Transmigrated Into A Women Dominated World-Chapter 224: So Much Chaos

Viora seemed to have a changed opinion on Maxwell. Although he had expected that at some point, he didn’t expect the change to come that same day.

The simple scene affected him more than he liked to admit. His throat tightened and he forced the feeling down, keeping his face as neutral as he could manage, even if he wasn’t fooling anyone.

"Thanks," he said, and his voice came out rougher than he’d meant it to. "That, uh. That actually means a lot."

"Don’t get sentimental on me, little brother." But Viora’s tone was softer now, almost teasing. "My opinion can still change."

"Fair enough." He nodded. This meant so much that Zaeryn.

Ysmeine appeared in the kitchen doorway like she’d been summoned, leaning against the frame with that knowing look she got when she’d been eavesdropping and didn’t care if you knew it.

Zaeryn hadn’t even noticed her leave. He’d been too focused on Viora, too caught up in that moment.

"So does this mean you’re staying for dinner, Princess?" Ysmeine asked, and there was warmth in her voice that made it clear the title was a courtesy, not a barrier. "Because I’m making roasted vegetables and that chicken dish Zaeryn likes, and there’s more than enough."

Viora glanced toward the window. The afternoon light had gone soft and golden, bleeding into early evening. She’d been here longer than she’d planned. Probably way longer than she’d intended when she’d shown up this morning ready to assess a threat.

"If you liked that coffee, I guarantee you, you’re going to love her chicken even more," Zaeryn promised.

Viora’s eyes met his. "I suppose I could stay a bit longer," she said, and there was something almost reluctant about it. Like admitting she wanted to be here was harder than admitting Zaeryn wasn’t dangerous.

"Perfect." Ysmeine disappeared back into the kitchen, and the sounds of cooking resumed.

The silence between Zaeryn and Viora wasn’t uncomfortable anymore. It felt more like two people who’d just figured out they could exist in the same space without it being weird. Like maybe they could actually be siblings instead of just politically connected strangers.

Zaeryn took another sip of his coffee, which had cooled enough to be merely devastating instead of apocalyptic.

"Can I ask you something?" he said after a moment.

"You can ask," Viora replied, picking up her own cup. "I may not answer."

"When you figured out I existed, that Athea had a son, what was your first thought?"

Viora considered the question, her fingers tracing the rim of the cup. "Disbelief," she said finally. "Complete, fundamental disbelief. Because males aren’t allowed into royal families."

She took a sip, and her expression darkened.

"And then, once I confirmed it was true, once I’d seen enough evidence that denial wasn’t an option anymore?" She looked at him, and there was something raw in her eyes. "Rage. Pure, unfiltered rage at being lied to for eighteen years. At having this fundamental truth about my own family hidden from me like I couldn’t be trusted with it."

She paused, and when she spoke again, her voice was quieter.

"And then fear. Fear that your existence could destroy everything our family has built. That the secret would come out and we’d all burn for it." She met his eyes. "I even considered whether you needed to be eliminated. Whether one life was worth the risk to thousands."

Zaeryn felt a shiver at the thought of Viora having chosen to eliminate him. He could imagine that if that was the case then their interaction this morning would have been entirely different. ’Thank Marea, she’s reasonable.’ he thought,

"And now?"

Viora studied him over the rim of her cup, those ice-blue eyes assessing but not cold anymore. "Now I think you’re just an innocent person who got dealt an impossible hand and is somehow making it work against all odds." She paused, and something that might have been a smile touched her lips. "I don’t think you’re a threat. Not to me, not to the family, not to anyone who doesn’t deserve it. So you can relax."

Zaeryn nodded, and some tension he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying finally loosened in his shoulders.

From the kitchen, something sizzled loudly, and the smell of garlic and herbs started drifting into the living room. Zaeryn’s stomach reminded him that getting beaten up by a princess apparently worked up an appetite.

"So," he said, settling deeper into the armchair and propping his ankle on his knee. "You want to tell me what it’s actually like on the front lines? Fighting the Vorthak?"

