The enormous dining hall of House Rosenfeld glowed beneath golden firelight.
Ancient chandeliers hung from the dark vaulted ceiling while silver flames burned quietly within dragon-shaped braziers positioned beside the endless black marble walls. Outside the towering windows—
Snowstorms continued swallowing the North beneath moonlight.
Yet inside the hall—
Warmth and noble authority intertwined heavily.
Dinner had nearly ended.
Servants quietly refilled glasses while members of the Rosenfeld bloodline continued speaking among themselves beneath the ancient dragon banners hanging overhead.
And at the center of it all—
Duke Aktaris von Rosenfeld calmly sat like an unmoving mountain.
Silent.
Cold.
Watching.
Meanwhile—
Kel remained equally quiet beside him.
Father and son.
Two black dragons sitting beneath one table.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly muttered:
"This family really enjoys intimidating atmospheres."
Kel calmly drank from his glass.
"It's the North."
The silver-haired spirit laughed quietly.
"No."
Another amused pause.
"It's specifically your family."
Meanwhile—
As dinner gradually approached its end—
Duke Aktaris finally placed his wine glass down.
The soft metallic sound immediately caused the entire table to quiet naturally.
Even conversations between cousins stopped.
Because everyone already understood what came next.
The yearly report.
A Rosenfeld tradition.
Every heir.
Every noble child.
Every descendant carrying the family bloodline—
Had to present achievements yearly before the Duke.
Not because of pride.
But because House Rosenfeld stood upon merit.
Weakness alone could not maintain northern authority.
Meanwhile—
The Duke calmly spoke.
"Begin."
The atmosphere immediately became more formal afterward.
One by one—
The younger generation began reporting.
The eldest cousin spoke first.
A twenty-three-year-old man wearing formal northern military attire.
"I completed winter suppression operations near the eastern frost valleys."
Another pause.
"Monster casualties: three hundred forty-two."
Several older knights nodded slightly.
Acceptable.
Then came the second cousin.
"I expanded trade stabilization routes near the northern mining territories."
Another report followed.
Then another.
Military achievements.
Political negotiations.
Territory inspections.
Knight training.
Even the younger children nervously explained their yearly progress.
Kel quietly listened while eating calmly.
Meanwhile—
His younger brother proudly explained recent swordsmanship improvements.
His younger sister awkwardly reported progress in mana studies.
The atmosphere felt strangely normal.
Almost peaceful.
Inside his mind—
Sairen suddenly laughed softly.
"This feels ridiculous."
Kel calmly asked internally:
"What does?"
The spirit sounded utterly entertained now.
"The Dragon Emperor silently attending a family progress meeting."
Kel ignored her.
Meanwhile—
Eventually—
The reports ended.
And naturally—
Every gaze gradually shifted toward one person.
Kel.
The returned firstborn.
The heir who disappeared two years ago cursed and dying…
Yet returned radiating terrifying presence.
Silence slowly filled the dining hall afterward.
Because honestly—
Everyone wanted to know.
What exactly had happened during those two years?
Meanwhile—
Before the Duke could speak—
The eldest uncle suddenly calmly intervened.
"Aktaris."
The older man folded his arms.
"Kel already removed his curse."
Another pause.
"That alone should suffice as this year's report."
Several family members quietly nodded afterward.
Because honestly—
Lifting the impossible death curse already sounded miraculous enough.
Yet—
Duke Aktaris remained expressionless.
His crimson eyes slowly turned toward Kel afterward.
Then calmly—
"Kel."
The hall became completely silent.
"Do you have anything to say?"
Inside his mind—
Sairen immediately sounded amused.
"Careful."
Another laugh.
"You can't exactly say you became Dragon Emperor."
Kel calmly placed his utensils down afterward.
Then slowly looked toward his father.
The candlelight reflected softly within his dark eyes.
Meanwhile—
Every family member watched him closely now.
Even the servants unconsciously slowed movement nearby.
Kel finally spoke calmly afterward.
"I secured the loyalty of two northeastern territories."
