Kael was still trying to reorganize his own sense of reality when Hadriam made a nonchalant gesture with his hand, turning aside as if rembering sothing trivial.
"Ah, I almost forgot," he said. "Bring more tea. For Kael."
One of the imperial maids, who until then had remained motionless near the columns as part of the decoration, imdiately bowed.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
She moved with silent steps, replacing Kael's cup with another steaming one, the soft aroma of herbs filling the space between them. Kael murmured an automatic thank you, still sowhat dazed, and brought the cup to his lips.
Hadriam observed everything attentively… and then, suddenly, the wide smile diminished.
It didn't disappear completely, but it lost that childlike, almost silly air. The Emperor's shoulders straightened, his gaze gained weight, and the atmosphere of the hall seed to subtly, yet unmistakably, change.
"I've been wanting to talk to you for a while," Hadriam said, now in a lower, more controlled tone.
Kael felt a shiver run down his spine.
"I figured," he replied cautiously.
Hadriam tilted his head, resting a hand on the arm of the throne, though he remained standing.
"So let's get straight to the point," he continued. "What exactly do you want with Alia?"
Kael choked.
The tea landed dangerously close to his nose, and he had to turn to the side to avoid spitting it all onto the impeccable marble of the hall.
"Cough—" He cleared his throat, blinking a few tis. "Sorry, I—"
Hadriam watched with an expression that mixed genuine curiosity and barely contained amusent.
"You want…," Kael began, still trying to process, "…to talk about my relationships?"
"Yes."
The answer ca too quickly.
Kael stared at him, incredulous.
"You brought all the way here… to talk about my love life?"
Hadriam smiled.
It wasn't the sa open smile as before.
It was sothing sharper. More predatory. The kind of smile that dangerously reminded him that he wasn't just a cheerful man… but the Emperor of Humanity.
"I want to talk," he said calmly, "about my niece… who is dating the prince of the most powerful nation in the world."
Silence fell like a blade.
Kael let out a nervous laugh before he could even think.
"When you talk like that, it sounds like I'm a walking political plan," he said, running a hand through his hair. "And I really don't care about my grandmother's power."
Hadriam raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
"No," Kael confird, now more firmly. "I don't rely on her throne. I rely on my own power."
For a second that was too long, Hadriam just watched him.
Then he laughed. A genuine, deep laugh echoed through the hall.
"Excellent answer," he said, clearly pleased. "Truly."
Kael exhaled slowly, his shoulders relaxing slightly.
"You'd be surprised how many people answer differently," Hadriam continued. "Most talk about alliances, protection, inheritance. You talk about yourself."
"That's what I have," Kael replied simply.
Hadriam nodded, as if that confird sothing he already suspected.
"But that doesn't answer everything," he said, resuming his serious tone. "Alia isn't just a piece on a chessboard. And I'm not so oblivious uncle."
Kael leaned slightly forward.
"I know."
Hadriam took a deep breath, crossing his arms.
"Do you know how hard she's worked this past year?" he asked.
Kael hesitated.
"I… I know she waited," he replied. "But—"
"She did more than wait," Hadriam interrupted, his voice firm. "While you slept, Alia studied."
Kael frowned.
"Studied?"
"Politics," the Emperor explained. "History. Economics. Race relations. Ancient pacts. Laws that even many senators ignore."
Kael blinked.
"She hates politics."
"Hated it," Hadriam corrected. "But she decided she couldn't afford it."
He began to walk slowly around the hall as he spoke, his hands behind his back.
"She spent sleepless nights reading treatises that would make adults give up on the first page. She learned to listen before speaking. To observe. To negotiate." He stopped and looked directly at Kael. "All this… waiting for you to wake up."
Kael's chest tightened.
"She never told that."
"Because she didn't do it for you," Hadriam replied. "She did it because she chose to."
Kael looked away for a mont, staring at the steam still rising from the cup.
"She also achieved things," the Emperor continued. "Smaller territories aligned with the Empire. Support from houses that previously ignored her. She achieved results that many adults would take decades to reach."
"She is…," Kael began, searching for the word.
"A little girl?" Hadriam finished, with a half-smile. "Yes. And yet, she went further than many grown n."
Kael felt a lump forming in his throat.
"I never wanted her to carry this weight."
"She chose to carry it," Hadriam replied. "Because she believed in you."
Kael closed his eyes for a second.
"I didn't promise her anything," he murmured.
"No," the Emperor agreed. "But you existed. Sotis, that's enough."
Silence settled between them again, but now it wasn't tense. It was heavy. Full.
"So," Kael finally said, raising his gaze. "What do you want from ?"
