“Yes, we talked last night,” Lysander said. “Before we get into that, let’s sit first,” he said, gesturing for his nephew to follow. “You must be quite tired. I’ve heard that you’ve been training again recently.”

“Yes,” Elysian confirmed, taking a seat in front of his uncle. “I’m just doing some simple stuff.”

“I was surprised when I first heard it,” Lysander said. “You were so opposed to the idea of training before. Your father even forced you, but you wouldn't listen. What made you start training again?” he asked, standing up again. “By the way, what do you want to drink?”

“Just tea with milk.”

“Okay, tea with milk,” he stated, preparing the drink. “Okay, continue. What made you start training again?”

“Well, it's really not a big deal.” Elysian chuckled softly. “After recovering from my illness, my body felt weak, so I figured, why not try training again?”

“Was it really that simple?” Lysander asked, not believing the explanation of his nephew.

“I’d love to tell you some exciting reason, but sad to say, I just did that for some boring one,” Elysian chuckled, receiving the tea.

“Well, no matter the reason, it’s nice that you’re training again. It will be good for you,” his uncle said, chuckling. “If your father knows about this, he will be extremely happy.”

‘Let’s make this a little exciting.’

“I highly doubt that,” he said, shaking his head. “No matter what I do, he’ll find a reason to criticize me,” he suddenly smiled, turning to Bran, who was standing close to him. “Ah, if you want to thank someone, you should thank my servant, here.”

Both of them looked at him in surprise. His uncle, intrigued, slowly turned to the young servant, observing him.

“His mother wanted him to lose some weight. I was bored, had nothing to do, so I thought, why not join him?” Elysian explained, grinning at his uncle.

Lysander sighed and said, “Ah, it appears that morons like you still have their uses.”

“Why don’t you make him something to drink, uncle?” he suggested, turning to the older noble with a grin. “As an apology for last time.”

“Apology?” his uncle asked, his voice devoid of any humor, while frowning at him.

“Apology might be the wrong word,” Elysian corrected himself, chuckling. “Maybe more of a ‘thank you’ for inspiring your favorite nephew to train again.”

“Why would I thank him? He’s only doing his job and getting paid handsomely for it?” Lysander said, scoffing at the idea.

“Well, his job is to serve, given his title as a ‘servant’,” he argued, still not dropping his smile. “Inspiring me is not part of his job description.”

His uncle sighed deeply before saying, “Okay, nephew. For you, I’ll do it.” Turning to the young servant, he asked, “Hey, you. What do you want to drink?”

‘Having this bastard make a drink and serve it to Bran—it’s absolutely priceless. I would’ve even paid just to watch this spectacle. Now, I’ve got to see it for free.’

Bran turned to Elysian, who just nodded to him. “A…I want…I..”

“Faster, boy!” Lysander scowled. “I don’t have all day!”

“I would like the same drink as the young master, please.”

Lysander was getting a lot grumpier, pouring the tea and milk. When he served it to Bran, Elysian would’ve danced a victory lap around the room if no one was around.

Hiding his frustration, Lysander sat back and drank his tea. Smiling, he said, “You just recovered; you shouldn’t overexert yourself.”

“I know, uncle.” Elysian nodded, offering a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I will take good care of my health.”

“Good,” Lysander said, leaning back. “Back from our discussion earlier, Edmund said you owe him money?”

“Did you say I owe him money?” he asked, feigning confusion. “How much did he say I owe him?”

“He said you owe him five gold coins,” Lysander said, observing the boy. “When I heard the amount, I was shocked. Where did you even use that huge amount of money, nephew? Are you in some kind of trouble?”

‘Greedy b*stard. Osric just told me this morning that he only owed him three gold coins. The moment the debt was transferred, it increased by two gold. And he’s doing this to his supposed son-in-law. Tsk, a truly despicable b*stard.’

“Five gold?” he asked, acting shocked. “Are you sure you heard it correctly, uncle?”

