Chapter 63: Impressions

In the Geno Family home, taking advantage of Lyr’s absence, Tif invited Yilu to the backyard pavilion for a tea party.

This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. In the past, Yilu and Teanya often did the same thing here.

Most of the time, though, Teanya would ramble on about some recent interesting events while Yilu quietly read a book nearby, occasionally chiming in with a word of agreement.

Tif and Teanya were polar opposites.

One didn’t like prying into other people’s business, while the other adored gossip and rumors.

The reason they could naturally come together like this was partly because their families had always been close, letting them know each other since childhood.

More importantly, Tif might not be a great conversationalist, but she was absolutely an excellent listener.

This allowed Teanya to speak her mind freely in front of her without worrying about it reaching anyone else’s ears.

“Miss Yilu, I believe this is the first time we’ve sat together like this, isn’t it?”

Tif stood up, pouring tea into Yilu’s cup slowly and skillfully.

“Yes.” Yilu didn’t know what to do, sitting there stiffly like she was tied to the chair. “Thank you.”

“That’s only natural—tea ceremony class isn’t a required subject like etiquette class. Yilu didn’t seem to choose that course.” Teanya explained the reason, also wondering why Tif was asking something she already knew.

“That’s right.” Yilu’s face showed awkwardness.

Tea ceremony classes were taken in pairs. If you didn’t have a partner, being alone was extremely embarrassing.

Her social situation at the Academy went without saying—she could hardly find anyone to join her.

This kind of class only made her feel timid and constrained.

Tea parties were supposed to be an important way for noble ladies to strengthen bonds and exchange information.

In a way, she had cut off that avenue herself—she couldn’t blame anyone else.

So now, being suddenly invited by Tif left her at a loss.

“It’s fine. I think there will be many more opportunities like this in the future.”

Putting the course aside, Tif felt that opportunities to interact with Yilu like this wouldn’t be few going forward.

Tif gave Yilu a decent impression, but Teanya’s unwavering stare beside her made Yilu feel very uneasy.

“Is there something on my face?”

“Not at all.” Teanya waved her hand. “I just find it interesting. In my memory, you’re usually all fierce and aggressive, but now you’re actually quite amusing.”

No one else had probably seen Yilu in this state.

“Not really.” Yilu forced a stiff grin, unsure whether to smile.

She didn’t deny that she could be aggressive toward those who were unfriendly or strangers.

The problem was that with people she knew but wasn’t too familiar with, she didn’t know how to act.

So far, she couldn’t accurately tell whether the other person was friendly or not.

“Still, since you’re so close with Lyr, there’s no need to be so reserved. Don’t let Tif’s usual cold demeanor fool you—she used to be pretty clingy with Lyr.”

“Cough, cough.” Tif promptly cut off Teanya’s words and shot her a glare.

This girl really couldn’t tell what she should and shouldn’t say.

“Just eat your food.” She simply pushed the pastries in front of Teanya.

Hopefully, that would shut her up.

Originally inviting Teanya along was meant to make Yilu less guarded and nervous.

Now it seemed this girl was completely superfluous here.

“Miss Yilu, you don’t need to be so tense.” Tif took a breath. “Today, I simply want to chat with you about you and Lyr—some things.”

“See, I told you.”

Just as Teanya tried to interject, she saw Tif raise her hand as if to strike and immediately shrank back.

“Me and Lyr?”

Realizing something, Yilu paused. Her fingers, hidden by the table, pressed against the palm of the other hand.

Tif’s words didn’t relax her; instead, they stirred up a different feeling.

Then she gave a bitter smile. “If you think I’ve been getting too close to him and causing you trouble, I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Over this period, even though most of the help had come from Lyr’s initiative, it was still her causing him trouble.

Yilu was well aware of her situation—her existence might even affect House Geno.

Tif was surprised. For the first time, she saw the usually haughty Yilu showing a hint of inferiority.

No, perhaps this was her true self.

Most people needed a mask to hide themselves, and Yilu was no different.

“No, that’s not what I meant at all.” Tif quickly shook her head. “That foolish brother of mine, though an idiot, knows his limits in most matters. I trust him on that.”

Allowing Lyr to head to the Frontier wasn’t a decision he could make alone.

It wasn’t just Tif—everyone in House Geno believed Lyr had his own judgment.

Besides, considering the relationship between Lyr and Yilu’s elder brother, helping Yilu wasn’t excessive.

Tif wanted to ask about something else.

“What I want to know is, how do you see that foolish brother of mine?”

Such a straightforward question not only stunned Yilu but even made Teanya’s eyes go wide.

‘Why do I feel like a parent meeting a fiancée?’ Teanya looked back and forth between the two.

She finally realized that this might not be a place for her.

“Setting everything else aside, I want to hear your true feelings.”

Only when Lyr wasn’t around could she ask this question.

“My feelings…”

Seeing the serious look on Tif’s face, Yilu understood that she wasn’t trying to mock her or test her.

Tif genuinely wanted to know the answer, from the perspective of Lyr’s younger sister.

“For me, most of the time, I think he’s a pretty annoying guy who likes to meddle, sometimes even being shameless.” Yilu tried to recall her first impression of Lyr.

Back then, she really wanted to gouge that guy’s eyes out.

“Yes, that’s exactly it—very accurate.” Tif nodded. Lyr was like that.

Teanya looked puzzled. Yilu was saying that about Lyr right in front of Tif, and Tif was agreeing?

“But sometimes what he says makes a lot of sense, even if I don’t really like it.” Yilu let out a rueful laugh. “Maybe I’m greedy by nature. I clearly don’t like receiving help from others, yet after being helped by him so many times, I find it’s not so bad.”

Yilu didn’t know how to describe the feeling. With anyone else, she would have loathed it, but with Lyr, she didn’t feel that way.