Sokram rushed through the door only to find his family, friends, teammates, and even the heads of the founding families were there, accompanied by so of their wives, daughters, and granddaughters.
“Happy birthday!”
Their congratulatory shouts hit Sokram like a physical blow.
He froze in the doorway, one hand still gripping the wooden fra, his mind a sudden blank slate, caught completely off guard.
The sheer surprise on his face showed his family that their efforts to hide his party preparations were successful.
As his mothers led him inside, the scent of roasting at, perfu, and liquor rushed to et him, wrapping him in warmth and noise.
The Dracnakrid's estate was the smallest, and his living room was stiflingly packed; bodies pressed against one another, and the air was thick with the scent of perfu and woodsmoke.
Yet, no one complained.
The guests held their wine glasses tightly, angling for a better view or a closer spot, their focus fixed entirely on the young Dracnakrid.
The room churned with calculated smiles and eager eyes, ambition hidden beneath laughter.
Many were here rely to position themselves, offering effusive complints to Sokram’s family or discussing minor business deals in hushed, deferential tones.
The young unmarried won, in particular, held themselves with an almost painful poise, their eyes constantly tracking the young hero, casting flirtatious glances as they sought marriage.
Luckily for Sokram, he was still not of age, so all the talks about marriage had to go through Hannah, Margiory, and Brunhild.
Those were shut down really fast.
Still, Sokram was truly moved.
Watching his family bask in the respect he’d fought for filled Sokram’s chest with quiet pride.
They were finally in a position worthy of the na Dracnakrid and looked up to among their peers.
This made all his hard work worthwhile.
That night, for once, Sokram let the tension bleed from his shoulders and rely listened to the laughter around him.
Laughter clashed with the clinking of crystal glasses.
The floorboards humd beneath as their guests danced, children ran, and the heavy steps of the elders in avid discussions of hidden businesses.
Hilda even allowed him to have his first drink, with moderation and her constant supervision, so none of the girls would take advantage of his drunken stupor.
However, Sokram’s fast regeneration and tabolism swiftly rendered all attempts to get him drunk futile.
What he truly indulged in was the barbequed ribs and steaks from all types of swine and bovines, and even so chicken-like beasts.
Sokram knew this night would easily rank among his top thousand best celebrations, spanning both of his tilines.
The ad burned pleasantly down Sokram's throat, as he filled his belly with savory pieces of at, a true draconic banquet, he thought.
This ti, Sokram didn’t have a recording of the orcs' attack, but the guests who were present during the battle took pleasure in retelling their point of view of the events.
With each retelling, the girls from the founding families gasped and giggled, lavishing the young hero with flirty comnts and complints.
But the smarter ones would instead seek to befriend Astrid, Savannah, Lucy, Amber, and even the twins, Kiren and Kara.
Others sought to befriend his mothers, grandmothers, and aunts.
When it was ti to open the gifts, Sokram got even happier.
He received so artifacts, jewelry, and even so enchanted katanas.
Most of the guests were aware of his hunger for knowledge and made a point of seeking out the rarest books they could find.
Even so, no one could beat Madalyn’s gift.
His fingers trembled as he lifted the lid of the small box, sensing the powerful spatial enchantnt on the ring in the small velvet box.
But he froze when his senses invaded the ring's subspace.
He sensed more than a thousand books, all of which ca straight from the Royal Library.
All with the fundantal knowledge Sokram needed to begin stepping toward his dream of becoming a Biomancer.
Sokram was so overjoyed that he pulled Madalyn into a hug and showered her with so many kisses that his grandmothers grew jealous, and his mothers even more so.
Miralyn even started plotting for his next birthday to smuggle so rare books from the Imperial Library, or even her mother’s personal one.
By the end of the party, when most of the guests had left, only Sokram’s family, his three girls, and Leona’s family remained.
The twins pulled Sokram upstairs, telling him they had prepared a gift for him.
Sokram followed, not expecting what was about to happen.
After reaching the upper floor of his estate, the twins kissed him on the lips, one after the other.
Sokram received their affection willingly.
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Then, a sudden, clean heat blood beneath the skin of his left arm, drawing his gaze.
