Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls-Chapter 437: I really need to learn how to travel alone.

Eva's smile remained there, calm and dangerously sincere, contrasting almost cruelly with the heavy silence that filled the hall. The Ainsworth mansion suddenly seemed too large, as if the walls were discreetly moving away to avoid being hit by the impending explosion.

Amelia was the first to react. Not with screams, nor with weapons, but with a short, incredulous laugh, devoid of any humor. She ran a hand over her face, as if trying to wake from a particularly absurd dream, and then slowly turned her gaze to Kael.

"Repeat it," she said, with forced calm. "Repeat it slowly, because I must have missed some important part of reality."

Irelia, on the other hand, did not laugh. She did not move. She simply stood still, gripping her sword tightly enough that her knuckles turned white, her gaze fixed on Eva as if trying to decide which of the various forms of violence available would be the most appropriate.

"You're saying," Irelia began, each word measured and tense, "that while we were here… waiting… you," she pointed her sword briefly at Kael, "went out there and decided to get married."

"Yes," Eva replied without hesitation.

"To you."

"Yes, also."

"And now," Irelia continued, her voice trembling slightly, not from fear, but from something far more dangerous, "we are… what?"

Eva tilted her head, genuinely confused by their difficulty in keeping up.

"Family," she replied. "Wives of the same husband. Sisters by bond. Not uncommon in ancient pacts."

The silence that followed was so absolute that Kael had the distinct impression that if he breathed any louder, he would be executed right there.

Amelia leaned against the back of the sofa, her fingers pressing firmly into the wood, her eyes still fixed on Kael.

"You knew this," she said, not as a question, but as a cold statement. "And you didn't think it relevant to comment."

Kael opened his mouth.

Closed it.

Opened it again.

"In my defense," he began carefully, "things happened… quickly."

Irelia let out a short, humorless laugh.

"Quickly," she repeated. "You were in a coma. You disappeared. You were kidnapped. You came back stronger. You show up with another woman. And it turns out we now have a… collective marriage contract." She tilted her head slightly. "That's not quickly, Kael. That's a disaster."

Eva crossed her arms again, watching the two with an almost irritating calm.

"You're reacting as if this is a tragedy," she said. "But he didn't stop being your husband. Nothing was taken away."

"You added something," Amelia retorted, finally raising her voice slightly. "Without asking." Eva stared directly at her.

"I don't take what isn't mine," she replied. "And he consented."

All eyes turned to Kael with an almost physical intensity.

"You… consented?" Irelia asked softly.

Kael felt the weight of the word crush him. He took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and, for the first time since crossing that threshold, spoke without irony, without sarcasm, without any attempt to escape.

"Yes," he said. "I consented."

The silence that followed was different. It wasn't explosive. It was dense, laden with unresolved emotions, hurt, fear, jealousy, and above all, poorly managed love.

Amelia looked away for a moment, breathing deeply, as if organizing something within herself.

"You really have an impressive talent," she murmured, "for turning our lives into something absurdly complicated."

Kael gave a tired half-smile.

"I never promised simplicity."

Irelia closed her eyes for a second that was far too long. When she opened them, the sword lowered slowly, the tip touching the marble floor with a dry sound.

"If you hurt us," she said, without looking at Eva, but clearly referring to both of them, "no Empire, pact, or marriage will save you."

Eva smiled slightly.

"Fair enough," she replied. "I'd say exactly the same."

Kael released the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding.

Kael released the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding, feeling the weight of that room finally settle on his shoulders. The silence was still dense, but it no longer threatened to explode at any second; now it seemed more like the kind of quiet that precedes difficult decisions, those that can no longer be postponed.

It was Amelia who broke that silence.

She slowly moved away from the sofa, crossing her arms as she stared at him with a firm look, less hurt than tired, like someone who had spent too much time dealing with other people's crises.

"Okay," she said, in a tone too controlled to be natural. "So let's skip the collective existential shock part." She tilted her head slightly. "What do you intend to do now, Kael?"

The question carried no accusation. It was practical. Direct. And, perhaps for that very reason, more difficult to answer.

Kael ran a hand through his hair, feeling for the first time since his arrival the true weight of his accumulated fatigue. He glanced quickly at Eva, then at Irelia, and finally turned to Amelia.

"Now?" He sighed. "Now I'm going to take a bath."

Irelia frowned. Amelia blinked.

