The castle's secondary hall was much smaller than the council chamber.
There were no nobles arguing or advisers raising their voices here.
Only a low table, a couple of armchairs, and the orange light of sunset filtering through the stained-glass windows.
It was one of the few places where Adelaine could stop acting like a queen.
When Sofia entered, the queen let out a long, tired sigh.
"Finally. Five more minutes in that meeting and I was going to start throwing people out the windows."
Sofia closed the door behind her and let out a small laugh.
"And I thought you were already used to watching nobles panic."
"I'm used to it. That doesn't mean I can stand them."
The tension that had built up during the meeting seemed to ease a little between them.
Then Adelaine noticed the runic bracelet on Sofia's wrist.
"What's that?"
Sofia approached the table and placed the artifact on it.
"Food."
The queen raised an eyebrow.
"That explains a lot."
Sofia smiled.
"Thirty wagons came through the West Gate last night. Grain, preserved food, stabilized roots, and preserved meat. There's enough to feed the capital for approximately a month, as long as the rations are properly managed."
Adelaine's eyes widened slightly.
Sofia pointed at the bracelet.
"And there are emergency reserves in here. Concentrated flour, seeds, and supplies compressed using preservation runes."
For several seconds, the queen said nothing.
She simply stared at the bracelet on the table, as if she were still trying to process everything.
"Sofia... this is too much."
Her voice had softened.
"You have no idea how badly we needed something like this."
The duchess naturally placed a hand over hers.
"Use it however you see fit. The duchy can produce more."
Adelaine slowly exhaled.
A tired smile appeared on her face.
"I don't understand how you managed to do all this."
Sofia settled back against the armchair.
"I don't understand half the things Lusian has been doing lately either."
She paused.
"But they work."
Adelaine let out a small laugh.
"Then I'll have to thank him."
"You can do that whenever you want."
The queen shook her head, still smiling.
For the first time all day, the tension in her shoulders seemed to disappear.
For a few seconds, they remained silent.
A comfortable silence.
Almost as if they weren't two of the most powerful women in the kingdom, but simply two old friends resting after an exhausting day.
Then Adelaine spoke again.
"And how are you doing... with Lawrence?"
Sofia's smile slowly disappeared.
She crossed her arms and turned her gaze toward the stained-glass windows.
"I honestly don't know."
Her answer was calm.
Without drama.
"Of course it hurt. We shared too many years for me not to feel anything."
She paused briefly.
"But that story ended a long time ago."
Then she looked back at Adelaine.
"Right now, my priority is Lusian."
Her expression softened.
"It always has been."
Adelaine smiled.
There was genuine affection in her eyes.
"Sometimes I forget that beneath all that arrogance, you still have a heart."
Sofia let out a small laugh.
"And you're not as saintly as you make the kingdom believe."
Adelaine raised an eyebrow.
"Me? I'm a model of virtue."
"Of course."
"Ask my husband."
Sofia burst out laughing.
"I don't think he'd dare answer."
The two women ended up laughing together.
For a few moments, the war, the mana, and the mutations seemed very far away.
Then the door to the hall opened.
Elizabeth entered first.
Lusian came in behind her, still holding her hand.
Adelaine watched them for several seconds.
It had been months since she had seen her daughter like this.
The constant tension she had carried since the beginning of the crisis seemed to have eased.
Even the way she walked was different.
Lighter.
More determined.
Sofia also looked up.
And when she saw their intertwined hands, a small smile appeared at the corner of her lips before she tried to hide it.
"Well, Lusian Douglas..."
Her tone took on a falsely serious note.
"Looks like you've been quite busy."
Lusian felt both women's attention fall on him.
"Mother..."
He tried to remain calm, but the relief of seeing Elizabeth again was still far too obvious on his face.
Adelaine didn't even try to hide her smile.
"Sofia, please. It's far too obvious that you're happy for them."
The duchess finally let out a small laugh.
"What can I say? My son inherited far too much charm."
Elizabeth lowered her gaze slightly, embarrassed.
But she didn't let go of Lusian's hand.
Sofia noticed the detail immediately.
And this time, her smile didn't disappear.
During the following weeks, the situation in the capital slowly began to stabilize.
