The walk to the royal estate is quieter than the rest of the capital.
Most of the streets near the palace district are lined with tall trees and stone walls instead of markets and shops. Guards patrol the roads, but even they seem more relaxed now that the wyvern attack has passed.
Elara walks beside me.
Astra hops from her shoulder to mine.
Then back again.
Then back to mine.
The small wyvern chirps happily every time it jumps.
"You're encouraging it," Elara says.
"I'm standing here."
"That counts."
Astra hops again.
Her claws grip my shoulder before she jumps back to Elara.
She chirps proudly like she just accomplished something impressive.
"…it thinks this is a game," Elara says.
"Yes."
"It's going to keep doing it."
"Yes."
Astra hops again.
Elara watches the small creature for a moment.
Then she sighs softly.
"…we probably look ridiculous."
"Probably."
Astra chirps loudly.
Elara glances around the street.
A few passing servants are watching us.
One of them smiles.
Another whispers something to the guard beside him.
Elara's face turns slightly red.
"…they probably think we're a family."
Astra hops back onto my shoulder.
I shrug.
"That would explain the behavior."
Elara turns even redder.
"…Ren."
"Yes."
"That wasn't supposed to sound serious."
"It didn't."
"That's worse."
Astra chirps again.
Elara looks down at the road.
Then slowly reaches her hand toward mine.
She hesitates for a moment.
Then—
Our fingers touch.
Before she can fully take my hand—
"WHAT is that doing here?"
The voice echoes across the courtyard.
We both turn.
The prince storms down the steps of the estate entrance.
His expression darkens immediately when he sees Astra.
"That creature should not be inside the palace grounds."
Astra tilts her head.
Then chirps.
Elara's hand quickly retreats from mine.
"It's under control," she says calmly.
"It's a wyvern," the prince snaps.
"And he—"
His eyes shift toward me.
"—shouldn't be here either."
I fold my arms slightly.
"That seems like a familiar argument."
The prince steps closer.
"You think because you helped during the attack that you belong here?"
"No."
"Then leave."
Before I answer—
Another voice cuts across the courtyard.
"That will be enough."
Everyone turns.
Lord Windmere stands at the entrance of the estate hall.
His expression is calm.
But firm.
The prince straightens slightly.
"Lord Windmere."
"You invited him here?"
"Yes."
The prince frowns.
"That seems unwise."
Lord Windmere walks down the steps slowly.
His gaze moves between the three of us.
"I am the reason they are here."
His tone makes it clear the discussion is over.
The prince's jaw tightens.
But he says nothing else.
Lord Windmere gestures toward the entrance.
"Come inside."
Windmere Estate — Study
The office is quiet.
Tall windows overlook the estate gardens.
Lord Windmere closes the door behind us.
Then he looks directly at me.
For a moment he says nothing.
Then he bows his head slightly.
"I owe you an apology."
Elara looks surprised.
Even though she expected this.
Lord Windmere continues.
"The first time we met, I judged you without understanding the situation."
"I believed accusations before I knew the truth."
"And because of that…"
His voice lowers slightly.
"You suffered greatly."
The room stays silent.
I watch him carefully.
"I allowed interrogation."
"I allowed suspicion."
"And I allowed others to treat you as an enemy."
He exhales slowly.
"That was my failure."
Elara watches both of us carefully.
Lord Windmere meets my eyes again.
"You protected my daughter."
"You protected this kingdom."
"And despite everything we put you through…"
"…you returned."
He nods once.
"For that, you have my respect."
The words are simple.
But genuine.
Then he gestures toward the map on his desk.
"There is a sizable house that belongs to this family."
"It is close enough to the capital for travel, but remote enough that Astra can grow safely."
He pauses.
"I am giving it to Elara."
Astra chirps proudly.
Lord Windmere smiles slightly.
"But there is another reason I wished to speak with you."
Elara stiffens slightly.
Her father looks at both of us.
"The capital has many nobles."
"Many of them will never accept you."
"That is unfortunate," I say.
"Yes."
"But it is reality."
He folds his hands behind his back.
"However…"
"If you were to marry into a noble family…"
"…that problem would disappear."
