Chapter 165 - Lunch with The Edevanes

Chapter 165: 165 - Lunch with The Edevanes

There were still a few things keeping him in the capital, but for the first time since arriving, Adrien could see the end of the visit clearly enough to start thinking about Greymoor again. He had been away for weeks.

That did not mean he intended to spend his remaining time in Sylvarin counting the hours until he left.

The following afternoon, Caelan and Selene invited him to lunch with them and Amelia. It was the first time the four of them had sat down together since the night of the banquet, when Adrien had told Caelan exactly what was happening between him and his daughter.

Lunch with the Edevanes was much quieter than Adrien expected. Caelan had arranged it in a small dining room at the palace, with a plain oak table and only the four of them. By the time Adrien arrived, Amelia and Selene were already seated.

Caelan pointed to the empty chair beside Amelia.

"Sit. I wanted one meal where nobody was going to walk over halfway through and ask you about border politics."

Adrien pulled out the chair.

"I appreciate that. I think I answered enough questions at the banquet to cover the next several months."

The meal began without ceremony. For the first few minutes the talk stayed on Sylvarin and Orven, but Caelan eventually steered toward the subject Adrien had been waiting for.

"I know the broad version of what happened to House Clairmont. What I don’t know is what Greymoor actually looks like now. Are you rebuilding a residence, or are you rebuilding a territory?"

"The territory. The residence is the least important part. We have roads that need work, villages that lost people and trade, soldiers who need equipment, and a population that spent too long not knowing whether the house above them would still exist next month."

Caelan said nothing, so Adrien went on.

"We’re stable now. That comes before anything else. I’m trying to make sure the next stage isn’t just recovering what we had before, because what we had before clearly wasn’t enough to survive what happened."

Selene leaned forward a little.

"And your mother is handling the administration while you are away?"

"She handles a great deal of it even when I’m there. Evelyne is better at catching the things I overlook, especially when money or local obligations are involved. I tend to look at what can be changed. She is usually the one who asks what changing it will break."

"That sounds useful, especially for someone rebuilding quickly."

"It has saved me from making several expensive mistakes."

Amelia already knew most of it, yet she listened closely while he laid Greymoor out for her parents. If things between them kept on as they were, that land would one day become part of her life as well.

Selene’s thoughts had clearly gone the same way.

"I would like to meet Evelyne when circumstances allow it. Your sister as well. Amelia has spoken about Ariane often enough that I feel as though I already know part of her."

"My mother would want the same. Ariane will probably ask Amelia twenty questions before anyone finishes introducing themselves properly, but she’ll mean well."

Amelia caught her mother’s eye.

"That is an accurate warning."

The talk drifted naturally toward family. Selene asked about Ariane and Evelyne, while Caelan wanted to know how Greymoor’s defenses were coming along and whether Adrien meant to expand them.

Adrien answered plainly without turning lunch into a military report. Greymoor was stronger than it had been, but he had no intention of pretending it could stand against the great powers surrounding it.

"I’d rather build something difficult to break than something impressive to look at. For now that means reliable soldiers, functioning roads, reserves, and people who trust the house enough to stay."

Caelan nodded once.

"That is a better answer than telling me how many powerful people you intend to recruit."

"I’d still like powerful people. I just don’t want the territory depending on three of them."

"That part I agree with."

By the time the plates had been cleared, Adrien noticed Caelan had stopped weighing every answer as though it might hide a crack. He was still taking his measure, but now as the head of one family sizing up the head of another.

Selene eventually rose and looked toward Amelia.

"Come with me for a moment. I need your opinion on something before we leave the palace later."

Amelia stood with her, giving Adrien a brief glance before following her mother out.

The door clicked shut, and Adrien looked across the table at Caelan. For several seconds neither spoke, until Caelan let out a breath and leaned back in his chair.

"I had a much longer speech prepared after that terrace."

Adrien waited a moment.

"What happened to it?"

"I slept, and afterward I realized most of it was for my benefit rather than yours. Amelia already made her choice. You already made yours. Standing over you and explaining that she is important to me would waste both our time."

"I know she is important to you, and I know what you were trying to tell me that night."

"I know you know. That does not make this particularly easy."

Caelan rested one forearm on the table.

"When she was small, I could solve almost anything that frightened her. Bad dream, injury, someone treating her badly. There was always something I could do. Then one day she became old enough that the things capable of hurting her were also things she had to choose for herself."

Adrien set down his cup.

"I can’t promise she’ll never be hurt because of me. I don’t think anyone can promise that honestly. But I can promise I won’t treat what we have carelessly."

"That is considerably better than a grand promise I would not believe."

Caelan studied him for another moment.

"And if the two of you argue?"

"Then we’ll argue and work through it. I’m not expecting us to agree on everything simply because we decided to be together."

"And if she decides you are wrong?"

Adrien turned the question over.

"Then I’ll hear why before deciding I’m still right."

The corner of Caelan’s mouth twitched.

"That answer will probably keep you alive longer than most combat training."

Adrien let out a quiet laugh.

"I’ll remember it."

The tension in the room loosened without vanishing altogether. When voices drew near in the corridor outside, Caelan got to his feet.

"For what it is worth, I would rather she chose someone who understands responsibility than someone who only understands status. I am still deciding what I think of the rest of you."

"That seems fair. I’m still deciding what I think of you too, so at least we’re even."

Caelan looked at him for a second, then gave the smallest shake of his head as Amelia and Selene returned.

They spent another half hour together before leaving, the conversation wandering back toward ordinary things. By the end of it, Adrien no longer felt like a guest invited only for Amelia’s sake. Somewhere along the way, the Edevanes had begun treating him as someone they expected to see again.