“Yes, I’ve asked him twice when I heard the amount,” Lysander said, observing him. “How much did you borrow? Don’t worry, nephew; I won’t get angry about it. I just want you to tell me where you used it.”

“I didn’t borrow money from him, uncle. I’ve never even seen him since my illness,” Elysian said, sighing. “I’m actually baffled. Why would he even say I owe him five gold? Where would I even use that amount? My allowance is more than enough for me. And I only use it to buy small things like food.”

“You’re right, nephew,” Lysander said, pondering what he just said. “Don’t worry; we will clear up this misunderstanding. He said he would come…”

“Good afternoon, my lord,” Edmund said in an excited voice. As he was bowing, he saw a boy in front of Lysander. “Elysian?”

“Ah, father-in-law,” he nodded at him, observing the slimy merchant. “I’m glad to see you.”

‘I’ll make sure that today will be the last day that I call you father-in-law.’

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Edmund's expression brightened, and his smile widened when he heard the boy calling him father-in-law. “It’s wonderful to see you, son-in-law. I’m genuinely thrilled to know you’ve recovered.”

‘Let’s start causing a little chaos.’

“I’m just saddened to learn that you didn’t even visit me when I was ill,” Elysian said, staring at him, acting as if he were hurt.

“I’m sorry, my boy; I was extremely busy at that time,” Edmund apologized, beads of sweat forming under the boy’s gaze. “I had planned to visit you, but you had already recovered, so I thought that it would be better not to disturb your rest.” Puffing his chest proudly, he added, “I have manners.”

‘Sweat, you b*stard! Sweat more. Let’s start creating a rift between these two.’

“Are you criticizing, my uncle?” he asked innocently, observing the older noble who was frowning. “He visited me when I had just regained consciousness.”

“Of course not, my lord,” Edmund quickly denied, turning to Lysander and bowing in apology. “I would never dare criticize you, my lord. Please forgive me if my words have been unintentionally disrespectful.”

Lysander coughed slightly, clearing his throat before saying, “There is no need to apologize. I know you didn’t mean any disrespect. Come, take a seat.”

‘Well, that failed. Still, it's good to see that greedy b*stard squirm.’

“Thank you, my lord,” Edmund said, sitting beside Lysander.

“It’s good that you’re here,” Lysander said, turning to the younger noble. “Before you arrived, my nephew and I were talking about what you told me last night.”

“Ah, about my son-in-law's debt?” Edmund asked, his greedy smile showing no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

“My debt, sir?” Elysian asked, pretending to be confused and staring directly into the merchant’s eyes. “I thought you were the one who owed me money.”

“Huh?” Both his uncle and the merchant glanced at him, clearly taken aback.

“I owe you money, young master?” Edmund asked, seeking confirmation if what he heard was correct.

‘What did you say? I owe you five gold coins? Let’s double that. If you’re a despicable b*stard, I’m worse than you.’

“Yes,” Elysian nodded, taking a moment to think. “You owe about ten gold coins.”

Edmund’s mouth just fell open in astonishment upon hearing the amount.

“You owe, my nephew, ten gold coins?” Lysander questioned with a furrowed brow.

“Absolutely not, my lord!” the merchant vehemently denied, vigorously shaking his head. “I don’t owe the young master any money.”

“Are you accusing me of lying?” Elysian demanded, frowning. Trying not to laugh when he saw the confusion and panic on the merchant’s face, he continued, “I’m starting to feel very unhappy with you, father-in-law.”

‘This is really fun!’

“Of course not, young master,” Edmund quickly replied, bowing in apology. “I’m very sorry…”

“Can you tell me what really is happening here?” Lysander asked with a hint of irritation in his voice. Glancing at both of them, his face was full of confusion, trying to understand the situation.

“You tell your side of the story, sir,” he said. Gesturing for the merchant to continue, he frowned and said, “I hope that you don’t lie, father-in-law. I’m listening.”

