Chapter 86: Pin drop scilence

The promised hour passed quietly.

Kai had locked the door, shoved a chair under the handle for good measure, and actually managed something close to rest. When a soft knock finally came, it was followed by a polite attendant’s voice informing him that the baths were ready and fresh clothes had been laid out.

He almost didn’t open the door on principle. Then the thought of hot water won.

The palace baths were less "bath" and more "private thermal spring that had been politely domesticated." Pale stone, floating lights, and water so clear it looked unreal. Kai sank into the heat with a low sound of relief and stayed there until the worst of the road tension finally loosened its grip on his shoulders.

He was not alone for long.

The connecting door to the adjoining bathing chamber slid open. Elias walked in like he had been invited, towel slung low around his hips, expression already far too pleased with himself.

"You look relaxed, Sugar."

Kai didn’t even open his eyes.

"Get out."

"The attendants said the baths were for guests. I’m a guest."

"You’re a menace."

Elias stepped into the water anyway. A moment later Rhydian entered through the same door, and the temperature in the room seemed to shift for an entirely different reason.

Rhydian was built like someone who fought for a living and won. Broad shoulders, hard lines of muscle, the kind of body that looked carved rather than trained. When he dropped his towel and stepped into the water, it was impossible not to notice the rest of him — thick, heavy, and proportionally obscene even at rest. Kai’s brain short-circuited for half a second before he forced his gaze elsewhere.

Ayan hovered near the entrance last, clearly debating whether to turn around and leave. Eventually he slipped in with the cautious movements of someone who expected to be told he didn’t belong.

For a short while there was only steam and quiet.

Then Elias, because he was incapable of leaving anything alone, leaned back against the stone and let one hand drift underwater with zero shame. The slow, deliberate motion of his arm made it obvious what he was doing.

"You know," he said lightly, "we’ve got heat, privacy, and four people who’ve all nearly died together. This is basically the setup for an orgy."

Kai’s eyes snapped open.

"No."

"I’m just saying the logistics are ideal."

"The logistics are never ideal with you."

Rhydian rested both arms along the edge of the bath, completely unfazed, as if Elias had commented on the weather. The waterline sat low on his chest. He looked like the concept of tension simply did not apply to him.

Elias’s gaze slid to Ayan, who was trying very hard to become one with the stone wall.

"What about you, cute face? Submissive or dominant? I’m flexible, but I’d be more than ready to take you apart right here if you’re offering."

Ayan’s entire face went scarlet. He sank a little lower in the water, voice barely audible.

"I... I’ve never really tried sex before."

The admission landed in the steam like a dropped plate. Elias’s eyebrows rose with genuine interest. Even Rhydian glanced over, mild surprise flickering across his otherwise calm expression.

Elias opened his mouth, probably to say something filthier, and then his breath hitched. His hand moved faster under the water. A low sound escaped him as he finished, and the evidence of it arced through the air and landed in a warm streak across Kai’s cheek and the corner of his mouth.

Silence.

Kai sat perfectly still for one full second. Then he reached up, wiped the mess off his face with two fingers, and stared at Elias with an expression of pure, concentrated disgust.

"You absolute animal."

He stood, water streaming off him, and stalked to the edge of the bath. Without another word he rinsed his face under a clear spout of clean water, grabbed a towel, and walked out of the bathing chamber while Elias was still catching his breath and looking far too satisfied.

Rhydian watched him go, still reclining like none of this was particularly unusual, and only then reached for his own towel with unhurried calm.

**

By the time they were dressed and guided toward the main halls, evening had settled over the floating city in layers of gold and violet light. Kai had changed into the formal clothes provided and was still quietly seething. Elias had the nerve to look refreshed. Ayan looked like he wanted to evaporate. Rhydian walked as if the bath had been a completely normal social experience.

The dining hall was long, airy, and open on one side to a terrace that overlooked the glowing tiers of Eldoria. Living vines framed the archways. The table itself was pale wood inlaid with silver, already set with more dishes than Kai could immediately identify.

Lucien was already there.

He had changed into formal attire that made the earlier shift in presence look intentional. The quiet alchemist was still visible underneath, but the Crown Prince stood closer to the surface now.

Beside him stood his family.

