"Please, you're saying that only because Verhen earned you that star, Commander Berion" General Morn Griffon said.

"I agree with Kwart. Now that we know from reliable sources that Verhen wants to cut ties with the Kingdom, we must remind him that he needs us more than we need him."

"How can someone sharing the Royal blood be so stupid?" Queen Sylpha had enough of that nonsense. If not for King Meron holding her wrist she would have already ripped a few heads off.

Sylpha wasn't big on diplomacy. At least not when someone threatened the peace she had fought so long to protect.

"What if some stupid noble takes the removal of the detail as our silent approval and Lutia gets 'raided by bandits'? We've just got rid of one Balkor and you want to create another?"

"My Queen, I resent…" Morn tried to say.

"I resent letting you live." Sylpha snarled while tugging her hand so hard that Meron almost lost his grip.

Almost.

The General of the Army wasn't a meek man, but he had fought alongside the Queen on the battlefield and those memories still haunted his sleep. Meron was the only thing standing between Morn and a closed casket funeral.

To make matters worse, the General knew his cousin well enough to understand that Meron nearly letting his wife go was no accident, but a message.

"What the Queen means is that we must always look at the bigger picture." The King said.

"It's not just one Verhen we are talking about. His sister is also a very promising young mage and now there are five more candidates that might have inherited their talent or that will at least receive their magical legacy.

"If the Verhens really are a new magical bloodline, the Kingdom can't afford to lose all of them because of petty short-term thinking. As for the Ernas, I'm tired of hearing people belittling them.

"They are both living heroes and pillars of the Kingdom. If I had to judge the Court based on the Ernas's standards of merit, I'd have to say that I'm surrounded only by incompetent idiots, present company included.

"During her career, Lady Ernas has rooted out more corruption by herself than entire departments since their founding. It's only thanks to her foresight that we have brought valuable people like Kamila Yehval into our fold.

"Despite her humble upbringing, she has proven to be a loyal and resourceful subject of the Kingdom. Lieutenant Yehval is also one of the few tethers that can induce Great Mage Verhen to keep supporting our country in the future.

"As for Lord Ernas, he has made countless contributions to the development of Royal Forgemastering techniques and very few can equal his craftmanship. He's the reason you are able the equip your new armor and blades.

"Losing the Verhens might endanger the Kingdom's future, but losing the Ernas would be a blow we could never recover from." An awkward silence followed Meron's words.

Despite her anger, Sylpha waited for her husband's speech to seep through the thick wall that seemed to shield the brains of half of those present from common sense before talking.

"It's also worth pointing out that Verhen seems to have a privileged channel with the Emperor Beasts that inhabit the Kingdom. Headmaster Marth is barely able to follow in the footsteps of Linjos in that regard, whereas Lith seems to have befriended several powerful beings. Any news on his newfound mentor, Mirim?" Sylpha asked.

"Yes, your Majesty. Basing my investigation on his words, I discovered that he is going to receive the teachings of Faluel the Hydra." The Marchioness replied.

"How can you be so sure?" Archmage Kwart jumped up while the entire room went into uproar.

The Hydra bloodline had ruled the Distar Marquisate since ancient times. They had helped Valeron, the first King, to unify the Kingdom and later to protect its borders. Faluel herself had aided the Royals several times, but always as a mercenary.

No amount of wealth or land had ever been enough to make Hydras willing to share their secrets. Emperor Beasts respected humans, but didn't trust them. People like Faluel would offer their services, but never their loyalty.

"I asked her." Distar's tone was so sour that everyone could hear the 'you dimwit' that had remained unspoken.

"Interesting." The Queen was now calm, drumming her fingers on the table while ignoring the commotion around her. "First Lark, then the Marchioness, then the academy, and now Faluel. It seems that the young Verhen is progressively climbing the power ladder."

"Indeed." The King nodded. "No matter if this is deliberate or just a coincidence, we have only one path ahead."

***

The same day, Lith's house.

The second part of Lith's birthday was exclusive to his family members. Usually, he wouldn't even bring along his current girlfriend, reserving for her the time after dinner.

The previous year he had made an exception because he had only one day off and he couldn't take anymore being caught in the crossfire between his family and Kamila who were both nagging at him to know each other.

It was the reason why when he brought Kamila, Zinya, and her children over for dinner, everyone squirmed in anticipation for the big announcement they could see coming from a mile away.

"I hope the next year will bless us with as many grandchildren as the last." Elina whispered in Raaz's ears while making sure that her words would be perfectly audible while she moved her eyes from Lith to Tista.

"Are you sure you want to do it?" Tista said, showing everyone what a real whisper looked like.

"Yes. If you don't want to, feel free to fake surprise. The only thing I ask you is to help me soften the blow for them." Lith whispered as well.

"I'm not leaving you alone, little brother." Tista was scared as much as Lith was. Scared of rejection, scared of their family blaming them for their lies. "Worst case scenario, we'll get the boot together and I'll move with you to Solus's tower."

Both chuckled at those words, prompting Kamila to pull his sleeve.

"Are you sure you want to do it?" She had no idea what an Awakened was, nor that Lith was about to come clean about both his secrets.

"I know that I'm the one who told you there's nothing to worry about, but with all that's happened, I'm afraid that everyone's nerves are still quite shaken."

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Then take a deep breath and relax. I'll be at your side all the way." Kamila held his hand under the table, happy to see how calm Lith was.

'I'm glad our planning and rehearsing paid off.' She thought. 'He's much more confident now.'

'I'm glad our planning and rehearsing paid off.' Lith thought. 'Now that I'm able to control my upper body, no one can notice my legs shaking under the table.'

Raaz was disappointed when the dinner came to its end and yet nothing happened.

'Damn. I hoped that between all the bad things Lith has witnessed during his military service and Orion's speech, my son would finally settle down. If even his friends see him in a negative light, I'm afraid of what might happen once Lith is out there on his own.'