Episode-778
Chapter : 1555
The children stared up at the massive stone facade. It was intimidating, but the lights in the windows were warm.
Head Maid Annalisa was there, looking stern but efficient.
"Master Lloyd," she curtsied. "We received your pigeon. The East Wing is prepared. Nannies are waiting. Food is hot."
"Excellent, Annalisa," Lloyd said. "These are... special guests. Treat them like royalty. Better than royalty. Royalty is annoying. Treat them like family."
Annalisa looked at the ragged children. Her expression softened. "Understood, sir. Come, little ones. We have pie."
The word "pie" worked magic. The children followed her, Jasmin going with them to settle them in.
"I'll come find you later," Jasmin told Lloyd. "Thank you. For everything."
"Go," Lloyd smiled. "Be a sister."
She left. Ken went to the barracks to check in with security and probably clean his guns.
Lloyd was alone on the steps.
He looked at the front door. It loomed over him.
He was exhausted. He wanted a bath. He wanted a drink. He wanted to sleep for a week.
But he knew who was waiting inside.
"Into the breach," Lloyd muttered.
He walked up the steps. He pushed open the doors.
The Grand Hall was empty. Quiet. Too quiet.
"Hello?" Lloyd called out. "I'm home! I brought salt! And treaties!"
No answer.
He walked further in. His footsteps echoed on the marble.
"Mother? Father?"
Silence.
He frowned. Usually, there would be a greeting committee. Or at least a butler.
He walked toward his study. Maybe they were waiting there.
He reached the study door. It was closed. He sensed... presence behind it. Powerful presence.
Multiple presences.
He hesitated. His [All-Seeing Eye] itched. He activated it.
He saw three energy signatures inside.
One was cold. Icy blue. Controlled. Sharp. Rosa.
One was hot. Fiery orange. Chaotic. Passionate. Faria.
One was complex. Purple and gold. Calculating. Regal. Amina.
And they were sitting in a circle.
Lloyd deactivated the Eye. He swallowed hard.
"Well," he whispered. "This is it."
He smoothed his hair. He adjusted his jacket. He took a deep breath.
He reached for the handle.
The heavy oak door of the study clicked shut, sealing Lloyd Ferrum inside with the three most dangerous entities in the Northern Hemisphere. He had faced a chimera with a mechanical arm. He had stared down a demon prince made of magma. He had outwitted a king and manipulated a queen. But as he looked at the scene before him, Lloyd realized that those were merely warm-up exercises. This was the main event.
The study, usually his sanctuary of blueprints and solitude, had been commandeered. It was no longer a room; it was a courtroom, and he was the defendant in a trial where the laws of physics did not apply, only the laws of emotion.
Three women sat in a rough semi-circle facing the door.
To the left sat Princess Amina of Zakaria. She looked perfectly at ease, sipping tea from one of his best porcelain cups. She wore a gown of deep purple silk that shimmered in the candlelight. Her veil was gone, revealing a face of serene, calculating intelligence. She looked like a grandmaster who had already seen the checkmate five moves ago.
To the right sat Lady Faria Kruts. She was a storm contained in crimson riding leathers. Dust from the road still coated her boots, indicating she had ridden hard to get here. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, her foot tapping a rapid, aggressive rhythm on the floorboards. Her eyes weren't calculating; they were burning. She looked like she was debating whether to kiss him or set him on fire.
And in the center...
In the center sat Rosa Siddik.
She was an island of absolute, terrifying silence. She wore a dress of stark, winter white that made her silver hair look like a cascade of frost. She sat with perfect, rigid posture, her hands folded neatly in her lap. She did not drink tea. She did not tap her foot. She did not look at Amina or Faria. Her stormy grey eyes were fixed solely, intensely, and unblinkingly on Lloyd.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees just by her being there. She radiated a cold so profound it felt like standing next to an open freezer door.
Lloyd stood by the door, his hand still on the latch. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back.
