Chapter 370: Family Dinner

Chapter 370: Chapter 370: Family Dinner

By the time Arik and Liam reached the family dining room, Gabriel had already threatened to dismiss the head steward.

Apparently, this was a recurring occurrence.

"I am perfectly capable of arranging dinner for my own family, Edward."

"Your Majesty, I have never suggested otherwise."

"Then why are there six attendants standing outside?"

"Because there are twelve people expected for dinner, Your Majesty."

"And?"

"And I would prefer that the Emperor of Agaron not have to retrieve his own dinner from the kitchens."

Gabriel stared at him.

Edward remained perfectly composed, his dark formal uniform immaculate beneath the warm lighting of the corridor. The silver insignia of the imperial household rested against his chest, and his expression suggested that he had survived considerably more difficult conversations than this one.

Liam glanced toward Arik.

His husband looked delighted.

"Does this happen often?"

"Every time Mother decides we should have a normal family dinner."

Gabriel turned toward them.

"Arik, tell Edward that we do not require a formal dining arrangement."

Edward looked at Arik.

Arik immediately reconsidered his position.

"I am not getting involved."

"Coward," Cecil remarked from behind them.

Gabriel sighed.

Edward adjusted his cuffs.

"Your Majesty, I have already compromised on the ceremonial service, the seating arrangements, and the additional security personnel. If you insist on dismissing the attendants as well, I will be forced to reconsider my position as head steward."

Liam blinked.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes.

"You have been threatening to resign for twenty years."

"And I have remained remarkably patient throughout those twenty years, Your Majesty."

Damian appeared at the doorway behind Edward, wearing a simple black shirt and dark trousers rather than his usual imperial attire.

"Gabriel."

"What?"

"Let Edward keep the attendants."

Gabriel looked offended.

Damian leaned down and kissed his cheek.

"Please."

Gabriel considered the request for several seconds.

Then sighed.

"Fine. But they are not standing behind our chairs."

Edward bowed.

"As Your Majesty wishes."

Arik leaned toward Liam.

"Stanford inherited that expression from his father."

Liam pressed his lips together.

He could see it.

The family dining room bore little resemblance to the enormous ceremonial hall Liam had seen during the afternoon tour.

A long wooden table occupied the center of a comfortable room with cream-colored walls, tall windows, and dark green curtains drawn against the evening. Several paintings decorated the walls, while a wide fireplace stood between two bookshelves containing what appeared to be an assortment of cookbooks, family albums, and technical manuals.

Dinner had already been arranged on the table.

There were roasted vegetables, several dishes of meat, fresh bread, and a large serving bowl filled with potatoes seasoned with herbs. Smaller plates contained sauces and salads, while two glass pitchers stood beside the water and wine.

Gabriel immediately directed Liam toward the chair beside him.

Arik followed.

Then stopped.

Ophelia was already sitting in the chair on Liam’s other side.

Michel occupied the remaining chair beside Arik.

Arik looked at his youngest brother.

"Did you arrange this?"

Michel shook his head.

"Ophelia did."

Ophelia smiled.

"I want to sit beside Liam."

Arik glanced toward the empty chairs farther down the table.

Apparently, his options were limited.

He sat.

Michel immediately reached for his sleeve.

"Arik, did you bring the horses?"

Liam lowered his head.

Arik closed his eyes.

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"Because transporting three horses from Nuria to Agaron requires considerably more preparation than putting them in a suitcase."

Michel considered this.

"Can they fit in the airplane?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn’t you bring them?"

Cecil started laughing.

Arik looked toward him.

"You are enjoying this far too much."

"Immensely."

Liam had barely finished serving himself when Gabriel noticed the small device attached to his wrist.

"Is that the new ether regulator?"

Liam glanced down.

"Yes. We started testing the revised model before leaving Nuria."

Gabriel leaned closer.

"The one with the adaptive distribution system?"

"That is the previous version. This one has independent monitoring for each output channel, which should allow us to identify irregularities before they affect the main circuit."

Gabriel set down his fork.

"Oh, that is interesting."

Liam smiled.

He had known Gabriel was an engineer, but their previous conversations had usually been interrupted by imperial business, family matters, or Arik deciding that Liam had spent enough time discussing technical subjects with someone else.

Apparently, dinner offered an excellent opportunity to correct that.

"The problem with the previous design was that we could measure the total ether flow, but localized fluctuations were difficult to isolate," Liam explained. "The core would compensate automatically, which made the overall readings appear stable even when one channel was operating outside its intended range."

