Chapter 18: The Banquet (2)

Juhtmed released Kaelis's hand, but his gaze remained on the young noble. This told Juhtmed that this decision had not been made lightly.

Kaelis exhaled softly, as if preparing himself for something. Then he spoke, his voice measured but firm.

"I told you I understand what it means to be overlooked, Your Highness," Kaelis began. "But that isn't just empty sentiment."

Juhtmed raised an eyebrow, waiting.

Kaelis continued. "Being born into nobility doesn't guarantee anything, not power, not even acknowledgment. The second branch of House Caleora has always been in the shadow of the principal line. We bear the name, but not the authority. We are just seen as nothing more than an extension, useful when needed, its why even after being able to attend in the court i didn't use the name of the Caleora, but of my mother."

Juhtmed could hear the frustration buried beneath Kaelis's carefully controlled tone. It was a sentiment he understood all too well.

"Your status as the Emperor's son should have secured your place," Kaelis said. "But it didn't. You were cast aside. I know what that feels like." His lips pressed into a thin line. "To have your worth decided before you've even had the chance to prove it."

Lian, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke. "Even if that's true, you still don't have the same privileges as the principal branch." Her eyes narrowed slightly, assessing him. "What exactly can you offer us?"

Kaelis met her gaze without hesitation. "I will take the head of the family."

Juhtmed blinked. Lian's expression didn't change, but Juhtmed could sense her interest sharpening.

But before either of them could ask for more details, Kaelis took a step back, offering a faint smile. "But that a conversation for another time."

There was more to this than Kaelis was letting on. But for now, Juhtmed would accept what he had been given.

Before he could say anything further, a voice interrupted them.

"Your Highness."

A servant had approached, bowing deeply. "The Emperor requests your presence at his table."

He glanced once at Kaelis, who gave a small nod, then turned back to the servant. "Very well."

Lian followed a step behind him as they moved through the banquet hall, the crowd parting slightly as they passed. Though the initial shock of his presence had settled, Juhtmed could still feel the weight of their gazes on him.

The Emperor's table was positioned at the highest point of the banquet hall, offering a clear view of the entire room. Seated around it were only influential figures in the empire.

Juhtmed's father, the Emperor himself, sat at the center, his presence dominating the space. His posture remained as strong as ever, his deep blue eyes missing nothing though the eye patch on his right eyes.

Lady Meridia was seated beside him, her expression unreadable.

Juhtmed approached, offering a respectful bow before taking the seat at the Emperor's right.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then, the Emperor spoke.

"It has been some time since you attended a banquet, the last time you were only a kid Juhtmed." His voice was steady, betraying nothing. "And yet, not only do you return, but you do so after leading an envoy to the Dervain Estate."

The Emperor leaned back slightly, "you have changed."

Juhtmed remained silent.

The Emperor continued. "You were once content to remain in the shadows. And since now, suddenly you have an interest in training, in diplomacy, and to compete to be the future heir." His gaze sharpened slightly. "Why?"

Juhtmed kept his expression neutral. "I realized that if I remained as I was, nothing will change."

The Emperor's lips pressed into a thin line. "And what has made you realize this now?"

Juhtmed chose his words carefully. "I think experienced death was enough fr me to change."

A long silence stretched between them.

Then, unexpectedly, it was Lady Meridia who spoke next.

"How is your mother, Juhtmed?"

The words were soft, almost conversational, yet Juhtmed could feel the weight behind them.

His mother.

He didn't know.

He didn't see her, the knowledge that he had about her is that she was still alive, somewhere within the palace's secluded halls. He knew juhtmed mother was a concubine, and he knew that, like him, she had been cast aside.

But beyond that, he knew nothing.

Juhtmed did not answer.

Lady Meridia's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she simply smiled and took a sip of her wine.

Lady Meridia's question still hung in the air, waiting, lingering. But he refused to acknowledge it.

His mother.

He had no answer because he did not know.

Not just about where she was or how she was treated—but what she even looked like.

Because he was not truly Juhtmed. Not the Juhtmed they had known, the one who had grown up within these palace walls.

Because if he reacted the wrong way, if he showed even the slightest inconsistency, it would raise questions—questions he was not ready to answer.

So he remained silent, letting the weight of the moment settle before lifting his goblet and taking a slow sip of water, as if the conversation had already moved on.

