✔ blue-coloured beginnings 「 khunbam 」

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"He really has done it now."

The chaos going on inside the palace walls waned as soon as Khun Edahn started chuckling on his throne. Eyes of electric blue sparked with intrigue as he bemused over his goblet half- flled with wine, cackling like a madman without regard for his lowered subjects. "I knew it wasnʼt impossible, but making it a reality is pure madness!"

"Pardon me my Lord, but this isnʼt a laughing matter! If King Jahad hears about this anomaly, heʼll-"

"Heʼll do what? What exactly can he do when heʼs just holed up in there doing who-knows-what?" Edahnʼs tone raised, which made the man stagger backwards on his feet. He placed the goblet on the arm of his throne, the palace chilling like midwinter as the ice crept through as if freezing everything his shinsu can touch. "Do not forget, I signed the Contract of Immortality the same day as that stuck-up son of a bitch you call king. This is my domain, and I will not let his rules corrupt my sanctuary."

The emceeʼs body trembled as he gulped, and whether it was the overlaying frost, or the tension the family head was exuding that caused this, it remains uncertain. "But Lord Edahn, we still need someone to answer to this controversy, or else the whole estate would be accused of fiddling with the Princess of Jahad Selectionʼs system!"

"Then why not force a response from the root of the problem himself?" The former implied, tapping his chin as he glimpsed at them knowingly.

"Lord Edahn!"

Before anyone could retort, a group of elite guards personally led by Sivori swung the palace doors open, arriving in uneven breaths. "I have received intel that Monseigneur Aguero Agnis and the foreigner broke into your Lordshipʼs treasury and are currently attempting to flee!"

The family head plastered a look of astonishment as the atmosphere of the banquet stirred once more, the influential lot of the audience starting to voice out their suspicions. Human nature is indeed fickle, and he could only mentally applaud his son for having the guts to pursue this scheme, since it was the first time in a long while since he had experienced this much amusement.

"Khun Aguero Agnis, that boutʼs sole victor? Surely, you jest!"

"Is the Madame and Princess aware of this as well?"

Edahn saw Agnisʼ chin perk up at the accusations from his peripheral vision and was quite impressed at how one spiteful glare shut a portion of the hearsays up, while maintaining her dignified stature as a matriarch.

"Maybe the selectionʼs result was also the branchʼs doing!"

"If it is so, then we should have them exiled, or executed for this atrocity-!"

"No. Why should we let this mere situation escalate when the culprit has already laid his route of escape right in front of our eyes?" On the guestsʼ faces flashed an expression of inexpressible perplexity, but Edahn just waved his hand for his wine to be refilled, as if saying he couldnʼt be bothered by the underlying issue. "Are you stupid?"

"But, my Lord!"

"The princesses have already officially taken their pledges. What good will it do to bring our family even more humiliation that it has received now?" He retracted his shinsu, making everyone in the room almost simultaneously breathe out if not for his authoritative voice echoing through the walls which seemed like it could be heard from across the continent. "Nobody shall lay a hand on the Agnis Family. Am I heard?"