Elara's face turns red instantly.
"Father—"
He raises one hand gently.
"I am speaking honestly."
Then he looks directly at me.
"Ren Caelum."
"Would you be willing to marry my daughter?"
The room becomes very quiet.
Astra chirps softly.
Like she's waiting for the answer too.
And for the first time since walking into the estate—
I'm completely caught off guard.
The room goes quiet.
So quiet that I can hear Astra shifting on Elara's shoulder.
Her small claws scrape softly against the fabric of Elara's coat.
Lord Windmere waits patiently.
Elara, however—
Looks like she might collapse from embarrassment.
"Father—" she begins.
But I raise my hand slightly.
"…wait."
Both of them look at me.
I take a breath.
Because there isn't really a way to answer this halfway.
"You're asking a strange question," I say.
Lord Windmere nods once.
"I am."
"You want me to marry your daughter so the nobles stop looking down on me."
"That is one of the reasons."
"And the other?"
Lord Windmere doesn't hesitate.
"Because I believe the two of you care for each other."
Elara's face turns red instantly.
"Father!"
Astra chirps loudly.
The room stays quiet again.
I look at the floor for a moment.
Thinking.
Because there are a lot of ways to answer this.
Most of them dishonest.
And I'm tired of pretending.
"…I don't trust nobles," I say finally.
Elara looks up slightly.
Lord Windmere doesn't interrupt.
"They accuse first."
"They assume the worst."
"They hide their mistakes behind power and status."
I shrug slightly.
"I learned that very quickly."
Elara's expression softens.
She knows exactly what I'm talking about.
"I was interrogated."
"Accused."
"Tortured."
"Because someone important said I was guilty."
The words sit heavy in the room.
Lord Windmere doesn't argue.
He just listens.
"That experience makes it difficult to believe nobles are good people."
I glance at him briefly.
"No offense."
"None taken," he says quietly.
Then I look at Elara.
And the words become easier.
"But Elara was always different."
Her eyes widen slightly.
"She never talked to me like I was beneath her."
"She never assumed the worst."
"She never treated me like a weapon or a criminal."
I pause.
Because this part matters.
"She was just… Elara."
Astra chirps softly.
I shrug slightly.
"She's the only person in this kingdom I can talk to normally."
"No politics."
"No expectations."
"No fear that someone will suddenly decide I'm a problem that needs to disappear."
Elara's eyes glisten slightly.
She tries to hide it.
Poorly.
I sigh quietly.
"So yes."
"If you're asking whether I care about your daughter…"
The words come easier now.
"Yes."
Elara freezes.
"I care about her more than anyone else in this kingdom."
The room stays quiet again.
Lord Windmere watches us carefully.
I shrug slightly.
"And if marrying her means I get to keep being around the one person who makes this place tolerable…"
Astra suddenly chirps loudly.
Like she's encouraging the decision.
"…then yes," I say.
"I'll marry her."
Elara's breath catches.
She didn't expect the answer to come that easily.
Lord Windmere smiles faintly.
But before he can say anything—
"Actually."
Elara suddenly steps forward.
Both of us look at her.
Her face is still red.
But her voice is steady.
"If we're doing this…"
She looks directly at her father.
"I want to take Ren's name."
Lord Windmere blinks.
"…that would be unusual."
"Yes."
"Most noble marriages involve the husband taking the family name."
"I know."
She folds her arms slightly.
"But Ren is already well known."
"He's an adventurer."
"The Pale Executioner."
"The name Caelum already carries weight."
She glances at me briefly.
"And I don't want him to feel like he's being absorbed into another noble house."
The room stays quiet.
Lord Windmere studies her carefully.
"You would give up the Windmere name."
"Yes."
"That is a significant decision."
"I know."
Astra hops from her shoulder onto mine again.
Chirping proudly.
Elara sighs softly.
"…even Astra agrees."
Lord Windmere looks at the small wyvern.
Then back at us.
Then—
He laughs.
A deep, genuine laugh.
"Well."
He leans back slightly.
"I suppose traditions exist to be broken."
Elara relaxes slightly.
Lord Windmere nods.
"Very well."
"Elara Caelum."