Edmund gulped, turning to Lysander, and said, “This is what happened, my lord. The other day, I hired some guys to collect my dues. From what I heard, the young master, being the soft-hearted soul he is, took pity on them. He decided to settle their debt.”

“Is this true, nephew?” Lysander asked, turning to him.

“Some of it is true, uncle,” Elysian said. Expecting an objection, he quickly continued, “I don’t know what those thugs told you, but this is what happened. As my servant and I were walking back home from training, we saw a commotion. We actually don’t want to be involved in it since we’re just kids. However, my servant here recognized one of the people being assaulted.” Turning to his servant, he asked, “Isn’t that right, big fella?”

“You’re right, young master,” Bran nodded. “I saw Osric, one of the young soldiers, from the duel.”

“Duel?” Lysander asked.

“A competition among young soldiers, uncle.”

“Ah, okay. Continue.”

“When I saw Osric, I immediately went forward, even though I was afraid. I couldn’t bear to leave a soldier who serves us being bullied like that, uncle, especially in our territory,” he said, turning to Lysander. “What would Father say when he learns about it? You know how he values his soldiers.”

‘I’ve just used my ace—the father card. Let’s see how you handle that.’

“You’re right, nephew.” Lysander nodded, glaring at the merchant.

“I did not bully him, my lord,” Edmund hastily denied. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he continued, “I’m just collecting what’s mine. Is that a crime now?”

“Of course not, father-in-law,” Elysian said, emphasizing the last word as if in mockery. “How much did Osric and his family borrow from you? Also, how much money did they already pay you?”

The merchant swallowed hard upon hearing the question.

“Don’t lie to me, sir. I know the exact amount and have the evidence to prove it.”

“They borrowed twenty silver, young master,” Edmund said quietly, avoiding his eyes. “I don’t remember the exact amount they’ve paid.”

“According to Osric, they paid exactly two gold and twenty-one silver,“ Elysian said, smirking. “And they have documents to prove it. Do you deny the amount?”

“If they have documents, I won’t deny it,” Edmund agreed, swallowing hard. “It might look big, but it’s actually fair, young master. You must understand the level of risk I’m taking by letting them borrow money from me.”

“Four times the principal is fair?”

“He's actually right,” Lysander said, defending the merchant. “These vermin borrowed money, fully aware of what they’re getting into. Now that they can’t pay, they’re begging for your mercy. Don’t be fooled, nephew.”

“He’s right, son-in-law.” Edmund smiled widely, sensing a glimmer of hope. “Don’t let yourself be deceived by these ungrateful vermin.”

‘Do you think I’ll allow you to escape from this? In your dreams!’

“I would have agreed to your statement, uncle, if their agreement had been followed,” he said, turning to the older noble. “However, my father-in-law not only imposed interest on the principal, but he also put interest on the interest itself. Isn’t that absurd?”

Lysander looked at the merchant, frowning.

“What’s even more absurd is how he added arbitrary fees on top of everything.”

“Is that true?”

“My lord, I would like to…”

“Uncle, do you know what’s even funny?” Elysian asked, grinning, not letting the merchant speak.

“What?” Lysander asked, turning to him, not looking too happy.

“The overinflated debt was only three gold coins, but the moment I agreed to pay, it suddenly became five gold,” Elysian said, laughing loudly as the merchant squirmed from where he was sitting.

“You better start explaining yourself, Edmund!” Lysander exclaimed, his voice carrying a dangerous edge to it.

“I-I didn’t say five gold, my lord,” the merchant denied in a panic, not thinking straight.

“Wait, did you just say my uncle lied again?” Elysian asked, grinning widely, adding more fuel to the fire. “You’re making him seem like a pathological liar, tsk.”

Lysander suddenly threw his cup to the floor, staring directly into the merchant's eyes. If looks could kill, Edmund would’ve died there and then.