?In a dimly lit room, the clink of porcelain broke the heavy silence.

  ?“Is this really the right time for tea?” Lucien muttered, his fingers drumming anxiously on the table.

  ?“Calm down, Uncle. Today marks the solution to our problems. It’s worth celebrating—with the finest tea, no less,” Cassian replied coolly, taking another sip.

  ?“I—I don’t like this, Cassian,” Lucien insisted, his voice tight. “I’ve told you, hurting Aelira won’t solve anything.”

  ?Cassian shot him a sharp, dismissive look. “We’ll see about that, Uncle. And let me remind you what happens the moment you lose your title.” His tone softened, though the menace lingered.

  ?“But don’t worry. It will all be fine.”

  ?Lucien’s face tightened. “It was your doing after all.”

  ?Cassian merely chuckled and took another slow sip of tea.

  ?“If anything happens to Aelira...”

  ?"Are you going to hurt your savior? Or are you going to give it away? You have nothing. Sit down and be thankful.”

  ?“Grrhh…” Lucien grumbled under his breath, looking down in defeat.

  ?Just then, the door burst open, and a man rushed in.

  ?“Sir! They’ve been found!”

  ?Lucien’s face instantly brightened. He dropped to his knees, clasping his hands toward the ceiling. “Many thanks to the goddess Elyndra!” he cried with relief.

  ?Cassian’s expression darkened considerably. “They?” he questioned sharply. “Were both of them safe?”

  ?“Yes, sir! Hero Zaek found them near the forest entrance!”

  ?“The forest entrance?” Lucien repeated, still kneeling. “What were they doing out there?”

  ?Crack!

  ?They looked at Cassian upon hearing the sound of breaking; the porcelain teacup in his hand had shattered.

  ?“Sir?”

  ?“You may go,” Cassian said curtly, dismissing the messenger with a wave.

  ?“Y-yes, sir!” The man bowed and hurried out.

  ?“You okay?” Lucien asked, looking up uncertainly.

  ?“It’s nothing,” Cassian replied smoothly, ignoring his bleeding hand. “More importantly, we should welcome the survivors, shouldn't we?”

  ***

  ?As Zaek and others neared the main gates, a large crowd had already gathered. Even old Sylas was present, adding to the gravity of the moment.

  ?“Seems the whole family turned out,” Zaek muttered under his breath as they approached.

  ?Lysric, walking behind him, swallowed nervously. Damn… even Grandfather is here…

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  ?Aelira stirred on Zaek’s back, slowly opening her eyes as she noticed the commotion.

  ?“...Oh?” Zaek said gently. “Awake already? You can sleep more if you want.”

  ?“No, it’s fine,” she murmured. “Can you put me down, Sensei?”

  ?“If you say so.”

  ?He carefully lowered her to the ground. Aelira rubbed the sleep from her eyes, glancing at the gathered crowd.

  ?“Let’s go,” Zaek said.

  ?“Mm.” She nodded, still slightly dazed.

  ?The moment they reached the gate, Celdric broke from the crowd, rushing forward to embrace Lysric tightly.

  ?“Lysric—I’m so sorry,” Celdric choked out.

  ?“Father, I—”

  ?“No, don’t say anything,” Celdric interrupted, holding him close. “I’m sorry, it's all because I pushed you away.”

  ?Lysric couldn’t hold back his tears any longer, quickly wiping them away with his sleeve.

  ?Celdric turned to Zaek. “Thank you, Master Zaek. If it weren’t for you, who knows what might happened.”

  ?“Yeah...” Zaek replied simply, his expression unreadable.

  ?The crowd parted as Vivianne stepped forward, her piercing gaze fixed solely on her daughter.

  ?Aelira instinctively lowered her head, guilt washing over her.

  ?Vivianne approached slowly. Aelira braced herself, shutting her eyes tightly—expecting anger, perhaps a sharp word or even a blow.

  ?Instead, she felt Vivianne’s cool fingers gently lift her chin. Her mother examined the cuts and bruises on her face, her usual coldness softening—if only slightly.