"…A bath," Amelia repeated.

"Yes," he confirmed, with the utmost naturalness. "I'm covered in forest dust, political tension, and I was almost pierced by a sword as soon as I came in. I think it's reasonable."

For a second, Amelia seemed on the verge of laughing—or screaming—but ended up just shaking her head, defeated.

"After the bath?" she insisted.

Kael then became serious, the lightness draining from his face like cold water.

"After that, I'm going to my grandmother's estate," he said. "In the Empire."

Irelia looked up immediately.

"The Witch Queen," she murmured.

"Herself," Kael confirmed. "It's more than time I understood why I was thrust here without explanation. If there's a bigger chessboard at play, she knows where it begins."

Amelia nodded slowly.

"And then?" she asked.

Kael took a deep breath.

"Then I'll see the Emperor."

The name seemed to hang in the air.

Eva raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't interfere.

"My aunt made sure to make it perfectly clear how… dangerous this would be," Kael continued. "Veiled threats, not-so-subtle warnings, that classic 'this isn't a request' tone." He gave a humorless half-smile. "So I think it would be rude to ignore it."

Irelia crossed her arms, her sword now resting on the ground, but still within reach.

"Do you have a plan?" she asked.

Kael thought for a moment.

"I have a few," he replied. "None of them comfortable."

Amelia sighed, closing her eyes for a brief moment.

"Of course not."

He looked at the two of them, then at Eva, and spoke with a calmness that didn't try to hide the risk involved.

"But I'll be back," he said. "I'm not going anywhere without coming back."

Amelia narrowed her eyes slightly, as if trying to fit that last sentence into something that made sense in her own head. Kael's "I'll be back" echoed in the room for too long, carrying a promise too vague for someone who was clearly about to throw himself straight into the heart of imperial politics.

"Come back from where, exactly?" she asked, her voice low but firm. "Because, from what I understand, you're talking as if you're simply going to go out there, cross the Empire, face your grandmother, the Emperor… and then return as if it were a social visit."

Irelia nodded, taking a step forward.

"And that's without even mentioning that you're acting like you're alone," she added. "Which you definitely aren't."

Kael opened his mouth, already prepared to argue, but Amelia didn't give him a chance.

"We're going with you," she said, as if announcing a fait accompli.

"With—," Kael choked mid-word, blinking. "No, wait, that's not—"

"That's exactly it," Irelia interrupted. "You're not going to cross the Empire alone."

Kael ran a hand over his face, his weariness now evident.

"You don't understand," he began, searching for the words. "This involves the Emperor. My aunt. The court. It's not safe."

Amelia raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really think the concept of 'safety' still applies to you?" she asked dryly. "Besides—" She tilted her head. "Do you even know where the imperial palace is?"

Kael opened his mouth.

He stopped.

She blinked.

Irelia couldn't suppress a half-smile, short and merciless.

"Exactly," she said. "You've never been to the Empire."

The blow was silent, but devastating. Kael felt his shoulders slump slightly, as if that simple realization had drained the last of the resistance he was still trying to maintain. He looked away, defeated.

"…I was going to find out on the way," he murmured, without much conviction.

Amelia sighed, but there was something almost affectionate in the gesture.

"You're unbelievable."

Then Eva laughed.

Not loudly. Not provocatively. Just a light, amused laugh, like someone watching a scene that's all too familiar.

"You're all lovely," she commented, uncrossing her arms. "But this doesn't need to be so dramatic."

The three of them turned to look at her.

Eva walked over to Kael, lightly touched his shoulder, and spoke naturally:

"I'm going now."

Kael blinked.

"Now?"

"Now," she confirmed. "Meet me at the imperial palace."

Amelia frowned.

"Just like that…?"

Eva nodded.

"I have unfinished business with Erika," she said, her sharp smile returning to her lips. "The other Sword Queen doesn't like it when I delay important conversations."

Irelia took a deep breath. "Of course you don't like it."

Eva leaned in and gave Kael a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Don't get lost on the way," she said, amused. "It would be embarrassing to get there before you."

And before anyone could reply, she simply walked away, the air around her seeming to compress for a moment—and then she vanished, leaving behind a new silence, heavy with expectation.

Kael stood there for a few seconds, staring into the empty space.

"…I really need to learn how to travel alone," he murmured.

Amelia and Irelia exchanged a look.

"No," Amelia said. "You really don't need to."