She blinks slightly.
The name clearly surprises her.
But she smiles.
For a moment the room is quiet.
Astra shifts slightly on my shoulder, her tail curling around the back of my neck as she settles in comfortably.
Elara still looks stunned.
"…Elara Caelum," Lord Windmere repeats.
She blinks.
"You said that very easily."
"Yes."
"You realize what that means."
"Yes."
She hesitates.
"…I thought you would be angry."
Lord Windmere raises an eyebrow.
"Why."
"Because I would lose the Windmere name."
"That is not how families work."
She frowns slightly.
"That is exactly how noble families work."
Lord Windmere sighs softly.
"Yes."
"Unfortunately."
He walks back toward his desk.
"But you are my daughter first."
"And a noble second."
Elara freezes slightly.
He looks at her with a calm expression.
"If the choice is between tradition and your happiness…"
"That decision is not difficult."
Elara looks genuinely confused.
"…I expected to lose my noble standing."
"That was a possibility," he admits.
"But it is not the only solution."
Now it's my turn to raise an eyebrow.
Lord Windmere leans against the edge of his desk.
"You underestimate how flexible politics can be when the right people are involved."
Elara tilts her head.
"What do you mean."
He smiles slightly.
"You will keep the name Caelum."
Elara nods.
"Yes."
"But that does not necessarily mean you must abandon noble status."
Her confusion deepens.
"That's not how that works."
"It usually isn't."
He walks toward the door.
"But we are not dealing with a usual situation."
Astra chirps loudly.
Lord Windmere glances at the small wyvern and chuckles.
"No."
"This situation stopped being normal the moment my daughter walked into my study with a wyvern."
Elara sighs softly.
"That's fair."
Lord Windmere reaches the door and calls to a servant waiting in the hallway.
"Send a messenger to the royal palace."
The servant bows immediately.
"Yes, my lord."
"Tell His Majesty that I request a meeting."
"Today."
The servant nods and quickly disappears down the corridor.
Elara stares at her father.
"…you're involving the king."
"Yes."
"That seems excessive."
"It is necessary."
She folds her arms slightly.
"…why."
Lord Windmere looks at both of us.
"Because this decision affects more than just our family."
He gestures toward me.
"Ren Caelum is already a known figure within the capital."
"The adventurer guild respects him."
"The academy trusts him."
"And the king has been observing him carefully."
Elara blinks again.
Lord Windmere smiles faintly.
"You're not the only one who noticed his potential."
I shrug slightly.
"That seems unfortunate."
"It is politically interesting."
He sits back down at his desk.
"If the two of you marry…"
"Elara taking the name Caelum creates a new problem."
Elara sighs.
"I assumed that."
"Yes."
"But problems can be solved."
She watches him carefully.
"…how."
Lord Windmere steeples his fingers together.
"That depends on what the king decides."
Elara tilts her head.
"You already have a plan."
"Several."
Her eyes narrow slightly.
"Father."
"Yes."
"You're smiling like a strategist."
"I am a strategist."
She groans softly.
"That's never comforting."
Lord Windmere chuckles.
"Relax."
"If the king agrees with my thinking…"
He glances toward me.
"…then Ren Caelum may become something very unusual."
I raise an eyebrow.
"That sounds dangerous."
"Only politically."
Astra chirps happily.
Elara rubs her temple.
"…I thought I was about to lose my noble standing."
Lord Windmere smiles calmly.
"Instead you may both gain something much more interesting."
Elara stares at him.
"…I don't know if that's better."
"That depends on your perspective."
He leans back in his chair.
"Regardless."
"The king will want to hear this himself."
Astra chirps again.
Then flaps her wings and hops from my shoulder back onto Elara's.
She curls around her neck like a scarf.
Elara scratches under her chin automatically.
"…this day has become very strange."
I shrug.
"That seems normal lately."
Lord Windmere smiles faintly.
"Yes."
The royal palace is quieter in the evening.
Torches burn along the stone hallways, casting long shadows across the walls as guards guide us toward the king's private chamber.
Astra rides comfortably on Elara's shoulder, occasionally hopping onto mine before returning again.
