Walking toward the door, Kai rested her hand on the knob before pausing. She glanced over her shoulder, her black eyes glinting with amusement.
"Oh, I almost forgot to mention," she said, her tone light, yet laced with mischief.
"Father wants to see you in his office as soon as possible."
Hearing this, Luka let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.
He shifted under the weight of the request, reluctant to start his morning with a talk.
With a nod of his head, he waved a dismissive hand.
"Alright, alright. I'll change my clothes and then I'll go meet with him…"
But Kai didn't leave.
Instead, she lingered by the door, her lips curling into an amused smile as silence stretched between them.
Luka narrowed his eyes, his frown deepening.
"Um, I'd prefer to have some privacy, you bro-con."
Kai let out a playful giggle, covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers.
"Ouch, don't expose me like that, little brother! You'll break my heart!" she teased dramatically.
With a final wink, she pulled open the door and stepped out, shutting it behind her with a quiet click.
Luka rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath as he walked toward his closet. "That woman is crazy…"
Meanwhile, Snow still lay on the bed in complete defeat, staring blankly at the ceiling, unmoving.
If anyone had walked in, they might've mistaken him for a lifeless corpse.
Luka spared him a glance and smirked.
"Still sulking?" he mused, fastening the last button on his shirt.
"You look like a ghost just sucked the soul out of you."
Snow didn't respond.
He simply continued his dead-eyed stare at the ceiling.
"I'll be right back, little guy."
He exhaled sharply and turned toward the door, already dreading whatever awaited him in his father's office.
▬▬ι═══════ﺤ
Standing outside his father's office, Luka rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to soothe his growing headache.
'Having to ask all the maids how to find this damn office was such a pain in the ass,' he thought.
He took a few steadying breaths and forced a small smile, erasing his frown.
'Welp, here it goes.'
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Come in," a deep voice rumbled from the other side of the door.
Given permission, Luka pushed the door open, stepping inside.
His gaze immediately landed on a middle-aged man seated behind a massive wooden desk.
Silas sat turned toward the window, watching the warriors patrolling the walls.
Thick animal fur draped over his shoulders, covering his entire upper chest.
His black beard was neatly trimmed, matching the short black hair that framed his stern face.
A cigar rested between his fingers, a thin trail of smoke curling toward the ceiling.
Luka straightened his posture, placing a hand over his heart before offering a small bow.
"Father, it's good to see you back. I apologize for not being able to greet you properly."
Silas took a slow drag from his cigar, then exhaled a cloud of smoke before putting it out in the ashtray on his desk.
Finally, he turned his chair, his sharp black eyes showing no light.
"It's fine. I understand it was early, and you had a busy day yesterday. Am I correct?"
Luka's body tensed. 'Who the hell snitched on me?!'
Internally, he was fuming, but outwardly, he remained composed, keeping his expression neutral.
"I apologize, Father," he said, his voice steady.
"I left to gain some experience. As a member of our family, entrusted with guarding this area, it would be unwise for me to remain inexperienced."
Luka met his father's gaze, hoping his reasoning was solid enough to avoid punishment—or at least lessen whatever was coming next.
Silas rose from his chair, pushing it back with a low scrape against the floor.
Without a word, he stepped around the desk, his heavy boots echoing in the room.
'Am I about to be backhanded?' Luka remained still as his father came to a stop directly in front of him.
'Or am I just going to get bitched at?'
Then, without warning, Silas placed a firm hand on Luka's shoulder.
The weight was immense.
A crushing pressure bore down on Luka, forcing his feet into the ground.
A faint crack echoed through the air as thin spiderweb fractures formed beneath his heels.
'What the hell is this pressure?' Luka's mind reeled, but he refused to falter.
His muscles tensed as he straightened his posture, pushing back against the force.
He bit down on his lip, hard enough to draw a small bead of blood, yet his expression remained unwavering.
For the briefest moment, a flicker of something—approval, perhaps—flashed across Silas' face.
But it vanished just as quickly, replaced by his usual hardened expression.
He withdrew his hand and turned away, clasping his hands behind his back as he strode toward the window.
"I don't understand why you've suddenly had a change of mindset," Silas said.
"But I'm glad you have. You've finally learned that you are a man… and with that, you have a duty. A role to fulfill."
He looked out over the walls.
"After all," Silas continued, his gaze fixed on the empty land beyond.
"it is our duty to protect this glorious Empire."
Luka barely held back a scoff.
'Glorious Empire? What a joke. There was nothing glorious about a nation rotting from the inside out. Protect this shitty, corrupt empire? No thanks.'
He knew exactly what kind of filth ran things here.
Whether it was the royal family, tainted and compromised as they were, or the Black Veil pulling the strings from the shadows, this place was a cesspool of deceit and bloodshed.
He could still remember the frustration of trying to kill all the so-called "criminals" in the human Empire, only to watch them rise again like weeds.
No matter how many times he destroyed their hideouts, how many leaders he executed, they just kept appearing—an endless cycle.
But Luka knew better than to voice his thoughts.
"Of course. It's a human's duty to fight and die for the Eternal Empire, the home of all humans!"
With an exaggerated show of nationalism, Luka pounded his chest, standing tall as if he truly believed the words spilling from his mouth.