Chapter 19: An Awkward Breakfast

NOTE: In incoming Chapters, you might REALLY hate Leonidas😭 Trust the process(it’s a slow burn of sorts, as he doesn’t immediately earn Karina or Valen’s trust. Thanks for reading!

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Leonidas stepped inside, looking every bit the handsome Panther King he was, and Karina nearly choked on her breath. His top was open at the collar, revealing a hint of his sculpted chest.

Annoying, Karina thought, resisting the urge to tsk out loud. Why does he have to look like that?

She turned away, stabbing a piece of sausage with more force than strictly necessary. The poor sausage practically impaled itself on her fork.

"Good morning," Leonidas spoke confidently, striding towards the table like Karina hadn’t screamed at him the night before. Hmm, she was more dressed than necessary today. "I trust everyone slept well?"

Karina didn’t look up. She stabbed another sausage.

Leonidas shot up a brow, choosing against asking the question again. His eyes landed on his son, who was tracing circles on the table. Then they moved to the irritating General and one of Karina’s ladies-in-waiting.

Everyone is here, he thought, suppressing a scowl. Pity. I would have enjoyed seeing the General dead.

He moved to take his seat some chairs away from his family, knowing better than to attempt sitting directly next to Valen. The boy had made it abundantly clear he wanted nothing to do with his father, and Leonidas wasn’t in the mood for another rejection this early in the morning.

The wooden chair groaned under his weight as he settled into it. A young girl immediately appeared, placing a steaming plate of eggs, roasted meat, and fresh bread before him. Leonidas grunted his thanks and picked up his fork, but his eyes kept drifting across the table.

To his wife.

To the woman who had screamed at him, threatened him, and completely dismissed him like he was nothing more than an annoying insect.

She was currently cutting a piece of sausage into tiny, bite-sized pieces. Her movements were surprisingly gentle as she placed the morsels onto Valen’s plate.

"Eat," she said softly. "You need your strength for the journey."

Valen looked at the sausage, then at her. He didn’t say anything, but he picked up his fork and took a small bite.

Karina smiled, her entire face softening. She reached out and brushed a stray strand of dark hair from Valen’s forehead, her fingers lingering for just a moment.

"Good boy," she murmured.

[SYSTEM ALERT: MATERNAL REDEMPTION PROGRESS: 10% → 15%]

[Relationship with Valen: Cautious/Interested → Trust Developing\]

[YANDERE POINTS REWARD: +10 (Consistent Care)]

[REMAINING BALANCE: 45 YANDERE POINTS]

Karina noted all this down, and reached for another piece of bread, buttering it before placing it on Valen’s plate.

"Here," she said. "Eat this too. You need to grow big and strong."

Valen looked at the bread, then at her. "You’re not eating," he observed quietly.

Karina batted her eyes. "I’ll eat in a moment. I want to make sure you’re taken care of first."

Valen was silent for a long moment. Then, hesitantly, he pushed his plate toward her. "Share," he said, his voice low. "You need to eat too."

Karina’s heart melted immediately at the little boy’s sweetness. She blinked rapidly, fighting back the sudden sting in her eyes.

"Thank you, Valen," she said, her voice slightly thick. She took a small piece of bread from his plate and ate it, making a show of savoring it. "Mmm. Delicious."

Valen’s lips moved just slightly.

Across the table, Leonidas, who had been watching his wife and son, cleared his throat loudly.

"The road will be safe today," he announced. "The scent of the panther I killed yesterday will keep the other sick ones at bay. We won’t be attacked again."

Karina didn’t look at him. She was too busy cutting another piece of sausage for Valen.

"Did you hear me?" Leonidas pressed, his voice filling up with irritation. "I said we’ll be safe. There’s no need to worry."

Still nothing. Karina continued tending to Valen, brushing a crumb from his cheek with a gentle thumb.

A vein literally popped on Leonidas’s forehead. "Empress. I am speaking to you."

"I heard you," Karina said coldly, not looking up. "You said we’ll be safe. Good. That’s what you’re supposed to do as king. Protect your people."

She finally glanced at him, but her expression was completely disinterested. Then she turned back to Valen, her face immediately softening again.

"Would you like some honey on your bread?"

Valen nodded. Karina reached for the honey pot, completely dismissing Leonidas like he was nothing more than a piece of furniture.

[SYSTEM ALERT: LEONIDAS HEART POINTS: -37 → -35]

[OBSESSION LEVEL: 2% → 4% (Frustrated Curiosity)]

[Analysis: Your blatant disregard is driving him insane. Continue.]

Leonidas’s grip on his fork tightened. He could feel the vein throbbing in his temple even more. This woman, this infuriating, impossible woman, was acting like he didn’t exist. Like he was beneath her notice.

The old Karina would have been hanging on my every word, he thought bitterly. She would have begged me to sit closer, to touch her, to—

He stopped himself, shaking the thought away. He didn’t want the old Karina. He had never wanted her. She was pathetic, desperate, and utterly beneath him.

But this new Karina...

She was infuriating. She was arrogant. She looked at him like he was nothing.

And he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

His mind drifted back to the previous night. The way the candlelight had flickered across her wet skin. The curve of her hips. The way water had dripped from her hair, tracing a path down her neck, her collarbone, her—

Leonidas shifted in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable. He reached for his cup of tea and took a long, slow drink, forcing his thoughts elsewhere.

She’s my wife, he reminded himself. I’ve seen her naked before. Many times. It’s nothing.

But it wasn’t nothing. Because the woman he had seen in that room wasn’t the same woman who used to throw herself at him. She wasn’t begging, crying, or trying to manipulate him with her body. She had been embarrassed, furious, and completely uninterested in his presence.

And for some reason, that made him want to see her again.

Even his son, the one he had neglected for six good years. He watched him eat, chewing slowly and occasionally wiping his lips like the well-trained royal he was.

He had never spent time with him. Under the guise that he was always busy, or had important kingdom duties to carry out.

But now, sitting across from this small, serious boy who looked so much like him, he felt a flicker of something he hadn’t expected.

Guilt.

"We’ll arrive at Shadow’s Edge by tomorrow evening," Leonidas said, trying to keep his voice gentle. "Your home."

Valen didn’t respond. He just continued eating, his small shoulders hunched.

Leonidas felt his jaw click. He was trying. And his son was completely ignoring him.

Just like his mother.

Before Leonidas could say anything else, a small snort escaped from the other end of the table. It was quickly suppressed, turning into a cough, but Leonidas heard it.

Aldric.

The General’s face was blank, but there was a telltale glint in his eyes. He was laughing. At him.

"Something amusing, General?" Leonidas growled, fisting his fingers.

Aldric cleared his throat, schooling his features. "Nothing, Your Majesty. Just a tickle in my throat."

"A tickle."

"Yes, Sire. Very persistent. Probably from the dust on the road."

Leonidas’s eyes narrowed. "You think I’m a fool?"

"Not at all, Sire. I think you’re a very capable king who—"

"Enough."

Karina’s voice put an end to their back and forth before it became a full blown fight. Leonidas turned to look at her, and she had an irritated look in her eyes.

"Eat," she said. "We have a long journey ahead of us. I will not have you starting fights with my General before we’ve even left the inn."

"Your General?" Leonidas repeated. "He serves the crown."

"And I am the crown," Karina said coolly. "So he serves me. Now eat."

Sophie’s allergies chose that exact moment to act up, and she sneezed very loudly, hurriedly covering her nose.

The four of them stared at her, blinking together.

Poor Sophie felt like entering the ground.

"Pardon me."