Immediate silence followed.
Several cousins blinked once.
Meanwhile—
Kel continued naturally.
"House Vanhart."
"House Mellone."
The second uncle slightly narrowed his eyes afterward.
Because those territories weren't insignificant.
Especially politically.
Meanwhile—
Kel calmly continued.
"I lifted my curse during the first year."
That statement alone already caused visible reactions.
Even though everyone knew the curse disappeared—
Hearing him state it directly still felt surreal somehow.
Meanwhile—
Kel continued speaking calmly.
"The second year was spent training."
Another pause.
"And during the final six months…"
His tone remained casual.
"…I became bored within the mountains."
Several younger cousins looked visibly confused hearing that.
Bored?
Meanwhile—
Kel continued without changing expression.
"So I ventured through nearby territories."
Inside his mind—
Sairen nearly laughed again.
"That's certainly one way to summarize your activities."
Kel ignored her internally.
Meanwhile—
He calmly continued aloud.
"Eventually I discovered Count Vanhart's territory facing severe instability."
Another pause.
"And poor relations with neighboring Viscount Mellone."
Several older family members immediately became more attentive now.
Because political stabilization between noble territories was serious work.
Especially for someone only fifteen.
Meanwhile—
Kel calmly concluded.
"I resolved their dispute."
"And stabilized Count Vanhart's territory."
Another pause followed afterward.
"Both houses now support me directly."
Silence filled the hall afterward.
Heavy silence.
Because although Kel explained everything simply—
The implications underneath sounded enormous.
Securing direct loyalty from two northeastern houses alone was already impressive.
Especially for someone his age.
Meanwhile—
The younger cousins looked visibly stunned now.
His younger brother stared openly.
Even the older knights nearby subtly exchanged glances.
Because unlike flashy achievements—
Political loyalty lasted longer.
Meanwhile—
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly whispered:
"You left out approximately ninety-nine percent of your accomplishments."
Kel calmly replied internally:
"This is enough."
And honestly—
It truly was enough.
Because technically—
Everything Kel said was true.
He really did stabilize Vanhart territory.
He really did secure Mellone loyalty.
He really did spend time training afterward.
The only thing omitted…
Was literally everything else.
The Scarlet Lake.
The Mercenary Alliance.
The Wildness expedition.
Ancient ruins.
Velthor.
The Dragon Realm.
Velor.
Dragon Emperor.
Divine Generals.
Dimensional authority.
The treaty itself.
Compared to all that—
Tonight's report sounded laughably small.
Yet ironically—
That made it believable.
Meanwhile—
At the head of the table—
Duke Aktaris quietly stared toward his son.
And unlike everyone else—
The Duke understood immediately.
Kel was hiding things.
Not because the report was false.
But because it was incomplete.
Painfully incomplete.
Inside the Duke's mind—
The pieces aligned further.
House Vanhart.
House Mellone.
Reina Asheville.
Landon Veil.
The South.
The Dragon Realm.
Every thread eventually connected toward Kel somehow.
And the terrifying part—
Was how naturally Kel hid it all beneath simple words.
Meanwhile—
The eldest uncle finally broke the silence.
"…Impressive."
Several others nodded afterward.
Especially the older nobles.
Because they understood clearly:
Securing loyalty without warfare required intelligence far beyond age.
Meanwhile—
Kel simply resumed eating quietly afterward.
As though nothing remarkable had been said at all.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly muttered:
"You really inherited your father's terrifying understatement."
Kel calmly drank from his glass.
"…Maybe."
Meanwhile—
The younger sister suddenly asked innocently:
"Brother…"
Kel looked toward her quietly.
"…Did the mountains really become boring?"
For the first time during dinner—
A faint smile almost appeared at the corner of Kel's mouth.
Almost.
"Yes."
Another pause.
"They became very boring."
Inside his mind—
Sairen immediately burst into laughter again.
Because honestly—
Only Kel von Rosenfeld could summarize conquering realms, dragons, curses, politics, and fate itself…
As becoming bored in the mountains.