Sam sighed and shook his head.
"She just doesn't know, how wrong she is."
He knew better than anyone that he is not a great company. He is brutally blunt and doesn't care much for other people. He might be polite, but it is hard for him to respect someone just from the face value and he doesn't like faking some smiles and making some idiotic small talk.
In fact, he is the worst company one could ask for, particularly when they are having some ulterior motives for the friendship to be forged.
The only place he could be a good company would be with his friends and he is sure that he and Giyon are not really that close.
"Are you sure you want me to be there? I am fine if it is a business deal and I would even be fine if it is just to cook up some plot against someone. But I don't think I am close enough to her to have a friendly dinner."
"I don't really mind. I am just a bit confused. Maybe she is extending an olive branch?"
Sam shrugged and agreed before going back to the research.
By evening, a subordinate returned from the team that went to investigate the bar.
"The bartender recognized the person. But not because he is a regular. It is almost like he was looking for someone in the bar.
The bartender noticed him because he came regularly for a few days and got drunk like a fish. He drank from morning to evening and one day, he met with this guy in a red cloak and a black mask, who is extremely eye-catching in the crowd which made the bartender remember them.
After talking to that guy, he hadn't seen either the guy in the mask or the informant in the bar again.
The team leader started inquiring in the surroundings. Particularly inns and the slums to see if anyone would recognize the guy."
"That is good. You go back and report to me tomorrow. I don't care if you have any results, report me no matter what the progress is."
"Yes Sir."
The subordinate went back.
Soon, it is night. Grivon and Sam went to the dinner.
It was arranged in Giyon's personal estate and the arrangements were done in the garden. The whole mansion is not particularly full. There is not much furniture and apart from the structural integrity, there is nothing special in the way it was constructed.
In fact, this might be the blandest and simple residence in the whole estate among the peers of Giyon.
In the garden, Giyon sat beside another girl whom Sam assumed to be the sister Jyon Grivon mentioned earlier.
She is also as beautiful as Giyon, but a bit different, and from the facial feature and the body, Sam felt that she might have a few different bloodlines and one apparent one is the elven one.
Even though it is not strong enough to make her look like a half-elf, some of the facial features clearly showed it.
She has Silver hair tied into a bun on top just like Giyon and wore emerald-colored long robes. There is one more thing that grabbed Sam's attention and that is the flute she placed on the table.
It is also made of some material that looked like Emerald jade. Just one look and he could see the great craftsmanship behind the instrument.
They took their seats and greeted each other.
"Sam, this is my younger sister, Jyon. She just came back from her Maternal Grand father's place. Jyon, this is Sam." Giyon introduced.
Sam smiled politely and greeted.
"It is nice to meet you."
Jyon looked a bit confused by Sam's presence which clearly indicated that she didn't know about his attendance today and is still perplexed about it, but she still smiled politely and replied.
"Nice to meet you too." She just greeted and shifted her focus to Grivon.
"Grivon, I heard that you grew a pair of wings and started flying. You are doing well for yourself."
Grivon smiled and said.
"I am not doing that bad. I started a couple of new businesses and they are looking promising. And recently I got a new partnership with Migron that had a great yield."
Giyon was confused by this and looked at him in askance.
"It is for solving his kidnapping problem. The deal I made with his father and I get a large portion of his profits in exchange."
Giyon looked impressed and asked.
"How much is a large portion?"
"Fifty Percent."
Giyon was stunned for a moment and looked to Sam as if asking it that was his idea too. But Grivon immediately protested.
"It is completely my idea."
"You really taught Migron quite a lesson. I hope he would be good from now on." Jyon said with a smile and they started making small talk.
Sam was left out completely. Grivon tried to bring him into the conversation, but he was left listening since the girls are leading the conversation and Giyon really didn't involve him as for Jyon, she didn't even want to look at him for some reason.
For some reason, she felt a dangerous vibe from Sam. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt that he is really unapproachable. It is almost like the surrounding atmosphere formed an invisible shield around him, making him completely unreachable.
But Sam didn't mind. He just ate the delicacies slowly and savored the wine and now and then, he sneaked a glance at the flute on the table, and in the middle of the conversation, Jyon placed her hand on it while talking to her siblings about her music advancements and Sam sensed something from it.
And he immediately felt a bit gloomy. The other three recognized that immediately. The aura around him completely changed and Giyon finally spoke.
"Sam, you are being awfully silent. I heard that you are a musician too, why don't you talk about it?"
Sam was surprised and spoke.
"I seems like you really dug way deeper into my past than I thought."
Jyon ignored his comment and looked at him curiously.
"What instrument do you play?" This is really the first time she showed interest in him and Sam replied with a wry smile.
"A flute."
Jyon was surprised and touched her flute again.
"Really?"
Sam looked at her flute and said.
"It seems like you do too."
"I am. I really love playing it."
"I play it for more of a hobby. I am not really that good."
Sam said calmly.
"Come on Sam, Don't you think you are being a bit modest."
"I don't think I am, Miss Giyon. Of all my skills, I wouldn't say I am the best at music and since you even know I play, you should know the rest of my skills too. You tell me, do you think I am that great."
"Well, compared to your other skills, you might not be, but that doesn't mean you are bad at this. You are still great."
"If Sister Giyon said so, you must be really good."
Sam shook his head with a smile and continued eating his meal.
"Maybe I would get to listen to your music one day Mr. Sam," Jyon said politely to end the conversation, but Giyon was not really ready to give up.
"Actually, Jyon. Someone you know can vouch for my statement."
Jyon looked at her in confusion.
"Maternal Grand Mother's last disciple. Gaana. You can ask him. Sam and he had a history and it is not something Gaana can forget."
Sam was stunned and looked at Giyon in shock.
"It can't be…" He muttered.
"Yes, it can be. Gaana Merene. Ring any bells, Sam?"
Jyon looked at Sam in shock.
"No way, you are the Sam Gaana told me about?"
Sam looked at both of them and sighed.
He knew that there is no way Giyon would call him for a friendly chat. Gaana Merene is actually the young master of the Merene family Sam fought with and spared.
"No, wait a minute. He has a painting of Sam and him in the battle within his room. You don't look like him at all."
"Well, It is a long story. I am going through a rough time and this face is not exactly mine at the moment." Sam said tiredly.
"No, no. Not the face. The aura. The Sam in that painting looked majestic, free, unrestrained. He looked like he was the all-powerful and all-capable god of the elements. I got a feeling that all the elements are bowing before him.
He has absolute control over everything and anything that stood in front of him.
But now you look constrained and gloomy. I cannot relate to both of those auras at all. Are you really the same Sam?"
"Hahahaha…"
"pfft…hahaha."
Sam couldn't help but laugh out loud and so did Giyon.. Grivon is still trying to make sense of the situation while Jyon is genuinely puzzled about what she said might have been funny at all.
