The meeting inside the Veyne house ended without any real decision.
Elara simply said, "We'll talk about this again tomorrow," in that tired but firm voice of hers, and everyone knew better than to push her right then. The heavy atmosphere in the room slowly loosened, but it didn't disappear completely. It just settled into something quieter, heavier.
They stayed at the same table for dinner.
Six people sat together under the warm light of the lanterns. The smell of stew and fresh bread filled the house, but the usual lively chatter was missing. Forks scraped softly against plates. Someone passed the bread basket without a word. The silence at the dinner table wasn't angry, just careful, like everyone was stepping around broken glass as if they knew that if they talked about the wrong thing, Elara might take back her word on not banning the adventuring for now.
Lys sat between Selene and Mira, trying not to wince every time he shifted in his chair. His ribs were killing him after sitting still for so long. The pain pulsed steadily with every breath, but he still kept his face straight and focused on the food in front of him.
Selene was the first one to speak after a long stretch of quiet.
"Helga won't be coming back tonight," she said calmly, tearing a piece of bread in half. "Father sent her to deliver a letter to Father Aldric this afternoon. It got too late, so she's staying there, I guess."
Mira glanced up from her bowl. "Again?"
Selene nodded. "Yeah. That's how it has usually been going on for a couple of years. Every letter Father needs to send around the neighboring villages, the Church, is sent by her. She is used to it by now. So, don't worry about her. She'll come back before lunchtime, I think."
Elara made a small sound of acknowledgment but didn't add anything. She kept her eyes on her plate, slowly stirring her stew. Lys noticed the way her shoulders stayed tense even while eating.
Sara, who had decided to stay the night, sat across from him. She ate with her usual graceful movements, but her eyes kept flicking between everyone at the table, reading the mood.
Mitsu was the quietest of all. She barely looked up, focused on finishing her food quickly. When she was done, she stood up without saying much.
"I'll clean up," she said softly, already gathering the empty plates.
Lys wanted to tell her to sit back down and rest, but the words got stuck in his throat. He just watched as she moved around the table; the new dress that Elara bought her kept brushing against her legs with each step she took.
The conversation stayed thin and safe. They talked about the small stuff, about how the bread turned out especially good tonight, about nothing important. Nobody mentioned adventuring. Nobody brought up Tresta coming tomorrow. Not any of them dared to speak anything related to adventuring.
It felt like an unspoken agreement they had agreed upon. As if they had already used up too many words earlier. Now they just needed the night to breathe.
When the table was finally cleared, Mitsu wiped her hands on her apron and gave a small nod to everyone.
"I'm going to sleep early tonight," she said quietly. "Goodnight."
One by one, the others started moving, too.
Sara stood up and stretched lightly. "I'll take Mira's room tonight, if that's still okay."
Mira shrugged, pushing her chair back. "Yeah, it's fine. I don't mind sharing the room with you."
Elara didn't argue. She just stood near the doorway leading to the stairs, arms crossed loosely under her chest, watching everything with those tired eyes.
Lys was the last one still sitting.
He placed both hands on the edge of the table and pushed himself up slowly. A sharp jolt of pain shot through his ribs the moment he straightened. He couldn't stop the small hiss that escaped between his teeth. His body still felt heavy and sore all over, but he tried to keep the pain to himself, or they might make another fuss about it.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Elara watching him closely. She didn't say anything. She didn't offer to help. She just stood there, her expression unreadable, before she finally turned around and headed to her room without a word.
Lys stayed standing for a moment longer, one hand resting on the back of the chair for support. The house felt strangely quiet now. The warmth from the now turned-off stove was still there, but the air carried a different kind of weight.
Selene walked over and stopped beside him. She didn't touch him, but her voice was gentle when she spoke.
"You should get some rest, too, Lys."
He gave her a small nod. "Yeah… I will."
Mira passed by them on her way to the stairs. She paused for a second, looking like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she just reached out and lightly squeezed his arm before following Sara upstairs.
Sara gave him one last look, a faint smile on her lips, then she headed upstairs.
Soon, it was just Lys and Selene left downstairs.
He let out a long breath and rubbed his left hand to check if it was healed enough to move or not. It still felt a little stiff, but he could move it a little. His basic regeneration skill worked just fine to heal it in just a single day.
'This house is never going to be simple again, is it?' he thought, knowing how Selene and Mira might just have to become adventurers themselves just to support him.
Selene waited quietly beside him, giving him the space to collect himself.
After thinking for a while, quickly, Lys finally pushed the chair back under the table and turned toward the stairs, leaving Selene behind him.
Trying to stop himself from thinking about how tomorrow was going to be another long day, he shook his head slightly and started walking upstairs, each step sending a fresh reminder of pain through his body.
For now, all he wanted was to lie down and let this exhausting day finally end.