Chapter 325| I Am Not Forcing You At All, Rumina. But I Am Highly Requesting It. As Your King... And Also As A Father Who Wishes To Be Accompanied By His Daughter.
That evening, a peaceful quiet settled once again over the city of Iron Hearth.
Raphael trudged through the main gates of the castle—his face still flushed crimson as he continuously muttered curses at his own stupidity the entire walk back.
Meanwhile, in another wing of the castle, King Lucian Sudrath leaned back in his study.
At the sill of the open window, an aromatherapy candle burned softly. It wasn’t lit for illumination, but to release the soothing scent of pine sap to calm frayed nerves.
On the King’s massive desk, thick stacks of documents were organized into three neat towers: military reports, state treasury ledgers, and diplomatic correspondence.
Tonight, however, Lucian’s focus was locked entirely on a single sheet of paper he had reread until the edges were frayed. A high-level intelligence report from the northwestern border. The Khanate territory.
The Iron Empire’s invasion was growing more aggressive and rampant by the day. Three of the Khanate’s outermost observation outposts had reportedly been razed to the ground.
The enemy forces moved like ravenous ghosts—avoiding frontal assaults, opting instead for infiltration maneuvers, sabotaging food supply lines, and sowing the seeds of psychological terror among the villagers.
Frustratingly, Khan Arslan still stubbornly refused the offer of joint military assistance from Northreach. The man’s pride as the Lion of the Steppes vehemently rejected the reality that he needed an ally’s helping hand.
But that barrage of military data wasn’t the only thing keeping Lucian awake.
Slipped between the dry intelligence reports was a private message that had just arrived via crystal pager from the Khanate capital. It was brief. Just a few hastily written lines.
Father. We are all safe here. Ana can already roll over on her tummy. Arvid is completely immersed in researching ancient Beast-Kin artifacts and he is incredibly happy. Please, do not send military forces just yet. I can still convince Khan Arslan.
—Rhea.
Lucian’s calloused fingers gently brushed the final line of the message. I can still convince him. His beloved daughter hadn’t asked for an evacuation force. The princess was simply asking for her father’s absolute trust.
The King let out a tremendously long sigh. Haaah... He leaned his broad back against the leather chair, releasing the heavy exhaustion that had settled on his shoulders since morning.
On one hand, a profound sense of pride bloomed within his chest—Rhea was no longer the stubborn teenage girl who used to run away from the castle out of boredom. His daughter had evolved into a mother, a warrior, and a diplomat.
But on the other hand... the gnawing anxiety of a father could never be truly silenced.
Knock. Knock.
Two soft knocks echoed against the oak door of his study.
"Enter," Lucian answered heavily.
The door opened. Grimm stepped inside with the immaculate, rigid posture of a head butler unweathered by time.
The old man carried a thick parchment envelope sealed with red wax upon a small silver tray. His footsteps were absolutely silent, practically soundless against the wool carpet.
"My deepest apologies for interrupting your rest, Your Majesty," Grimm bowed respectfully. "An official letter has just been delivered by a courier bird from Frostmere."
Lucian took the thick envelope. Crack. He broke the wax seal with his thumb, his eyes rapidly scanning the contents from left to right.
A second later, the corner of the King’s lips curled into a faint smile.
"Countess Mira has just delivered some good news tonight," Lucian murmured. "One of her sons will be tying the knot soon. Our family has been officially invited to their engagement banquet."
Grimm bowed again. "A highly joyous occasion amidst these turbulent times, Your Majesty. Frostmere is a deeply loyal, long-standing ally of Northreach. Your personal attendance would surely mean the world to the Countess."
Lucian gave a slow nod, setting the rose-scented letter on his desk. "I will discuss the schedule with the children during dinner."
The sun had completely sunk, surrendering to the pitch-black night as the extended Sudrath family gathered once more in the main dining hall.
The long teakwood table was laden with an array of mouth-watering, warm dishes.
A massive tureen of creamy chicken soup released fragrant steam in the center of the table, flanked by a platter of crispy toasted wheat bread, a bowl of mashed potatoes drizzled with melted butter, and a large jar containing the family’s signature shrimp paste sambal.
In the corner of the table, a plate holding a few leftover pieces of yesterday’s beef rendang remained. Raphael’s eyes had locked onto that specific target the second he stepped foot in the room.