  ?“You should see the doctor,” she said softly.

  ?“And… take a shower, maybe.”

  ?Then, she simply let her go.

  ?Stunned by the unexpected gentleness, Aelira blinked up at her mother.

  ?“O-Okay.”

  ?“Thank you, Master Zaek,” Vivianne added, turning briefly toward him.

  ?“You’re welcome,” he acknowledged.

  ?Before Aelira could process her mother’s reaction, Wilkram rushed in, dropping to his knees before her. He hugged her tightly, frantically checking her injuries.

  ?“Aelira, are you alright? Does it hurt? Did you hit anything? What happened?”

  ?“This isn’t the time to interrogate her, is it?” Celdric interjected sharply, disapproval clear in his tone.

  ?“What? They were missing for hours! Surely they have an explanation!” Wilkram shot back, glancing desperately at Vivianne for support.

  ?But Vivianne sided with her brother. “Celdric is right. This isn’t the time for judgment.”

  ?“Darling?” Wilkram stared at her, utterly surprised.

  ?“No,” Lysric cut in suddenly, shaking his head. “It’s my fault. I suggested we hunt down the Isengrim.”

  ?A shocked silence fell over the gathered family. Sylas turned his steely gaze to Zaek.

  ?“Is this true?”

  ?Zaek gave a curt nod. “They really did it.”

  ?Vivianne’s eyes flared with fury as she rounded on Lysric.

  ?“And you convinced Aelira to fight an Isengrim? Are you insane?!” her voice cracked.

  ?“He didn’t convince me,” Aelira said quickly, stepping forward. “He only asked—and I agreed.”

  ?Lysric stared at her, bewildered. What is she saying? Is she not going to tell them?

  ?“Aelira…” Vivianne began, her voice strained.

  ?“I’m sorry, Mother. I shouldn’t have done it.”

  ?Vivianne let out a long sigh, the anger fading from her expression. “…It’s alright, I guess.”

  ?“And there’s one more thing,” Aelira added, her small hands clutching the fabric of her clothes as she turned to face her grandfather.

  ?“What is it?” Sylas asked, his expression unreadable.

  ?“We agreed on a duel,” Aelira announced clearly. “The loser will give up their claim to becoming the hero.”

  ?A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

  ?“Wha—”

  ?Aelira looked directly at Lysric. “Do you have any problem with that, Lysric?”

  ?It felt like her eyes pierced through his soul.

  ?“No,” he grumbled, still processing her earlier defense. “I just didn’t expect you to bring it up now.” He met her gaze. “You understand the meaning of this, right?”

  ?“Yes,” she confirmed firmly.

  ?“Father, you can’t allow this!” Wilkram pleaded. “Aelira is only eleven!”

  ?“It’s her decision, not mine,” Sylas stated flatly.

  ?Vivianne stepped toward her daughter again. “Aelira, what are you talking about? Step back on this, right now!”

  ?“No,” Aelira replied, her voice steady. “I won’t.”

  ?“What—” Vivianne’s command faltered as she saw the unwavering determination shining in her daughter’s silver eyes. She fell silent.

  ?“You’re awfully quiet, Zaek,” Sylas observed, turning to him. “Did you know about this?”

  ?“No, this is the first I’m hearing of it,” Zaek admitted. “Though… I suspected it might eventually come to this.”

  ?“I see…” Sylas murmured thoughtfully.

  ?“Lysric…” Celdric looked at his son, conflict warring on his face, unsure how to react.

  ?“A duel requires a time and place, does it not?” Cassian interjected smoothly from the edge of the crowd.

  ?“Cassian, stay out of this,” Celdric snapped, turning on his eldest son.

  ?“Don’t be like that, Father,” Cassian replied with his usual calm smile. “It is my brother’s duel, after all.”

  ?Celdric glared but said nothing more.

  ?Sylas finally broke the tension. “We’ll discuss the details later. For now, let’s head inside.”