Chapter 130: Declaration

Without thinking, I leaned forward, opened my mouth, and casually bit the piece of grilled sausage straight off her pointed fork.

Yerin froze mid-sentence, staring at her empty fork before letting out a dramatic, pouting whine. "Hey!! That was my sausage, Seth!"

I chewed and swallowed calmly, ignoring the warm, amused smiles spreading across Julian, Alice, and Yoona’s faces. "Don’t whine. You don’t have to worry about cafeteria food anyway. Whenever you’re hungry at Avalon, I’ll just cook for you myself."

Yerin’s pouting face instantly vanished, replaced by a wide grin. She clapped her hands together in delight. "Yay! Now I can go back to Avalon without any worries at all."

The rest of breakfast proceeded smoothly in that cozy, comfortable rhythm. The conversation flowed naturally, shifting between praise for Yerin’s record-shattering farewell concert, stories about life on the Avalon campus, and casual chats about recent movie releases.

Val stayed mostly quiet throughout the meal, preferring to eat silently while listening to the cheerful banter around her. But she was far from isolated.

Every few minutes, Alice would reach over to put a fresh pastry on Val’s plate, while I casually passed her juice and fruit. Even without saying much, Val felt completely included, her violet eyes shining with quiet contentment.

Finally, as the meal drew to a close, Alice set her teacup down onto its saucer with a soft clink.

She cleared her throat, looking across the table at me with a sharp, expectant, and thoroughly amused spark in her dark eyes. "So... Seth, sweetie. How much longer are you going to keep idling around? I am still waiting for that good news you promised me."

I let out a dry, sheepish laugh, shaking my head. "Well... good dessert only comes after a proper meal, Mom."

Setting my napkin down, I reached out with my left hand, taking Yoona’s hand into mine above the table.

I looked straight at Mom and Dad, my voice turning clear, steady, and resolute. "First... Yoona and I are officially in a relationship. We have entered a formal engagement, and we intend to see it through for the rest of our lives. We would love to have your blessings."

Since Alice and Julian had already seen the whole arrangement in the skybox, neither of them showed any surprise.

Alice smiled warmly, nodding. "You have my absolute blessings, sweetie. I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful daughter-in-law."

Julian gave a firm, approving nod. "You have my full blessings as well. Take care of each other."

Then, taking a quiet breath, I reached out with my right hand, grasping Val’s trembling hand where she sat beside me.

Val froze, her face turning bright red, but she didn’t pull her hand away.

I looked my parents straight in the eye, my tone completely unshakable. "Second... I am also in an official relationship with my cute head of security, Valerie. And when the time comes... I am going to marry her, too."

The cat was out of the bag. I never intended to hide these things from my parents, after all they were integral part of my life. But still, it did make me nervous even if I knew they would accept my life partners.

Taking a slow, deep breath I looked up at them.

Although Alice and Julian might have already guessed that something deeper was developing between me and Valerie, hearing me state my intentions so plainly and directly still caught them off guard.

For a brief, heavy moment, complete silence settled over the grand mahogany dining table.

Val felt that sudden drop in sound instantly. Her body went rigid, the color draining from her face as she turned pale. Most likely assuming their silence meant quiet disapproval, shock, or a subtle rejection of her standing, she instinctively tried to pull her hand back from my grip, preparing to stand up and retreat into her formal bodyguard stance.

"I... I offer my deepest apologies, Lord Julian, Lady Alice," Val stammered, her voice tight as she lowered her eyes. "I went out of line. My position—"

Before she could pull away or sink back into her professional shell, I tightened my fingers around hers, refusing to let go.

I didn’t hesitate. Looking across the table at my parents, I spoke up in a calm, slightly exasperated tone. "Hey, Mom, Dad. My girlfriend here has some serious insecurity issues and a terrible habit of selling herself short. So if you two could refrain from giving her the silent treatment right now, I’d really appreciate it. It’ll just fuel the misunderstanding."

Mom snapped out of her brief surprise, her dark eyes widening with horror at the misunderstanding.

"Oh! No, no, no! Goodness, sweetie, absolutely not!" Mom pushed her chair back, shaking her head vigorously as she looked at Val. "Valerie, look at me. It is nothing like that at all! I am overjoyed, truly, deeply happy to welcome you into our family!"

Mom leaned across the table, her voice thick with genuine emotion. "You must never, ever think like that, child. You are a treasure to the Fernando family. Even long before you became Seth’s girlfriend, you were already an integral, irreplaceable part of this household. We love you dearly."

Sitting at the head of the table, Dad let out a slow, heavy sigh. He set his porcelain coffee cup down onto its saucer with a quiet click, resting his hands on the table as a look of deep, genuine remorse settled over his sharp features.

"I ought to apologize to you, Valerie," Dad said, his voice carrying a quiet, solemn weight. "And I am doing so now. It is my failure as the head of this house that I allowed you to carry such reservations or feel any distance between us. If you ever felt like an outsider in this home, that fault lies entirely on my shoulders for not treating my people properly."

Now, that was something even I did not expect. And judging by how even Yoona was surprised, I wasn’t surprised out of ignorance. Then, she glanced at Seth as understanding shown in her eyes.