The first thing that caught his eye was a piano. Sitting on the piano bench was a slender girl with long blonde hair.
Her smooth blonde hair was tied into symmetrical twin-tails, highlighting the unique, youthful vitality of a young girl.
Upon her head sat soft ears identical to the old patriarch's—a trait unique to Rabbit Thirrens and the Timefield family.
Without a doubt, this was Geno's soon-to-be fake fiancée, Alice Timefield.
Just as Geno opened his mouth to say something, a melodious piano tune drifted over.
♪♪
The young girl's slender fingers danced continuously across the black and white keys, the melody flowing endlessly like a mountain stream.
But soon, the artistic conception of the music underwent a sudden change. Shifting from its original mild and drawn-out tone, it became hurried and uneasy. The girl's finger movements quickened in tandem, and the entire piece became completely different from before.
If it previously depicted a sentimental girl, what Geno heard now was a young girl full of confusion about the future, yet still constantly searching for a way out.
Ding~
Soon, the girl's performance came to an end. She stood up, straightened her attire, walked up to Geno, and curtsied with the perfect etiquette of a lady.
"Nice to meet you. I am Alice Timefield."
The girl's posture was impeccable. She was the very image of a noble lady—gentle yet elegant, proper yet retaining her own unique charm.
And to this, Geno's evaluation was...
"Are you... nervous?"
Geno could sense from her piano playing and movements an unknown nervousness that she was trying her hardest to conceal.
Exposed, Alice instantly panicked, flinching violently like a startled rabbit.
"I-I'm sorry, I lost my composure."
"No, not at all. My name is Geno, and I am, I am..."
"Young Miss, this is Mr. Geno, and he is also your newly confirmed fiancé."
The butler at the side snatched the words that Geno couldn't bring himself to say, instantly causing the two young people present to feel somewhat awkward.
"It seems I have spoken out of turn. Well then, please get along well with each other. I will take my leave."
The old butler bowed, then exited the room, not forgetting to close the door behind him.
With that, only Geno and Alice were left in the massive room.
Facing the gradually solidifying air, Geno prepared to say something to break this awkward atmosphere.
"Um, you play the piano pretty well?"
"Thank you. It was just some casual practice, I hope you don't mind, Mr. Geno."
With Geno breaking the ice, Alice lost her initial nervous demeanor. She then invited Geno to enjoy some freshly made afternoon tea together, and the two began to chat about trivial, everyday matters.
Such as Alice's daily life at school, or Geno's adventures in the Hollows.
"Even if I am not understood by the masses, as a game developer, I still insist on my own unique aesthetics."
For example, monsters that camp at spawn points and the like, making the player's every respawn feel much more realistic.
"Is that so? I don't usually play video games, so I don't know much about them... but regarding aesthetics, I feel that symmetry is the most perfect aesthetic in this world."
Relying on various topics like this, the two young people quickly became familiar with each other.
Geno also gradually came to understand what kind of person Alice was.
Aside from placing a relatively high value on family honor and having a somewhat morbid obsessive-compulsive disorder regarding symmetry, she was just an ordinary young girl.
It was just that her family's assets were a billion times more than average.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Pardon the interruption, you two. It is time for dinner."
It was the butler, Arnold, coming to call them for the meal.
It turned out that, before they knew it, evening had arrived.
Fortunately, Geno had already texted Lucia and the others in advance, telling them he wouldn't be going back for dinner tonight.
Arriving at the dining room, Geno was already somewhat immune to the luxurious furnishings.
"Where is Uncle Tai?"
"The master already returned to New Eridu in his private airship this afternoon. For tonight's dinner, it will just be you and Young Miss Alice."
This old man really felt at ease letting his granddaughter spend time alone with him, not afraid in the slightest that something might happen.
Wait, no, that might be exactly what he was hoping for.
Even now, Geno still couldn't figure out what the old man saw in him, to actually want him to marry—no, marry into his family as his granddaughter's husband.
But at least for now, Geno still had to continue playing the role of her fiancé.
Sitting in his prearranged seat, Geno looked at the exquisite and gorgeous food on his plate, momentarily unsure of how to start eating.
'How is this a dish? This is literally a work of art.'
Glancing at Alice across the table, he saw that the well-educated lady had already started eating in small, delicate bites.
Noticing Geno's gaze, she subconsciously shrank back a little, and her face immediately flushed red.
Geno realized that staring wasn't very polite, so he refocused his efforts on the food on his plate.
Hmm, it tasted quite good, but the portion was a bit small.
And just as he finished devouring this 'work of art', another exquisite dish was served.
"The master instructed us that your appetite is different from an ordinary person's, and specifically ordered the chef to prepare several extra portions."
Arnold wore a smile, moving Geno slightly. He hadn't expected the old man to actually remember this.
(Old Patriarch: 'It'd be hard to forget a kid who can eat that much.')
And so, with her mouth agape, Alice bore witness to exactly how massive an adult male's appetite could be.
"T-Twenty plates... A full twenty plates of steak. Just how did you eat all of that?"
After the meal, Alice stared intensely at Geno's perfectly flat stomach, unable to comprehend where all that food had gone to save her life.
"I just have good digestion, I can't help it."
Geno shrugged. The things he ate were instantly broken down into Ether the moment they entered his stomach; wasn't that the definition of good digestion?
"Is that so? That's really enviable. If only I had a talent like that."
Alice said somewhat sourly. She also wanted this kind of talent, so that she could grow a bit taller.
Thinking of this, Alice looked at Geno, who was at least a full head taller than her, and the sourness in her tone grew even heavier.
Geno, on the other hand, was rather baffled. Why was this little rabbit looking at him like that?
Could it be she was upset that he had eaten too much of her family's food?
Scratching his head, Geno simply gave up trying to figure it out.
Rather than dwelling on this, he might as well think about what to do next.
After all, his original purpose for coming to Wei Feidi was to resolve the Radiant Porcelain supply. Now that this problem was half-solved, he just needed to wait for the matter entrusted to him by the old man to conclude.
But until then, what was he supposed to do...
Ding~ Ding~
As Geno was lost in thought, his phone's [Knock-Knock] app suddenly let out a notification sound.
Someone was looking for him.
"It's so late, who could be looking for me?"
Geno then took out his phone to check, and to his surprise, it was Yuzuha.
Upon clicking her profile picture and reading the message, his pupils instantly shrank.
____
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