The Useless Prince Is A Gangster
Chapter 50. Lunch with sibling

Chapter 50: 50. Lunch with sibling

Two weeks had passed since the council meeting. Leo sat in the academy canteen, poking at his food without much interest. The meals here couldn’t compare to Liana’s cooking—her perfectly balanced meals had spoiled him.

But today wasn’t just about the food. Across from him sat Lucian, his younger half-brother, and Lucian’s fiancée, Velmira. They had invited him to lunch, and though he didn’t particularly want to come, he couldn’t turn them down.

Leo saw the two of them smiling warmly at him as he ate, which only added to his discomfort. With a sigh, he leaned back and glanced between them. "You know," he said bluntly, "you two should spend time together alone. Why am I being dragged into your date?"

Lucian’s face went red immediately, and Velmira giggled softly, hiding her smile behind her hand. Flustered, Lucian stammered, "It’s not a date! I just... I wanted to have lunch with you, Brother. And... I thought it was time to introduce Velmira to you."

Leo raised an eyebrow, chewing slowly. "We’ve already met twice, actually."

Lucian blinked, confused. "Twice? Really? When?"

Velmira giggled lightly, her tone teasing. "We met at the library two times, your elder brother didn’t even recognize me the first time," she said with a playful smile. "He was completely shocked when he realized who I was."

Leo’s tone softened slightly as he gestured toward her. "You’ve got a good one here, Lucian," he said. "Don’t mess it up."

Lucian’s face turned a deeper shade of red, caught between pride and embarrassment. He rubbed his neck nervously. "Of course not, Brother! Right, Vel?"

Velmira’s eyes gleamed with humor as she giggled again. "You’re always so easy to embarrass, Luci," she teased gently. Her expression brightened as she turned to Leo. "Oh! Brother-in-law, do you know what Lucian said when we first met as kids?"

Leo tilted his head. "What did he say?"

Velmira’s laugh bubbled up again as though she could hardly wait to share the story. "We were seven, and our engagement had just been arranged. I walked into the room, and he stared at me like I was the most magical thing he’d ever seen. Then he turned to the Duke and said, ’She’s so pretty! Please, please, let me marry her!’" Her voice rose as she mimicked Lucian’s younger self, the exaggeration making the story even funnier.

Lucian groaned loudly, burying his face in his hands. "Why are you telling him that?!"

Velmira’s laughter became uncontrollable, her shoulders shaking as she leaned back.

But, for the first time in a long while, Leo laughed too. His deep, genuine laugh filled the space, catching Lucian and Velmira by surprise.

Lucian peeked through his fingers, his embarrassment momentarily forgotten. "You’re... laughing?" he asked, a mix of awe and disbelief in his tone.

Leo chuckled as his laughter subsided, leaning back in his chair. "It’s funny," he said simply, shrugging.

The moment was rare for Leo. In his past life, he had no real family, he had only a shitty father. But here, with Lucian and Velmira, he felt something he never expected—warmth.

Watching his younger brother’s flustered joy and hearing Velmira’s soft laughter, Leo found himself forgetting his burdens, if only for a little while.

Velmira leaned forward slightly, her curiosity clear. "Brother-in-law," she asked, smiling, "do you have someone you love?"

Leo paused, her question catching him off guard. Love. The thought brought Chloe to his mind immediately—she was the reason behind everything he did, the reason he kept going.

But the truth stung too. He didn’t even know where she was now.

He made a faint smile. "Yes, I do," he answered.

Lucian’s eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Leo nodded. "She’s not here. And I don’t know where she is right now."

Lucian looked a bit disappointed, nodding slowly. "Oh, I see..."

Velmira, however, tilted her head and smiled mischievously. "Well, it seems someone else has been keeping an eye on you."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Velmira grinned and gestured behind him. "Look for yourself. She’s been glancing at you for the last ten minutes."

Leo turned around, his crimson eyes settling on a violet-haired girl sitting at a nearby table. Her pink eyes briefly met his before she quickly looked away, pretending not to notice. It’s Rin, sitting there at an empty table—no food, just her.

"That’s my classmate," Leo said, turning back. He noticed, though, that Rin peeked at him again, this time slower, only to realize he was still looking at her. Before she could turn away again, Leo called out, "Care to join us?"

Rin froze in place, her pink eyes wide, before slowly standing and making her way over. Her steps were hesitant, her face flushed red. She sat beside Leo, still clearly embarrassed.

"This is my younger brother, Lucian," Leo said, introducing her, "and his fiancée, Velmira Saravelle."

Rin nodded quickly, trying to smile. "Hello," she said quietly. "I’m Rin Valarune, a second-year Bronze student."

Velmira’s eyes widened slightly at the name. "Valarune?" she asked. "Are you related to Viscount Valarune?"

Rin nodded again, shyly. "He’s my father."

Velmira’s face brightened. "That’s amazing! I’ve heard that your father’s business made a new invention—I am using it right now, their fragrance is nice."

Rin gave a small, polite smile. "Thank you."

Lucian leaned forward slightly, curious. "You were looking at my brother earlier," he said, his tone friendly. "Did you want to say something?"

Rin’s blush deepened, and she gave an awkward smile. "I wanted to say hi," she admitted softly. "But I thought I might interrupt. I didn’t want to ruin your moment."

Lucian chuckled warmly. "Don’t worry. It’s fine."

Velmira, however, studied Rin closely, her hazel eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "Senior Rin," she asked, her voice gentle but probing, "are you really in the Bronze section because of the usual reason?"

Rin caught off guard. She hesitated, then nodded. "I don’t have mana," she said quietly. "I’m useless in combat. That’s why I’m in Bronze."

Velmira frowned slightly, her eyes narrowing. "Really?" she murmured. "Because I can sense a huge amount of mana inside you."

Leo’s fork froze mid-air as he turned sharply to Velmira. "What?"

Velmira didn’t look away from Rin, her expression serious. "There’s a lot of mana in you," she said firmly. "More than anyone else in this academy. Even more than staff."

Rin’s eyes widened in shock. She opened her mouth as if to respond, but no words came out.