Viora’s expression shifted, and for a moment, something haunted flickered across her face. Then she started speaking, and just like that, they started talking. Not about threats or assessments or political implications. Just talking. Brother and sister, getting to know each other. It felt normal. Which was probably the weirdest thing about the whole day.

Some time passed. Zaeryn was in the middle of telling Viora about his first day at the academy, about Leia’s hostility and Jyn’s immediate chaos, when his wrist comm chimed softly. The holographic display lit up, and Ingrid’s ID flashed across it.

Zaeryn glanced at Viora, who raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

He shifted to make sure Viora’s face wasn’t visible and tapped the receiver. "Hey."

Ingrid’s face materialized above his wrist, and even through the hologram he could see that playful smile of hers. "Hey yourself. Where’ve you been hiding? You missed class today."

"Had to take care of something," Zaeryn said, keeping it vague. "Family stuff."

"Family stuff," Ingrid repeated, and he could hear the curiosity bleeding through. "That’s very mysterious of you." She leaned closer to her own comm, and the hologram shifted with her movement. "I missed you, you know. It was boring without you there to annoy Leia."

Zaeryn couldn’t help but smile. "You miss me or you miss having someone to entertain you by annoying Leia?"

"Can’t it be both?" She grinned. "But seriously, I want to see you. Tonight, if you’re free. I know it’s last minute, but..." She trailed off, and when she spoke again, her voice had dropped to something softer, more intimate. "I just want to spend time with you."

Zaeryn felt Viora’s eyes on him. She wasn’t staring, exactly, but she was definitely listening. Which made this whole conversation significantly more awkward than it needed to be.

"Tonight’s kind of complicated," he started. Although honestly, he also wanted to see her.

"Is it your other girlfriends?" Ingrid asked, but there was no jealousy in her tone. Just acceptance. "Because I can work with that. I’m not picky about sharing time."

"It’s not that," Zaeryn said quickly. "It’s actually family. My sister’s visiting."

There was a beat of silence. "Your sister?" Ingrid sounded genuinely surprised. "I thought you lived with your family, including your siblings already, so how is she visiting?"

"It’s my other sister actually. My second

sister. It’s kind of new information for me too," Zaeryn admitted. Which was true, technically. "We’re just getting to know each other."

"Oh. Long lost sister kind of thing?" Ingrid’s expression softened. "You’ll have to fill me in about that, will you? Okay, family time is important. I get it." She paused. "But tomorrow? Can I see you tomorrow? Maybe come over? I’d love to see where you live."

Zaeryn hesitated. Having Ingrid over meant introducing her to Ysmeine, to Aeris, to the whole domestic setup he’d been keeping separate from his academy life. Not that he was ashamed of it, but mixing those worlds felt like inviting chaos.

Then again, Ingrid already knew about the bond. She knew what he was. And she’d been surprisingly cool about all of it.

"Sure," he said finally. "Tomorrow works. We can spend the whole day together. I’ll send you the address."

Ingrid’s face lit up. "Perfect. I’ll bring wine or something. Be impressive." She said, "Miss you. See you tomorrow."

The connection cut, and Zaeryn lowered his wrist.

Viora was watching him with an expression that was somewhere between amused and analytical. "Girlfriend?"

"Yeah," Zaeryn said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"And I thought Sage Stellan was your girlfriend? That didn’t look like her."

"Well, yeah, she is one of them." He immediately regretted saying that, knowing that it would invite more questions he was shy to answer. "It’s complicated."

"One of them," Viora repeated, and now she was definitely amused. "How many do you have, exactly?"

"I’m not keeping a running count."

"That means it’s enough that counting would be embarrassing." She took another sip of her coffee, and there was something almost playful in her expression now. "Mother’s going to have opinions about this."

"Athea can keep her opinions to herself," Zaeryn muttered. Although he was sure Athea knew that he had multiple girlfriends by now, since she kept tabs on him.

Viora smiled very faintly, but it showed her amusement, "I like you, little brother. You’re going to cause so much chaos."

"I’m really not trying to."

"That’s what makes it better."