The Reincarnated Villainous Young Master's Guide to Happiness

Chapter 16: Conversations

Being an illegitimate son of a baron, Tybalt was even lower than the commoner students in the Academy, who are personally invited by the Academy and living on scholarships and Imperial Grants.

The dining hall was expensive, but most students could afford it. Tybalt could not. Oftentimes, Nazareth or Finneas would buy his meals, but having to rely on them for a proper meal might have made him more ashamed of his circumstances.

Finneas downed his complimentary glass of water. All that crying made him thirsty.

Neo held back a smile, but his mirth quickly faded away once Tybalt set his eyes on him.

The calculative spark in the other's gaze shot a shiver down his spine.

"Naza, we are still not finished with our earlier conversation." A fox-like smile stretched across the boy's lips.

Neo didn't think they would continue the conversation so soon after what happened.

He sighed.

Sweeping the wisps of hair out of his face, he clasped both his hands together and set them in front of him, narrowing his eyes at Tybalt.

"Is it so hard to believe I have simply grown tired of playing this role in Aurelion's life?"

"This...?" Tybalt stared at him in confusion.

Neo shrugged. "The plotting, the scheming... Don't you and Finneas have other dreams to chase besides sticking with me? It's not like I'll be here forever..."

"Naza..." Tybalt paused. "Are you dying?"

There was an awkward silence between them.

"Strangely enough, you are not the first person to ask me this," Neo continued without a single ripple in his expression. "No, Tybalt. I am not, in fact, dying. I am, however, about to enact a new plan for my life from this point forth because I know there is no point in trying to kill Aurelion."

Tybalt stared at him closely. There was no change to his smile as he examined him for any potential deception.

After a while, he answered, "Say Finny and I go along with you. How would this benefit us? And how would it benefit you?"

Neo hesitated.

He didn't want to admit he would feel awfully lonely going to the Academy without the presence of Tybalt and Finneas by his side.

He forced them to be his companions because he saw his brother surrounded by friends and wanted. There was no loyalty in an unequal friendship made up of coercion and threats, but Nazareth didn't want to appear as if there was no one by his side.

Slowly, he asked, "Do you think we can try again?"

Tybalt didn't say anything.

Finneas looked completely at ease watching the exchange between them. He placed his trust in Tybalt's hands, knowing that the re-negotiation of the terms of their companionship was in order.

Neo sucked in a breath.

Tie-making and companionship between comrades and friends were practically ceremonial in Noble Society. It was a custom in the empire for children of noble birth to join circles and friendships to further their connections.

He had made many ties and connections in this world. The ones shared between his current circle of friends, Finneas, Tybalt... and Royce...

It was meant to be sacred.

None of them were really children anymore. Tybalt had gotten more and more clever and more and more jaded. Finneas had grown paranoid and calloused.

Nazareth... he was no longer as young as he used to be.