“So, do you mind telling me in detail what happened this time?"

Rosa said with a grimace on her face. 

And despite the fact that I wasn’t the one who was in trouble right now, I couldn’t help but feel a shiver go up my spine.

On the other hand, Lucia seemed to be completely unaffected, and just started helping Anne dry off, by using a bit of her fire magic to warm her up.

“Uh… so we were going through the western route that leads up to your house… when we encountered an abominable snowman…”

“So essentially, you’re saying that you took the route that I expressly told you not to take…?”

They asked while drying Ameil's hair using a white towel.

“The coachman said that since the weather was calm today, we wouldn’t encounter anything on that route.”

“And yet you did encounter something.”

She said before crossing her arms.

“Yeah…”

Ameil replied before putting his hands behind his back. 

“Hah, well there’s nothing else that we can do about it now, I suppose.”

Rosa said before sighing a bit and patting Ameil on the head.

“Just don’t do it again, alright?” 

“Yes mom.”

Ameil answered before bowing his head.

And when he did that, I couldn’t help but feel a tad surprised, as usually he tends to be more stubborn.

It seems like moms are just as terrifying in this world.

“Welp, now that we’ve gotten that matter settled, could you tell me more about this girl that you’ve brought along with you?”

“Uh…”

Ameil gulped before looking towards Lucia and me for help.

And Anne promptly followed suit.

In turn, the two of us just looked away and quickly started walking towards the dining room.

Sorry guys, but I think I’m gonna let y'all deal with this on your own.

When Lucia and I got to the dining room, the two of us just sat down and started talking about random subjects, in order to block out the noise in the other room, not really wanting to hear more about Ameil’s present situation.

“So, Lucia, do the trees around here always have white leaves or is that a seasonal thing?”

I said, casually trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“It’s a year round sorta deal. I, for one, haven’t ever seen the leaves around here be any other color.”

“Huh, I see… why are the leaves here white in the first place, anyway?”

“No clue honestly, it probably has something to do with magic?”

“Does magic function differently up here?”

“Mhmm, magic gets stronger the higher up you are, after all.”

“And has anyone taken advantage of this yet?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure there’s a general from our country who was known for only picking battles where he was atop a mountain because of this feature of magic.”

“Did he ever lose?”

“He died undefeated, considering that he only ever fought defensive battles in his home turf.”

“What’s his name?” 

“Something Hopkins, I think?” 

“Interesting.”

I said simply before leaning a bit back in my seat, and looking towards the doorway.

Mostly because the noise in the other room had settled down a tad by this point, and the sudden silence made me a bit uneasy.

This wasn’t helped by the fact that not even a moment later, Rosa, Ameil and Anne entered the dining room without saying much.

“Say, Lucia… why is your mom more strict when it comes to Ameil and relationships?” 

I whispered quietly.

“Oh, right you don’t know… yeah, that guy has had terrible luck with women. I swear, every single one of them so far has chickened out before he could build up enough courage to confess.”

“I see…”

“Luckily, it seems like this time things are different, considering that Ameil has confessed to Anne. Plus, she’s had a crush on him since middle school so there’s no way that she’s gonna give up now.”

“That’s a relief.”

I said with a bit of a smile on my face.

“What are you two whispering about…?”

Ameil said from across the table, with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

“Nothing that you need to worry about.”

Lucia replied curtly.

In turn, Ameil just shrugged before turning his gaze towards the kitchen, which currently had an interesting aroma emanating from it.

“By the way, what’s your mom making for dinner tonight, Lucia?” 

“Hmm? Oh, I’m pretty sure she’s just making the usual again, that being veal with a side of mashed potatoes and peas.” 

“Can’t say I’ve ever had veal before, what does it taste like?”

“Kinda like beef, I guess… no wait pork?” 

Lucia remarked, after thinking about my question for a couple of seconds.

“Eh, you’ll find out, soon enough.”

She said before gesturing towards the kitchen doorway, where Rosa was somehow carrying six plates of food.

“Enjoy!”

Rosa said with a bit of an optimistic smile on her face before placing the plates piled high with roasted veal and an assortment of vegetables down in front of the four of us.

“Thank you for the food.”

The four of us said in unison before picking up our knives and forks and preparing to have a taste of the food that was put in front of us.

However, before any of us could eat, Lucia’s mother motioned for us to wait a moment.

Not a second later, the front door of the house creaked open, and Lucia’s father entered through it covered in a bit of soot.

“Sorry, I’m a bit late! Did I miss dinner?”

“Nope, you made it just in time, honey.”

Rosa said with a bit of a jubilant expression on her face.

“Phew.”

He said before taking a seat at the end of the table.

“Right, now that we’re all present, let’s eat!”

Rosa remarked before clasping her hands together.

Then, the six of us just started to eat the dinner that Rosa had prepared.

And despite the atmosphere being a bit different then what I was used to, it was still one of the best dinners that I’ve had in a while.

Something which had a bit to do with the fact that the veal that Rosa cooked was divine.

It was tender, sweet, and overall tasted better than both pork and chicken.

Though, I gotta admit the best part about this dinner was the fact that I was having it with Lucia and her family.

After all, I don’t think that I’ve ever been so warmly received by anyone before.