Chapter : 1556
"I should have stayed in the carriage," Lloyd thought. "I should have asked Ken to lock me in the dungeon. At least the rats don't ask questions."
He cleared his throat. It sounded like a gunshot in the quiet room.
"So," Lloyd said, his voice sounding rusty. "The welcoming committee. How... charming."
No one laughed.
"You look terrible," Faria said instantly. Her voice was sharp, laced with worry and anger. "You look like you haven't slept in a month. And why are you wearing velvet? It's covered in road dust."
"It's a long story, Faria," Lloyd said, addressing her directly. He walked over to his desk, using it as a physical barrier between himself and the Tribunal. He deliberately avoided looking at the center chair. He acted as if the woman in white wasn't there. "And the velvet was necessary. Diplomatic camouflage."
"Camouflage for what?" Amina asked smoothly, setting her cup down. "For becoming a King Consort? Or for starting a civil war in a foreign nation?"
Lloyd looked at Amina. "News travels fast."
"Spies travel fast," Amina corrected with a small smile. "And your exploits were... loud. Blowing up quarries? Summoning demons in throne rooms? You are not very subtle for a ghost, Lloyd."
"I got the job done," Lloyd said, leaning against his desk. "The treaty is signed. The alliance is secure. Risa is safe."
"Your hydration levels are suboptimal," a voice said. It was cool, clear, and clinical.
It was Rosa.
She hadn't moved. She hadn't looked at Faria or Amina. She was speaking only to him.
Lloyd stiffened. He didn't look at her. He looked at Faria.
"Faria," Lloyd said, "is there a draft in here? It feels suddenly very cold. Perhaps we should check the window seals."
Faria blinked, looking confused. "The windows are closed, Lloyd. What are you talking about?"
"Just a chill," Lloyd muttered. "A very persistent chill."
Rosa ignored Faria completely. She stood up. Her movement was graceful and silent, like a snowfall. She walked over to a side table where a pitcher of water sat. She poured a glass.
She walked up to Lloyd. She held the glass out to him.
"Drink," Rosa said.
It wasn't a request. It was a statement of fact. Her eyes bored into his. There was no apology in them, no pleading. Just a terrifying, absolute focus. She was acting as if they were the only two people in the room.
Lloyd stared at the water. He was thirsty. His throat was parched. But taking it felt like surrendering territory.
He looked at Amina.
"Princess," Lloyd said, "could you pass me that water? My hands are shaking from the... fatigue."
Amina raised an eyebrow. She looked at Rosa, then at Lloyd. She saw the game. She saw the cold war.
"I think," Amina said, leaning back, "that Lady Rosa is closer."
"I am right here," Rosa said to Lloyd. She didn't acknowledge Amina's existence. "Take the glass. You need fluids to facilitate recovery."
Lloyd gritted his teeth. He couldn't ignore her if she was standing six inches from his face holding a beverage.
He reached out and took the glass, making sure his fingers didn't brush hers. He drank it in one gulp and slammed the glass down on the desk.
"Thank you," he said to the air above her head.
"You are welcome," Rosa said. She turned and walked back to her chair, sitting down with the same regal composture. She still hadn't looked at the other women.
Faria looked like she was about to explode. "What is going on? Why are you two acting like... like weird statues?"
"We are tired, Faria," Lloyd said quickly, turning his back on Rosa. "It was a long trip. A very long trip."
"You left!" Faria shouted, jumping up. She couldn't hold it in anymore. "You just left! Without a word! You went to Altamira! Do you know what they do to people like us there? They put collars on them! You could have been killed!"
She marched over to him and poked him hard in the chest.
"You promised we were partners," Faria hissed. "Partners don't run off to enemy nations on suicide missions without telling the other partner! I had to hear about it from a rumor in the market!"
"It was necessary," Lloyd said, rubbing his chest. "It was an emergency. A child's life was at stake."
"And your life?" Faria demanded. "Does your life not matter? To us? To... me?"
Her voice cracked on the last word. She looked furious and heartbroken all at once.