NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: One Month Is All I Need
Lady Kaitlyn Drakos carried herself with the effortless grace of nobility, yet beneath the delicate nature she presented lay the quiet steel of a woman who had weathered storms few could endure.
Her golden hair was just like Katrina's, but instead braided up neatly compared to his niece's which had been let down. Streaks of white were visible within her braids, a testament to her age but she still seemed no older than fifty.
Beneath elegantly arched brows, her eyes were cool and calculating, they held a knowing sharpness; as if she saw through the veils of courtesy and deception alike.
Her beauty was timeless, regal rather than warm, her tone firm rather than fierce. Draped in flowing robes the color of deep sapphire, embroidered with silver to mirror the shimmer of the tides, she stood as the perfect consort to the late Lord Jaren.
Beside the Royal Consort was Selene. His mother had her arms linked with hers which Lukas found quite surprising.
The usual trope in these Korean dramas he used to watch to pass the time in his past life was that the King's official wife would always be at odds with his concubines. But the two women seemed to share an almost sisterly bond, a genuine friendship. It seemed like not everyone who carried noble blood had such disdain for the "lowbloods" of the draconic race, Lady Kaitlyn Drakos was proof of that.
"You have grown since I last saw you, Lukas. I am…glad that you have woken from your slumber. Many suspected you never would wake again."
"Thank you, Lady Drakos." He responded with polite courtesy as he should.
The Royal Consort nodded, acknowledging the respect he seemed to show her.
"As Katrina has told you, your brother is likely no longer with us. The Seas can no longer live in the past waiting for its Lord to return, Lukas. Rodan always believed you would come back to us. He loved you fiercely and he never gave up on you. Now, you must take on the responsibility he once held." The Lady Kaitlyn watched him, observing to see his reaction.
This was an evaluation, Lukas quickly realized.
Lukas chose to stay silent, thinking about what the right move here was.
Did he really want to carry such a huge burden?
Yes, Lukas liked these people and this new world he inhabited seemed amazing; a world that he could not wait to discover and explore. It was not like he was completely against the idea. But more importantly, Lukas had to be honest with himself: was he really fit to be a leader? Not only to lead but to protect the draconic race?
Was he even worthy of such a position?
"How will you answer the call, Lukas?" Her voice became more firm, challenging him to speak up; urging him to give her an answer that she would be satisfied with.
"I am a descendant of the Drakos Bloodline. If I am called to serve my people, I will serve. But I am afraid I have little memory of my past, Lady Drakos. At this time, I do not think I will be able to fulfill such a role. I am not fit to rule as of now." Lukas lowered his head in humility, hoping that his answer would not anger the Royal Consort.
Stolen story; please report.
Lukas glanced at his mother who smiled encouragingly at him but he suspected Selene would probably support him no matter what he chose to do. He gave her a quick smile in response before meeting Lady Kaitlyn's eyes once more.
"I…I understand." The Royal Conort said with a sigh, very much to his surprise; voice heavy with disappointment.
Lukas had honestly thought that she would force him into the position. Instead, she was a lot more level-headed than he had expected her to be. Lukas was starting to like the Lady Kaitlyn.
"It was too great an ask…perhaps I shouldn't have suggested such a thing."
"I'll need a month." Lukas declared after a bout of silence.
"Pardon?" Lady Kaitlyn enquired, her eyebrow raised in confusion.
Katrina and his mother too stared at him quizzically.
"Right now, it is quite clear I'm not fit to rule. But you don't need someone else to rule, do you? The only reason why you're in a rush to put a new guy on the throne is because somebody is threatening your authority, no? You need somebody to put him in his place. I just need a month to adjust and I'll take them on." Lukas had dropped his well-mannered facade, there was no point in it.
Honesty was a much better policy anyways and Lukas was being completely honest. He meant what he had said, every word of it.
Katrina had mentioned enemies; these were the vultures who had come to feast, knowing that the Seas had no Lord to protect them.
The only reason why the Lady Kaitlyn wanted Lukas to step up was because she needed help trying to maintain the power of House Drakos.
If Lukas was given a month to adjust to his new body and capabilities, he knew for a fact he would be ready to fight.
Selene, his mother, seemed to look at him with great concern. But she decided to hold her tongue.
Katrina's eyes were filled with glee while Lady Kaitlyn stared at him in shocked silence.
"You are more observant than I give you credit for, young man. Your memory may fail you but you are still as sharp as ever. But I am warning you that the one you are up against will not be an easy foe. Our enemy is the successor of a fearsome race, one that has terrorized the Seas and clashed with the Drakos Family time and time again over thousands of years."
"And what race is more fearsome than a dragon, Lady Drakos?" Lukas replied with a savage grin.
The Royal Consort had no answer to that.
The Lady Kaitlyn stared at the young Lordling in front of her, millions of calculations running through her mind. She looked right into his eyes, searching for a chink in his armor; a telltale sign that Lukas was bluffing.
But she could find none.
Was this just pure delusion, arrogance that came with youth?
No. This was different. There was something more to his claims.
There was certainty. There was finality.
Before her stood one who could become a Dragon Lord greater than her husband or her son had ever been. Maybe even greater than all who had come before him.
Lukas knew he would win.
The Lady Kaitlyn did not know how Lukas knew this, but for some strange reason, she believed in him.
The Royal Consort matched his grin with a toothy smile of her own, the biggest one she had shown in a very long time.
"Very well then, Lukas Drakos. Do not disappoint me. The fate of the Seas is in your hands now."