The supplies sent from the Douglas Duchy allowed thousands of people who had spent months surviving on minimal rations to eat properly.
New greenhouses began to be built inside and outside the city, following the model developed by Lusian.
The so-called Stone Plants were integrated into several sections of the walls, and little by little, the mana pressure around Acropolis began to decrease.
For the first time in a long while, the city began to feel alive again.
The markets recovered some of their activity.
The smell of freshly baked bread returned to some of the streets.
The refugees stopped fighting over water and food every day.
Even the soldiers seemed less tense during their nightly patrols.
But that calm remained fragile.
And Lusian knew it wouldn't last.
The morning of the meeting finally arrived.
Lusian had postponed that moment for as long as possible.
But there were no excuses left.
Emily was waiting for him at the meeting point.
She stood with her back straight and her hands carefully clasped in front of her, as if she had rehearsed that posture more than once.
Her expression was calm.
Too calm.
I'm his fiancée.
This should be normal.
The thought did nothing to calm her.
When Lusian appeared with his escort, the atmosphere changed immediately.
Albert led the formation with his usual seriousness.
Behind him came thirty high-level warriors, all with their magical affinities active.
Adela walked beside her beast, while a group of female mages brought up the rear, alert to any movement.
Sofia's wolf walked at the back, carrying that heavy presence that caused several passersby to discreetly move aside.
Emily noticed everything.
But she couldn't stop looking at him.
When Lusian reached her, they both gave a slight bow.
A proper gesture.
Controlled.
Far too formal for everything that had happened between them.
"Lady Emily," he said first. "It's been a while."
"Yes... Your Highness."
Her answer came out a little more rigidly than she intended.
There was a brief silence.
It wasn't an empty silence.
It was filled with everything neither of them dared to say.
Lusian studied her face for a second longer than necessary.
Emily noticed.
And her chest tightened.
"How has your stay in Carter territory been?" he asked, trying to keep his tone neutral.
"Good."
Emily answered too quickly.
"Everything... peaceful. More than I expected."
She swallowed.
"The journey back was uneventful as well."
Lusian nodded slowly.
His gaze dropped slightly for an instant.
Just a second.
But Emily noticed.
And her cheeks flushed.
I'm his fiancée.
I shouldn't react like this.
But her heart didn't seem interested in listening to reason.
"I've prepared a place for us to eat," she said hurriedly. "The same restaurant as last time."
She paused briefly.
"I thought we could go."
Lusian took a moment to answer.
"Yes... I remember it."
Emily took a deep breath.
Then, somewhat hesitantly, she took his arm.
The contact was light.
But it was enough to change something in the air.
Lusian didn't pull away.
And somehow, that was what unsettled her the most.
They walked together.
Without looking at each other.
Without speaking.
But neither of them was truly calm.
They had too many things to say.
And none of them seemed safe enough to put into words.
The walk to the restaurant was shorter than Lusian would have liked.
The establishment was crowded.
Much more than usual.
Nobles, important merchants, and several high-level adventurers occupied almost every table.
The sound of conversation filled the place, but it lacked the lightness of an ordinary day.
It was more like the sound of a city trying to convince itself that everything was still under control.
They went upstairs, to the floor reserved for the nobility.
From there, the large windows revealed a horizon painted by a dull, almost sickly sunset, as if even the sky were tired.
Emily walked beside him as she spoke quietly.
She told him about Carter territory.
The progress of the reconstruction.
The trade routes that had begun reopening.
The problems that still needed to be solved.
Sometimes she laughed.
A quiet, shy laugh that made even the simplest comments seem important.
At times, she seemed to forget her position.
And at other times, she seemed to remember it all too well.
Lusian listened to her, but he never quite relaxed.
He observed more than he participated.
Every gesture.
Every pause.
Every glance Emily looked away from whenever the silence lasted too long.
It wasn't simple discomfort.
She was measuring her words.
I'm his fiancée.
This should be easier.
But nothing involving Lusian seemed simple.
And yet...
There was something about that quiet conversation that made the idea of keeping her at a distance seem less clear than it should have been.
For a few minutes, their trivial conversation managed to soften the atmosphere.
The tension eased slightly.
Enough for both of them to pretend that this meeting was simply a meal between two people who had spent too long apart.
