The time had finally come for dinner with Hana and Axel.
Vicente and Nova were now walking through one of the corridors of the Hogan estate in Dryhaven, led to the dining room by the woman who had welcomed them a few days ago.
Arriving at the beautiful dining room of this residence, Vicente and Nova met four people: Axel, Hana, a young man with brown hair and the same age as Vice, and a blonde woman of the same age.
When they met these two strangers, Vicente and Nova didn't have to ask who they were because Axel introduced them.
"Vicente, this is your uncle, Blake. Next to him is his fiancée, Khloe." Axel introduced them as he smiled at his grandson.
Vicente and Nova greeted them before sitting down side by side in front of them.
Meanwhile, Hana and Axel were at the ends of the six-seater table, where several trays covered the plates already set for this dinner.
They soon exchanged a few words, joking a little about the fact that Vicente's uncle was practically the same age as he was.
But that was more common than anyone could imagine. Since getting pregnant became more difficult with the increase of mana in magicians' bodies, it was very common for couples to have children with long intervals between births.
Sometimes, this meant that new children were born after a couple's first child was born.
While they talked about this, Axel and Hana served their guests, but also young Blake and Chloe.
Blake looked at Vicente and said. "So you're leaving for Saltstar City already? Your local passage was so fast. I thought you would stay longer. We could get to know each other better."
Vicente smiled and said. "Yes, I'm leaving tomorrow. I have responsibilities in Saltstar City, as does Nova. She took a few days off and can't be late or ask for more time."
"That's too bad..." Hana said. "But Blake, if you want to meet Vicente, you can go to your uncle's house in Saltstar City." She thought of her older brother and used this as an excuse to try to get Vice to suggest that Blake stay with him.
But Vicente would never suggest something like that. Black was only an Apprentice, but he wouldn't put someone who wasn't committed to him in his house!
Vicente commented. "I wouldn't advise you to go to Saltstar City just to see me. I travel a lot because of my responsibilities, and even when I'm at home, I always have things to do.
Only on days like this would I be able to see you. But I don't know when I'll have such a quiet time again."
"Really?" Blake didn't like to hear that because his parents had told him earlier that he could earn a lot of coins if he stayed at Vicente's side.
But Vicente obviously had no interest in that, and this young man, who had been raised as if he were the only child of these two, couldn't help but feel bad.
Axel changed his expression and asked. "Can't you take some time off for your uncle? We're a family, Vicente. We should be supporting each other. You have more experience than Blake. Just one hour a day at your side would change your uncle's fate significantly."
Understanding that his relatives were trying to take advantage of him, Vicente closed his eyes and laughed bitterly. 'If I give this stranger an hour, I'll probably have an hour less with Nina... These people have no shame.'
But this behavior wasn't strange to him. Things like this happen all the time on Earth. He had experienced it himself in his family and his companions' families.
Vicente decided to deal with the matter in a way that he knew would work. "If Blake wants it badly enough, I can try to take him into my family as an apprentice guard. The weakest guard on my estate is a Senior Apprentice, while my uncle here is a Junior Apprentice.
If he works hard, he might grow up enough to have time to work with me and learn."
Everyone at the table except Nova and him expressed surprise at this. It was bizarre for people like them to be offered jobs like this when they were hoping for something better.
Blake clenched his fists, feeling insulted. 'He wants me to become an apprentice guard?'
Neither Blake nor his parents would like that. As good as this opportunity was, they didn't know it and thought this young man could have a better fate working in the family business.
Hana smiled bitterly and said. "Keep working hard, Blake. Maybe Vicente will see your strength in the future. Let's put that aside for now."
Meanwhile, Nova sighed in disappointment when she saw that they only wanted to use him no matter how nice Vicente's relatives seemed at first glance.
That disappointed her but made her feel sad for him, seeing how bad this family was.
'I hope this dinner will be over soon...' She thought as she felt the time passing too slowly.
On the other hand, Chloe kept an eye on Vicente, curious about her friend's nephew. 'Why are they so eager to send Blake close to this young man? Is he, by any chance, very successful?'
She couldn't sense Vicente's magic, but Hana and Axel didn't treat many people as carefully as they did Vicente.
Her eyes glazed over at the possibility in front of her as she looked at Vicente and sometimes at Nova.
'Tsk! I'm prettier than her... If I try something, maybe I'll get someone better than Blake?' She wondered as one of her legs slowly moved under the table and towards the legs of the person in front of her.
Vicente suddenly felt a small foot on his right thigh and looked at the blonde woman in front of him, who discreetly smiled as if nothing was happening.
He sighed and closed his eyes, using a small fraction of his powers to move the woman's leg back to where it should never have been.
'I hate women like this...' He felt disgusted, aware that this woman was trying to move on to a better 'branch' with a disgusting strategy.
He didn't think that every affair had to start slowly, and an affair that started in one night was not a decree that the man or woman had dishonest intentions. But the woman before him could only be interested in what he had to offer.
Not only that, but she was so low that she dared to act in front of Nova, something Vicente found unforgivable!
Even if he had already had an affair with another woman while he was with Nova, he would never do anything in front of her!
So Vicente's terrible dinner with his relatives went on for the next half hour until he and Nova finally saw time pass in a normal way as they left the estate with no intention of seeing those people again.
The next day, they would leave Dryhaven, with their fond memories of these days off relating only to House Bain, which had truly welcomed them and taken Vicente into its family.