Sokram's eyes widened, seeing the two arm-ring tattoo-like marks in his left forearm.
Simultaneously, Kiren and Kara’s eyes shone with rapturous joy, and they gasped, a shared sound of profound relief escaping their throats.
They felt the Mark of the Judgent, a cold, perpetual weight they hadn't realized they carried, vanish from their hearts, replaced by a dazzling lightness.
Sokram was their Fated One.
In most noble and royal families, there was a tradition most maidens would follow, known as the Promise of a Maiden’s Heart Seal, or Promise Seal, as it was commonly called.
A maiden's Promise Seal held more value to them than their maidenhead, as it was a non-mandatory yet traditional ritual full of romanticism.
It was constituted of a Blood Oath made to themselves, imposing certain conditions that their fated lover must fulfill before gaining the right to marry them or before the maidens gave them… their hearts.
The romanticism behind it turned this practice into a popular trend among royalty and nobles on all seven continents.
Another part of the tradition was to never reveal the conditions of the promise; the idea was that fate would bring the right person at the right ti.
When a person fulfilled the conditions, the Mark of the Judgent would manifest, and the mark of the seal would appear on that person’s body, marking the maiden’s Fated One.
To paint a clearer picture, the twins could have promised themselves that they would only marry soone who killed a rabbit in the woods, cooked its at, and spoon-fed them with its flesh.
If Sokram did that for them, that would cause a tattoo-like mark to appear sowhere in Sokram’s body.
Once that promise was made, they couldn’t revoke or and the conditions.
And once fulfilled, even if they were married to soone else, they would have to fulfill their end of the bargain, be it spending the rest of her life with that person or spending at least a night in their bed, giving the Fated One… their whole heart without reservations.
Since such Oaths would be made by naïve and innocent maidens, there were often many loopholes their families could explore to save them from unwanted candidates.
Back to Sokram and the twins, their words ca in whispers, breaths brushing his skin, their tails twitching nervously behind them.
Kiren, being the boldest one, looked him in the eyes and explained:
“We shared the Oath of our Promise Seal. The conditions were that a fad hero of Eversnow, recognized by our people and accepted by our family, accept a kiss from both of us. We always wanted to marry the sa man, or in your case, dragon.”
Kara nodded, still blushing, and added, “I always had this feeling that you would be the one, and our gift to you is our hearts, Sokram.”
“Why would you go so far for ?” Sokram held their gazes with honest surprise.
He truly wanted to know the root of their infatuation with him.
Kiren smiled sincerely at him, holding his gaze, “Because it can only be you. Call it love at first sight or whatever, but the first ti we heard your na, our hearts stirred with curiosity. Hearing our second mother always speaking so highly of you filled our hearts with admiration.”
Kara nodded, “When mother told us that you shared such a valuable gift with us. The Spirit Magic Technique, I an. Since both of us had always dread of using Magi, we couldn’t wait to et you and show our gratitude. But when we t you, that day on the barbecue, we didn’t have the chance. That day, we felt that our hearts had found their ho. Still, knowing of our Promise Seal, we held back.”
Kiren stepped closer to Sokram, taking over their explanation, “Seeing your might and potential, we were also afraid we were seeking you out of pure ambition. But it isn’t just that, nor is it simple admiration. I believe and truly want it to be our fate to live and evolve with you. I know we are too young to know what true love is, but I... No, we... truly want it to be this.”
Kara nodded, agreeing, finishing their discourse, “You don’t have to give us an answer now. I know you didn’t ask for this. We know how draconic harems work, and we don’t mind. But even if we don’t get to be counted among your main wives, we want to always walk by your side.”
Having said all that, they looked at Sokram expectantly, while his gaze shifted between the two of them thoughtfully.
Finally, after a mont of consideration, Sokram smiled and pulled the two of them into a hug, “I’ll cherish your hearts and the love you’re offering from today, and forever on. And I will give you back the sa love I’m receiving from you. But let’s wait until we are of age to talk about marriage, alright?”
Sokram kissed both their foreheads as they hugged him tightly. Even if he couldn’t see their faces, he could see their tails wagging excitedly.