Lady Meridia's expression barely changed, but Juhtmed caught the flicker of something in her eyes.

Suspicion? Curiosity?

He didn't know.

But before she—or anyone else—could press further, the Emperor spoke again.

"You say you wish to change," his father said, voice calm but firm. "That you now have purpose."

Juhtmed set his goblet down and met the Emperor's gaze.

"And yet," the Emperor continued, "you have never shown any interest in what it means to be an heir. In fact, you have spent most of your life avoiding anything related to it."

His words were not accusatory, merely stating facts. But they still carried weight.

Juhtmed did not react.

The Emperor went on. "You had no desire to learn governance. No interest in strategy, diplomacy, or military command. Even when given opportunities, you ignored them."

The nobles around them remained silent, watching. Listening.

"You preferred to spend your time with your mother," the Emperor said. "Away from the court, away from any responsibilities expected of you."

How was he supposed to respond to that?

But he did understand what the Emperor was trying to do.

Perhaps even expecting him to waver, to back down the way the old Juhtmed might have.

Instead, Juhtmed kept his voice steady. "I never had a proper education to be an heir."

The Emperor's expression did not change. "Your two elder brothers did."

"Yes," Juhtmed acknowledged. "They did."

The Emperor leaned slightly forward. "And yet you think you can stand against them?"

Juhtmed met his father's piercing gaze head-on.

"I can still get one."

A murmur ran through the table, subtle but undeniable. Some nobles exchanged brief glances, while others simply watched with renewed interest.

The Emperor remained silent for a moment, studying him.

Then, he exhaled softly, his fingers tapping against the polished wood of the table.

"If you are serious about this," the Emperor said, his voice low but unwavering, "then you will have the opportunity to prove it."

Juhtmed remained silent, waiting.

The Emperor continued. "As you may know, Lumetorm, Kristallid, and Celestia have come together to establish a new academy—one designed to shape the future of their nations."

Juhtmed's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Kümme," the Emperor said. "That is where you will go."

It was an opportunity.

And a challenge.

The Emperor's gaze bore into him. "If you are truly serious about claiming your place, then you will attend."

Juhtmed did not hesitate.

"I accept."

A brief silence reigned at the table.

Then, a chuckle. Low, amused, edged with something unreadable.

The Emperor leaned back in his seat, his fingers tapping idly against the gilded armrest of his chair. His sharp gaze never left Juhtmed. "You accept so easily," he mused. "Do you even understand what it is you are agreeing to?"

Juhtmed kept his posture straight. He could feel the weight of the nobles' attention pressing in on him, their unspoken thoughts filling the air like smoke. Some were curious, others skeptical.

Perhaps even entertained.

They were waiting for him to respond.

"I understand," he simply said.

The Emperor look at him.

"You say that," his father continued, "but you have not once asked what Kümme entails. You have not inquired about its purpose, its challenges, or its expectations." He paused. "Do you even know why it was created?"

Juhtmed remained silent.

Kümme was a collaborative effort, an unprecedented academy formed by two of the Ally of the Empire powers: Lumetorm, Kristallid. It was not simply a school for nobles and elite people—it was a proving ground.

Future leaders. Future rulers.

A place where only the strongest, the most cunning, the most capable, would thrive.

It would not be easy.

But that was exactly why Juhtmed had to go.

The Emperor seemed to take his silence as an answer. "Kümme is not the ordinary institution," he said. "There you will not beneficiate as any support from the family or by your name…"

Lady Meridia, who had remained quiet, finally spoke. "How interesting," she murmured, twirling the stem of her wine glass between delicate fingers. "A prince among wolves." She tilted her head, her sharp green eyes assessing him. "Do you believe you can survive such a place, Juhtmed?"

Juhtmed met her gaze.

"It will not change much from how i live."

A flicker of amusement crossed her face before she took a slow sip of wine. "Is that so?"

Juhtmed did not respond.

He knew what they were doing.

He would give them nothing.

The Emperor leaned forward, placing both elbows on the table. The movement was slow, deliberate. "If you are serious," he said, "then you will enroll."

A low murmur passed between a few nobles, but no one openly commented.

Juhtmed felt a familiar sensation coil in his chest—something between tension and anticipation.

This was it.

A chance.

Not just to prove himself, but to grow, to learn, to become something greater.

His father studied him for a moment longer before finally nodding.

"Then it is decided, i'll give more detail later."