Playing Cards

In the dormitory, Tyr was enjoying his dinner under Avia's attentive service when Sevira and her maid, Mia, walked in.

So early?

Tyr had only just started his dinner and hadn't expected Sevira to arrive so early.

“Uh, do you want some?”

Tyr figured Sevira probably hadn't eaten yet. The brief time since training ended was barely enough for her to take a bath.

“I—urp...”

Just as Sevira was about to decline, she caught sight of the meat dishes on the table. A sudden wave of intense nausea hit her, and she spun around, sprinting toward the washroom.

Seeing her lady's state, Mia hurriedly rushed in after her.

“Uh...”

Tyr scratched his cheek. He remembered now—people in Sevira's current state of mind usually couldn't stomach meat right after such an experience.

While Sevira was still in the washroom, Tyr quickly wolfed down the food on the table.

In that moment, he perfectly demonstrated the eating speed he had developed over more than a decade in the military.

Avia, who stood waiting nearby, watched in utter astonishment.

“Alright, Avia, clear this away.”

Avia pulled out a soft silk handkerchief, carefully wiped a drop of sauce from the corner of Tyr's mouth, and swiftly cleared the tableware.

By the time Sevira emerged from the washroom, Tyr was sitting at the table, shuffling a deck of playing cards.

Tyr had made these himself after returning from the drill grounds. With the help of magic power, crafting a deck of playing cards hadn't taken much time.

“Brother Tyr, are you not eating anymore?”

Seeing that the food in front of Tyr had already been cleared away, Sevira was taken aback, assuming he had had it removed because of her.

“It's fine, I'm already full.”

Tyr gestured for Sevira to come and sit beside him.

Possessing the Innate Sword Heart, Tyr could clearly perceive the shifts in Sevira's emotions. It wasn't hard to guess what she was thinking, so he spoke up.

“Back when I used to go hunting with my father, we often had to eat quickly so we wouldn't miss any good game. Over time, I developed this habit of eating fast.”

“Marquis Lanier likes hunting too?”

Having been in the Sword Prison for so long, Sevira had naturally learned about Tyr's background.

Unlike her own family, Brother Tyr's father was a Marquis with actual power.

As a member of House Callis, Sevira had naturally heard of the legendary Marquis Lanier.

A revered swordsmanship genius, a strong contender for the title of Grand Duke of Callis in the previous generation, who had left behind a letter the day before the Grand Election and departed with carefree elegance.

Of course, what interested her most was the story of Marquis Lanier eloping with the third young lady of the Aglaia family.

It was said that the Aglaia family had completely blown their top back then, and the previous Pope had personally visited the Callis estate to demand an explanation from the former Grand Duke of Callis.

“No, no, no, he doesn't like hunting. He just simply likes chasing his dream romance with my mom.”

Hunting was secondary. Saying they had to eat quickly to chase prey was just a way to send Tyr off to play on his own, leaving them space to enjoy their world of two.

“The Marchioness?”

Nobles usually used formal titles, so this was the first time Sevira had heard someone use the term "mom."

To address his family like that, Brother Tyr's relationship with his parents must be incredibly harmonious.

Thinking of this, Sevira was reminded of her own family—her father, who often prepared novel toys for her, and her mother, who always gently told her stories to coax her to sleep.

“Yeah,” Tyr nodded, a helpless expression appearing on his face. “Honestly, a lot of the time, I really feel like I was just a beautiful accident to them.”

“The only reason they even bring me along when they go out is probably because I'm still a child.”

“But sometimes, I really want to tell them that they don't have to bother.”

“Bringing me along actually causes me far more damage.”

Tyr felt that watching the two of them act all lovey-dovey was much harder to bear than being left home alone.

“Pfft—”

Hearing Tyr's humorous words, Sevira couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Tyr nodded inwardly. He wasn't talking about his family to show off; his goal was simply to distract Sevira.

PTSD was mainly caused by intense mental stress, and distracting the mind was an excellent way to alleviate it.

By now, Avia had finished clearing the tableware and walked back.

“Avia, come sit down. I'll teach you a game. Mia, you sit too.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Thank you, Young Master Tyr.”

Once Avia and Mia were seated, Tyr spread out the playing cards in his hand and explained them to the three.

“Look at these cards. They are divided into four suits.”

“The ranking goes from 4 up to J, Q, and K, followed by Ace, 2, 3, and finally the Small Joker and the Big Joker.”

“In any hand, these two red 5s together are the strongest, followed by this Ace of Spades, and then the combination of the two Jokers...”

“In this game, the holder of the Ace of Spades and the holder of the Ace of Clubs are on one team, and everyone else is on the other. Of course, this is a hidden identity rule, so no one can reveal who they are...”

“...”

Tyr explained the rules of the game in detail. Avia and Mia were both Sixth Circle transcendents with immense mental power and naturally possessed incredible learning capabilities. After Tyr explained it just once, they fully grasped the rules and gameplay.

Sevira was also very intelligent, and after playing a hand or two to get the hang of it, she quickly picked it up.

Mia: “Pair of 4s.”

Avia: “Pair of 7s.”

Sevira: “Pair of 8s.”

Tyr: “Three 2s.”

“Pass.” x3

Tyr: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Straight.”

Sevira: “Joker Bomb!”

Tyr: “Ace of Spades. I'm out.”

“Wait, Brother Tyr, were you playing solo?”

Sevira noticed that in the straight Tyr had just played, the Ace was the Ace of Clubs. Since he had played the Ace of Spades just now, it meant he held both Aces and was on his own team.

“Yep, so the three of you lose this round.”

Tyr smiled and rubbed Sevira's head.

“Alright, it's getting late. You should head back and get some rest.”

Tyr glanced at the clock on the wall; it was indeed getting late.

“Is it really that late already?”

Sevira looked at the clock too, her expression filled with surprise.

She felt as though they had only been playing for a short while. How had time flown by so quickly?

“Mia, let's go back.”

Though she still wanted to play more, Sevira knew it was indeed time to head back. The night was late, and Brother Tyr needed his rest too.

“Young Master, are you really alright?”

Only after Sevira and Mia had left did Avia turn to Tyr, asking with a face full of worry.