Chapter 114: Family Beneath a Darkening Sky

Anna, his mother, wore a fitted black robe with red petals embroidery that wrapped around her narrow waist.

The red sash emphasized the delicate curve of her peach-shaped hips.

Her long black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of moonlight.

Her red eyes were warm as she ate, but Victor could see the worry hidden beneath the surface.

Clara, his aunt, wore a purple robe with white petals embroidery layered over silk.

The white sash cinched at her waist highlighted her full E-cup breasts and narrow waist.

Her purple hair flowed freely.

Her purple eyes sparkled with intelligence and mischief.

Rias, his sister-in-law, wore a red layered silk robe cinched at the waist with a black sash.

The attire hugged her upper body and breasts, then flowed loose and slit down her legs.

Her red hair was like fire.

Her red eyes held their usual cold demeanor, though they softened whenever she looked at Victor.

Lane, his maid, wore a simple yet pretty black robe—soft white fabric trimmed in black thread, fitted lightly at the waist, flowing to her ankles.

Her black hair fell on her shoulders.

Her black eyes sparkled with affection.

Her E-cup breasts were prominent under the robe.

Skyla, his other maid, wore a similar green robe.

Her blonde hair was tied behind her shoulders.

Her green eyes were bright and cheerful.

Her D-cup breasts suited her slender frame.

"I learned something troubling in the city," Victor said, breaking the comfortable silence.

The relaxed atmosphere around them immediately changed.

The women turned their attention toward him. The easy smiles disappeared from their faces as their expressions grew serious.

"What happened?" Anna asked.

Victor took a slow breath before answering.

He told them everything he had noticed while he was in the city.

Several shops had already closed their doors. The streets were much quieter than usual, with far fewer people moving around.

Even those who were still outside looked uneasy.

People walked quickly. They kept glancing around. Some spoke in low voices, while others simply stayed silent.

It felt as though the entire city was waiting for something.

Something bad.

The security presence had also increased.

Guards could be seen at almost every important street and entrance. There were more patrols than usual, and their presence was impossible to ignore.

But that wasn’t the worst part.

Victor finally told them the news that had caught his attention the most.

Rumors had already begun spreading throughout the city.

The army of the Obsidian Dune Kingdom was advancing toward the Suncloud Kingdom.

The moment he said it, the women exchanged surprised glances.

For a few seconds, nobody spoke.

None of them had expected the situation to change so suddenly.

"It is indeed a troubling matter," Clara said eventually.

Her brows knitted together.

She rested her hand against the table and thought about what Victor had told them.

"If a war really breaks out, Suncloud City will become chaotic. There will be too many things to worry about."

"Well, the strength of the Suncloud Kingdom isn’t lower than that of the Obsidian Dune Kingdom," Anna said thoughtfully.

She paused.

Her expression became more serious.

"But for the Obsidian Dune Kingdom to act with such confidence, there must be something behind it."

Victor looked at her.

"You think they have someone supporting them?"

Anna gave a small nod.

"That would be my guess."

She leaned back slightly.

"A kingdom wouldn’t normally act this aggressively without knowing it has something to rely on."

Victor fell silent.

That made sense.

There was no way a kingdom would casually march its army toward another kingdom without considering the consequences.

Either the Obsidian Dune Kingdom had discovered some weakness in Suncloud Kingdom...

Or they had someone powerful standing behind them.

Maybe both.

After thinking about it for a moment, Victor couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

"Aunt, do you think the Suncloud Kingdom would lose?"

Clara shrugged.

"Hmm. I don’t know."

She didn’t pretend to have an answer.

"Who knows? The Suncloud Kingdom might have backing of its own."

Victor slowly nodded.

That possibility made sense too.

The more they talked about it, the clearer it became that ordinary people probably knew very little about what was actually happening.

The armies moving across the borders were only the surface.

There were probably powerful figures and forces hidden behind them.

And those were the things ordinary citizens would never hear about.

Anna, however, didn’t seem interested in digging any deeper into the matter.

Her attention shifted toward Victor.

Then she looked at Lane.

Then Skyla.

"Whatever happens," she said firmly, "you three are forbidden from interfering in the war."

Her red eyes sharpened.

There was no hesitation in her expression.

And there was certainly no room for argument in her voice.

"We understand."

Lane and Skyla answered at the same time.

Victor remained silent.

He looked at his mother.

He could hear the firmness in her voice.

But that wasn’t all he noticed.

There was something else hiding beneath it.

Worry.

Deep worry.

She wasn’t simply giving them an order because she wanted to control what they did.

She was afraid.

Victor understood that immediately.

They had already lost so much.

She had already experienced the pain of watching people she cared about disappear from her life.

The thought of losing another family member was probably unbearable to her.

Victor’s eyes softened.

"Don’t worry, Mother," he said quietly.

His voice was calm.

"I won’t do anything reckless."

Anna stared at him.

She didn’t answer immediately.

For a moment, her eyes remained fixed on his face, as if she were trying to decide whether she could truly trust those words.

Then, little by little, the tension in her expression eased.

Not completely.

It probably never would.

A mother’s worry was not something that disappeared just because her son promised to be careful.

Still, his words had helped.

Anna’s expression softened.

"I know you won’t, my son."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

The conversation gradually came to an end.

No one wanted to talk about war anymore.

At least, not tonight.

The family continued their meal.

The food had already begun to cool, but nobody seemed to care.

For a little while, the tension outside disappeared.

There were no armies.

No rumors.

No political schemes.

No uncertainty about what tomorrow might bring.

There was only the warmth of the people sitting around the same table.

The world outside might have been changing.

Trouble might already have been approaching.

But for now, they had each other.

And for tonight, that was enough.