Dragon King's Harem Chapter 464. Formalities
Dragon King's Harem Chapter 464. Formalities I gave a small nod and exhaled. Good. That meant they were still moving. Still safe. And if som
Dragon King's Harem Chapter 464. Formalities
I gave a small nod and exhaled. Good. That meant they were still moving. Still safe. And if something changed, Sela would let me know—hopefully before blood needed spilling again.
My boots echoed against the polished floor as I moved toward my previous seat. I reached it and lowered myself down, careful, slow. Not from exhaustion…
From restraint.
I didn’t want to look like I owned this place.
But the weight of it… it was heavier than before. The seat felt colder. The air tighter. Like I had stepped into someone else’s role and the walls themselves were holding their breath, waiting to see if I’d crack.
So I put on a smile.
Not out of joy. Not pride.
Formalities, of course.
Across from me, Callum Shadowsoul swirled his goblet with lazy elegance. His robe was untouched by ash, his silver clasp still gleaming like he’d just come from a spa, not a potential civil war.
“I was surprised,” he said, voice smooth like aged wine, “that the Dragon King decided to interfere in snow elven internal affairs.”
He paused, smiled faintly. “It was like you hibernated, got up, and chose violence over breakfast.”
He chuckled softly, like he was amused with his own joke. The two assistants behind him didn’t so much as twitch.
“I also heard,” he went on, “what you did to the Minotaur King… and the Orc King. It’s remarkable, really. No wonder even my delegation had such a hard time reaching you.”
He took a sip. Unbothered. Unhurried. Watching me like I was both chess opponent and entertainment.
I kept my posture straight, expression neutral. “Maria asked for my help. I thought helping her was the right thing.”
Callum leaned back slightly, one brow raised. “And what did you get from all of this?”
He tilted his head just enough for the light to catch the edge of his grin. “Please don’t say you did it for free. I know you better than that.”
I kept my voice flat. “It was payback,” I reasoned.
“For what?”
“For her father. A promise made years ago.”
Callum’s expression didn’t change, but the air around him tightened just a little. His eyes narrowed.
“So… nothing?” he asked. “No compensation? No trade? I thought, perhaps, you were preparing to take over this place. The timing certainly looks convenient.”
I shook my head. “The Dragon Tribe and the Snow Elves have been allies for generations. We don’t need to conquer what we already protect.”
“True,” he murmured. “Still…” His eyes glinted. “I’ve heard a great deal about you. And the newest story is… fascinating.”
I met his gaze.
He let the pause linger. “That the Dragon King has found a way to revive the dead.”
My jaw didn’t move, but my breath slowed for half a second.
Of course he knew. The event had been private. Controlled. Quiet. But whispers had wings, and Callum Shadowsoul had always known how to catch the wind first.
I kept my composure. Let a flicker of feigned amusement tug at my mouth. “Not really,” I said. “It’s not as dramatic as it sounds. I used some… knowledge from my tribe. Old techniques. Ancient knowledge.”
I could only say that because… It was just modern knowledge. From my world. Techniques scraped together from documentaries and half-remembered tutorial videos. I wasn’t a doctor. Not even close. But when desperation kicks in, even fragments of science feel like miracles.
“Humble,” he mused. “But news travels fast. Especially when you’ve returned Viprax’s prisoners to their kingdoms. Some talked.”
“And you,” I said dryly, “are the fastest man alive when it comes to information.”
He smirked. “Ah. You do remember.”
I leaned back just slightly, letting my hands rest on the stone armrests. “Hard to forget.”
Callum took another sip of his wine. His fingers gleamed with silver rings. His nails were perfectly manicured. Everything about him screamed clean, calculated power. The kind that didn’t get dirty until absolutely necessary—and even then, only in ways that couldn’t be traced back.
“So,” he said finally, “since I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing your… performance. And since we’re already seated here, perhaps I’ll use this opportunity to talk about something personal.”
I didn’t respond. Just waited.
“You know my daughter,” he said casually, as if discussing the weather. “Thiphania.”
I said nothing, but I didn’t need to. The name hung in the air like perfume laced with arsenic.
“She’s entered the age of marriage,” Callum continued. “And I had originally intended to propose her to you.”
He tilted his head, studying me. “Well… I had hoped she might be your first bride. But it seems someone else beat me to it.”
His words weren’t bitter. They were smooth. Icy. A diplomat’s blade dressed in velvet.
I didn’t say a word.
What the hell was I supposed to say?
We were standing in the aftermath of a battle. Cedric’s blood was barely dry. The hall still stank of magic and broken protocol. And now the Witch King of one of the oldest tribes in Igixar had casually offered me his daughter.
Like it was dessert. Like it was entertainment.
I didn’t flinch. I didn’t let the flicker of shock show on my face.
But inside?
Yeah, this was crazy.
“You’re quiet,” Callum noted.
I finally spoke, voice lower now. “You’re proposing a marriage alliance. On the ashes of a civil war.”
“I am,” he replied without shame. “Timing is everything.”
I exhaled slowly through my nose.
“I’m not saying no,” I said, carefully. “But I’m also not saying anything at all. Yet.”
Callum smiled wider. “Very wise.”
I looked down at the hall again.
So many pieces still moving. So many fractures left to stitch together.
But somewhere—through the storm, the tension, and the looming web of politics—I realized something that chilled me deeper than the cold marble beneath my boots.
Callum wasn’t here just to spectate.
He was here to measure me.
And worse?
He seemed pleased with what he saw.