The dining hall felt warmer than before, sunlight spilling across the long table and catching in the polished silverware. The earlier formality had softened, replaced by the quiet rhythm of a shared meal.
King Valerius set down his glass and looked toward Kael.
"I reviewed the documents," he said calmly. "Everything was in order. I have signed them."
For a brief second, Kael froze, the weight of those words settling over him. Then he rose slightly from his seat and bowed his head with deep respect.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," he said. "This decision will bring real change to the city and its people."
The king gave a small nod, accepting the gratitude without ceremony.
Alisha, seated nearby, watched their expressions carefully, sensing the importance of the exchange even without hearing the words. The atmosphere around the table had shifted, lighter now, as if something heavy had quietly been set down.
Kael returned to his seat, the tension he had carried since arriving at the palace finally easing, replaced with quiet determination for what would come next.
The meal ended with quiet grace.
Chairs slid back softly. Servants moved like shadows, clearing the table with practiced silence. Kael rose and bowed to the king.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty. I should return now."
King Valerius inclined his head. "You are always welcome here, Kael Ravenshade."
They walked together through the wide palace corridors, footsteps echoing gently against marble floors. Sunlight streamed through tall windows, turning the polished walls into rivers of gold.
At the grand entrance, the palace doors stood open to the afternoon air. The car waited at the foot of the steps, the Ravenshade crest gleaming on its side.
Alisha stood beside her father.
Her hands were folded neatly in front of her, posture perfect, expression calm.
Too calm.
Kael turned toward her and raised his hands, signing carefully.
Thank you for showing me the palace.
Her reply came a second later.
I am glad you came.
A small pause followed. Her fingers hesitated, then moved again.
Come again… if you want.
Kael smiled, softer this time.
I will.
He bowed once more to the king, then stepped down the palace stairs toward the car. The driver opened the door, and Kael took one last look back before getting in.
The door closed with a muted thud. The car wheels began to roll over the stone path, slow at first, then steadily toward the palace gates.
Alisha remained standing at the entrance.
Her gaze followed the car as it grew smaller along the road lined with flowers and trimmed hedges. The bright light around her did little to hide the way her expression slowly changed.
The gentle curve of her smile faded.
Her shoulders lowered just slightly, as if something warm had been taken away too soon.
Beside her, King Valerius noticed.
He did not speak. He did not need to.
A father learned to read the quietest shifts in his child long ago.
Alisha kept watching until the car disappeared beyond the gates.
Only then did she lower her eyes.
Valerius placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, surprised for a moment, then offered a small reassuring smile, the kind meant to say I am fine even when the heart says otherwise.
The king returned the smile, though his eyes carried understanding deeper than words.
Together, they turned and walked back into the palace, the large doors closing behind them with a soft, echoing hush. 🌿
The Ravenshade car rolled through the iron gates of the company estate just as the late afternoon sun dipped low, glazing the glass windows of the main office building in amber light.
Kael stepped out, straightened his coat, and walked inside.
The familiar scent of paper, ink, and polished wood greeted him. Clerks moved between desks, the quiet rhythm of work filling the air. A few glanced up as he passed, whispers trailing behind him like drifting threads.
He reached his cabin at the end of the corridor and pushed the door open.
Before he could even sit down, the door creaked again.
Vance slipped in without knocking.
His smile was thin, stretched too wide to be friendly.
"Well?" Vance asked, folding his arms. "Didn't go well, I assume? The king is not known for signing things easily."
Kael removed his gloves calmly and placed them on the desk.
"He signed," Kael said.
The words landed like a stone dropped into still water.
Vance blinked.
"…What?"
"The document," Kael repeated, pulling the folded parchment from his case and placing it on the desk. The royal seal gleamed in red wax. "It is approved."
For a moment, Vance simply stared at it.
Color drained from his face, then rushed back in uneven patches.
"That's impossible," he said sharply. "We tried for months. Senior negotiators failed. The board failed. Even your father couldn't—"
He stopped himself.
Kael leaned back slightly in his chair, watching him without expression.
Vance's eyes snapped back to the document, then to Kael.
"How did you do it?" he demanded. "What did you say? What did you offer?"
Kael's voice remained even.
"I spoke honestly."
Vance let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
"Honesty does not move kings."
"Sometimes it does," Kael replied.
Vance searched his face, looking for arrogance, for pride, for some hint of a trick. He found none. That unsettled him more than boasting would have.
His jaw tightened.
"You expect me to believe you walked into a royal palace and succeeded where seasoned officials failed… just by talking?"
Kael met his gaze steadily.
"Yes."
Silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable.
Vance looked again at the seal, as if it might vanish if he stared hard enough.
The truth sat there in red wax, undeniable.
His expression twisted, not into anger, but something sharper. Calculation.
"Well," he said slowly, forcing composure back into his voice, "congratulations… Kael Ravenshade."
The title sounded like it tasted bitter.
"You've done something remarkable."
Kael did not react to the sarcasm woven beneath the praise.
"Was there anything else?" he asked.
Vance lingered a second longer, then turned toward the door.
"No," he said. "Nothing else."
But his thoughts were loud behind his quiet steps.
This was not supposed to happen.
And as the door closed behind him, Kael looked down at the signed document again, the royal seal catching the fading light.
He did not feel triumphant.
Only a quiet sense that something far bigger had begun moving, and he was already standing in its path.
A soft knock tapped against the door, gentler than Vance's earlier intrusion.
