Dragon King's Harem Chapter 476. Remarry

Dragon King's Harem Chapter 476. Remarry

The table was long. Wide. But not wide enough.

Maria gestured for more food to be served. Platters refilled themselves like magic. Dishes clinked softly. The staff moved like ghosts—efficient, silent, trained not to get caught in crossfire.

And then Callum spoke again. Because of course he did.

“Such a fine spread. I had worried the kitchens might be… strained after last night’s ordeal.”

“I made sure the menu was restored,” Maria replied calmly. “We don’t let ghosts dictate our meals.”

That earned her a sideways glance from Al.

Callum didn’t bite back immediately. He just chuckled. “Of course. But one must admit—it was a dramatic shift. Leadership changes always bring flavor, don’t they?”

My spoon paused in the soup. I slowly looked up.

“Are you talking about the meat?” I asked casually.

Callum smiled at me. “Among other things.”

“Well, it’s tender,” I said, carving a piece with the side of my fork. “So maybe some things got cooked just right.”

Jyne coughed behind her goblet. Sela bit her lip.

Al still hadn’t said a word.

Which was more terrifying than anything.

Callum reached for a slice of the roast, unfazed. “And how long, I wonder, will this… recipe last?”

My gaze sharpened. “You don’t like it, don’t eat it.”

“I’m simply observing.” His tone was mild. “We all have to ensure the stability of this alliance, after all.”

Al finally moved.

Not a word. Not a twitch. Just a slow, deliberate raise of his cup to his lips. He drank without looking away from Callum. The movement was so subtle, it shouldn’t have meant anything.

But it did.

It screamed ‘Speak again and I will bury you with your own etiquette.’

Callum’s daughter said nothing, her eyes scanning everything.

Kaelen’s voice broke the tension like sunlight cracking ice.

“Sela, can I draw a soup monster and the snow beast today?”

Sela beamed. “Only if the soup monster is wearing a tiny crown. And has really tiny arms.”

Kaelen burst into giggles. “Tiny arms? Why?”

“Because he’s insecure,” Sela whispered, deadly serious.

That earned a snort from Jyne. Even Maria smiled.

Callum blinked like someone had slapped him with irrelevance. Good.

The diplomats hadn’t said much yet. A few cleared their throats, exchanged glances. Some were watching Callum. Others were watching me. And a few were watching Al like he might combust.

Which wasn’t far from the truth.

“I trust,” Maria said suddenly, voice cool and commanding, “that all guests here understand the importance of restraint. Both in word… and in action.”

A silence followed.

Callum broke it with a too-easy smile. “Naturally.”

“Good,” I muttered. “Because I hate cleaning up blood before dessert.”

Jyne gave me a warning glance.

I raised my hands slightly. “Metaphor. Relax.”

The morning continued, food passing between awkward silences and stray barbed comments. Kaelen and Sela were the only ones actually enjoying themselves. Jyne and Maria held the line with grace. Al stared holes into Callum’s skull.

And me?

I just sat there, sipping broth like it was wine, pretending I didn’t feel like lighting the entire table on fire.

Because sometimes… diplomacy really sucked.

Everyone around the table was acting like this was a perfectly normal breakfast. You know—meat, soup, maybe a side of thinly veiled threats and ancient family grudges cooked into the air like seasoning.

Jyne was eating daintily, but I saw the twitch in her eyebrow every time Callum opened his mouth.

Sela had fully committed to the Kaelen babysitting mission, teaching him how to make soup volcanoes with his spoon.

Al hadn’t blinked in five full minutes.

Maria was doing her diplomatic queen routine, serene and composed, like she hadn’t just survived a political assassination attempt and wasn’t sitting next to the two men who could very well nuke the entire room with a glance.

Then one of the diplomats opened his damn mouth.

“Your Majesty,” said a man in sea-green robes from the Riverine Tribes. Hair slicked back like kelp, voice like he practiced making enemies politely. “If I may ask… what plans are in place for the future leadership of the Snow Elven tribe?”

Ah. There it was.

I didn’t look at Maria. Not directly. Just watched out of the corner of my eye as she paused, spoon halfway to her lips. A heartbeat passed. Then two.

“I beg your pardon?” she asked mildly, voice calm. But I caught the subtle shift in her posture. Chin a little higher. Shoulders a little tighter.

The diplomat didn’t flinch. Bastard probably rehearsed this in front of a mirror.

“Well… now that the threat has been neutralized, the Duke loyalists scattered, and order restored…” He smiled, all fake warmth. “Surely the question of succession must be considered. Forgive my boldness, but—do you plan to rule alone indefinitely? Or… do you intend to remarry?”

The air went cold.

Not the magic kind. Just that awful stillness when everyone in the room knows someone said the wrong thing, and they’re all pretending they didn’t hear it.

Maria didn’t answer immediately.

Kaelen, bless him, didn’t even flinch. He was too busy poking at Sela’s plate with childlike enthusiasm. “What’s this?” he whispered. “Is that meat or jelly?”

“Both,” Sela replied with absolute authority. “It’s meat jelly. Very noble.”

Maria set her spoon down. Carefully. Like she didn’t want to break the bowl with her fingers.

“I haven’t thought of that,” she said.

Her voice was soft. Not weak. Just… restrained. Like if she let it out too much, it might cut someone.

“The situation is… stable, yes. For now. But we are still in recovery. Trust that needs rebuilding. Some part of the city need to be rebuild. I need to secure many things before I can entertain the idea of… anything else.”

A few diplomats nodded like that answer satisfied them. The Riverine guy didn’t look convinced.

I didn’t say a thing.

Didn’t move.

Just stared at the steam rising from my bowl, trying not to look at her.

Because I knew.

This wasn’t just a question. This was pressure. This was bait.