This is all that matters

Mael leaned back slightly in her chair, her gaze sharp and assessing. “Aldren informed me that you two are Kael’s companions on these… adventures,” she began, her voice calm but laced with a subtle challenge.

Lian straightened immediately. “We are more than companions. We are her friends,” he said firmly, his eyes locking with hers.

A faint, almost amused smile touched Mael’s lips. “Friends?” she repeated, letting the word hang in the air. “There are no true friends. You are only interested in Kael for her family’s wealth and influence.”

Mira lifted her chin, her tone measured but resolute. “We didn’t know anything about Kael’s background at first. When we first met, the three of us lived in a small, run-down place. We’ve been fixing it up to make it a proper home together. We care about her, not her wealth.”

Lian nodded in agreement, his voice unwavering. “We have no interest in her riches. Not a single coin. Our bond isn’t about money.” His determination was clear in his eyes, a fire that seemed to reach across the room. Mael’s eyes flickered with something resembling surprise—or perhaps a reluctant respect.

“I have heard,” Mael said, leaning slightly forward, “that you have completed several missions together with Kael. Tell me, was her contribution truly useful?”

Lian’s voice grew firmer. “Kael’s presence was essential. Without her, we would not have been able to accomplish half of what we did. She drives the team forward and keeps us going.”

Mira added, her voice softer but equally sincere, “At first, she seems overwhelming, full of energy, but that energy lifts us. She enjoys these missions, and she makes our days brighter. She keeps the group cheerful, even when things are difficult.”

Unbeknownst to them, Kael, hiding behind the slightly ajar door, had heard every word. Tears slid silently down her cheeks, glinting faintly in the light, but she refused to make a sound. She couldn’t let them see her cry—not now, not ever. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she fought to hold back her emotions.

Mael’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of emotion passing over her otherwise controlled expression. “I never had the fortune of having true friends,” she said, her voice quieter now, almost wistful. “When Kael lived with me, she was never this… happy.”

Her gaze hardened again, regaining its usual authority. “That is why the arranged marriage is crucial. It ensures the continued influence and prosperity of the Strom family. Even if this is less common today, in noble families such as ours, these practices remain essential. They are the foundation of stability, the guarantee that our power will endure.”

Lian and Mira exchanged a brief glance, noting the gravity of her words but also the opportunity to appeal to her reasoning beyond tradition.

Mael’s eyes swept over them, assessing, calculating. “So tell me, what makes you believe your friendship alone can outweigh what duty and tradition demand?”

The room seemed to grow heavier with the weight of expectation. Lian felt the pressure but also the resolve within him harden. This was the moment to prove their sincerity—not with anger or defiance, but with truth and conviction.

Mael’s eyes glinted with a mixture of calculation and challenge as she leaned forward slightly. “I see,” she said slowly, her voice deliberate, “that Kael wishes to pursue this path of adventure. Very well. But know this—if she chooses to become an adventurer, she must aim for the highest. The best. Failure is not tolerated.”

Lian and Mira exchanged nervous glances.

She continued, her tone unwavering, “Here is my proposal. Your little group has a task. Six months from now, the date of her wedding, you must defeat the Demon King. If you succeed, Kael may remain with her companions and forgo the marriage entirely. Fail, and the wedding will proceed as planned.”

Mira’s mouth fell slightly open, her mind struggling to process the enormity of what she had just heard. She remained speechless, frozen, unsure what to even say.

Lian, however, reacted immediately, his voice steady and resolute. “We accept. We will give it our all.”

Mael’s gaze shifted to Lian, and a small, approving smile flickered across her face. “I like your determination, young man. I hope your venture will succeed. I truly do.”

Mira, finally gathering her voice, hesitated before speaking. “I… I just need to understand—how exactly are we supposed to capture this Demon King? What does ‘defeat’ entail?”

Mael leaned back, her expression almost casual, though the sharpness in her eyes remained. “It matters little to me whether you capture him alive or bring him down by force. The reason is simple: the Demon King has been causing me and my interests numerous… complications. I wish him removed. Your method is irrelevant, as long as the end is achieved.”

"Kael, you can stop hiding behind that door, you can go back to adventure with your companions, for now." Mael said.

Kael, still hidden, wiped the remaining traces of tears from her cheeks. The slight redness on her face betrayed the emotional weight she had carried moments before, but she forced herself to breathe steadily, to regain composure. Taking a cautious step forward, she opened the door fully, moving toward Lian and Mira.

She met their eyes, her gaze steady now, and managed a faint, gentle smile. “Thank you,” she whispered softly, the single word carrying all the gratitude, fear, and hope she had bottled up over the past hours.

The three of them left Mael’s house together, walking in silence for a short stretch as the weight of the challenge began to settle in. Their minds raced with strategy, contingencies, and doubts, yet beneath it all lingered a shared determination.

Aldren, who had remained quietly in the background throughout the conversation, watched the trio leave. Once Mael had turned away, he finally dared to speak. “Do you truly believe they will succeed, Madam?”

Mael’s eyes glimmered with a cold, almost imperceptible amusement. “No,” she replied plainly, her tone calm and measured. “It is only a false hope for Kael. She lacks the nature, the fortitude, the… essence to become a true heroine. This… experiment will allow her to struggle, to strive, and ultimately, to resign herself quietly to her fate without protest. This is all that matters.”

Aldren’s brow furrowed, a silent tension in the air as he realized the calculated cruelty behind her decision. Mael’s glance swept across the room, unreadable, as if she already anticipated every potential outcome, and he was left to wonder how Kael and her companions might fare in the face of such impossible odds.

The rescue ended with the trio walking back to their modest home, the sun lowering in the sky, casting long shadows along the streets. Their resolve had been tested, but none of them could yet grasp the full magnitude of the trials that lay ahead. The Demon King was out there, formidable and dangerous, and the weight of Mael’s challenge settled heavily on their shoulders, shaping the future of their adventure in ways none of them could predict.