“I, I wasn’t exactly sulking. I was just a little disappointed…. He could have said at least one thing like, ‘The princess is also beautiful!'”

After that, we drank tea and talked normally.

In the meantime, Silvia had someone by her side who would take her side, so she began to whine to the buin, pouring out things that had disappointed her about me.

I listened to it and silently sipped my tea, but in reality, I was sweating bullets inside.

It wasn’t just that I didn’t know Silvia would hold so much in her heart, but I was afraid that Eleanor-buin’s attitude, which had been looking at me relatively gently, might change at any moment.

Even though I’m not really Silvia’s lover, is this how it feels to face your lover’s parents?

Men who go through a formal meeting between families before the wedding must suffer a lot.

“But you shouldn’t just expect him to understand your feelings too much, Silvia. Women and men have different ways of thinking from the start. It’s not that Lierad-gongja is indifferent, but sometimes you have to think that you’re paying too much attention to trivial things. Got it?”

“I, well, I know that, but….”

Still, I’m grateful to Eleanor-buin for not taking Silvia’s side unilaterally, but rather defending me.

To be honest, I thought that action was quite clueless even by my standards, but seeing her judge it with such a cold yardstick, I thought that adults are indeed adults.

“Besides, if you’re too obsessed with trivial things, Lierad-gongja might get tired of it and leave. Silvia wouldn’t want that, would she?”

“Yes…. I’m sorry, Lierad-gongja.”

“It’s nothing. Rather, I should have been more considerate…. The princess didn’t do anything wrong, so please don’t worry.”

Thanks to that, Silvia apologized to me, and I apologized to Silvia again, so we were able to end the reconciliation quite warmly, thanks to the balance.

Being like this makes me feel like we’re really lovers.

I wish, but it’s something I shouldn’t wish for.

Tiktok.

By the way, quite a bit of time has already passed.

At this rate, I’ll pass without asking Eleanor-buin what I was curious about.

Of course, Silvia recommended it, and I intended to stay for a few days to find out what I needed, but I can’t help but feel disappointed.

I know it’s rude to sit someone in front of you and check the time every now and then, but I kept glancing at the clock, perhaps because I was impatient.

“Come to think of it, Silvia, Line was looking for you. Did you see her?”

The buin, who had been staring at me blankly for a moment, suddenly mentioned her younger sister’s name and asked Silvia.

Silvia tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

“No, how could I have? I came straight here with Mother….”

“Then go see her now. She’s been excited all day after hearing the news that her sister is coming back.”

“Now, you mean? Lierad-gongja is also here….”

Silvia hesitated, as if she couldn’t bring herself to leave, even if it was her mother’s recommendation, since it wouldn’t be right to leave a guest like me sitting there.

“I’ll be talking with the buin, so please go and come back comfortably, gongnyeo. I’d like to meet your younger sister too, so I’ll follow you later.”

“Ah…! That’s right. Line will be very happy too.

When I gestured for her to go quickly and urged her repeatedly, Silvia nodded, greeted us, and quickly left the room.

Judging by how light her steps were, Silvia must have been worried about not being able to return home and greet her younger sister.

Anyway, after the two of us were left alone, there was a moment of silence, and only the clinking sound of us sipping tea echoed quietly.

“…Now that my daughter is gone, speak comfortably. What is your real purpose for coming to see me?”

“…….”

Eleanor-buin looked at me with her eyes narrowed and asked.

Only then did I realize that what was coming had come, and my eyes narrowed as well.