At the head of the table, Lucian sat with a dominant, commanding posture. Beside him, Aurelia busied herself with her warm motherly smile, pouring herbal tea into her family’s porcelain cups.
Riven sat casually across from Elena. The doctor occasionally had to block Kaelven’s tiny, determined hands as the toddler recklessly tried to dunk his spoon straight into the hot soup bowl.
Raveena sat sweetly beside Raphael. Meanwhile, Rumina—true to her usual routine—took the seat at the furthest end, parking herself right next to a stack of tax reports she refused to part with even at the dinner table.
"Raphael," Raveena called out suddenly. The older sister’s voice sounded far too sweet to be anything but incredibly suspicious. "You came home a bit late this evening. Where were you?"
Raphael, whose fork was just about to impale the final piece of rendang, froze stiff. His hand hung ridiculously in the air. "I... was just taking a walk to get some fresh air. The weather was really nice this afternoon."
"Oh, just a leisurely stroll, is it?" Raveena stirred her soup slowly, flashing a lopsided smirk. "Alone?"
"Yes. Of course I was alone."
"Hmm. How very strange." Raveena propped her chin on her hand, her mischievous eyes radiating the aura of an apex predator. "I could’ve sworn I saw a girl’s silhouette in the car earlier. But well... maybe I was just hallucinating, right, Brother Riven?"
Riven—who was currently blowing on a piece of potato to feed Kaelven—didn’t even look up. However, the corners of his lips were visibly twitching as he held back a laugh. "Maybe it was a hallucination. Or... maybe it wasn’t."
Raphael swallowed hard. Gulp. "Brother Riven, are you secretly conspiring with Raveena to set me up?!"
"That’s a baseless accusation. I’m not conspiring with anyone. I’m merely stating exactly what I saw with my own two eyes," Riven answered with a tone that was phenomenally deadpan and lethal. "For instance, this morning. Usually, your hair is a messy bird’s nest, but this morning it was perfectly slicked back. That’s just a fact."
"I ALWAYS COMB MY HAIR EVERY MORNING!!" Raphael snapped loudly, his ears burning a fiery red.
Kaelven, startled by his uncle’s loud shout, reflexively slammed his hands on the table and mimicked the excited yelling. "PEL! PEL!!"
Crisp laughter instantly erupted around the family table.
Elena hastily covered her mouth with a white napkin to muffle her giggles. Aurelia could only shake her head slowly, continuing to pour the tea.
Even Rumina, hidden behind her thick stacks of documents, let out an amused snort—an incredibly rare sound from her that bordered on actual laughter.
After the storm of chuckles slowly subsided, Lucian placed his spoon onto his empty plate. Clink. The sharp sound of metal against ceramic instantly drew the attention of the entire room.
The King didn’t even need to clear his throat or tap his glass. The sheer gravity of his presence was enough to silence the table.
"There is an important matter I need to share with you all tonight."
Every pair of eyes locked straight onto the patriarch.
"This evening, an official letter arrived from Frostmere. Countess Mira Frost has formally invited our family to attend the engagement banquet of one of her sons."
"Oh, the Frostmere family!" Raveena exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "The twins, Lyra and Lyan, must be absolutely thrilled right now. They’re Countess Mira’s favorite niece and nephew."
"Precisely. And Countess Mira is one of our most valued, long-standing allies," Lucian continued firmly.
Lucian met the eyes of his children at the table, one by one. "I will be attending the banquet personally."
Aurelia gave a gentle nod of agreement. Riven set down his spoon, alert and ready for further military instructions. However, it seemed Lucian was not finished.
"And I will be taking Rumina with me."
Clatter.
The spoon slipped from Rumina’s hand, crashing onto her plate.
"W-What?!" The woman snapped her head up from her files in pure shock.
"Father, wait a second. I am currently in the final stages of contract negotiations with the Emerald Union! There are dozens of trap clauses I still need to double-check. There’s a raw crystal shipping schedule I absolutely must confirm tomorrow. I don’t have the time, let alone the—"
Lucian slowly raised his right index finger into the air. "Silas will temporarily take over."
Rumina opened her mouth, ready to protest again, but Lucian plowed forward without a pause.
"I have already spoken with him directly before dinner. He is fully prepared to handle the daily bureaucracy while you are away. All copies of the reports will still be routed to you. You can monitor them remotely from Frostmere."