Gabriel nodded.

"And the additional sensors?"

"Installed directly along the distribution branches. We are still determining whether the response delay is acceptable under variable loads."

"Have you considered measuring the pressure differential across the secondary junctions?"

Liam paused.

Then looked at him.

"That might actually work."

Gabriel smiled.

Across the table, Damian glanced toward Arik.

Arik was busy preventing Michel from putting an unreasonable quantity of sauce on his potatoes.

Neither man appeared particularly surprised.

Twenty minutes later, Liam and Gabriel had progressed from ether distribution systems to the structural limitations of Nuria’s original imperial infrastructure.

Gabriel had retrieved a notebook from the bookshelf.

Liam had drawn a diagram.

Arik had lost his husband to engineering.

He was also beginning to suspect that his youngest siblings had developed an organized strategy for preventing him from eating dinner.

"Arik."

He looked down.

Michel was holding a piece of bread.

"What?"

"Can you make it fly?"

"No."

"But you can fly."

"I can."

"Then make the bread fly."

Arik took the bread from him and placed it back on his plate.

"Eat it."

Michel frowned.

Ophelia leaned across Liam’s chair.

"Can you make my horse fly?"

Arik stared at her.

"Your horse does not exist yet."

"When it arrives."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because horses are not supposed to fly."

Ophelia considered this.

"Goliath had dragons."

Cecil nearly dropped his glass.

Arik turned toward his sister.

"Who told you that?"

"Father."

Damian continued eating.

Gabriel looked up from Liam’s diagram.

"What did I miss?"

"Your daughter wants me to make a horse fly."

Gabriel regarded Ophelia.

"Darling, horses cannot fly."

"Dragons can."

"Yes, but they are considerably better equipped for it."

Ophelia looked toward Arik.

"Can I have a dragon?"

"No."

She turned toward Damian.

"Father?"

Damian set down his glass.

"We will discuss it when you are older."

Arik stared at him.

"Father."

"What?"

"You cannot seriously be considering that."

Damian’s expression remained perfectly composed.

"She asked a question."

"And you gave her hope. There are no dragons left."

Cecil laughed.

"Welcome home, brother."

By the time dessert arrived, Liam had accumulated three pages of notes.

Gabriel was examining the latest diagram while explaining a modification he had once proposed for Agaron’s auxiliary ether network.

Liam listened attentively, occasionally interrupting to ask about the materials used in the original installation.

Across the table, Frederik had joined Cecil in discussing something involving the palace gardens, while Orfeo appeared to be attempting to finish his dessert without attracting anyone’s attention.

Arik was not so fortunate.

Ophelia had climbed into his lap.

Michel stood beside his chair, holding a small wooden horse.

"Arik, look."

Arik looked.

Michel had tied a napkin around the horse’s back.

"What am I looking at?"

"It has wings."

Arik examined the napkin.

"That is a cape."

"It is wings."

"Michel, that horse is not going to fly."

The boy lifted it toward him.

"Make it."

Arik looked at Damian.

His father was smiling into his wineglass.

Arik slowly turned toward Gabriel.

His mother was still discussing ether distribution with Liam.

Apparently, he was on his own.

With an expression of profound resignation, Arik raised one hand.

A thin thread of golden ether curled around the wooden horse and lifted it from Michel’s fingers.

The toy rose above the table, its improvised wings fluttering as Arik guided it through a slow circle.

Michel gasped.

Ophelia immediately leaned forward.

"Mine next!"

Arik looked toward the ceiling.

He had ruled an empire.

He had raised Nuria from the ocean.

He had survived the restoration of an imperial core that had remained dormant for seventy-seven years.

Apparently, none of those accomplishments had prepared him for having two six-year-old siblings.

The wooden horse completed another circle.

Then Michel pointed toward the chandelier.

"Higher!"

Arik sighed and sent the horse upward.

Liam finally looked away from Gabriel’s notebook.

He watched the toy circle above the table before glancing at his husband, whose expression suggested that he was contemplating the consequences of several questionable decisions made throughout his life.

Liam smiled.

"Having fun?"

Arik looked at him.

"You abandoned me."

"I was discussing engineering."

"For forty minutes."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

"We were having a perfectly productive conversation."

"You have three pages of notes."

"And we are not finished," Liam replied.

Gabriel grinned. "Consider it training for your own children."

Arik stared at him.

Ophelia tugged on his sleeve.

"Arik, the horse!"