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One night, a couple of days after Emma offered Luke to join him in the bath, Luke's parents, Alden and Amara Ironcrest, were in bed, turning in for the night. And as Amara snuggled up to her husband, Alden asked, "Dear… are we doing the right thing, asking Emma to pursue our son so aggressively? Even if her parents do not mind, and the girl is obviously smitten with Luke, it seems very rushed."
And the term "aggressively" was an understatement. After Emma's failed attempt to join Luke in the bath, somehow, the drama-hungry house staff caught wind of Emma's failed attempt and rallied around her to brainstorm other strategies.
That was when the escalation started. The house staff would coordinate for Luke to "walk in" on Emma while she was changing, showed her how to "trip" and cling to Luke as an excuse for "support", and their latest plan had Luke waking up to Emma clinging to him in nothing but a nightgown and pretending to be deep asleep when Luke tried to get out of bed.
Now, as ludicrous as all these plans were, the house staff knew better than to take things into their own hands, so they ran these plans by the Lady of the house, Amara, before they were sanctioned to be carried out.
Amara sighed and replied, "You know as well as I do why I am pushing. Our baby Luke is special, and with what's coming, I want to ensure that his bloodline is secured."
"Sure, I understand that part. That's why I have stayed silent on this so far, but the way you and the servants are coaching that girl… it can't be good for her to learn all that stuff." Alden said. "And besides, they are still young, they have time. The warning Royal Intelligence gave all the border nobles just said that the Dominion is preparing, that kind of thing takes time, years even."
Amara gave her husband a serious look, "I guess it is a good thing you married into an old noble family like mine. You have been in many wars as a knight, a few border skirmishes as a noble, but you have never been in a full-blown war as a noble."
At this point, Amara sat up to lean against the headboard, and, sensing how important the coming conversation was, Alden followed suit.
"When Royal Intelligence comes to all the border noble houses that have a proper fighting force like ours, under the cover of secrecy, no less, it means war is imminent. It could be two months from now, or even two years, but it will happen soon. Even if it is two years from now, you and I know that is still not a lot of time for preparations, and we cannot let the common people know, or it will incite panic.
And if what you told me about those shining weapons the Valorhelm Dominion knights were using is true, I am no strategist, but we are in trouble, and when the kingdom is in trouble, they are not as picky when choosing who they send to the frontline. And with our son being the youngest knight in our kingdom's recorded history, there is little doubt a royal messenger will show up with orders for him to head to the front.
That is why I want Luke's bun in Emma's oven as soon as possible. It may sound terrible of me, but as a baron family, it is still acceptable to marry commoners into our family, and I would rather have that than marry Luke to someone from another noble family we cannot trust. We at least have some control over Emma's family." Amara explained.
Alden grumbled, "Emma's family are good people, and I don't like talking about them in such a transactional way, but as a noble, I understand where you're coming from. The only upside in this heavy-handed matchmaking is that they both like each other. I see how Luke looks at Emma when he thinks nobody is watching, and if they end up getting married, it will be a love marriage, not a political one. Not many noble children are afforded such a luxury."
Amara snorted, "If? Darling, with me, Anna, and those nosy servants plotting together, it was only a matter of when. But I love that you are the romantic one of the two of us." she said as he gave her husband a loving kiss.
***
I am currently in bed, staring at the ceiling, keeping my body unnaturally straight and stiff, while feeling the constant soft breaths blowing on my face. As for who was breathing on my face… that would be Emma, tucked under the same blanket I am using, keeping my right arm captive in a hug, pressed against all her warmth and softness. So when I say I was unnaturally straight and stiff, the hormones rampaging through my body are making a certain part of my body straighter and stiffer than usual.
Gods, she smells good.
Currently, my mind and body is a battlefield of contradictions. My mind is telling me no, but my body, my body's telling me yes.
This was the second night in a row that Emma pulled this on me. Last night, she snuck in while I was asleep, but tonight she did not bother waiting for me to fall asleep. She entered my room and slid into my bed without a word or even meeting my eyes. When I objected to her sleeping with me, she started the waterworks. Even in the dark of night, I could see the tears welling in her eyes, shimmering in the moonlight. That was when I knew I had lost the fight before it even began.
While I was trying to bring up thoughts and images in my mind to kill my boner, I felt a mana pulse from the nightstand where I keep Professor Sageira's scale, and I thanked whatever god was out there for the distraction.
I extended a tendril of mana around Emma and connected it to the dragon scale. {Thank god you called to talk!} I telepathically said as I picked up Professor Sageira's call.
{Well, nice to hear from you too,} Professor Sageira replied with some humor in her voice, {I assume I caught you at a good time? You sound like my call rescued you from a mind-numbing lecture.}
{Something like that. I needed the distraction.} I replied.
{Then I got a big one for you. This goes without saying, but you are not to repeat what I tell you to anyone, even your parents. Otherwise, I will not let you in on any future privileged information that may or may not affect you in the future.} she warned and continued after I agreed.
{The royals finally swallowed their pride and came to consult me on the nature of the soul weapon recovered from the Valorhelm Dominion knights because they have confirmed that a war with the Valorhelm Dominion is looming on the horizon, and want a way to counter these weapons if they are fielded en masse.}
Now that… that sent shivers down my spine and did a fine job at killing my boner. Just thinking about hundreds of Valorhelm Dominion knights rushing the kingdom's army lines, it would be a bloodbath that the kingdom may not be able to stop. But the important part was that war was coming, and it would most likely reach my home. I will need to find a way to get my father to prepare for war without telling him outright… or at least point him in the right direction so he comes to the same conclusion on his own.
{Fuck… I know that you count this as mortal business, but please tell me that they paid something of equal value for a useful answer… or at least gave them a hint?} I asked pleadingly.
{You are correct. This is mortal business. But I am not without my sympathies. I hinted them down the right path. Now it is up to them to find an answer to their problem.} she replied before continuing with a lighter tone. {Moving on, I received a request for your services in a Broken Scale trial for a wyrmling. The poor girl's parents have high expectations for her and were impressed with your showing. Are you free anytime in the next two weeks?}
War preparations aside, this Broken Scale trial should take my mind off things and separate me from Emma for a few days. Hopefully, enough time for the heat of pushing our relationship to cool off. {I should be free tomorrow. What are the details of the job? If war is coming to my home, I am going to need to help my family with war funds.}