302. Familial Affection

“I want to change it. I want a civil succession. A line based on merit, stability and peace, not fratricide. I look at Landon, I look at Serena,I look at William, I look at Ravenna,… and I see the monsters this succession has created. If I die now, they will burn Ancorna to the ground just to see who can stand on the tallest pile of ash just like I did and My Mother did.”Emperor Andrew grabbed the Duke’s cloak, his voice a desperate plea. “Tell me, Kevin. As a man who knew Dahila, as a man who knows the weight of this crown… do you think I am a madman for wanting to end the cycle? To want the precious children that she cherished become something like me?”

Duke Morgen looked at the Emperor, the broken man trying to perform a miracle in the middle of a graveyard. He looked at the bottle, then at the moon, and finally gave a slow, somber nod.

“It is the most dangerous thing you have conceived in your entire reign, Andrew. But if you don't do it, there won't be anything left of the world my sister cherished.” He offered a slight, sad smile, the first bit of warmth in the cold garden.

Dinning Room, Lord’s Castle, Kim City, Kim Island, Kim Dukedom, Ancorna Empire

“Finally, the annoyances have left my island,” Ravenna scoffed, the silver of her knife glinting as she sliced through her meal.

The atmosphere at the table was somewhat awkward for Marie. It was her first time meeting the two newcomers sitting opposite her: Laila and Rexford. They carried an air of casual intimacy with the Princess that made the Saintess feel like a spectator.

Aurora leaned in, nudging Marie and whispering under her breath, “Aren’t you going to introduce yourself? They are your Master’s lovers, you know.”

Marie took a small, hesitant bite of her food before whispering back, “I know… it’s just, they’re so different from Sir Kenric. He’s so reserved so I didn’t have to talk much, but they…” She trailed off, watching Laila and Rexford, who had been bickering continuously since the first course was served.

“Wouldn't it have been easier to just kill them all?” Aurora asked, shifting the conversation towards Ravenna as she sat straighter and took a sip of wine. “Your rivals were all in one place, a place where you are the absolute master. Why let them walk away?”

“That would have been a rather hasty move, Lady Aurora,” Rexford explained, setting his fork down. “Prince Nolan’s death can be chalked up to him being in an official war zone. But if the other imperial siblings were to die mysteriously within Her Highness’s city…”

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“She would lose all public sentiment,” Laila finished the thought smoothly. “For her to ascend the throne, she needs the people’s belief in her legitimacy. The same goes for them, assassination in a house of parley is a stain no crown can wash off.”

Laila repeatedly glanced at Marie, a playful smile tugging at her lips. She seemed barely able to contain her amusement at the girl’s nervous cuteness.

“S-so... it was easier to ignore the rivalry for now because forming the HDF was more crucial?” Marie jumped in, trying to participate.

“That’s right,” Ravenna smiled, sensing Marie’s lingering anxiety. She paused, taking a thoughtful bite of her meal before turning to Alice. “Alice, what is the status of the new Lord’s Castle? With so many people living under this roof now, I don’t think the current space will remain comfortable for much longer.”

Alice served a dish to the flask young lord Ken, who was sitting quietly next to his mother, Aurora. “There is progress, Your Highness, but constructing a fortress of that scale with our new materials will take time. I will place the detailed progress report on your desk tomorrow morning.”

“Ah… Lady Marie must feel quite uncomfortable, shouldn't she?” Laila asked, finally striking up a direct conversation with the Saintess. “The castle has certainly gotten much noisier since our arrival, hasn't it?”

“No... no, not at all!” Marie replied, her hand accidentally meeting the table with a soft thud in her haste to deny it. “It’s the opposite!”

She immediately recoiled, her face flushing as her natural shyness returned. She lowered her head, looking down at her plate. “With Master always so busy managing the Dukedom, and with me... constantly buried in my lessons, I can't deny that I felt a little lonely.”

She took a shaky breath and looked up, her eyes shimmering with a sudden, raw honesty. “But sitting here like this, it feels like... it feels like we are a big family, eating a meal together.”

The room fell silent for a few heartbeats. The clinking of silverware stopped as Marie’s words hung in the air, simple and heavy with truth. Ravenna didn’t speak, but a genuine, soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips, a rare look of unshielded warmth.

Laila was the one to break the silence, letting out a bright, boisterous laugh. “Of course we’re a big family! We only just met and you already think of us that way? I like this girl, Your Highness!” She raised her wine glass in a toast, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

The tension vanished, and the room instantly became lively again. Rexford leaned back, a relaxed smile on his face. “She’s right. Everyone in this room: we are a family now.”

Ravenna watched them, her bickering lovers, the stoic knight and his wife, the protective childhood friend, and the nervous Saintess. The sounds of laughter and the shared warmth of the table filled the dining hall, drowning out the cold whispers of the coming wars and conflicts.

“Yes” Ravenna thought, her heart feeling fuller than she ever would have admitted aloud. “This is my new family. There is no way I could have ever made the decision to leave them.”

The meal continued long into the evening, the Raven’s nest finally feeling complete.