Just like Maya, Aydin was also tempted by the sight of food he had dreamt of eating countless times in the past month, but he had better self-control than his sister, and hence he pulled his eyes away from his master and the food on the table.
Aydin looked at Maya with worry. 'I hope she doesn't let greed get the best of her and be as calm and patient as me.'
The change in their emotions didn't escape Roy's notice.
He saw through them and realized what they wanted.
"There is too much food for me to finish alone. So… Aydin and Maya, feel free to join me at the table. Eat whatever you like. I am sure there must be something to your liking among all these dishes." Roy said softly, inviting them to have dinner with him in a pleasant voice.
Maya, who could feel rats running in her stomach, cheered up immediately, and her eyes brightened in joy.
"Thanks!" She threw a thank you at him thoughtlessly.
"You idiot!" Aydin scolded her with a funny face.
And then he and Maya felt multiple pairs of eyes landing on them.
They cranked their heads around and saw just about everyone in the room looking at them.
Aydin internally sweated buckets.
'Our secret is exposed to the people we wanted to hide it from. Everyone now knows we can talk, thanks to my stupid sister. What should I do?'
Maya glanced at him apologetically, 'Sorry, brother.'
Aydin glared at her. 'It's too late for that.'
Being stared at by so many people made them nervous.
Thus, they lowered their heads to avoid looking them in the eyes.
"Eh? So you two could talk? I thought you were mute." They were questioned by Lord Arlo.
After hesitating for a moment, Aydin changed his facial expression to that of a little puppy and looked at the lords at the table with teary and innocent eyes, "We didn't mean to lie to any of you. Please don't punish us. We were just too afraid to talk to you. That's why we kept quiet."
Amelia and Julian could no longer feel angry at the pitiful twins.
Arlo, on the other hand, stared at them even more intensely. 'I initially assessed them as deserving of pity and naive. But if they did this because they were wary of us and wanted to feel us out before establishing proper contact, they are anything but that.'
Under his overwhelming gaze, the twins trembled like a thin and dry tree assaulted by a fierce gust.
"Okay, uncle, stop looking them down. You're making them nervous. It's not a secret to me. I already knew they could talk. I was just waiting for them to open up to us on their own terms." Roy intervened.
The twins were invited again.
This time, they shyly pulled out a chair and sat at the table silently.
Amelia served them each a plate full of different foods.
"So delicious."
"I can't stop stuffing my face with this."
A bite was all it took for them to become like hungry wolves that had pounced on their first meal in days.
They were wolfing it down at the same speed as their master.
"Amelia, Julian, Uncle Arlo, feel free to hop in as well." Roy invited the other two as well.
"I had dinner with my wife not too long ago. I am full. It's regrettable. But I will have to decline," Arlo said.
But Julian and Amelia happily joined him at the table.
Julian peeked at Roy now and then between bites. "He's different from the nobles I grew up with. Forget about treating their servants to a meal; they disdain eating at the same table as their knights. But he doesn't even think it's a big deal to have dinner with his servants. He thinks just like me and believes everyone is equal and only their actions should determine whether they should be respected or treated harshly. We're all humans in the end. Why must we treat others differently just because they are less than us in status?'
Julian's thoughts were too thought-provoking.
Thus, he kept them to himself and never shared them with others, not even his mother.
But now he had found a like-minded buddy, so he secretly felt happy.
Delilah hadn't moved from her spot. Roy leaned back; his back was now pressed against the chair. He looked over his shoulder to stare at her in a friendly manner.
"Won't you consider having dinner with us?"
Delilah shook her head in declination.
"I'll be going out for a stroll."
Delilah had the noble intention of accompanying her lord to the capital. But there's a risk of death out on the road. If the worst happened to her, who would provide for the orphans that she had been looking after since her sister's death? That's why she planned to go out and leave gold for the orphans in safe hands.
"Say hi to the young ones for me."
Roy waved her goodbye.
"Since it is your order, I will, my lord."
Delilah slightly bowed to him before she stepped towards the window, planning to leave the manor through it.
"As you know, I will be heading out for the Forbidden Capital soon. I won't be here for a few weeks. You need not return back to the manor tomorrow. You will have no master to serve. Use this chance to spend time with your family. What I am trying to say is, you're officially on vacation."
Delilah didn't feel happy. She facepalmed instead. He was granting her a payless leave. That's something she didn't want. For some reason, spending time away from him was also an idea she didn't want to consider or accept for the time being.
'My lord is a bit silly. He looks like someone who can see through everyone, but he can't see through my heart. I want to accompany him and be of use to him. Why can't he understand that?' Delilah judged Roy as she jumped out of the window and landed on a tree.
In a hurry to settle her matters and return to her lord, she rushed out of the barrier surrounding the manor not long after.
