Chapter 597: Before Another Answer

The child touched the dragon scale beneath her collar before joining the household at the capital manor’s supper table.

The bitter subterranean chill of the archive vaults melted away under the comforting heat of the roaring dry pine logs.

Upon the long banquet table rested steaming platters of roasted venison, spiced honey root vegetables, fresh crusty bread, and herbal tea.

Rumi and Nari sat side by side on a cushioned bench, their eight combined wings fluttering softly as they devoured hot meat pies.

"I never imagined simple roasted mutton could taste like the food of the gods!" the elder runner exclaimed between enthusiastic bites.

"That is the natural consequence of sprinting through three spatial conduits on an empty stomach," Ferra teased warmly, pouring spiced cider.

"You earned every single bite of that feast, little rascals!"

Across the table, the child sat wrapped in a soft woolen blanket, nibbling quietly on a buttered roll while watching the leaping flames.

Her dragon scale rested safely beneath her linen tunic collar, alive and quiescent against her fragile collarbone.

Hajin watched over the scene with deep, contented affection, resting his hands against the pottery tea mug.

"The status record stands firm after our subterranean campaign," the young lord remarked, his six celestial rings resting in a gentle aura.

"Host experience holds at 630 million points toward the seventh ring, fragment recovery stands at fifty percent, and our wallet holds seventy-four thousand four hundred thirty-five credits."

"We achieved our objective, protected every memory, and brought our entire family home in one piece!"

A delicate, luminous system prompt chimed in the air above the table, visible only to Hajin and his bonded companions.

[ Sovereign bloodline inheritance discovered: Royal dragon-daughter line ]

[ Option available: Permanent bloodline integration ]

[ Integration status: Available, pending sovereign discretion ]

The glowing text hovered in the air, offering to bind the ancient royal lineage irrevocably into the young girl’s spiritual core.

The girl blinked at the glowing letters, her little hands clutching the woolen blanket a little tighter around her chest.

"Does that mean the golden robes want me to become their princess?" she asked, her voice quiet and hesitant.

"It means the system recognizes that the ancient crown left a door open for you," Hajin answered gently, leaning across the table.

"It offers to weave the royal dragon bloodline permanently into your flesh and soul."

"Is that something she has to accept?" Vella asked, her healer’s eyes filled with protective maternal concern.

"She does not have to accept anything!" the summoner answered firmly, shaking his head with uncompromising resolve.

"The option is officially available, but as of this moment, it remains entirely unchosen."

"We do not bend to the demands of ancient thrones, and we never force a child to inherit a kingdom’s burden!"

"Before anyone even thinks about saying yes or no, we need to talk about what this integration actually means."

Hajin set his tea mug down, his expression serious, calm, and filled with uncompromising clarity.

"Permanent Bloodline Integration comes with five absolute, non-negotiable boundaries," the young lord explained to the room.

"First limit: there is zero magical power surge... this integration will never be used as a shortcut to cheap combat strength or inflated attributes!"

"If you ever choose to grow stronger, little one, you will earn it through your own effort and training, not an ancient ghost’s gift."

The young girl nodded her head slowly, absorbing each of his solemn words with serious, focused attention.

"Second limit: it creates zero forced family membership... bloodline integration cannot manufacture synthetic love or compel obedience to royal relatives!"

"Your family is the people sitting around this hearth, chosen by love and loyalty, not a genealogical chart."

"Third limit: there is zero erasure of your past pain or humble beginnings... it will not whitewash where you came from or what you survived!"

"You were a scullery girl who wept in the cold, and that truth will always remain sacred and real."

"Fourth limit: there is zero ownership over your person... neither the ancient crown, nor this kingdom, nor I will ever own a single hair on your head!"

"You belong entirely to yourself, and your sovereignty is absolute!"

"And fifth limit: the tyrant King remains real... this integration does not excuse his historical crimes or turn his cruelty into noble necessity!"