But neither of them was truly fooling themselves.
Because sooner or later, they would have to talk about what had happened during those months.
And about what they both wanted now.
Then it happened.
"Well... what a coincidence."
The voice came from one side, confident and without asking permission.
Lusian slowly turned his head.
Kara Bourlance was standing beside the table.
She didn't wait for an invitation.
She simply took a chair and sat down, as if the place belonged to her.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Emily tensed.
Kara, on the other hand, poured herself some water with absolute calm.
Lusian watched her for several seconds.
That calm wasn't relaxation.
It was control.
And he knew that kind of presence far too well.
"If I'm not mistaken," he finally said in a neutral voice, "I have the honor of sharing a table with the future heir of the Bourlance Duchy."
"Congratulations on your promotion, Lusian."
Kara placed the glass on the table.
"And... my condolences for your father."
Emily lowered her gaze slightly.
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
The atmosphere grew heavier.
Kara didn't seem to notice, or simply chose to ignore it.
"My father told me about the battle," she continued. "Lawrence Douglas was a true hero."
Her expression hardened slightly.
"And the men of your duchy died without retreating. They honored his name."
Lusian remained silent.
There was nothing to say to that.
Then...
"LUSIAN!"
The shout tore through the restaurant.
The conversations stopped abruptly.
Several people turned their heads.
Leonardo Erkhán Ferrussi, the third prince, was approaching from the other end of the hall.
He made no effort to respect the distance between the tables or the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the place.
Small sparks began appearing around his hands.
His mana was becoming unstable.
"Where is Isabella?"
Before he could take another step, a sword stopped in front of his neck.
Albert.
Motionless.
The change was immediate.
One after another, Lusian's escorts drew their weapons.
Thirty warriors.
The female mages activated defensive circles beneath the tables.
Adela tightened her grip on her beast's reins, watching Leonardo without blinking.
Umber's wolf stepped forward and positioned itself beside Lusian.
The entire restaurant backed away.
Chairs scraping against the floor.
Glasses trembling.
People moving away from the main table.
The prince's escorts hesitated.
One of them swallowed nervously.
Lusian's escort commander spoke without lowering the sword from Leonardo's neck.
"Your Highness."
He paused briefly.
"You are standing before the Duke of Douglas."
The general accompanying the prince tried to intervene.
"Drawing a weapon here... is not appropriate."
But even he didn't move forward.
No one wanted to find out what would happen if the situation turned into a fight.
Lusian remained seated.
He had a glass in his hand.
He hadn't changed his posture.
He wasn't even looking at the prince.
Leonardo stood before him, tense, electricity gathering around his arms.
Lusian took a drink.
With absolute calm.
Without taking his eyes off the glass.
The gesture made the silence even heavier.
Leonardo clenched his jaw.
"This isn't over, Douglas."
Lusian slowly placed the glass back on the table.
"Neither did it start today."
Silence.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Finally, Leonardo turned around.
His footsteps echoed as he left the restaurant.
The pressure in the atmosphere slowly began to fade.
Albert didn't lower his sword until the prince had completely disappeared.
Kara had watched the entire scene in silence.
Her gaze passed over Albert.
Then the escorts.
Then followed the prince to the door.
Finally, she looked back at Lusian.
She had seen him fight many times.
But she had rarely witnessed anything like that.
Lusian hadn't even needed to stand up.
A small smile appeared on Kara's face.
"I'm still waiting for that fight you owe me from the academy."
Lusian remained seated.
"When you stop looking for a fight," he replied without looking at her, "maybe you'll be ready."
Kara let out a short laugh.
She didn't seem offended.
Rather, she sounded like someone who had just remembered something amusing.
She stood and adjusted her clothes.
"Then I'll keep waiting."
She turned around and began walking away.
Her footsteps disappeared among the tables.
When the door to the hall finally closed, it took several seconds for the noise to return.
First came quiet whispers.
Then low conversations.
Glasses being moved carefully.
But no one raised their voice near Lusian's table again.
Emily remained motionless for several seconds.
Then she looked at Lusian.
"Is it always like this?"
Lusian raised his glass again.
"Lately, yes."
Emily sighed.
"Your life sounds exhausting."
Lusian glanced at her.
"You have no idea."