After finishing his workout and a hot bath, Kai felt refreshed. His muscles still burned, but the sweat was gone, replaced by the clean scent of fresh clothes.
He walked toward the dining hall, his boots clicking firmly against the stone floor. Inside, the smell of a warm meal filled the air. A plate of thick meat, eggs, and vegetables was already waiting on the mahogany table—the perfect fuel to help his body grow stronger.
Sitting directly across from his seat was Aria. She looked like she had just woken up, but even then, she looked perfect. She was wearing a light blue tank top that made her silver hair stand out.
She also wore thin shorts that were so tight they showed every curve of her legs. She was eating slowly, her eyes focused on her plate, moving with a grace that only rich people seemed to have.
Kai didn't say a word. He didn't bow, and he didn't offer a polite "good morning" like the old Kai would have done. He simply pulled out his chair, sat down, and started eating. He was hungry, and he didn't care about making small talk.
As he chewed, he could feel Aria's eyes on him. Every few seconds, she would look up from the corner of her eye, watching how he held his knife and how he sat up straight.
She was observing him like he was a strange animal she had never seen before. She was looking for a sign of the old, scared boy, but all she saw was a man who looked like he owned the room.
Finally, the silence became too much for her. Aria was the one who spoke first. Her voice was still cold, but the usual mean spirit was missing. It sounded more like she was genuinely confused.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her fork hovering in the air.
Kai didn't look up right away. He finished chewing, swallowed, and then slowly raised his head. His golden eyes locked onto hers, steady and unblinking. "What does it look like? I'm eating my breakfast."
He didn't wait for her to reply. He went right back to cutting his steak, his movements smooth and calm. This total lack of fear seemed to bother her. He could see her grip her fork a little tighter, and the air around her started to feel a bit colder as her magic reacted to her mood.
"I'm not talking about the food," she snapped, her voice getting sharper. "I saw you through the window earlier. Why were you running around the grounds like a madman? You were carrying huge rocks and doing strange movements. You looked ridiculous."
Kai stopped eating. A small, slow smirk grew on his face. He leaned back in his chair, looking at her with a bit of amusement in his eyes. "Oh? Is that so? It seems the little princess of the Ashford family doesn't even know what a workout is."
Seeing that smug look on his face made Aria's skin turn bright red. It was a mix of pure anger and embarrassment. "I know what a workout is! I'm asking why you are doing it! It's a waste of time!"
She slammed her hand lightly on the table. "You are an ability user now, Kai! You have magic! In this world, magic is everything. Who cares if you can lift a rock? A real ability user can just freeze you into a statue from ten feet away before you even take a step. Physical strength is for people who have no talent."
Kai listened to her rant without interrupting. When she was done, he calmly put down his knife and fork. He took a napkin and wiped his mouth, then leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table. He looked her right in the eyes, his expression turning very serious.
"Listen to me, Aria," Kai said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous tone. "You've lived a soft life. You think magic solves everything. But in a real battle, things go wrong. What happens if your mana runs out in the middle of a fight? What happens if someone gets close enough to grab your throat before you can cast a spell? If I'm out of magic, I'm not going to just stand there and die. I'd rather trust my own fists and my own legs than wait for someone to come save me."
Aria opened her mouth to argue, but the words wouldn't come out. She looked at his face and realized he wasn't joking. He spoke like someone who had actually seen a fight, not someone who just practiced in a safe room.
She went quiet, her mind spinning as she thought about what he said. After a few seconds, she let out a loud huff and looked away, trying to act like she wasn't interested.
"Hmph. You're overthinking it," she scoffed, poking at her food. "Men are destined to be cannon fodder anyway. You're all just meant to be sent to the front lines to die. What's the use of training your body so hard if a mana beast can just kill you with a single swipe of its claws? You're just a man."
For the first time since they sat down, Kai's face darkened. In his old life as Alexis Chase, he was the top predator. Being told he was just "fodder" made his blood boil. But he didn't yell. Instead, a cold, quiet calm settled over him.
"That's fine," Kai replied. "If I die, I want it to be because I made a mistake, not because I was too weak to fight back. I want to die on my own terms, with my eyes open. I don't want my life to be in anyone else's hands. While I'm still breathing, I'm going to do everything I can to be the one who stands at the top."
Aria didn't have a comeback for that. She bit her lip and stared down at her plate. The rest of the meal was spent in a heavy, strange silence. She didn't look at him again, but Kai could tell that for the first time in eighteen years, she was actually thinking about him as a person.