A strange mood filled the room as only the sounds of Nero's fork and knife could be heard. Vanessa, who only had a modestly prepared plate in front of her, could not help but look at him. Didn't he feel any pressure at all?
Besides the grand display of wealth, this was also a display of power. To be able to afford such a luxurious house, Silas' family either had a great historical background, or had excellent connections. But as figures who were publicly well known, it was well established that both of his parents came from relatively humble backgrounds. With that in mind, their success over a single generation was even more impressive. As such, it was completely normal, and even expected that one would be nervous before meeting them. But Nero was solely focused on eating as quickly as possible.
"Who's staring now?" Nero said between bites, as he flashed her a smile. "Don't you get food at home?" she attempted to tease, but to no avail.
"Silas has invited us over and put a great deal of effort into preparing this spread. It would be rude to just ignore it."
She couldn't help but scoff. There were some questions she wanted to ask him, especially since she also noticed the strange way Silas was treated, and his nervousness, but with the butler standing in the room with them, she could not.
"Have you been to many such events in Nova?" Nero asked, slowing down for a bit. "You seem very much in your element."
"Is this an event? We're just visiting a friend's home. Actual, proper events are very grand, and not just anyone can attend. What I'm doing is exhibiting basic manners."
Nero ignored the snide remark, and instead asked, "But you have been to them? Are they very common in Nova? I thought Nova was supposed to be greatly affected by the Fog clearing."
Nero had to nod acknowledging. Kolar and Nova shared a very strong relationship, mainly because they were the farthest apart and thus did not pose a threat to each other's sovereignty. The internet, for example, that everyone enjoyed using so much was a Nova invention originally for strategic military purposes. Although some of the technology behind it had been shared with Kolar, supposedly it was not available everywhere.
"According to my geography class, any country with a Fog clearing suffers from extreme weather conditions that end up killing much of the surrounding flora, resulting in massive cursed zones. I've never been, so I was only asking."
Vanessa grit her teeth for a bit. She could not deny what Nero had said, but she didn't like it when something negative was said about Nova.
"It's not completely true. Through massive land reclamation projects, we have recovered a lot of land, despite the severe heat. 'There is no greater force than human ingenuity' - that's the motto for the Golden Dawn party, and they've proved it. It's only a matter of time before we expand beyond the Fog clearing as well."
"Golden Dawn is a political party, right?" Nero asked, suddenly reminded of the strange governing style of this allied nation. "I've heard you guys have elections. How does that work? Do you really choose your own leaders? How do you evaluate them?"
A sudden excitement filled Nero as he recalled what little he knew about Nova's government. Supposedly they practised something called a 'democracy' and a 'three party system', whatever that meant. He didn't know much about it, and he couldn't wrap his head around how that would work either.
At least in Kolar, the selected leader spent years training for the position under the military's supervision, if not decades. But what were the credentials for leadership in Nova? Popularity? Perhaps they published a list of their merits and achievements, authenticated and notarised by a neutral third party.
Just as Vanessa was about to answer, the sound of someone walking at a fast pace attracted their attention. Silas quickly returned to the room, wearing a somewhat relieved expression on his face.
"I'm really sorry about this, but would you mind pausing on the snacks for a bit? Father is calling you both to his study. He has a meeting later on so we only have time right now."
"It's no trouble," Vanessa said, as she put down her utensils. Nero stopped as well, and made sure to clean his mouth with a napkin nearby.
"Will we get the opportunity to meet Mrs. Rodney as well? You haven't mentioned her at all."
"No, mother is not home right now. She's been gone for a couple of weeks already, so she should probably be returning soon sometime. My parents often get called to various sites for their research…"
The butler who was beside them coughed gently into a folded napkin. He was barely audible, but Nero noticed how Silas immediately froze, and quickly changed the topic.
"Anyway, father got back home a few days ago. I guess I must have been talking about you guys a lot because he suddenly asked to invite you two over."
"Both your parents were gone? Do you usually live here alone?" Nero asked.
"No, not alone. There's a lot of workers at home to take care of things, and I have a lot of tutors who visit regularly so I'm hardly ever alone."
Nero nodded, as he got what he needed to know. Perhaps it was the extended absences of his parents, and a lack of their supervision, which had given rise to a situation where Silas was mistreated at home. Nero had not missed how thoroughly he had been conditioned to it by now, reaching a point where he did not even notice it.
In his mind, he used every bit of information he received to build a character model of what his parents were like. But for the most part, right now, they were a blank slate. Just as Silas' father wanted to meet and evaluate them, Nero was looking forward to evaluating his father.