Chapter 165 - A Fun Place

Lena only agreed to eat lunch because she wanted whatever dessert Ryan was promising afterwards. She thought that sugar might help her mood a little since she was still feeling off after everything. Zane had joined them for lunch in the main dining room along with Julius's daughters, his wife, and Clive. Julius wasn't there because there were work matters that he needed to take care of that had been put off for too long. The same reason that Leo had been absent that morning when Jovani had first arrived.

"You two are cousins?" Zoe asked as she looked between Samuel and Jovani.

"You don't look anything alike though." Jovani chuckled at this comment. He would've put his arm on his younger cousin's shoulder if they had been seated together.

"That's because we're distant cousins. The family tree is a little bit hard to explain, but we're more like second or third cousins so the similarities aren't as noticeable as the ones between you and your sister and the princess here and her brother's."

"Is he going to be coming to live with us as well?" Lisa asked, turning to look at Zane after taking another bite of the pasta that they were having for lunch. Zane in turn looked at Lena who made a face that said she wasn't certain.

"That isn't something that has been decided upon yet." Zane replied, looking at Jovani who seemed rather content to be sitting at the table with the rest of the family. Leo wanted to say no because similar to Lena, he wasn't thrilled about having anyone around that had hurt his family, but he knew that that decision wasn't up to him.

"If he does, I don't want him stealing my room." Zoe commented with her mouth half full. This comment broke some of the tension at the table. Where had the young girl gotten the idea that anyone would be stealing her room if they were going to be staying with them.

"You do realize that there are more than a dozen empty rooms left in the house that wouldn't require us to touch yours?" Leo asked looking over at his cousin amused at the presumption she had made.

"I know! But that didn't stop father from making me and my sister share a room a while back when some of mother's family had come over to visit one of the times." She defended. Zane was the only one at the table that remembered that. Only because Julius had called to ask for his advice since his daughter was throwing a fit over having to share a room with her sibling for a reason that she didn't quite understand.

"That was a different situation from this one." Zane clarified, trying his best not to chuckle at her offense since he knew it would only make it worse.

"Your father had a very good reason for doing that which he told you later on and you agreed it made sense." He reminded the young girl who pouted despite knowing that he was right.

"Yeah, but I still don't want it happening again." She grumbled as she went back to eating quietly.

"How about I make it up to you if I end up imposing too much on this space since it isn't exactly my place?" Jovani suggested. He had an idea in mind that he thought they might love.  Zane cast an uncertain look his way that told him to tread carefully on what he suggested.

"Actually, the princess here spent some time there and I think she can vouch for how fun it could be. Some place that I spent a lot of time with my cousin when I was younger." Lena gave him a skeptical look when he said this as there was only one place that she thought he could've been talking about.

"Are you trying to tell me that everything that you put me through was built for children to do?" Jovani offered the best innocent look he could because he noticed that Clive was not paying attention to see what he was going to say as well.

"Kind of." He replied drawing the words out slightly, took a drink before continued. 

"I did modify things a little bit since it was rather outdated from the last time I was there to fit something I thought would be more fun and better suited."

"So it was." The Princess replied flatly. She felt rather offended to find this out. She had thought that there was something childish about the parts that she had come across despite how warm it was and by the look on Clive's face it was evident that he had felt similarly about it.

"You can't deny that it was safe though and would've perhaps been fun if things were different."

"Was it really fun?" Zoe asked as she looked over at Lena was confirmation of this fact.

"I'm the wrong person to be asking that question to." She replied. She hadn't really thought that it was much fun. It was stressful, hot, and annoying at the time. Not the kind of place that she would choose to spend time in if she had the choice.

"I also wouldn't advise that you agree to go with anyone anywhere just because they make a promise to do something fun with you." Lena added on after that. She didn't think that Jovani would do anything to them, but she didn't want them getting any kind of wrong ideas while they were still youngish.

"Does that mean we can't go and see this place?" Zoe asked, disappointment lacing her voice.

"Why don't you ask your father about it when he returns and let him decide?" Zane suggested. He didn't like the idea of it, but ultimately it would be up to Julius to say yes or no.. He already had he feeling though that his brother's answer would be a no as wouldn't be thrilled about his daughters being around someone in a place that he wasn't familiar with.