Lord of Caldera - Chapter 226

Chapter 226: Chapter 226

Though Max was a commoner, his position was precarious. As one of Sylas’s most trusted men, he wielded considerable influence; a single report from him could spell the downfall of a noble house. Thus, addressing him as a mere commoner wasn’t something Leon could risk.

“Ordinarily, it would have been right to consult you first, Sir Sylas, but the situation didn’t allow for that. There were those who, unaware of Max’s standing, might have made a grave error otherwise.”

An honorary title was a compromise—a nominal status that ensured Max wouldn’t be disrespected in public.

Sylas nodded in understanding. “Fair enough.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

A moment later, the door swung open with a bang. Although it was an unceremonious entrance, no one was inclined to rebuke it.

“My lord! My lords and lady!”

“Max…!”

They all rose, delighted to hear his familiar voice again. But upon seeing him, they froze in surprise. Something was different. His cheeks were rounder, and his body had softened noticeably. Aware of their stares, Max rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Ahem, the hospitality here was… quite generous.”

“…”

This guy… he really made himself comfortable, Sylas thought with exasperation.

After Max entered, Leon discreetly excused himself, knowing he wasn’t in a position to hear private matters.

Once Leon had left, Sylas narrowed his eyes at Max. “Did you enjoy the ‘honey’ they offered you?”

“Honey? My lord, I barely slept with worry for you and the others.”

“Right.”

“It’s the truth! The North is a land where news hardly travels.”

“And what about that extra weight?”

“The result of… stress eating, to ease my anxieties.”

Yeah, sure. Sylas couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Max’s shameless response.

“But it’s true that I haven’t heard anything about you, my lord. What happened in the North?”

“Let’s hear your report first. How did things go here in our absence?”

“Quite well.”

There had been some attempts to meddle with the elven trade routes, but the Elf Grand Duke had no interest in trading with anyone other than Sylas. Trusting humans was out of character for the duke; Sylas was the one exception, and he had no reason to switch loyalties to a stranger.

“Honestly, those who approached probably weren’t expecting much. They were just testing the waters. The real tension came over the distribution of the trade goods.”

“It seems things were settled amicably, though.”

“Yes, Sir Leon made quite a few concessions. I was surprised while observing.”

Although Leon was the acting count, he was still a Winslow. Most would take the opportunity to sideline competing houses and favor their own, but Leon had willingly reduced his family’s share, redistributing it to other families. His extraordinary generosity had quickly defused the tense atmosphere.

“Not one to usually act in the name of the greater good, though… Odd.”

“Well, he likely understands his situation well.”

After all, the trade routes existed solely thanks to Sylas, and the legitimacy of the domain rested entirely with Ray. Surrounding them were families eager to snatch his position. Not to mention that Ray, as the count, held little fondness for Leon, so it was only natural he would tread carefully to survive.

“Anything else? No incidents?”

“Nothing major, but there was… one peculiar thing.”

“Peculiar?”

Max glanced at the door before lowering his voice to a whisper. “The Elf Grand Duke seems interested in forming a marriage alliance with you, my lord.”

“Pfft!”

“…!”

Toby choked on his tea, and Ray went rigid, as if paralyzed. Sylas himself wondered if he’d heard wrong.

“You’re joking, right?”

“No joke.”

“Elves… proposing a marriage alliance with humans? Does that even make sense?”

Elves were notorious for their lofty pride, looking down on humans as a lesser species. A marriage alliance seemed unthinkable. They’d be more likely to tear a human apart than consider such a bond. Max scratched his head, acknowledging the absurdity of what he was saying.

“I couldn’t believe it myself at first. But they kept calling me over and dropping hints.”

“What kind of hints?”

“Things like, in ancient times, there were unions between certain bloodlines of humans and elves, and that it was possible to have children between the two races. They even said it wouldn’t be strange if it happened again now.”

Sylas’s face hardened. If they’d truly said such things, it was hard to dismiss this as just a misunderstanding on Max’s part.

‘This is too obvious.’

The Elf Grand Duke was surely aware of Max’s connection to Sylas. Even though they hadn’t had direct conversations, the Grand Duke had seen Max by Sylas’s side often enough to figure it out. And now, the Grand Duke had summoned Max just to hint at the possibility of an alliance between elves and humans through marriage.

“Isn’t this practically saying it outright?” Toby remarked, and Sylas couldn’t deny it. The Grand Duke’s intentions were too clear.

Ray, seeming to share the sentiment, nodded slightly, her face stern.

“What is the Grand Duke thinking?”

“No idea.” Sylas furrowed his brow. This time, even he couldn’t make sense of the Grand Duke’s intentions.

‘Does he truly want a marriage alliance? Or is this some other kind of ploy?’

Was he trying to influence Sylas’s actions by planting the idea of marriage in his mind? Or perhaps he was subtly testing the waters to see if Sylas would be tempted. But no matter how much Sylas considered it, he couldn’t see what the Grand Duke stood to gain.

“Sir Sylas, Lady Ray.”

Leon suddenly re-entered the room, despite having just excused himself. His abrupt return, disregarding formalities, made Ray frown.

“You have no manners.”

“M-my apologies. But I have urgent news.”

Leon’s face was pale, his expression tense with anxiety.

“What is it? If it’s something trivial, you’ll regret it.”

“A-Arathion the Grand Duke wishes to see you, Sir Sylas.”

“…!”

The name of the Elf Grand Duke took everyone by surprise. The timing was almost too coincidental. All eyes turned to Sylas.