The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

Even after a good amount of time passing, they were seemingly not done bickering at each other.

Lord Edwin Varnel leaned back in his seat, rolling a gold coin between his fingers as he smirked at Lord Hollunder Vale.

Edwin and Hollunder had long been rivals, so their quarreling wasn't at all surprising.

"Tell me, Hollunder, what's the latest valuation of your little Player Market? Last I heard, your sales of Divinity-imbued trinkets were struggling against imported goods from the Seraphis Coast."

Lord Hollunder sneered. "Spare me, Varnel. At least my business isn't built on sitting atop a mountain of inherited gold while my workers do all the labor."

Lady Julienne Dravencourt chuckled as she leaned forward. "Now, now, gentlemen. Perhaps you should settle this with a duel. First one to break a sweat loses."

Laughter rippled across one half of the table, while the other half watched in thinly veiled irritation.

She sipped from her goblet, eyes glinting with amusement as her husband, Lord Draco Dravencourt, let out a low chuckle. "At this rate, I'd be more interested in seeing who can last longer before losing all their wealth."

Olvador Selvadez pounded his thick fingers against the table. "Bah! All this talk about coin and titles. What matters is strength. None of you would last a day in the training pits with my warriors!"

Lady Elyse Tavert, ever composed, merely smiled, her emerald eyes drifting lazily between them. "I don't see how that matters here, dear Olvador. Unless you're suggesting we settle our differences with swords and axes?"

"Don't push it, Elyse. I am friends with your husband."

"The dwarf is friends with everyone. You're not going to get taller if you make more friends, Olvador. You should know this?"

"Insult my height one more time and I'll summon the earth on you, you mushroom!"

"Try me!"

SLAM!!!

A heavy fist struck the table, the sound echoing through the chamber like a gavel.

Lord Damon Zorath scowled, his sharp features twisted in irritation. "Enough." His voice was quiet but carried a weight that drowned out the noise. "This is pathetic."

The room fell silent. Some of the family heads looked away in mild embarrassment; others simply folded their arms, giving each their opponents glares.

"We were summoned here for a reason. Not to listen to the lot of you preen like peacocks over net worths and status."

Murmurs followed. Lady Seraphina gave Damon a nod of approval, something that caught Kavria's jealous eyes, making her even more erratic than she was.

"Ugh!" she mumbled to herself in disgust. "I hate that hag."

Up above, in the concealed balcony, Aeric watched as the tension began to dissipate, even though it was still boiling deep in their egotistical hearts.

Aeric turned to Ilyon and gave him a look with two brows raised. "And now I make my move."

~ ~ ~

The doors to the chamber swung open. STEP, STEP, STEP, STEP.

The sound of an expensive footwear hitting the marble floor echoed softly. Aeric of Starlight was stepping into the courtroom.

The conversations, the side glances, the subtle twitches of fingers all came to a halt.

Their eyes moved to the door, all pausing, like they'd been slapped in the face by his presence.

"Ah," Olvador found himself exclaiming silently.

Lady Seraphina studied him silently with her silver eyes. Lord Draco scoffed. Lady Elyse raised a brow, and Lord Damon slowly withdrew the special ball Aspasia had given him and placed it on the table, in an angle that got a good view of Aeric.

He walked with an air of controlled authority, his red and black cloak draping elegantly over his shoulders. His dark hair was combed neatly, his crimson eyes sharp.

From all the gazes, they saw that he didn't appear at all to be intimidated by their presence. If he was intimidated, then he did a great deal of pretending otherwise.

Ilyon followed just a step behind, his presence unobtrusive yet watchful. He stopped by the door, standing in attention.

Aeric paused at the head of the table, inclining his head in a gesture of respect.

"My lords. My ladies." His voice was smooth, even. "I must first apologize for the time wasting. As you know, I'm still a student and there are certain things expected of me."

There were clearing of throats and nodding of heads. "I must also offer my gratitude for your presence here today. I know your time is precious, and I do not take that for granted."

He took a moment, letting his words settle.

"I am Aeric of Starlight, and I have called you here because there is a matter of great urgency that affects our Region." His gaze swept across the table, meeting each of their eyes. "The crisis in the towns of Mursbridge and Gulydurk."

A few sighs. A scoff. Lady Julienne Dravencourt barely suppressed a roll of her eyes.

Lord Tobias Farrentail flicked ash from his cigar and exhaled. "So, this is about that mess?"

Aeric smiled thinly. "Yes, Lord Tobias. It is about that mess." He clasped his hands behind his back, keeping his stance measured. "As you know, the Beast Glade has overrun Mursbridge. The town is completely destroyed and Gulydurk is barely standing. Without aid, those towns will collapse entirely."

"I've decided on my own to lead a team to clear up that Beast Glade and bring these towns back to their golden ages." He looked at everyone one after the other.

"I've gathered an alliance of Alzera the Fierce and her team of Dungeon Raiders, my far sisters, Daughter Melina and Daughter Luna of Moonlight, Daughter Phoebe and Daughter Faeryn of Elysium, Daughter Nyx and Daughter Nyssa of Twilight, and Daughter Celestia of Dawn. They too have promised to bring some men to aid in the fight."

"Why not just let the towns collapse?" Lord Edwin Varnel said bluntly.

Aeric did not flinch. "I understand that some of you may feel that way." He let his words hang, unbothered by the murmurs of agreement. "I also understand that asking you to make sacrifices for the sake of others is not something I can expect from this table without incentive."

That made them pause.

Aeric continued with an unwavering voice.

"That is why I have not come here to beg. I have come here with deals. Mutually beneficial ones." He met their gaze one by one. "But I will make this clear now. These are one-time offers. If you refuse any, once you leave this table, there will be no second chances."

Silence.

Then a shift.

Some of them straightened slightly. Others glanced at each other, expressions unreadable.

The tone of the meeting had suddenly changed.

Lord Draco Dravencourt tapped his fingers against the table, eyes narrowed. "One-time offers?" His smirk was skeptical. "What exactly are you implying, Son Aeric?"

Aeric didn't answer immediately. Instead, he smiled. It was the kind of smile that made men nervous.

"I suppose we'll see."