She seems to enjoy the journey.
Elara, however, looks increasingly nervous.
"…this feels excessive," she mutters quietly.
"It probably is," I say.
"That's not helping."
Astra chirps.
Elara sighs.
"Traitor."
The guard stops outside a set of large wooden doors.
"His Majesty will see you now."
The doors open.
Inside—
The king sits casually at a large table rather than on a throne.
Maps and documents are scattered across the surface.
And someone else is already there.
Lysandra.
She looks up the moment we walk in.
"Oh."
Her eyes immediately land on Astra.
"Well that explains the rumors."
Elara groans softly.
"…you're here too?"
Lysandra shrugs.
"I was already speaking with His Majesty."
She grins slightly.
"And then a messenger arrived saying you three were coming."
"So obviously I stayed."
The king leans back in his chair, studying the four of us.
Then his eyes land on Astra.
"…I see the wyvern survived."
Astra chirps proudly.
The king chuckles.
"Of course it did."
He gestures toward the chairs around the table.
"Sit."
We do.
Elara sits beside me.
Astra hops onto the table.
The king studies the small creature for a moment.
"…fascinating."
Then his attention shifts to Lord Windmere.
"So."
"I assume this is about the house."
"Partially," Lord Windmere says.
"And the marriage."
The king smiles immediately.
"Ah."
He leans back in his chair.
"I was wondering how long it would take."
Elara freezes.
"…you knew?"
The king laughs.
"Elara."
"You bring a mysterious, powerful young man into the capital."
"You spend half your time with him."
"You defend him in front of half the nobility."
"And you expect me not to notice?"
Elara sinks slightly in her chair.
"That was supposed to be subtle."
"It was not."
Lysandra snickers.
"Not even a little."
The king gestures between us.
"I suspected this might happen eventually."
Then he looks at me.
"Though I didn't expect it to happen this quickly."
I shrug.
"That makes two of us."
He laughs again.
"Yes, that sounds like you."
Then his eyes shift toward Elara.
"And you wish to take his name."
"Yes."
The king nods thoughtfully.
"That complicates things."
Elara sighs.
"I assumed it would."
"Yes."
"But not impossibly."
Lord Windmere smiles faintly.
"That was my thought as well."
The king folds his hands together.
"Ren Caelum."
"Yes."
"You realize if you marry Elara, half the noble houses in the kingdom will panic."
"That seems likely."
"They will claim you're stealing influence."
"I'm not."
"I know."
He smiles slightly.
"But they won't."
Lysandra leans back in her chair.
"Honestly, they're already panicking."
Elara groans.
"Wonderful."
The king chuckles again.
Then he glances at Lysandra.
"Well."
"If that becomes too complicated…"
He gestures casually toward her.
"We could always marry Lysandra to Ren as well."
Lysandra chokes on her drink.
"WHAT?"
Elara nearly falls out of her chair.
Astra chirps loudly.
The king laughs.
"I'm joking."
Lysandra points at him.
"You are not allowed to say things like that so casually!"
He grins.
"You should have seen your face."
Elara buries her face in her hands.
"This meeting has gone completely off the rails."
I glance at Astra.
"…this seems normal."
The wyvern chirps approvingly.
The king wipes a tear from the corner of his eye.
Then his expression finally settles back into something more serious.
"Jokes aside."
He looks between Elara and me.
"I believe Lord Windmere already suggested the obvious solution."
Lord Windmere nods slightly.
The king smiles faintly.
"Instead of Ren joining a noble house…"
"…we simply create a new one."
The room goes quiet.
Astra chirps softly.
Elara blinks.
"…what."
The king leans forward slightly.
"House Caelum."
Astra chirps softly on the table.
Elara stares at the king like she isn't sure she heard him correctly.
"…what."
The king smiles faintly.
"Yes."
"That is the simplest solution."
"If Ren becomes the head of a new noble house, then Elara can take the name Caelum without losing noble status."
Lysandra whistles softly.
"Well."
"That's one way to handle things."
Elara slowly turns toward me.
"…Ren."
I'm still staring at the king.
Because the idea is ridiculous.
"You're serious."
"Completely."