"Come in," Kael said.
The door opened, and his personal assistant stepped inside, closing it carefully behind him as if sealing the room off from the rest of the building.
"I heard," the assistant said, a rare smile breaking through his usually composed expression. "The palace courier confirmed it. The document is official."
Kael gave a small nod.
"Yes. It is done."
The assistant let out a quiet breath of relief, shoulders easing. "Then congratulations, sir. Your first assignment and already a success. Not a small one either."
Kael looked at the parchment on his desk, the red royal seal now dull in the fading light.
"Thank you," he said simply.
No pride. No dramatic satisfaction. Just acknowledgment.
The assistant studied him for a moment, as if expecting more of a reaction, then gave a respectful nod.
"If you need anything else this evening, I will remain in my office," he said.
Kael inclined his head. "I appreciate it."
The assistant left as quietly as he had come, the door clicking shut with a soft final sound.
Once alone again, Kael leaned back in his chair.
Outside the tall windows, the sky deepened toward evening, the last gold light slipping between distant buildings.
On his desk lay proof of success.
In his mind lingered a silent garden, moving hands, and a girl whose laughter made no sound, yet somehow echoed the loudest. 🌿
The Ravenshade estate was quieter than the capital, wrapped in the soft hush of evening. Lanterns along the pathway glowed warm against the deepening blue of the sky.
As Kael stepped through the front doors, the familiar scent of home greeted him, polished wood, old books, and the faint aroma of dinner drifting from the dining hall.
Footsteps hurried across the marble floor.
"Brother!"
Zara appeared like a burst of sunlight, her dark hair slightly messy, a book still clutched in one hand. She stopped in front of him, eyes bright.
"You are late today," she said, trying to sound serious and failing. "Important director things?"
Kael smiled faintly and rested a hand on her head. "Something like that."
She squinted at him. "That means yes."
He left her laughing in the hallway and went upstairs. A hot shower washed away the dust of the city and the stiffness of formal posture. By the time he changed into simple home clothes and came back down, the weight of the day had softened around the edges.
The dining room lights were already lit.
Rowan Ravenshade sat at the head of the table, posture straight as ever, though at home his presence felt less like a commander and more like a quiet mountain that had always been there. Zara sat to his right, already halfway through her meal.
Kael took his seat.
Dinner began in the comfortable rhythm of family, the soft clink of cutlery, the low murmur of servants moving in and out.
After a while, Rowan looked up.
"How was your day?"
Kael swallowed before answering. "Busy. I had an external meeting."
Zara leaned forward immediately. "Boring meeting or dramatic meeting?"
Kael considered. "Important meeting."
That caught Rowan's attention. His gaze sharpened slightly. "I heard you went to the royal palace."
Kael paused mid movement. "You did?"
Rowan took a calm sip of water. "Information travels. Especially when my son walks into the king's residence on his first major assignment."
Zara's eyes widened. "You met the king and did not tell me first?"
Kael ignored her dramatic betrayal. His focus stayed on his father. "How do you always know these things?"
Rowan's expression did not change. "Because it is my responsibility to know."
A brief silence passed before Rowan asked the question that truly mattered.
"Did the matter you went for succeed?"
Kael held his father's gaze.
"Yes," he said. "He signed the document."
Zara nearly dropped her fork. "Wait, that thing? The one Uncle Vance said was impossible?"
Rowan did not react outwardly, but something eased in his eyes. Approval, quiet and measured.
"Well done," he said.
Simple words. Heavy meaning.
Kael gave a small nod. "Thank you."
They returned to their meal, but the air at the table had changed. Not louder, not celebratory. Just steadier.
Like a foundation had settled into place.
Rowan set his glass down with deliberate calm, though the corner of his mouth curved upward.
"So," he said, a hint of amusement threading through his voice, "you visited the royal palace, met the king… and conveniently forgot to mention meeting someone else?"
Zara's head snapped toward Kael. "Someone else?"
Kael sighed quietly. "I was getting to that."
Rowan leaned back slightly. "Of course you were."
Kael folded his hands on the table, choosing his words with unusual care.
"I met the king's daughter," he said. "Her name is Alisha."
Zara's eyes widened with instant interest.
Rowan's smirk deepened, but he said nothing, waiting.
"She cannot hear," Kael continued, "and she cannot speak." His tone did not carry pity, only fact. "But she is… very talkative. Just in her own language."
Zara blinked. "Sign language?"
Kael nodded.
Rowan watched him closely. "And?"
Kael paused, searching for the right way to describe something he did not fully understand himself.
"It was a good meeting," he said at last. "Very good."
Zara leaned forward onto the table. "Good how?"
Kael gave her a flat look. "Zara."
"What? I am just asking academically."
Rowan chuckled under his breath, the sound low and rare. "Academically," he repeated.
Kael shook his head slightly, but there was no real annoyance in it.
"She showed me the palace gardens," he said. "We talked for a while."
"In sign language," Zara added with fascination.
"Yes."
Rowan studied his son's expression, the subtle shift in his posture, the way his voice had softened without him noticing.
"I see," Rowan said quietly.
Kael glanced at him. "See what?"
Rowan picked up his fork again, composure returning like a curtain falling back into place. "Nothing. I am simply glad your visit was… productive in more ways than one."
Zara gasped softly. "Father!"
Kael muttered, "I regret saying anything."
But despite the attempt at seriousness, the warmth at the table lingered, gentle and new, like the first hint of spring after a long winter.