Isaac knocked at the door of his father's study and waited. Now that Jacob was back in good health, thanks to the... his sister-in-law's remedies, Isaac's duties had lessened dramatically. Of course, his father still piled tasks on his desk, but now he only had to ensure he performed them appropriately.

  No longer did he have to ponder about the ramifications or side-effects, which nobles would be annoyed by a decision, which ones he had to meet, where he had to compromise... Obviously, he kept those topics in mind, but only as a mental exercise, without the fear of failure normally attached to making such decisions.

  He slept better, nowadays, and his head was clearer.

  He heard his father's voice through the heavy wooden door and pushed it open, stepping up to his father's desk.

  Jacob looked up at his son and nodded. “Isaac, good, you came quickly.”

  The young man dipped his head. “Your summons did say promptly, Father.”

  The older man leaned back into his chair, a corner of his mouth curving upward by a fraction of a millimetre. “You look better, son. The bags under your eyes have disappeared, and you stand straighter.”

  Isaac blinked. His father never deviated from business. Never remarked on others' well-being. “I... huh. I am better, Father. If I am to be honest, I believe I did not have enough experience to be the acting patriarch. The duties left me somewhat ragged.”

  The words had barely left his mouth when he regretted uttering them. His father did not take kindly to the admission of weakness. Pits! What had prompted this? The man's apparent concern for his health? He looked back up at his father's face, bracing himself for a scowl and angry eyes, and-

  The man showed none of that. If anything, his mouth almost seemed to be... smiling sadly?

  Jacob clasped his hands in his lap. His next words were... uncertain, almost forced. “Indeed. Your mother and I discussed this at length. You were thrown into the role before you were ready, but you still managed to hold things together. You upheld the ideals of the Wardenfels, and our family remained strong for it. You did a good job, and I am proud of you.” The man attempted to smile, in a way that someone who doesn't know how to smile does.

  Isaac's expression remained unperturbed, but inside, his mind was spinning. And maybe, just maybe, his father's words had ignited a tiny bit of warmth in his heart.

  He is proud of me.

  He had never heard him say that. “I... am honoured to hear you say that, father.”

  Jacob's smile evaporated as the man nodded and his usual dour expression reasserted itself over his face. To Isaac, it felt as if the man had just taken care of an annoying chore and was moving on.

  Yet, the small ember of warmth inside of him remained.

  His father straightened in his chair. “Now, tell me, what do you know of the discovery in the living vault?”

  Isaac's mouth thinned. “The mana crystals? Initial estimates mark it as the most important deposit ever reported in recorded history. The monetary value alone has the potential to destabilize the kingdom's economy if the exploitation is not carefully managed,” he recited from the reports he had read.

  Jacob dipped his head. “Just so. The crown has placed a moratorium on all commercial activities until the full potential impacts have been determined.”

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  He scoffed. “Of course, our peers have been pressuring the king to lift it so they can begin digging the crystals out, without any consideration for the presence of a fel infestation.”

  Jacob leaned forward. “And, to complicate matters even more, there is the question of the so-called natives, who might have a rightful claim to the living vault and its resources. Do you want to guess as to what would happen if they kicked up a fuss about it?” He asked.

  Isaac didn't have to think very long. “They'd be pushed aside.”

  His father snorted. “A polite way of saying they'd get stabbed until they relented.” He narrowed his eyes. “Still, there is another aspect to this quagmire.”

  Isaac quirked a brow. “There is?”

  Jacob smiled, but his usual one, the kind that raised the hair on your back. “Yes. A member of our family is likely to lay claim to the living vault. A proper claim, with ancestral rights, from a line of noble blood.”

  “Who?”

  “Your brother, of course. Who else would attempt such brutal lunacy?”

  Isaac blinked. “...David? Claim the living vault? But, how?!”

  His father observed him for a moment, coming to a decision. “You might not know this, but the Wardenfel family predates the current dynasty. By a lot.”

  Isaac frowned. “A lot, how?”

  Jacob smirked. “Several thousand years.”

  “Several- Father! That would make our lineage predate even the previous dynasty!” Isaac exclaimed.

  “It does, although we weren't called the Wardenfels back then. That name was granted to us by the Herniate family for our continued battle with the corrupted and the fel. It is in our name, after all. Those who guard against the fel.” Jacob explained.

  Isaac let that knowledge sink in for a few seconds. “Father, do we have records of what our family was called, before then?”

  Jacob shook his head. “Lost to time. The oldest records we have speak of an old empire, one which came before the Herniates, and before the dynasty which predates them. Something called the Sunlight Realm, or maybe the Luminous Realm. It is written in a dead language, and the translations are educated guesses, at best.”

  Isaac eyed his father. “Are you telling me this because you think David's insane plan, and our history, are linked somehow? If it turns out to be true, will you be using it to lay claim to the living vault for the Wardenfels?”

  Jacob leaned back in his chair. “I will not. Firstly, the records of our lineage this far back are unclear, almost guesses rather than facts. More importantly, getting involved would draw a target on our back, bigger than we already have, being the crown's enforcers. However, I do want to support David's claim, if he manages it. From what we could gather, Riverwall's mayor has a rather ingenious plan to involve the crown in his claim. I'm rather interested in seeing where this goes.” He explained.

  Isaac remained silent for a while, working through the information he'd just been given. He looked back up at his father. “What is my task, then, regarding this situation?”

  Jacob smiled. “As you know, an infrastructure proposal was recently brought up regarding Riverwall, and has just now been approved. While there were several noble houses backing the proposal, the two true instigators were the Wardenfels and the All Brews.”

  Isaac's eyes widened. “Oh.”

  Jacob continued. “Now, the proposal was brought forth before the mana crystal deposits were discovered, but this means we can leverage it to both of our, now joined, families' benefits. As such, Cornelius All Brew has sent a representative, with whom you will work on making certain the project unfolds properly, and that our families will extract all the benefits we can, for us and the kingdom, both in the short and long term.”

  A bead of cold sweat ran down Isaac's back. “I see.”

  Before his father could say another word, someone knocked on the study's door.

  Jacob smiled. “That must be them. Enter, please.”

  Isaac heard the heavy door open, and clacking heels walk up next to him. The subtle perfume hit his nostrils before he even turned his head to look at the newcomer with something between dread and despair.

  A tall blonde with amethyst eyes and a feline smile greeted him. “Oh, hello, sir Isaac! Are you the Wardenfel I'll be working with on this fascinating project for Riverwall?” Angeline asked, before turning toward Jacob and curtsying. “Greetings to you, Patriarch Wardenfel.”

  Isaac didn't answer. He turned his head toward his father, hoping that he'd heard something incorrectly.

  Jacob only nodded.

  Angeline clapped her hands as she turned her gaze back to Isaac. “Oh! Wonderful! I feel like we'd had such limited time back at my sister's wedding to get to know each other! Now, we'll have seasons upon seasons to do so!”

  Isaac felt his soul leave his body.

  thrilled.