I lean back slightly in the chair.
"That creates several problems."
The king raises an eyebrow.
"Such as?"
"My parents."
The room pauses.
Elara looks at me.
The king folds his hands together.
"Explain."
"If I suddenly become a noble," I say calmly,
"what happens to them?"
"My father hunts for a living."
"My mother lives in a small village."
"They didn't ask for any of this."
The king nods slowly.
"A reasonable concern."
I continue.
"I won't accept anything that causes problems for them."
Elara's expression softens slightly.
The king smiles.
"You are more considerate than most nobles already."
He gestures casually.
"Your parents would be elevated alongside you."
"They would become the founding family of House Caelum."
I frown slightly.
"That would make them nobles."
"Yes."
"My father will hate that."
The king laughs.
"Yes."
"He probably will."
Lysandra grins.
"I would pay money to watch that conversation."
Elara sighs.
"Lysandra."
"What?"
I look back at the king.
"…and the rank."
He tilts his head.
"You're not even slightly excited about becoming a noble."
"No."
"Interesting."
He taps the table thoughtfully.
"If we create House Caelum…"
"You would need a rank that carries authority but does not threaten the older houses."
I nod.
"That makes sense."
Lysandra leans forward slightly.
"So?"
The king smiles.
"Count."
Elara blinks.
"Count?"
"Yes."
"High enough to command respect."
"Low enough that the older families won't panic."
I shrug slightly.
"That seems reasonable."
The king chuckles.
"You are the least ambitious man I have ever met."
"That's intentional."
Astra suddenly chirps loudly.
Then hops from the table onto my shoulder.
The king laughs again.
"Well."
"At least someone here seems excited."
Astra spreads her tiny wings proudly.
Elara smiles faintly.
"…she approves."
The king leans back in his chair.
"Then it's settled."
He gestures toward me.
"Ren Caelum."
"Future Count of House Caelum."
Lysandra whistles again.
"Well."
"That escalated quickly."
Elara rubs her temple.
"…this morning we were just trying to figure out where to put a wyvern."
I shrug.
"That problem is technically solved."
Astra chirps proudly from my shoulder.
The king chuckles.
"Yes."
"But there is still the question of territory."
I glance at him.
"That was my next concern."
He nods.
"Every noble house requires land."
"Without land, a title is meaningless."
That makes sense.
"But I already told you my parents live in a village," I say.
"They're not leaving it."
"They won't need to."
The king reaches over the table and pulls a map toward him.
Then he spreads it open.
It's a map of the northern region surrounding the capital.
His finger moves slowly across the parchment.
Then stops.
Here.
Right where the forest meets the plains.
My village.
"This region," the king says calmly.
"The forests, farmland, and settlements surrounding your village."
He taps the map lightly.
"I will grant this territory to House Caelum."
The room goes quiet.
Even Lysandra stops joking.
Elara stares at the map.
"…that's his home."
"Yes."
The king nods.
"It seems appropriate."
He looks at me.
"That way your parents will not need to relocate."
"They will remain exactly where they are."
"They simply become the founding household of the territory."
I study the map carefully.
My father's hunting grounds.
The village roads.
The forests I grew up in.
"You're giving me my home."
"Yes."
"Why."
The king smiles faintly.
"Because rulers who forget where they came from tend to become terrible rulers."
Astra chirps.
The king gestures toward the small wyvern.
"And because it gives Astra somewhere to fly."
Elara laughs softly.
"That might actually be the most practical reason."
Lysandra leans forward over the table.
"So let me get this straight."
She points at me.
"You start the week as an adventurer."
She points at Elara.
"You end the week engaged to one of the most powerful noble daughters in the kingdom."
Then she points at the map.
"And now you're about to become a Count with your own territory."
She leans back.
"…that's ridiculous."
I shrug slightly.
"That seems accurate."
Elara sighs.
"…my life has become very strange."
Astra chirps happily.
The king laughs again.
"Yes."
"I suspect it will only become stranger from here."
Then he rolls the map closed.
"House Caelum."
He nods once.
"Welcome to the nobility."
Astra spreads her wings proudly.
And for the first time since entering the palace—
The future feels real.