"He was a monster who exploited his own people, and no bloodline ritual will ever change that verdict!"

Silence settled over the dining hall, save for the gentle crackling of pine needles in the hearth.

The girl looked down at her small, calloused fingers, tracing the faded scars left by years of harsh scullery labor.

"So if I take it... I do not become their property?" she whispered, looking up into Hajin’s gentle, violet eyes.

"You never become their property!" the summoner assured her with absolute conviction in his voice.

"And if you refuse it... nobody in this room will ever be disappointed in you!"

"Your worth in this family has nothing to do with royal blood or ancient crowns."

A small, genuine smile broke across the young girl’s face, reaching her bright eyes for the first time that evening.

"I like being myself, even if I came from the kitchen," she murmured softly, leaning her head against Vella’s shoulder.

"I like baking bread with Vella and watching Ferra swing her hammer at the forge."

"I like knowing that Rumi and Nari will jump through a wall of rock just to hold my hand!"

The two feline scouts leaned forward, their tails curling affectionately around the little girl’s woolen blanket.

"We would tear down ten mountains for you, little dragon!" the elder runner purred, rubbing her cheek against the girl’s hair.

"Royal blood or no royal blood, you are our sister forever!" the younger scout agreed, her four ruby wings folding protectively around them both.

Ferra set down her hot cider cup upon the table, stretching her broad shoulders with a satisfied groan.

"Now that the limits are plain as day, I move that we invoke the oldest smithing rule in the world," the smith announced.

"What rule is that?" Lucan asked, glancing up from his travel notes with an inquisitive smile.

"Never hammer hot steel when your eyes are heavy with sleep," the smith replied with a wink.

"You make crooked horseshoes and crack the anvil."

Hajin smiled in full agreement, rising from his chair to dim the oil lamps around the parlor.

"The smith speaks absolute wisdom!" the young lord declared, gesturing toward the upstairs guest rooms.

"The integration choice remains available and unchosen, and tonight, nobody makes any monumental life decisions!"

"We honor the sacred rule of the road: sleep first, decide later!"

"Tomorrow is for thinking, but tonight is for thick blankets, soft pillows, and deep, dreamless rest."

The girl let out a tiny yawn, her eyelids fluttering with exhaustion as Vella gently lifted her from the bench.

"Bedtime for little dragons," the healer whispered, carrying the girl toward the stairs with maternal care.

"Tomorrow the sun will rise, and we will take our breakfast in the garden without a single worry in our hearts."

High above the tranquil capital estate, the celestial stream broadcast resonated with widespread respect and tender admiration.

[ Seoul_Tactician: "Five limits! No power surge, forced membership, erased names, or ownership, and the King still lives!" ]

[ StarlightScholar: "’A child’s worth has nothing to do with royal blood!’ Hajin’s moral leadership shines like a sovereign sun!" ]

[ IronVanguard: "The ’sleep first’ principle! Never make permanent life decisions while physically exhausted!" ]

[ HearthKeeper: "The child tucked into a safe bed after so much suffering... this is what true family looks like!" ]

[ VoidWatcher_42: "Record unchanged! 74,435 credits, Hajin holds 630 million EXP, and fragment recovery rests at fifty percent!" ]

[ BattleMage_Jin: "Her handwriting might hold the missing consent terms! The true compact of refusal and the missing three elements!" ]

Hajin stood on the manor balcony, looking out over the quiet provincial capital bathed in silver moonlight.

The status record remained perfectly balanced: 630 million experience points toward the seventh ring, fifty percent fragment recovery, and seventy-four thousand four hundred thirty-five credits.

No battle was fought tonight, yet one of the greatest moral victories of their journey was quietly won beside the hearth.

In the shadows of the kingdom’s history, an ancient compact awaited restoration, written in an ancestor’s own handwriting.

Hajin laid the faded script beside the child’s unfinished choice and waited for her to ask about its missing lines.

Rest came easily to the weary travelers, wrapping them in warmth before the challenges of the coming day.