"But Father—"
Lucian raised his second finger.
"This trip will take two, at most three days. Frostmere is not that far if we take the lightning rail. You will not be abandoning your post for long."
Rumina clenched her fists tightly on her lap. "Father, please, why does it have to be me getting dragged into this? Brother Riven is vastly more suited for formal diplomatic affairs like this! Or Raveena, she’s highly sociable, she can accompany you—"
"Riven is the Grand General of our forces. His presence at a civilian event like an engagement banquet would be grossly misinterpreted as a military intimidation maneuver," Lucian stated, looking at his second daughter with absolute calm. "Raveena has a packed academy schedule she cannot abandon. And Raphael is still too young to navigate diplomatic negotiations. Your other brothers, Rianor and Roland, are currently out of the country."
Lucian’s third finger went up in the air. Three irrefutable reasons. Checkmate.
"And the primary reason... Frostmere is the largest central hub of mana crystal production in all of Northreach. Your status is the Royal Head Treasurer. Your physical presence there sends a powerful diplomatic signal that we deeply value their contributions."
Lucian lowered his hand. "If any business negotiations arise on the sidelines of the ballroom, you can handle them directly on the spot."
Rumina sat frozen. Her mouth was still half-open, primed to debate, but her brain couldn’t formulate a single argument capable of toppling her father’s threefold logic.
Lucian leaned his broad back against the cushion of his chair.
"I am not forcing you at all, Rumina. But I am highly requesting it." Lucian’s voice softened. "As your king... and also as a father who wishes to be accompanied by his daughter."
A peaceful silence hovered over the dining table for several long seconds.
Raveena and Raphael exchanged triumphant glances. Riven was busy blowing on soup for Kaelven again, but the corners of his lips pulled into a faint smile.
Aurelia sipped her herbal tea with the grace of a queen who had just won a bet.
Finally, Rumina’s rigid shoulders slumped in surrender.
Haaaaah. The woman let out a sigh so heavy it blew her bangs upward.
"Ugh... fine. I’ll go."
Raveena reflexively clapped her hands in soft, mocking encouragement. Clap, clap. "Wow, a genuine miracle! Sister Rumina is finally willing to step out of her cave of paperwork. I almost forgot my dear sister still possessed the skill to interact with living human beings."
"Shut your blabbering mouth," Rumina grumbled sharply. But her bite had lost its fangs. Raveena merely responded with an amused giggle.
Riven looked straight at his workaholic sister, murmuring softly, "You’ll be just fine there, Rumina. Treat it as a vacation thinly veiled as a field inspection. Who knows... you might find something ’interesting’ at that banquet."
Rumina scoffed cynically. Heh. "What do you mean by something interesting? A new crystal excavation mine?"
"Perhaps," Riven answered casually. "Or... maybe you’ll find someone."
Cough!
Raveena nearly spat her soup onto the tablecloth. Raphael, who had been busy hiding his face while chewing his rendang, instantly stopped chewing. The young man’s eyes sparkled brilliantly—it was finally his turn to exact his revenge!
"Well, well, Brother Riven, please don’t tell me you’re orchestrating a conspiracy to matchmake Sister Rumina with some bachelor over there?" Raphael teased with a devilish grin.
"I never said I was matchmaking anyone," Riven denied, his face the picture of innocence. "I’m merely opening the gates to the possibilities of destiny."
Rumina slammed her spoon brutally onto her ceramic plate. CLANG! "CAN ALL OF YOU JUST BE QUIET?!" Rumina roared, her face flushing red in sheer annoyance.
Kaelven, startled by the slam on the table, instantly joined in, banging the table and yelling excitedly. "KWIET! IET! KWIIEEET!!"
Laughter instantly erupted like madness around the dining table.
Elena hastily lifted Kaelven onto her lap, even as the toddler enthusiastically pumped his fists and kept yelling. Aurelia shook her head in resignation, though her genuine smile never faded.
Even Lucian—the Wolf King, renowned for his icy demeanor on the battlefield—couldn’t help but carve a smile watching his fully-grown children bicker ridiculously like toddlers.
That night, beneath the sturdy protection of the Wolf’s Roof, the extended Sudrath family celebrated their warmth through shared, echoing laughter.