Reborn as the Failed Lord with my Resource Gathering System.

"Good morning, Father."

Dorian grumbled, practically collapsing into the dining chair.

"Good morning, son."

James grunted back, making a valiant effort to shove a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

Now semi-seated, Dorian finally bothered to lift his gaze from the battlefield that was his breakfast and aim it squarely at his father. From his vantage point, he could practically smell the exhaustion radiating off the man. Even the way he was trying to shovel food into his mouth was regulated, as if he were holding back from simply inhaling it.

'Hold on a minute,' Dorian mused to himself, a furrow appearing between his brows. 'Why in the heck is my father even eating breakfast at this ungodly hour?'

"Father, were you out battling dragons this morning? Why are you chowing down so late?" he asked, reluctantly picking up his own spoon as if it were a booby-trapped utensil.

Meanwhile, James had frozen mid-chew, the question hanging in the air. He slowly, agonizingly, raised his head, then mumbled, "What about you? Why are you just now gracing us with your presence, Mr. Early Bird?"

Dorian paused, his gaze turning menacing. "I was… well, I was utterly wrecked last night," he finally managed, a theatrical sigh escaping him.

James, sporting the exact same, equally unconvincing expression, echoed back, "Same, son. Utterly, utterly wrecked."

They stared at each other for a long, awkward moment, a silent understanding passing between them, a bond forged in the crucible of shared suffering.

"Your mother is a beast," James wailed, a genuine crack in his voice.

"No wonder she was practically glowing with an unnatural energy when she busted into my room," Dorian agreed. "Women, Father, are indeed beasts. Absolute, undeniable beasts."

They continued their breakfast after their little exchange, silence settling into the room, the only sound being the clinking of utensils on their plates. Soon, they were done, with both men resting their backs on their chairs after having their stomachs filled.

"Son of mine, are you sure about what you discussed the other day? You really want to do it?" asked James, slowly leaning forward while keeping his eyes on his son.

Dorian was quiet for a moment, glancing at his father. "Geez, I thought you were already willing to go with it. Don't tell me you're having second thoughts now?"

"We—"

"Father, now that the mining ground is operational, we have to expand our trade outside the county to other territories. If we do that, people will start to understand the power we have, so we need the king's protection. Now, when the king asks for our presence, imagine if he finds out we have a literal dragon egg under our watch. Not only will he seize it from us, but this would also be a good excuse for any other higher noble to take our mining ground, all in the name of protection."

He paused, then stood up from his chair.

"But if we can somehow get the dragon under our control, then the king will have to respect us. I mean, we tamed a dragon, after all. It's only normal, since many other kings would kill for us to join their side."

James smiled. "Looks like you've thought this through, like you claimed." Then a serious look played on his face. "And what if it doesn't go as planned, and the dragon, you know…"

"That is why I urged you to speak to the neighboring barony, to let them know we'll be staying over at their place for a fair price. Our barony is large, but we have so few villages. This is the only way."

James sighed. "And you're certain the city will be overrun with dark mist?"

"Positive. It's the cause of the mine being polluted. We'd be stupid to assume it couldn't do it again just because I plan to move it somewhere else."

"Fine." James stood up. "If you succeed in this, there is a present I would like to give you."

"A present?" Dorian raised a brow.

"I should have done it a while back, but I was hesitant. Now that I have thought it through, I feel I should do it. You deserve it."

'I wonder what present he is talking about. It better be new workers.'

Dorian waved his hand and slowly walked away. "Yeah, sure. I'll be waiting."

…

Dorian made his way out of the dining room, and upon reaching the outside, he ran into his sister, standing at the other side with her back resting on the wall.

She had a smug smile on her face, her red eyes glittering with mischief.

"Looks like you and Dad are bonding pretty well," she teased.

"Why are you eavesdropping on two men… perv." Dorian ran his hand through her hair, messing it up.

"EYA~ Big brother, stop! I spent a long time trying to make my hair neat, you know, s…stop…"

After he was satisfied, Dorian lifted his hand from her hair and carefully grabbed her chin, lifting it up a bit.

Her eyes instantly widened, surprised to see his face so close to hers. His soft lips were practically waving at her, begging her to kiss them.

Was he going to kiss her? It was so sudden; how was she supposed to react?

With her hands behind her back, her cheeks flushed as she closed her eyes, expecting Dorian to kiss her any second.

But then he asked…

"Looks like you've been thinking about something for a while. Are you finally planning to tell Father you can use magic?"

Yelena quickly opened her eyes, surprised to see her brother only wanted to ask her that question. Pouting, she smacked his hand away from her jaw and glanced towards the door.

"Yes, I do," she replied. "As long as you keep your promise, I am willing to keep mine."

"Is that so?" Dorian tapped her on the shoulder. "Welp, good luck."

And with that, he walked away, leaving Yelena standing there, her heart beating fast.

"T-that was close…" she uttered, covering her bright red face with her hand.

...

[A/N]

One more extra chapter today for the powerstones.