After that, they went back downstairs only to be surprised by their families.
“Hooray! The twin moon of the Wolves tribes found their Fated One!” Kasine cheered.
Kamus clapped, cheering alongside his wife, and both families were elated, but the chatter dimd once Lucy walked toward them.
“It seems Savannah, Amber, and I now have two new cute little sisters.” Lucy caressed both their faces and added, glancing back at Savannah and Amber, “I guess that makes us five future harem mbers, hm?”
Astrid frowned, seeing Lucy not counting her, and shouted from the back, “Six!”
Sayuri joined in, “Seven!”
Before their guesses kept scaling, they heard Sokram’s voice.
“Nineteen so far,” he said it bluntly as he walked to the backyard to get more ribs.
“Nineteen?!” Hilda snapped toward him before she could think.
Hannah chuckled, knowing exactly who he was referring to.
“Look around, Hilda. Count again.”
Hannah winked at her knowingly before following Sokram outside.
Lucille looked at Sayuri with raised brow, “We are definitely included, right?”
Leona also chid in, “My wives and I are a package deal. With the foxes, the twins, these three, and Astrid. We are eleven. But who are the other eight?”
Margiory added in a humorous tone, “Three grandmothers, two mothers, two aunts. So, seven, is he eyeing soone else that we don’t know of?”
Madalyn gave her mother a strange look, seeing that Margiory counted her as well.
She was thankful none of her brothers and their families were present, or they might think Margiory was going mad.
Kamus frowned, “I know I’m a wolf, but I don’t share. So he couldn’t be eyeing Kasine, could he?”
“Could be Aya?” Sayuri pondered, joining in the discussion.
But the more they questioned and shared their opinions, the more Hilda and Brunhild got flustered.
And they all noticed that and were partially poking fun at them.
“I think it’s Riella,” Miralyn offered, drawing a glare from Hilda and a surprised look from the siren who was sitting quietly in the corner.
“Even you?!” Hilda argued.
“My love, Sokram is an amazingly talented and will beco one of the most powerful dragons we know, if not the most powerful. So a big harem is a must. You know that the stronger a dragon is, the more… avid he becos, right?”
Miralyn answered honestly, cupping Hilda’s face with both hands, gazing deeply into her eyes. But her sincerity only showed that to her, this was completely expected.
Margiory nodded, adding, “And from what I’ve been reading, it might even get bigger; so draconic harems can have up to hundreds of wives. But since we’re speaking of soone as focused on evolution as Sokram. I believe he won’t be so shallow. So we can expect sothing between thirty and fifty. But now that Mira called it, I believe it could be Riella.”
Riella beca totally flustered, looking at Margiory in complete disbelief.
Brunhild, no longer able to hold back, stood up with a frown, gazing at all of them, one by one, “I won’t be counted among you. I t the dragon of my life already. But after Sorah, the only one I’ll love is Liaranna.”
“So that’s why you always looked so bothered about my intentions, hm?” Sokram's voice sounded from the door that connected the backyard and the living room.
He smiled broadly at her, “That is fine, Nana. All I want is for you all to be happy and evolve alongside ; if you’re happy with Lady Liaranna, I'm happy for you.”
Brunhild was never one for washing dirty laundry in public, yet she felt relieved when she heard that.
And Hilda tried to use the opportunity to tease him, “And I’m happy with Mira.”
But Sokram didn’t give her the chance, “Nope, you don’t have a choice.”
Leona grinned, looking at Hilda lustfully, and gave him a thumbs up, “Good one, Kiddo!”
“Hey!” Miralyn tried to stand up for Hilda, but Leona’s gaze moved to her, too.
“I read that in a Draconic Harem, all the wives are intermarried, and even the concubines have equal rights, too.”
As Leona spoke, her eyes held the sa lust and an even wider grin, winking at Miralyn.
“Tomorrow is truly looking bright, right, Kiddo?” Leona grinned at Sokram.
Sokram paused mid-step, half-turned, the grin cutting across his face sharp and unshakable. Looking at his beloved Master with the sa hunger Leona had looked at his mothers.
“It definitely is, Master.”
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