Hadriam smiled again—not as before, but with sothing more honest.
"I want to know if you understand what you have," he replied. "And if you intend to treat her as sothing disposable… or as soone who walked this far of her own free will."
Kael didn't answer imdiately.
He thought of Alia. Of her firm gaze. Of the way she always spoke of him, even when he wasn't there. In the patience she never admitted to having.
"I don't play with feelings," he finally said. "And I don't use people as political shields."
Hadriam nodded.
"Good."
Kael took a deep breath.
"But I don't promise happy endings either," he added. "My life is… complicated."
The Emperor smiled slightly.
"She knows."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Like you—"
"Because she told ," Hadriam replied. "In no uncertain terms."
Kael let out a short, almost humorless laugh.
"She's impossible."
"She takes after you," Hadriam comnted.
Kael stared at him.
"…Was that a complint?"
"Definitely."
Hadriam remained silent for a few monts after Kael's reply. The Emperor of Humanity observed the young man before him with an attentive, assessing gaze, very different from the almost childlike enthusiasm of before. Then, slowly, he nodded.
"It's all right," he finally said. "I approve."
Kael blinked, clearly surprised.
"Approves…?"
"Your relationship with Alia," Hadriam clarified, leaning back in his chair. "She's my niece. It would be strange if I didn't have an opinion." A brief smile appeared on his lips. "And, honestly, I'd be more worried if she'd chosen soone predictable."
Kael let out a short, nervous laugh.
"That's not exactly reassuring."
Hadriam raised his hand.
"Don't get carried away. My approval cos with a request." His tone beca more serious. "I just hope you won't be so impulsive as to abandon her to solve your own problems."
Kael frowned.
"I wouldn't abandon you—"
"You disappear," Hadriam corrected, without raising his voice. "When you decide sothing is too dangerous, you carry it alone. I've seen this type of man before. Usually they end up alive… and alone."
Silence settled for a mont.
"Alia doesn't need to be protected from the truth," the Emperor continued. "She needs to be included in it."
Kael took a deep breath and nodded slowly.
"I'll rember that."
Hadriam seed satisfied. The mood changed again as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the arms of the chair.
"Now," he said, "since we've cleared up personal matters… you wanted to talk about my kingdom."
Kael looked up imdiately.
"I do," he confird. "Adalric ntioned so things. And Eva too. They both said trouble is approaching." He hesitated for a mont. "In your territory."
Hadriam lost any trace of a smile. The expression that took over his face was that of a ruler on alert.
"They're not wrong," he said. "There's sothing… stirring."
Kael leaned slightly forward.
"What, exactly?"
"Dissatisfaction," Hadriam replied. "Human houses that have benefited too much from stability and now want more. Governors who have forgotten why peace exists." He made a vague gesture with his hand. "And people too powerful believing they can test limits."
Kael frowned.
"Rebellion?"
"Not yet," Hadriam replied. "But the sll is in the air."
He sighed.
"In recent months, reports have started disappearing. Troops being redeployed without direct orders. Conversations interrupted when certain nas are ntioned." His gaze hardened. "That's never a good sign."
Kael was silent for a few seconds.
"And where does Eva fit into this?" he asked.
Hadriam stared directly at him.
"She's seen as a threat," he replied. "A force that doesn't answer to my command, but operates within my borders." He paused. "And you… are seen as soone connected to her."
Kael clenched his teeth.
"So I'm part of the problem."
"You're part of the equation," Hadriam corrected. "And Alia too. People will try to use that."
Kael took a deep breath.
"Adalric said I needed to learn politics," he comnted.
Hadriam gave a tired half-smile.
"He's right. Because the problem in my kingdom doesn't start with swords." The Emperor leaned back in his chair. "It starts with speeches. With silent alliances. With people believing they can light a fire and not get burned."
Kael looked up, serious.
"If a war breaks out in your kingdom… it will affect everyone."
"It will," Hadriam confird. "Especially those with enough power to decide its course."
The silence stretched.
"I wanted to know what was happening," Kael finally said. "Now I know."
Hadriam nodded.
"And I wanted to know if I could trust you not to pretend this isn't your problem."
Kael t the Emperor's gaze.
"If it involves Alia or Eva," he said calmly, "then it's my problem."
Hadriam held the gaze for a few seconds. Then nodded.
"That's what I needed to hear."
He stood up slowly.
"Prepare yourself, Kael," he said. "The Human Kingdom still seems stable. But the cracks have already begun."
Kael took a deep breath.
"Great," he murmured. "One more thing I didn't want to inherit."
Hadriam smiled slightly. "Welco to politics."
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