His mother was human, and time showed it. Her hair had gone mostly silver, her face lined with age, but her eyes were sharp and warm. She held herself with the quiet confidence of someone who had spent decades as queen in a court that was not originally her own.

His father looked barely older than Lucien. Tall, elegant, unmistakably elven, with the same refined features and an ageless stillness in his expression. Only the depth in his eyes suggested the weight of centuries.

And then there were the twins.

Claire and Cassandra stood slightly apart from their parents, mirror images of each other. Gorgeous half-elves with the same pale hair and striking eyes, dressed in complementary tones of green and silver. One carried a cooler, assessing look. The other seemed more openly curious.

Lucien turned as they entered and gestured them forward.

"Father. Mother. These are the companions I mentioned. Kai, Elias, Rhydian, and Ayan."

Lucien’s father inclined his head.

"Welcome to Eldoria. Any friend of my son is received with hospitality."

His mother smiled with genuine warmth.

"Please, sit. You all look like you’ve had a difficult journey. Eat first. Questions can wait until you’ve had something hot."

Claire’s gaze moved over them with polite interest.

"Lucien doesn’t usually bring people home. This is new."

Cassandra’s eyes lingered on Kai a fraction longer than the others.

"New can be good."

They sat. Dishes were served. Wine was poured. For a few minutes the conversation stayed in safe territory.

Lucien’s mother turned to Kai first.

"You are the one who stopped them in the forest, correct? The white-haired A-rank."

Kai set his glass down carefully.

"That’s one way to put it. Mostly I just shouted until they stopped trying to flatten each other."

Lucien’s mouth twitched.

"He understates his role."

Elias leaned forward, already smiling in a way that made Kai brace himself.

"He understates a lot of things. Useful habit when you’re traveling with people who attract disaster."

Claire regarded Elias over the rim of her glass.

"And you are the one who turned half a forest into a crater."

"Technically we shared the credit," Elias said. "I’m a generous man."

"You’re a loud man," Cassandra observed mildly.

"Loud has its advantages."

"Not at this table," Claire replied, and took a calm sip of wine.

Rhydian cleared his throat and tried to steer.

"Your city is remarkable. I’ve flown over a lot of places. Nothing quite like this."

Lucien’s father inclined his head slightly.

"Eldoria has remained apart from the lower world for good reason. Stability requires distance."

Ayan, who had been silent until then, spoke in a small voice.

"It’s... really beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it."

Lucien’s mother looked at him kindly.

"Then you should see the upper terraces tomorrow, if you stay long enough. The morning light is worth rising early for."

Elias, undeterred by his earlier failure, turned his attention toward Cassandra with a lazy smile.

"If I had known the palace came with such sharp company, I might have visited sooner."

Cassandra’s expression remained politely closed.

"Then it’s fortunate you didn’t. We would have been less entertaining as children."

Claire added,

"And far more likely to set you on fire."

Elias put a hand over his heart.

"Cruel. I respect it."

Kai watched the twins dismantle Elias with surgical politeness and felt a reluctant spark of admiration. Across the table, Lucien caught his eye for a brief moment. There was something unreadable in his expression.

Lucien’s father set down his glass and looked across the table with mild curiosity.

"Lucien has not often brought companions home. Especially not under such urgent circumstances. It is unusual."

The observation was soft. The attention behind it was not.

Lucien was quiet for a moment. Then he set his own glass down with deliberate care and looked directly at his parents, then at the rest of the table.

"That’s because this time is different."

Conversation slowed.

Lucien continued, voice steady and clear in the formal cadence he had used at the gates.

"Kai is not simply a companion from the road. He is someone I care for deeply... and the person I intend to marry."

The words landed with perfect, catastrophic clarity.

For a full second, the dining hall went dead silent.

Claire’s eyebrows rose. Cassandra’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth. Lucien’s mother blinked once, slowly. His father’s expression did not change, but the temperature of his attention sharpened by several degrees. Ayan made a small, strangled sound and stared at his plate. Rhydian closed his eyes as if praying for strength. Elias’s grin retracted into a frown.

Kai sat frozen, the words still echoing in his ears, every coherent thought scattering like startled birds.

Lucien held his gaze across the table, calm and unflinching, as if he had not just detonated the entire evening with a single sentence.

The silence stretched.

And stretched.

Pin drop.